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Exploring Fukuoka

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The 41 m bronze reclining Buddha at Nanzoin in Sasaguri
The 41 m bronze reclining Buddha at Nanzoin in Sasaguri
By xct
5 min read
Exploring Fukuoka

This post is a bit different from usual - no exploits this time. My wife and I spent three days exploring Fukuoka and I wanted to share some of it. I’m planning to mix in some other topics every now and then, let me know what you think :)

These are the places we went to (red is day 1, blue day 2, orange day 3 - click a marker for the name):

Day 1: Hakata, Ohori Park and Momochi

Arrival

Fukuoka Airport is only two subway stops from Hakata Station, which is really convenient. The SoftBank Hawks greet you right at arrivals - you’ll see them all over the city.

A large SoftBank Hawks "Welcome to Fukuoka" banner in the airport arrivals hall

Canal City

First stop was Canal City Hakata, a beautiful mall built around a canal, with regular shows from various artists and water shows. We mostly went for the anime and game shops.

A red Gundam statue inside a mall next to a Kirby and Waddle Dee chef statue at the Kirby Café A red Gundam and Kirby & Waddle Dee in front of the Kirby Café.

Of course we had tonkotsu ramen and beer in Hakata.

A bowl of tonkotsu ramen with a soft-boiled egg, green onions and wood ear mushrooms, next to a glass of beer

Naka River and Oktoberfest

From there we walked north along the Naka River towards Nakasu (the island between the two river branches where most of the nightlife is).

The Naka River on a sunny day with a riverside promenade and city buildings

Next to Reisen Park there was an Oktoberfest going on, with a Paulaner tent and beer benches. Not exactly what I expected to find in Fukuoka, but living in Yokohama we are familiar with those! Generally the beer is great and the food okay-ish.

Ohori Park

In the afternoon we went west to Ohori Park. In front of the Fukuoka City Art Museum there’s a bronze hare jumping off a bell, and right next to it is the Japanese garden. When we were there the pond was filled with these flower balls:

Left: a Japanese garden pond surrounded by sculpted pines. Right: floating balls of red, white and blue flowers in the garden pond

The park itself is a big lake (part of the old Fukuoka Castle moat) with a walkway across the middle. There’s a pavilion on the water, a lot of egrets, and a heron standing right next to the path.

Left: the red and green Ukimido pavilion standing over the Ohori Park lake. Right: a grey heron wading next to a tiled wall

Momochi Seaside Park

From Ohori we walked on towards the sea. On the way you pass Jigyo Central Park with the Hilton Sea Hawk behind it:

A park with a stone marker, a brick colonnade with a clock tower and a tall curved hotel tower behind it

Momochi Seaside Park is an artificial beach right at the edge of the city. In the middle is Marizon - a few white buildings with shops, restaurants and a wedding chapel, built out onto a pier. It looks a bit like southern Europe, except for the planes coming in to land over the bay.

Left: a pedestrian street at Marizon with white buildings and a chapel tower. Right: the Marizon chapel behind covered boats on the beach, with a plane in the sky Marizon from above and from the beach. There’s a plane in the top right.

In the late afternoon the beach was full of people playing volleyball:

People playing beach volleyball at Momochi beach in the late afternoon, with islands in the bay behind

Fukuoka Tower

Fukuoka Tower is right behind the beach - 234 m tall, and lit up in blue at night.

Fukuoka Tower lit up blue at night, seen from a street crossing

Day 2: Temples and a Giant Buddha

Breakfast with a sea view:

Scrambled eggs, sausages, broccoli and toast in a cast-iron skillet by a window with a sea view

Shofukuji

Back in Hakata we started at Shofukuji, which was founded in 1195 and is considered the first Zen temple in Japan. Its founder Eisai is also credited with bringing tea to Japan, and there’s a small marker for “the origin of Japanese tea” on the grounds. Most buildings are closed to visitors, but you can walk around between the walls and it’s very quiet, considering Hakata Station is only a few minutes away.

Left: a stone-paved path between long temple walls and trees. Right: tiled temple buildings in a sandy courtyard

Nanzoin

Next we went east to Nanzoin in Sasaguri, about half an hour outside the city. On the way up there’s a big stone maneki-neko and hundreds of small stone statues of Buddha’s disciples, all with different faces.

Left: a large stone maneki-neko statue at the temple. Right: rows and rows of small stone Buddhist disciple statues on a hillside

The main reason to go is the bronze reclining Buddha - 41 m long and 11 m tall, one of the largest bronze statues in the world. The photo doesn’t really show how big it is.

The giant bronze reclining Buddha at Nanzoin with a small shrine and visitors in front

Tochoji and Kushida Shrine

In the afternoon we were back in Hakata for a few more temples and shrines. Tochoji has a red five-story pagoda and the graves of the Kuroda clan, who ruled Fukuoka. Close by is Kushida Shrine, which has a fountain with bronze cranes:

Left: the red five-story pagoda at Tochoji. Right: a fountain with bronze crane statues at Kushida Shrine

Kushida is the shrine behind the Hakata Gion Yamakasa festival in July, and they keep one of the decorated floats on display all year. It’s huge - samurai, waves and a giant koi climbing a waterfall. Next to it is a small Inari shrine with red torii.

Left: red torii gates leading to a small Inari shrine. Right: a towering festival float with a giant koi, samurai figures and painted waves

In the evening we went up Fukuoka Tower (the observation deck is at 123 m) to watch the lights come on over Momochi:

View from Fukuoka Tower at dusk over Momochi beach, the expressway and the Hilton Sea Hawk

Day 3: Itoshima

French toast this time:

French toast with orange slices, berries, cream and syrup

On the last day we went west to Itoshima, a part of the coast with beaches and cafés. It’s a train out of the city and then a local bus, so an easy day trip.

Beach

On a Tuesday there was almost nobody there.

A quiet sandy beach in Itoshima with a green headland and a "Palm Beach" sign

Of course we had to get our feet wet:

Waves washing over the sand at the beach in Itoshima

For lunch we had pizza at a café right above the beach, with a really nice view:

A pizza with zucchini and red onion on a wooden table at a beachside café, with palm trees and the sea behind

Futamigaura

A short walk away is Futamigaura. Two rocks in the sea, the Meoto Iwa (“couple stones”), are tied together with a rope, and there’s a white torii in the water in front of them. It’s mostly known as a sunset spot, but it looks great during the day too.

Left: a white torii gate in the sea in front of two rocks. Right: a dirt path along the coast leading towards the same rocks

Yatai and Yakitori

Back in Tenjin in the evening the yatai were opening. Fukuoka is known for these small street food stalls - they get set up every evening and are gone again in the morning.

A yatai food stall with white curtains and empty stools in front of the Tenjin Expressway Bus Terminal at night

From Tenjin we walked over to the river at Nakasu, which looks great at night with all the neon reflecting in the water:

The Naka River at night with neon signs from Nakasu reflecting in the water

Our last stop was a yakitori place in Imaizumi with a small charcoal grill in front of every seat. Besides chicken they also had samgyeopsal - in the photo is pork belly with peppers and edamame.

A tabletop charcoal grill with pork belly and green peppers, bowls of edamame and peppers in front

Final Thoughts

Fukuoka is a really nice city to explore - it’s compact, the food is great, and you can go from temples to the beach in a single day. Three days felt a bit short, and there’s a lot more of Kyushu I’d like to see.

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