Along with Nakasu and Oyafuko-dori, Daimyo is one of the most popular drinking and eating areas in Fukuoka. Restaurants, bars and Izakaya pubs line the streets and come alive with people as dusk falls. This is one of the best places to sample the traditional izakaya pub experience as cheap beer and sake flow like rain during the monsoon in eateries such as Mura Ichiban and Suika. For travelers on a bigger budget, quality restaurants, bars and boutiques are also located in the Daimyo area.
Uminonakamichi Seaside Park provides recreation for the entire family, relying more on nature than machinery for fun. While there is an amusement park with 21 rides, visitors can enjoy many other activities: disc golf, putt golf, jogging, cycling, cycle boats, a zoological garden, a rose garden, a wild bird forest, a children's obstacle course, and more. Campgrounds, restaurants, shops, and vital facilities (medical stations, etc.) are also located in the park. Wheelchairs are provided and admission is free for those with disabilities or handicapped children.
If the spirit of old Hakata resides anywhere, its must surely be within the walls of this famous landmark. Founded in the 8th Century and long associated with the traders and merchants of the Hakata area, the shrine hosts important local festivals throughout the year, including Hakata Setsubun, Hakata Dontaku, Gion Yamakasa, and Hakata Okunchi. Apart from the main shrine itself, the temple complex is replete with intriguing elements including a well whose water is said to grant eternal youth to the drinker, Japan's largest otabuku mask and festival floats. There is also a small museum inside the shrine's main precinct that details the history and culture of the area.
The Fukuoka Yahuoku! Dome resembles something from a futuristic movie set, having been the first retractable-roof stadium in Japan. Now it is home to the Daiei Hawks professional baseball team. Hot dogs and beer are de rigueur inside, but outside, an extensive complex of fast-food and other restaurants have been built. Wise Fukuokans tend to avoid driving through the area on game days. The Dome is particularly impressive at the end of the day when the setting sun reflecting off the roof's metallic surface adds a touch of magic to the Momochi district.
Founded in 806, the Tochoji Temple complex is overlooked by a glorious pagoda with red roofs and gilded elements. This Shingong shrine is not only steeped in spiritual history, but also shelters a number of artistic artifacts such as the Senjukannon statue, painstakingly carved out of a lone log of Chinese black pine. Inside the main hall resides the gargantuan statue of Daibutsu (Buddha), which looks upon its worshipers with unhindered benevolence. Believed to be one of the oldest temples built by the scholar-priest Kobo Daishi, the temple shelters other noteworthy relics including tombstones of the lords of the Kuroda clan, examples of calligraphy by the artist-priest Sendai, a thousand-handed statue of the Goddess of Mercy – which is designated an important cultural asset - and calligraphy penned by Kobo Daishi himself.
This enormous, gorgeous new theatre in Fukuoka's historic district gives kabuki lovers, or anyone interested in fine drama, something to celebrate. With 1,500 seats arranged in three tiers, a rotating stage, and other essential facilities providing the perfect place for Japanese stage art, a sub-excellent performance (gasp!--as if that would ever happen here) might even seem outstanding. Kabuki, of course, is not all that you can catch here. Hakataza also hosts concerts for popular Japanese crooners. For schedule information, check the homepage (Japanese only) or call general information (they speak some English).
Along with Nakasu and Oyafuko-dori, Daimyo is one of the most popular drinking and eating areas in Fukuoka. Restaurants, bars and Izakaya pubs line the streets and come alive with people as dusk falls. This is one of the best places to sample the traditional izakaya pub experience as cheap beer and sake flow like rain during the monsoon in eateries such as Mura Ichiban and Suika. For travelers on a bigger budget, quality restaurants, bars and boutiques are also located in the Daimyo area.
This elegant Noh theatre (could Noh theatres be anything but?) is not hard to find. Overhead road signs direct you there from Meiji-dori, and it occupies a prominent position in Ohori Park. It only seats a few hundred, making it much smaller than Hakata-za, but many of the performances here are free to the public! Since Noh is usually over 10,000 yen, this is quite a generous treat, and the drama is always performed quite professionally. Perhaps it is a sad comment on the lack of interest many Japanese take in their own cultural treasures, but there are usually more seats open then occupied, even for free shows. The Rainbow Plaza newsletter is the best place to check for a schedule.
Get a chance to explore the city of Fukuoka on your own two legs with Fukuoka Walking Tours. The tour company features a walk of around 3 to 4 hours in which they take halts at various temples and attractions like shrines or museums and even craft centers while friendly and knowledgeable guides accompany the patrons to offer more information about each place. One also gets a chance to sample delightful matcha ice cream, rice crackers and green tea during this tour. The guide here speaks fluent english keeping everyone's understanding of the language in consideration. Go alone or bring along your group, either way a glimpse of the city with Fukuoka Walking Tours will be quite delightful.
Uminonakamichi Seaside Park provides recreation for the entire family, relying more on nature than machinery for fun. While there is an amusement park with 21 rides, visitors can enjoy many other activities: disc golf, putt golf, jogging, cycling, cycle boats, a zoological garden, a rose garden, a wild bird forest, a children's obstacle course, and more. Campgrounds, restaurants, shops, and vital facilities (medical stations, etc.) are also located in the park. Wheelchairs are provided and admission is free for those with disabilities or handicapped children.
Set in an expansive space covering more than 557,000 square meters (6,000,000 square feet), the Kirin Beer Park Brewery is a commercial brewery with a production capacity of about 630 million bottles a year, making it a great idea for those who want to see how large commercial breweries operate. Tours can be booked in advance for people who want to understand the beer making process and even sample a few beers afterwards. Food can also be called for at the on-site restaurant along with the beers.
This is one of the three great Japanese shrines dedicated to the Emperor-divinity Hachiman, and a place where Japanese have come to pray for success ever since the shrine's dedication in 921. A number of important cultural treasures are housed within the shrine's precincts. Keep a special eye out for the plaque hanging above the Tower Gate--it is supposed to have been written by the emperor Kameyama at the time of the Mongol invasions. Its inscription--"May the enemy nations prostrate themselves [in defeat]"--was a petition to Hachiman for protection from the invaders.