9 Things to do in Fukuoka

Fukuoka, the capital of Fukuoka prefecture, is the biggest city on Kyushu. There’s a lot to see, do and eat. We spent a total of 5 days in Fukuoka and still didn’t see everything we wanted to.

For details on restaurants in Fukuoka, check out our post "Food in Fukuoka"

1) Dazaifu Tenmangu

This large temple complex and the Kyushu National Museum (below) are located in the town of Dazaifu, a suburb of Fukuoka. This temple is dedicated to learning and education so many people come for prayers/offerings for success in school.

If you took the train to get there, you walk up a pleasant 2-3 block street filled with shops, cafes and restaurants. Most of the shops have cafes in the back half of the shop.

A local specialty, umegae mochi, can be found throughout this area. It’s mochi wrapped around sweet red bean paste and then baked until lightly browned, giving a flavor of toasted rice to it.

You access the main temple complex over a series of short bridges that cross streams and ponds. Throughout the grounds are enormous old trees, covered with moss and ferns, and, in many cases, with branches propped up by wood pillars.

The main temple roof is covered with trees and plants, and this area is full of temple shops selling charms for good luck, education and, of course, finding a mate.

Be sure not to miss the Inari shrine also on the grounds. As you face the main temple, it’s behind and to the right up a small hill into the forest. There are several stairs/paths that reach the complex so it’s hard to get lost. The Inari complex is a cluster of shrines nestled deeper in the forest and is much less visited than the rest of the temple area.

Dazaifu Tenmangu. 4 Chome-7-1 Saifu, Dazaifu, Fukuoka 818-0117. Open daily 6:30 AM - 7:00 PM. Free.

2) Kyushu National Museum

This museum is the result of an over 100 year old dream by the monks at Dazaifu Tenmangu shrine. In the late 1800s, they brought together a number of historical items from Kyushu and tried to raise money for a permanent location. Though they were unsuccessful at the time, when the Kyushu National Museum was being planned about 25 years ago, it was decided that it should be built right next to the shrine complex.

This museum covers the history of Kyushu from the first humans on the island to today. Displays are all well described in multiple languages (including English). Sprinkled throughout are various galleries of collections donated by various collectors, including old Imari pottery and other pottery, and some original Hokusai drawings. The exhibit itself is a mix of anthropology (descriptions of life with various objects and tools) and art (ceramics, jewelry, etc).

Kyushu has been a significant leader in trade for many centuries. Japanese trade with Korea and China went through Kyushu, as did later trade with European countries such as Portugal and Spain, and later England and the Netherlands. Exhibits describes how much of the culture of Japan was built originally on what was being done in Kyushu or brought back from China or Korea.

Kyushu National Museum. 4 Chome-7-2 Ishizaka, Dazaifu, Fukuoka 818-0118. Open Tues-Sun 9:30 AM - 5:00 PM. Permanent exhibition 750 yen; temporary exhibition (includes admission to permanent exhibition) 2000 yen.

We did the following 4 places in a day as they are all in or near the Hakata Gion district (Hakata old town). There were a number of temples and shrines that we walked through as we made our way through this neighborhood; we just didn't get pictures of them.

3) Kushida Shrine

A shinto shrine with displays of the local floats used for the matsuri.

4)Tochoji

An old temple complex with a towering red pagoda. There are treasures enclosed which are only visible on certain days of the month or during festivals, but on a regular day it is still a nice place to visit.

5) Ishikura sake brewery

This brewery claims it's the only brewery still in the Hakata area. Just a few minutes walk north of the canal that borders Hakata Gion, this fun brewery is underneath a large elevated freeway. Don't let the industrial location dissuade you from visiting though. There's a tasting room where you can have 3 free small samples and/or do a set with two larger samples of sake plus small bites to accompany the sake (1000 yen pp).

We did the set and tried four sakes between us - a nigori, a shiboritate junmai (brewed but not pasteurized in the autumn and released between then and spring), a junmai daiginjo and a junmai ginjo. All four were good, but the shiboritate and junmai daiginjo particularly good (our favorite type of sake is nama genshu). As appetizers we got oil-marinated fugu with basil and sake kasu-pickled gourd with cream cheese. We also each had a glass of their amazake, which was really good as it retained just a touch of sweetness with ingredients of only rice and rice koji (ie no added sugar or flavor).

Ishikura Sake Brewery. 1 Chome-30-1 Katakasu, Hakata Ward, Fukuoka, 812-0043. Open every day except Tuesday 11 AM - 5 PM. Free to enter and taste small samples. 1000 yen for larger samples plus appetizers.

6) Canal City Hakata

This enormous mall is distributed among 4 large buildings, and is a good destination if traveling with children. Though Dan is not much of a shopper, he found this mall was actually fun to explore. There are a number of interesting shops such as Totoro, the Ultraman store and various other anime and manga, and video game company stores, and a bunch of gadget-type stores.

There are also fountains that spout in time to various music including classical pieces (Also sprach Zarathustra was playing when we were there) and a huge food court with not just fast food but also izakaya, robata, sushi, tempura and other Japanese specialties.

Canal City Hakata. 1 Chome-2 Sumiyoshi, Hakata Ward, Fukuoka, 812-0018, Japan. Stores generally open 10 AM - 9 PM (though some restaurants are open later).

7) Yanagibashi Rengo Market

This fresh fish and produce market is a great place to see local foods, and, of course, try them at various small restaurants sprinkled throughout the market. Vendors specializing in mentaiko (cod roe), whale, shellfish (particularly enormous scallops and whelks), fish, produce and meat can be found here. It's not a huge market - you can probably get through it in under an hour. Most restaurants offer chirashi bowls of different seafood as well as tempura and sushi, and are open the same hours as the market (9 AM - 5 PM; although a few open at 10 or even 11 AM).

Yanagibashi Rengo market (this link opens in Google maps). 1 Chome-5 Haruyoshi, Chuo Ward, Fukuoka, 810-0003. Open every day except Sunday 9 AM - 5 PM.

8) Fukuoka Castle

The castle walls (ramparts) are still mostly intact and massive. The castle grounds have various gardens with plums, pines, etc. which are nice to wander through. Additionally, there are two small museums on the castle grounds - the Korokan Ruins Museum and the Fukuoka Castle Visitor's Center. Unfortunately, the castle and just about all the buildings that made up the main castle complex have been destroyed over the last few centuries.

The Korokan Ruins Museum tells the interesting story of how the complex was initially built in the 800s as the foreign liaison office between Japan and many other countries (700 years before the castle was built). Items from excavations are displayed, and include ceramics and other items from all over Asia and a few from Europe. Interestingly, these ruins were only discovered in the 1980s, having been covered by a baseball stadium prior to that.

The Fukuoka Castle Visitor's center provides historical context about the castle construction, history and eventual destruction. A short video also shows how the castle would look today if intact.

Fukuoka Castle. Located in Maizaru Park. 1-1 Jonai, Chuo Ward, Fukuoka, 810-0043. Open 9 AM - 5 PM daily. Grounds and museums are free.

9) Nanzo-in temple

Said to have the largest statue of a reclining Buddha (over 40 meters long) in the world, this is a fun half-day visit. There are various short hikes into the hills behind the temple to small shrines. Be sure to go inside the statue (500 yen pp; separate from temple admission).

The statue was placed here 30 years ago and contains the ashes of Buddha and two of his disciples as well as sand from all 88 temples along the Shikoku pilgrimage route.

Nanzo-in temple. 1035 Sasaguri, Kasuya District, Fukuoka 811-2405, Japan. Open daily 9 AM - 4:30 PM. 300 yen pp entry fee.