Things to do and food to eat in Fukuoka, Japan

Fukuoka is not such a small place. The actual numbers bring the population to around the 5 million mark, and the city has approximately 1.3 million residents. With so many people around, you know there has to be something going on. Any day of the week if you search you can find something that interests you. There are often festivals in one area or another in Fukuoka City. With a little help from a friend or from foreign national magazines and information centers, you can find out where the festivals are held.

Fukuoka’s city center will have to be Tenjin (although others may argue that it is Hakata). It is the shopper’s paradise of the prefecture. Feel like you need to do some shopping for some nice brands from Italy or France? Head to Tenjin. Do you want to blow off steam and go to a bar (including foreign bars)? Tenjin is the place to be. Do you want to meet new friends? Rainbow Plaza in…you guessed it, Tenjin, is the place to do just that.

Right next to Tenjin is Nakasu. Nakasu hosts nightly entertainment, but tends to cater to the more affluent people. However, Nakasu also has a large shopping complex called Canal City that has so many stores that you couldn’t count them all. The complex has many restaurants, two hotels, a large cinema and in the center of Canal City there is an area called Sun Plaza where it is common to find street performers performing.

Of course, Tenjin and Nakasu aren’t the only place where you can have fun. I live about 10 minutes from Tenjin by subway in a town called Nishijin and I can do almost as many things here as in Tenjin. Bowling, swimming, soccer, billiards, game centers, and even a movie theater are just some of the things that Nishijin and the nearby area have to offer.

Yahoo Dome (formerly Fukuoka Dome) is located in Momochi, which borders the sea. Yahoo Dome is the home of the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks. The Hawks are a strong baseball team, loved by the city and its residents. In fact, there are only two teams in Japan’s professional baseball league that draw more than a million fans to their home games per year, and the Hawks are one of them. When the Hawks aren’t having a home game, you can sometimes find other activities at the Dome. Yahoo Dome hosts several flea markets and concerts throughout the year.

Food, food, food!

As far as I’m concerned, Fukuoka has some of the best food to offer in all of Japan (although I hear the food in Sapporo is pretty good). Fukuoka has its own well-known dishes, and of course, the chefs here are very capable of recreating dishes found all over the world.

Yatai

As night begins to fall in the city of Fukuoka, you may suddenly notice many small street vendors (usually operating out of their vans) appearing all over the sidewalks. These vendors serve a variety of foods ranging from ramen to yakiniku to tempura. Yatais in themselves are really a site to see.

Hard Rock Cafe Fukuoka

On the occasions when I miss American and Mexican food, I always have the option of going to the Hard Rock Cafe, right next to the Fukuoka dome in Momochi. Momochi is next to Nishijin, so I’m in luck. Hard Rock Cafe Fukuoka boasts the largest restaurant of its kind in Japan. The food is fantastic and of course the atmosphere is just like all the other Hard Rock Cafes. The staff are very friendly and since I frequent their establishment often they treat me very well with occasional perks.

Izakaya

Although not only found in Fukuoka, Izakaya restaurants deserve notable mention. Izakayas offer a wide variety of food and most importantly drinks at a low price. College students and businessmen can often be found at these restaurants chatting with colleagues and drinking up a storm. All Izakayas offer a different atmosphere, and with a little searching you can find one that suits you.

Famous Fukuoka food

fukuoka ramen

Have you ever tried that cup O ramen or that packaged freeze dried ramen? Bah! throw that out and try some “Tonkatsu ramen” (pork ramen) famous in Fukuoka and well known throughout Japan. The first time I tried it I was instantly hooked and to this day I try to eat it once a week or so.

mentaiko

Another famous food that Fukuoka is famous for is mentaiko (very small fish roe). To some people, mentaiko may not seem very appetizing, but please don’t hit it until you try it. Mentaiko spaghetti, for example, is a delicious delicacy in these parts. And of course there are many other recipes that have a use for mentaiko.

Transport

Unlike New York’s nickname, Fukuoka tends to get a bit tired at night, but usually not until quite late, especially on weekends. One of the reasons for this, IMHO, is the shutdown of transport around midnight. That’s right, the subway, train and bus system almost stops once you arrive in the morning. Which leaves the tired and in most cases drunk to take a cab home, walk, or have even heard the line “I’ll stay up until the subway starts again at 6:00 before I go home.” “used by those who just haven’t finished partying when it’s time for the last call of the transport system. This isn’t just a Fukuoka special, as the shutdown happens all over Japan.

Although the transportation system shuts down at perhaps inconvenient times, it’s a wonderful system. Perfectly clean trains, buses and subways (which are incredibly quiet) are the consequence of the lockdown, as they are all cleaned during the early hours of the morning.

Rent

Fukuoka is located on the southernmost island of Japan’s four main islands. The name of the island is Kyushu. Fukuoka is closer to Seoul, South Korea than it is to Tokyo. Fukuoka Prefecture is located in the far north of Kyushu.