This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK).
A six-hour bullet train ride or two-hour flight south of Tokyo, Kyushu’s largest city has a youthful, lively atmosphere. After a long day, the post-work and -university crowd pours into the city’s famous yatai (stalls), part of a street food and nightlife culture to rival that in Osaka, perhaps Japan’s best-known food city. A steaming bowl of ramen or hearty stew, washed down with beer or shochu (Japanese distilled spirit), is just the thing to restore your energy before another day of sightseeing in this busy international port city.
Day 1
Morning: Fish roe & pour-overs
Start your day with breakfast in Hakata, once Fukuoka’s merchant quarter and still the city’s heart, home to most of its major sights. Keep an eye out for the local speciality of mentaiko — a spicy, salty marinated pollock roe, served by itself or mixed into an omelette. Fukuoka also has a thriving cafe scene; try flight-themed FUK Coffee, which is known for its pour-over coffee using house-roasted beans, and its sweet-bitter, creme caramel-style puddings.
After breakfast, delve into local crafts and history at the Folk Museum before browsing the nearby Kamikawabata-dori covered arcade. With its home goods stores, reflexology clinics and snack counters, it’s a great place to soak up local life. Stock up on crunchy, mentaiko-flavoured menbei rice crackers before you emerge from the covered street near Kushida-jinja — Hakata’s principal shrine, with brightly painted carvings of the zodiac animals inside the entrance gate.
Afternoon: Baseball & highballs
Fukuoka is one of Japan’s best places to watch baseball and the game-day atmosphere is unbeatable when the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks are playing — providing a great chance to try crowd-pleasing fast food with locals. If you’re lucky enough to time your trip with a match, head for the stalls set up outside Fukuoka Dome that sell Hakata ramen and local favourite motsu-nabe — a rich, fatty tripe stew brightened by the addition of lots of fresh greens. The preferred drink at games is either a lemon highball made with shochu, a popular Japanese spirit distilled all over Kyushu, or beer served by cheery, brightly dressed hawkers who run from seat to seat with 7kg kegs on their backs.
Rich pork broth Hakata ramen is a speciality of Fukuoka.
Photograph by Takuto Fujino
Evening: Riverside street food
As night falls, the local yatai (street-food stalls) begin to set up, with most concentrated beside the Nakasu River, around the Tenjin nishi-dori and Showa-dori intersection, or along Watanabe-dori. There are over 100 in total, serving hearty, unpretentious meals; stallholders call out in welcome and, once you’ve chosen a venue, you’ll be seated on a tiny stool, squeezed in with other customers as you watch the food being prepared.
Look for the bubbling vats of oden (hotpot) with fish cakes, eggs and daikon, or for anywhere serving the local speciality of hito-kuchi gyoza — small, crispy dumplings that can be eaten in one bite. Yatai Chusuke, a stall on Showa-dori, has some of the best, made in front of you at such a startling speed that it looks like a sleight-of-hand magic trick — from a thin sheet of dough to a hand-folded dumpling in a matter of seconds.
Day 2
Morning: Temples & teahouses
It’s a 30-minute train ride from Fukuoka’s centre to the historic city of Dazaifu, which is famous for its large, 10th-century Shinto shrine. You approach it along a cobbled street packed with places to grab breakfast. Try Yamaya Base near the station for warm, crunchy baguettes filled with cheese and mentaiko, or any of the several spots selling umegae (grilled rice cakes filled with red bean paste). This delicious local sweet is also served at the teahouse in the shrine’s plum grove, along with freshly made matcha.
In the hills a short walk from the shrine is Kyushu National Museum, where archaeological finds are displayed in a modern building. Afterwards, head back to the station via Dazaifukan, a cultural centre where you can have a go at filling and grilling your own umegae. Email dazaifu-kan@city.dazaifu.lg.jp to book in advance.
The intricately designed romon gate is the entryway to the Shinto shrine of Dazaifu Tenmangu.
Photograph by Clement Cazottes, Alamy Stock Photo
Afternoon: Daizafu ramen
One dish you can’t miss in Fukuoka is Hakata ramen, a steaming bowl of pork-rich broth and chewy noodles. The city is the home of the popular Ichiran Ramen chain — known for its single-person booths, with wood panelling and red leather stools. The stationside Dazaifu branch uses local Fukuoka ra-mugi, a variety of wheat specifically grown for use in noodles, and serves only-in-Dazaifu ‘success ramen’ — it has extra-long noodles to symbolise long-lasting success and is served in a lucky five-sided black bowl.
After lunch, take the train to the western part of Fukuoka for the pretty park of Ohori-koen, once the grounds of the town’s 17th-century castle. Walk to the hilltop castle ruins for a sweeping view over the cherry trees. Also in the park is Fukuoka Art Museum, which has an eclectic collection inside and a polka-dotted Yayoi Kusama pumpkin outside.
Evening: Izakaya specialities
Fukuoka’s many izakaya (Japanese-style bars that serve food) are even more of a local staple than the yatai. Near Hakata station, Hakataichi is a great example, with friendly staff, a mix of Western-style and counter seating plus a tatami-matted area. Its menu features all the classics like gyoza and edamame, as well as local specialities. Try the creamy chicken stew called mizu-take and goma-saba, a sashimi made with mackerel and drizzled with a rich sesame sauce. The house special is deep-fried sweet gobo (burdock) served with spiced mayonnaise.
How to do itFukuoka is connected to Tokyo and Osaka by domestic flight or bullet trains.
InsideJapan’s 13-night Kyushu Adventure includes time in Fukuoka, from £2,670 per person.
Stay at The Blossom Hakata Premier hotel, from ¥36,180 (£185) per night.
Published in the Jan/Feb 2025 issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK).
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