Fukuoka Things to Do

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Canal City is a futuristic shopping centre/entertainment/ dining complex with a canal running through it. It is very close to the banks of the Naka Gawa River. it is worth visiting for its futuristic architecture. It has a fountain display every half hour. On the hours the displays are to music, on the half hours they are without music. Next to Canal City there is a pleasant little park called Seiryu Park on the banks of the Naka gawa River. i also took a wander over the interesting looking red bridge i could see from Canal City and ended up in the red light district.

Canal City is about 10 minutes walk from Nakasu Kawabata subway Station.

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I have no interest in baseball but we arrived at this stadium when the crowd were pouring out at the end of a Soft Sea Hawks game. The atmosphere was great, everyone was dressed up in their team colours, some people went as far as wearing an actual hawk on their head. The team song was being played and team souvenirs were on sale. There are models of hands of famous visitors to the stadium, most were Japanese but I also saw Phil Collins and Billy Joel. There are life sized posters of the team. On a return visit we might try and watch a game here, it all looked great fun.

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We took the subway to Nishijin Station, exited next to the Fresh burger restaurant and went right. Momochi Park is about 15 minutes walk away from the station. The park is located in front of Fukuoka Tower. It is not really a park it is actually a beach. The fancy church like buildings sticking out into the sea in front of FukuokaTower are Marizon Wedding Centre. Next to the wedding centre you can catch a boat to Marine World. We took a walk down the beach to the Hilton Hotel, the Yahoo Dome Baseball Stadium and Hawks Town shopping and entertainment centre.

Other things around Nishijin Station which we did not visit are Robosquare behind Fukuoka Tower, Fukuoka City museum and the bulwarks against the Mongolian Invasion.

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Get here by taking the subway to Ohori Koen Station and taking exit three. Ohori Koen is a large park centred around a large lake. A trip here can be easily combined with a visit to Fukuoka Castle ruins in nearby Maizuru Park.

There is a cafe in the park and a little food store. (A cheaper 7-eleven is located across the road.) In this park you can walk, cycle or jog around the lake or cross the bridges and stroll down the islands in the centre of the lake. There is a Noh Theatre, an Art Museum and an entry charge Japanese gardens here. It is also possible to hire a boat and go for a sail around the lake.

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This shrine was at the bottom of Maizuru Park so although it was not on our to do list we popped in and had a look. There was a Shinto wedding ceremony going on inside when we visited.

We also enjoyed watching the children pester their grandfather's for 100 yen coins so they could buy bird food from the bird food dispenser and feed the pigeons.

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The ruins of Fukuoka Castle are located in Maizuru Park. To get here take the subway to Ohori Koen Station, go out exit 5, walk along the moat and you will soon see a castle gate on your right. Go through the gate and cross the road, you are now at Maizuru Park. If you climb up the main castle keep you will be rewarded with lovely views over Fukuoka. There is not much of the keep left just the lower walls. wander around the park and you will discover a few remaining gates and some lovely gardens - cherry tree walk, lime tree walk, the iris garden. a large pond, some sports grounds and a large excavation site where the remains of a famous old Japanese travellers' inn have been found.

If you want to bring a picnic to the part you can exit Ohori Koen Station via exit 4 and you will reach a minimart convenience store before crossing the road to the moat.

There is not a huge amount of Fukuoka Castle left but this is a lovely area for a picnic or a stroll.

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Fukuoka Tower is located at the center of the Waterfront area 'Seaside Momochi'.

It was built in 1989 as a monument of the Asian Pacific Expo (Yokatopia).

The 234m high tower is covered with 8000 half mirrors and is the tallest seaside tower in Japan.

You can see Fukuoka city from the observation platform at 123m.

All necessary information like travel advice, business hours, admission fees and even an e-coupon to receive a special discount of admission can be found on the webpage.

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Dazaifu, found southeast of Fukuoka is the ancient capital of the area.

It is easily found (within 30 minutes) of Fukuoka and can be walked leisurely during a day. There are countless little shrines, temples, Museums, sites of ruins and local architecture to absorb.

The most common and easiest to access would be:
Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine
Komyonzenji Temple (one of my favorites)
Kyushu National Museum (see separate tip)
Dazaifu Hall
Kanzeonji Temple
Kaidanin Hall

The temples and shrines are free to visit.

Information, map and details on all of Dazaifu can be found in the web link given below.