Fukuoka – The Home of Tonkotsu Ramen
Fukuoka is the capital of Fukuoka Prefecture and the largest city on the island of Kyushu. The city tends to be quieter than larger, more popular Japanese cities such as Kyoto and Tokyo, though there is still a lot to see and do here.
Fukuoka is also a short ride on the high speed shinkansen train to Kumamoto, another city on Kyushu. It’s worth taking a day trip to visit this city when staying in Fukuoka.
From ancient shrines and temples, to modern skyscrapers, shopping malls and beaches, Fukuoka offers a lot to do. It is also the home of tonkotsu ramen, a must try when in the city. As well as ramen, Fukuoka has lots of delicious food to try!
Things to do in Fukuoka
- Fukuoka Tower
- Fukuoka Castle Ruins
- Ohori Park and Japanese Garden
- Maizuru Park
- Shrines and Temples
- Rakusuien Garden
- Momochi Seaside Park and Beach
- Nakasu Food Stalls Street
- Mount Aso Day Trip
- Shopping
- Eat Ramen
Fukuoka Tower
Fukuoka Tower is the tallest building in the city and the tallest seaside tower in Japan. The tower stands at 234m tall, and has three observation decks. The elevator from the ground floor takes you first to the highest observation deck at 123m, then you can take the stairs down to the café at 120m, and the final observation deck at 116m.
The tower looks great when viewed from the outside, with its mirrored glass reflecting the sky. From inside you can get a 360° view of the city, from Hakata in the east, to the mountains that surround Fukuoka, to Momochi Seaside Park below.
If you time it right you can also watch the sunset from Fukuoka Tower. It could be a little tricky to time it – a member of staff was at the end of the queue showing the time from queueing to reaching the elevator. It varied between 30 and 50 minutes, so it’s best to go early if you want to watch the sunset from the top.
Fukuoka Castle Ruins
The ruins of Fukuoka Castle sit in what is now Maizuru Park. They’re free to enter and you can easily spend an hour or so looking around what’s left of the city’s castle. I recommend starting on the east side at the Fukuoka Castle Ruins Visitor Centre. Inside you can pick up a map and also see a model of what the castle would have looked like. This visitor centre is next to the site of the Korokan, of which only the remains have been found. The Korokan were facilities for international diplomacy and trade between the 7th and 11th centuries.
After the visitor’s centre you’ll pass a few sports fields before reaching the castle walls. The site of the castle has largely been converted into Maizuru Park so you’ll likely see people practicing football or rugby there.
Explore what’s left of the castle and head to the ruins of the keep. This is basically a large stone base for what would have been the bottom of the castle, but as it’s the highest point in the ruins it offers a great view across Fukuoka.
Another part worth exploring is the Tamon-Yagura, the multi-room turret, where you can walk through the old building and peak through the windows where soldier’s may have once stood guard.
Finally, head to the Shimonohashi Gomon Gate in the north of the park for an impressive turret and gate that marked the entrance to the castle. Head out onto the street from here and get a good view looking back over the moat and the gate.
Ohori Park and Japanese Garden
Ohori Park lies to the west of the Fukuoka Castle Ruins and was modelled after West Lake of Hangzhou, China. The park is a great place to relax in the middle of the city, and you’ll see lots of locals here to exercise or just out for a stroll.
In the southeast corner of the park you’ll find the Japanese Garden. This traditional garden is beautiful and has water features as well as a teahouse. There was free entry the day I visited but it would be worth paying to have a look around inside.
There are three islands in the park connected by bridges. From south to north you can walk over the Satsuki Bridge, Chamura Bridge, Shogetsu Bridge and the Kangetsu Bridge. Look out for the turtles that swim around the islands!
On the island between the Shogetsu and Kangetsu Bridges you’ll find the Ukimi-do Pavilion. This bright red pavilion makes for a good photo spot in the park.
Maizuru Park
Maizuru Park is the name of the park in which the Fukuoka Castle Ruins sit, but for this I’m talking more specifically about the part of the park which is nestled between the castle ruins and Ohori Park.
Here you’ll find a beautiful peony garden that overlooks one of the castle turrets. When I visited there was also a craft gyoza festival being held here with over 20 stalls selling delicious gyoza, so check before you go to see if there are any cool events happening in this park!
Shrines and Temples
Like most cities in Japan, you can wander the streets of Fukuoka and stumble upon shrines and temples. There are the big famous ones and hidden ones down backstreets. Every so often you’ll see a torii gate spring out of nowhere. Here I highlight some of the shrines and temples I think are worth visiting in the city.
Kushida Shrine
Kushida Shrine is located off of the Kawabata Shopping Arcade. It has the usual torii gates and impressive main hall, but what makes this shrine worth visiting is that the Hakata Gion Yamakasa festival is centred around it.
This festival involves carrying Kakiyama, or giant floats, around the city. One of these towering floats can be seen at the shrine where it is exhibited year round. If you’re interested in seeing the float race, visit Fukuoka between July 1st and 15th when the festival takes place.
Sumiyoshi Shrine
The Sumiyoshi Shrine is close to Hakata Station. This Shinto shrine is very peaceful, and there are many parts of it where photography is not allowed.
The deity of Sumiyoshi is also worshipped as the god of Sumo. Sumo wrestling was originally practiced as a Shinto ritual, and at the shrine you can see a statue of a sumo wrestler next to the main hall.
terumo Shrine
Terumo Shrine is a Shinto shrine in Nishi Park, and it’s maybe my favourite in Fukuoka. It enshrines Kuroda Yoshitaka, the founder of Fukuoka Domain, and his son, Kuroda Nagamasa. The original shrine was destroyed in World War 2 by an American air raid, but it was rebuilt in 1966.
After passing under the torii gate, you’ll see a sculpture of Nagamasa’s favoured horned helmet on the right.
Hidden to the right of the main shrine building you can find an inari shrine with lots of torii gates to walk through.
This shrine is really quiet and peaceful, especially compared to other shrines in Fukuoka (perhaps because you have to walk up a bit of a hill to reach it).
Tochoji Temple
The Tochoji Temple is a Buddhist temple with a great red pagoda that stands in contrast to the modern city buildings around it.
The temple is host to a senju kannon statue that was carved from a single log of black pine. It is a “hidden Buddha”, meaning it is concealed and can only be seen during certain celebrations.
Fortunately there is a bigger statue that can be viewed. The daibutsu is a 10.8m statue that weighs 30 tons. It is the third largest statue of a seated Buddha in Japan. No photos are allowed of it, so you’ll have to visit the temple and see this one for yourself.
At this temple you can also visit the graves of some of the lords of the Fukuoka Domain.
Shofukuji Temple
Not far from Tochoji Temple is the Shofukuji Temple, the first Zen Buddhist temple to be built in Japan. Although none of the buildings can be entered, the grounds of the temple are still pleasant to walk around and the buildings are impressive.
Parts of the temple appear to lead to residential areas of beautiful traditional houses. As long as you are quiet and respectful you can walk around the streets past these houses.
Mangyoji Temple
Mangyoji Temple is a modest Buddhist temple located near Kushida Shrine. Compared to other temples in Japan there isn’t a lot to see, but if you’re passing by it’s worth stopping in to see the temple buildings and the sleek bell tower.
Rakusuien Garden
Tucked away behind Sumiyoshi Shrine is the Rakusuien Garden. Entry is just ¥100 and the garden gives you a chance to take a break from the busy streets of the city.
It’s very peaceful to sit by the pond and watch the big fish bobbing to the surface. It’s also possible to book a tea ceremony here, and when ceremonies aren’t being held you can have a look around inside the teahouse.
Momochi Seaside Park and Beach
At the foot of Fukuoka Tower is the Momochi Seaside Park and Beach. Here you can find some restaurants and shops as well as ice cream.
To either side of the Marizon dock you’ll find a beautiful beach. Take a stroll along the beach or relax in the sun after visiting the other sites of Fukuoka.
Nakasu Food Stalls Street
I’m including the Nakasu Food Stalls Street not as a place to visit in Fukuoka, but as a place to avoid. This was the biggest disappointment I had in Fukuoka.
Nakusa is the island located in the middle of Fukuoka. Before visiting the city I had read that many food stalls, or Yatai, line a street on this island at night selling delicious local food. Unfortunately this wasn’t the case. There were maybe only five or six stalls, and each one had a very long queue. Not quite the street food utopia that other sites make it out to be.
What’s more is that in the street right behind the food stalls there are lots of brothels, making it quite an unpleasant area to walk through.
I’d recommend avoiding Nakasu. There is so much good food to eat elsewhere in Fukuoka.
Mount Aso Day Trip
Mount Aso is the largest active volcano in Japan. It’s located in the Aso Kuju National Park in Kumamoto Prefecture. The volcano is in a large caldera, or crater, so you can see a ring of mountains around the site.
While Mount Aso is closer to Kumamoto than to Fukuoka, the trip I took departed from the later. If you’d like to book a similar trip to the volcano, you can do so here.
The trip I went on took me to the Mount Aso Crater, the Kusasenri Grasslands, the Kamishikimi Kumanoimasu Shrine, and the Kurokawa Onsen town. It was a long day with lots of driving in a bus, but all the sites were worth visiting so I highly recommend taking this trip or one similar to it.
Mount Naka Crater
The first stop on the Mount Aso Day Trip was to the crater of Mount Naka. First the tour bus stopped at the main carpark, then we transferred to a smaller mini bus to take us closer to the crater’s edge.
Surrounding the crater is black ash and stones. It wouldn’t look out of place in Mordor.
Inside the crater lies the active volcano which continuously emits smoke. You can get close enough to see the gasses bubbling up from below in the green pool of hot water that forms in the crater. We were advised to wear masks as one of the gases emitted is the poisonous sulphur dioxide, though the smell wasn’t too strong.
There are a few viewpoints around the crater, some for looking into it and some for viewing the surrounding mountains. This whole area is very exposed and windy, so wrap up for this part of the trip (you won’t feel any heat from the volcano itself).
Kusasenri Grasslands
The next stop on the Mount Aso Day Trip was to the Kusasenri Grasslands, located very close to the Mount Aso Crater. These grasslands have various viewpoints where you can take in the surrounding peaks.
The five peaks you can see from here are Mount Neko, Mount Taka, Mount Naka, Mount Eboshi, and Mount Kishima.
You can get a great view of the smoke rising from Mount Naka from one of the viewpoints at the grasslands.
The grasslands themselves are also beautiful, with a shallow lake in the centre which reflects the sky and the mountains.
If you like, you can take a short horse riding trip around the grasslands.
Kamishikimi Kumanoimasu Shrine
The Kamishikimi Kumanoimasu Shrine, other than being a mouthful, is dedicated to the creator gods Izanagi-no-Mikoto and Izanami-no-Mikoto from Japanese mythology. It was the third stop on the Mount Aso Day Trip.
At the entrance to the shrine you’ll pass under a large torii gate, then you’ll climb 260 steps through the forest, passing under a second torii gate along the way.
The path up to the shrine is lined with moss covered stone lanterns that look like they’ve been there for a very long time.
At the top of the stairs you’ll come to the main shrine building, which might look familiar to anyone who’s seen the anime film “Hotarubi no Mori e”, or “Into the Forest of Fireflies Light” in English.
Continuing past the shrine will take you up a short path through the forest of towering trees.
At the end of this path there is an open cave. It’s pretty cool to see, though it’s not worth scrambling up the little bit of path after going through the cave – there is no view from there.
Kurakawa Onsen
The final stop on the Mount Aso Day Trip was the Kurokawa Onsen town. This little town straddles the Tanoharu River and is filled with onsens and unique shops selling gifts, souvenirs and food from the area.
You can pay to use the onsens or there are free foot baths available in the town. If stripping naked with strangers to take a hot bath isn’t for you, then I recommend checking out Patisserie Roku, a bakery in town. The cheese puff and the cream puff sold here are amazing.
The town is small and can be walked around in 30 minutes or so, but take your time wandering the streets that make you feel like you’ve travelled back in time. It’s a great place to rest after a day of exploring Mount Aso and its surroundings.
Shopping
Fukuoka, like many cities, offers an abundance of shopping opportunities. From large modern malls, covered arcades and underground malls to the weird and wacky of modern Japan, Fukuoka has something for everyone. Here are some of the best spots I found for shopping in the city.
Hakata Station/AMU Plaza/Kitte Mall
Within and surrounding Hakata Station there are multiple shopping malls. The one above Hakata Station is called AMU Plaza, while next door there is the Kitte Mall. Here you can find a wide range of shops and restaurants.
The station has many shops catering to tourists, selling gifts and souvenirs. AMU Plaza has many clothes shops, while its top two floors are packed with restaurants. AMU Plaza was home to the Fukuoka Pokemon Centre which has now relocated to the Kitte Mall. The upper floors of the Kitte Mall also have other collectible card stores as well as pop up stores for popular anime.
Canal City
Canal City is a large shopping mall at the end of the Kawabata Shopping Arcade, near Kushida Shrine. As the name suggests, a canal runs through the lower level of the mall. Here you can watch water and light shows in sync with music.
The mall has lots of shops and restaurants, as well as a cinema. You can find the Studio Ghibli store here and a place selling new Tamagotchis!
Kawabata Shopping Arcade
The Kawabata Shopping Arcade is a covered shopping street that runs for 400 metres. On this street you can find a mix of old and new shops, as well as some restaurants and places to buy souvenirs. It’s a fun street to walk down, ending at the Kushida Shrine at the south end. It’s also where you can find one of the best ramen spots in Fukuoka – Hakata Kawabata Dosanko.
Tenjin
Tenjin is the city centre area of Fukuoka, and a place where you’ll find many shopping malls. If you arrive by metro you’ll find yourself in the underground shopping mall that seemingly stretches for miles in all directions.
Above this is the Fukuoka PARCO mall, where you can find lots of shops including a One Piece store.
Behind this is the Shintencho Shopping District – more covered shopping streets. Here you’ll also find the Taito Station and Gigo arcades. Inside are lots of claw machines, gacha machines and arcade games.
Around the Tenjin metro station you’ll find lots of other malls and shops – probably enough for an entire day of shopping.
Yodobashi Camera Multimedia Hakata
The Yodobashi store is located right next to Hakata Station and it sells EVERYTHING. They’ve got computer parts and video games. Model planes and board games. Endless capsule toys and pianos. TVs, kitchen appliances, mobile phones. Need somewhere to store it all? They’ve got massive tents. You can buy a BBQ for cooking outside your tent. Hunting knives and axes, running shoes, clothes, snacks. Toilet seats, washing machines, electric razors and hair dryers. Watches, or clocks if you prefer. Suitcases to take it all home in and bikes to help you carry it there. Workout bikes for practice and massage chairs to relax in after. Cameras and drones to capture it all and telescopes to consult the stars to see if buying all that was necessary. It’s a shop that goes on and on and on.
Eat Ramen
Fukuoka is the birthplace of the tonkatsu ramen, a type of ramen where the broth is made from pork bones and the noodles are very thin. It’s got a very rich taste that is unlike ramen I’ve had in other parts of Japan.
There are countless ramen restaurants in Fukuoka and you can’t really go wrong with any. Search for ramen on your maps app and pick any with decent reviews. If it’s full of locals then it’s probably good. Many of the best ramen restaurants have queues down the street, but fortunately ramen tends to be served quickly so the turnaround is fast.
The ones below are some of the restaurants I ate at and recommend, though this represents only a tiny fraction of the ramen available in the city.
Hakata Kawabata Dosanko
Starting with the best is Hakata Kawabata Dosanko. This ramen spot can be found at the Kawabata Shopping Arcade. I recommend ordering the bowl with every topping. This includes a block of butter which gradually melts into the broth as you eat it, adding a rich, creamy and slightly sweet flavour to the ramen.
Ippudo, Hakata Station
Ippudo was my first ramen in Fukuoka. After I checked into my hotel I headed to Hakata Station for a bowl of the delicious tonkotsu ramen. It’s a famous ramen restaurant with branches across the country.
Hakata Noodle Street
The Hakata Noodle Street can be found in the DEITOS annex of Hakata Station. Head to the second floor of the station, following the signs for the Shinkansen Entrance (Hikari Square Gate). Here you’ll find 12 restaurants all selling ramen.
All of the restaurants had long queues out the door. Fortunately ramen is served very quickly and people normally finish in under 10 minutes, so you shouldn’t have to wait too long.
I ate at Hakata Ikkousha, where I had a delicious bowl of ramen overflowing with pork. Another popular place here is Shin Shin Ramen.
Hakataya Hakata Ramen
The cheapest bowl of ramen I had in Fukuoka was at Hakataya Hakata Ramen, near exit 1 of the Nishijin metro station. It was under ¥500 for a bowl, but no less delicious than ramen that cost twice that. It was full of locals too which is always a reassuring sign. It’s not too far from Fukuoka Tower if you’re looking for ramen in that area.
Hakata Issou Honten
Hakata Issou Honten is southeast of Hakata Station. This is one I had heard about before going to Fukuoka, but I unfortunately didn’t get a chance to eat here. That’s because the queue was all the way down the block, with a guard managing it. I love ramen, but I didn’t fancy queueing that long for it. Still, it’s a sign that this restaurant is incredibly popular and must have really good ramen if people are willing to queue that long in a city filled with other ramen restaurants. Maybe head to this one early if you want to try it.