Fukuoka is Japan’s fifth-largest city and is nestled on the northern coast of Kyushu. The city is loosely divided into two halves, Hakata and Tenjin, with the island of Nakasu in the middle. Formerly these areas used to be two separate cities: the merchant town of Hakata to the east and the castle town of Fukuoka (which included Tenjin) to the west. The cities merged in 1889 to create the modern city of Fukuoka. Because of its closeness to the Asian mainland (closer to Seoul than to Tokyo), Fukuoka has been an important harbour city for many centuries.
Group Attractions
Canal City
Canal City Hakata is a commercial complex that consisted of many attractive shops. It features a great variety of shopping spots including Canal City Opa, which is tenanted by 140 speciality stores offering a wide range of items from clothing to sundries, Mega Store Building, which is tenanted by ZARA and other trendy shops and Muji, where you can buy everything from quality food, clothes, sundries, furniture and home appliances. This commercial complex is built around an artificial canal and features other establishments from hotels, theatre, movie theatre, restaurants and showrooms.
Activities: Shopping Fee: None Time required: Minimum 1 hour
Momochi Seaside Park
Seaside Momochi is Fukuoka's modern waterfront located on reclaimed land along Hakata Bay. The area was designed with attractive, modern features such as wide, tree-lined streets, futuristic buildings, and public parks. Seaside Momochi is home to several attractive amusements including beaches, museums and a variety of shopping and dining options. The main attractions are centred around Fukuoka Tower and the MARK IS shopping complex, which is located about one kilometre apart.
Activities: Shopping Fee: None Time required: Minimum 1 hour
Ohori Park
Ohori Park is a pleasant city park in central Fukuoka with a large pond at its centre. There is a walking path around the circumference of the pond that is just a little over two kilometres long and is popular for jogging, walking pets and strolls by the water. There are three islands in the middle of the pond that is connected to the mainland and each other by elegant stone bridges. A few steps from the museum, visitors will come across the Ohori Park Japanese Garden that comes with a small entrance fee (JPY 250), where visitors can see typical features of Japanese gardens like dry landscapes and tea houses.
Activities: Park visit Fee: None Time required: Minimum 1 hour
Uminonakamichi Seaside Park
Uminonakamichi Seaside Park is a sprawling, family-oriented public park, made up of several different areas including flower gardens, playgrounds, sports fields, a water park, a zoo and large open spaces and lawns perfect for picnicking. nearly four kilometres from end to end and many visitors will find it too expansive to cover on foot. To make the park more easily explorable, there is a network of cycling trails, and bicycles can be rented at the entrance gates. With about 2000 cherry trees planted around the lawns, it is one of the city's popular cherry blossom spots.
Activities: Park visit Fee: None Time required: Minimum 1 hour
Shofukuji Temple
Shofukuji is the first Zen temple constructed in Japan. It was founded in 1195 by the priest Eisai, who introduced the Rinzai sect of Zen Buddhism from China into Japan. Although the temple buildings cannot be entered, visitors can walk through Shofukuji's attractive temple grounds and observe the buildings from outside. More Buddhist architecture can be seen at a few smaller temples in the surrounding neighbourhood.
Activities: Temple visit Fee: None Time required: 30-40 minutes
Nearby Areas
The Tenjin Underground Shopping Center (Tenjin Chikagai) runs 590 meters north to south and has about 150 different shops. Apparel, general goods, cosmetics, and cafes can all be found in this underground shopping space which makes it a perfect place to shop no matter what the weather outside is like.
Tenjin Core is to Fukuoka what Shibuya 109 is to Tokyo: the home of gyaru or gal fashion, where you will only see the hottest, newest must-have clothes for girls in their teens to twenties. (Image via Fukuoka Now)
This Daimaru consists of a main building and the east building Elgala, and is best known as an area with comparatively famous brand name shops. The department store is very well-suited to non-Japanese shoppers. There is a duty-free counter on the 5th floor of Elgala and there are automatic foreign currency exchange machines. (Image via Fukuoka Now)