Fukuoka (prefecture)



Fukuoka Prefecture (福岡県 Fukuoka-ken) is the most populous prefecture of Kyushu, Japan with a population of over 5 million.

Understand
Fukuoka has a very old history and has had close contact with Japan's Asian neighbors, including the site of two Mongolian invasions in the late 13th century that were unsuccessful (due to typhoons, hence the term kamikaze). Its port has been used extensively in Japan's early history and is the entry point for the spread of Buddhism.

Tourist information site
Visit Fukuoka is the prefecture's official multilingual guide site.

Cities

 * (福岡), part of which is also known as Hakata, is the largest city in Kyushu by population (over 1.4 million). There's a lot to see here, and if you're just stopping by in Fukuoka prefecture this eponymous city is a good place to stay and see.
 * (筑紫野), a suburb of Fukuoka famous for its hot springs in Futsukaichi and several country clubs for golf.
 * (太宰府), part of the Fukuoka metropolitan area, is the former administrative capital of Kyushu and houses the popular and atmospheric Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine.
 * (福津)
 * (北九州) is the largest city in Kyushu by area (486 square km) and second in population. It is best known for its industry but there's so much more to see and enjoy.
 * (久留米) is Fukuoka's third largest city, famous for its annual flower festival of over 350 thousand azaleas, bamboo lacquerware, kurume-gasuri, or traditional indigo cotton fabric, and massive fireworks festival every summer.
 * (柳川) is a small, beautiful city with many old shrines and mansions that can be toured on its canals.
 * (八女) - A tranquil and more traditional city that is famous for its green tea, and traditional crafts like Buddhist altars, lanterns, and Japanese paper.
 * (直方)

Other destinations

 * (耶馬日田英彦山) is a "quasi-national park" containing Mt. Hiko.
 * island is a UNESCO site and Shinto sacred island. Extremely difficult to get permission to visit.

Talk
It's possible for English speakers to navigate their way around without speaking any Japanese. Signs at subway and train stations include the station names in romaji (Romanized characters). Though many studied English in school, proficiency is generally poor, and most locals would not know more than a few basic words and phrases. Some restaurants may have English menus, but it does not necessarily mean that the staff will speak much English. Reading and writing comes much better though, and many people can understand a great deal of written English without actually knowing how to speak it. That being said, staff at the main hotels and tourist attractions generally speak an acceptable level of English. While it is possible to get by with only English, it will nevertheless make your trip much smoother if you can learn some basic Japanese.

By plane
Fukuoka city's airport is the busiest on Kyushu and fields a fair number of international flights too, e.g. to South Korea, China and Taiwan. It also has connections in Japan to fifteen other major Japanese cities. Kitakyushu Airport also has international flight.

By train
Fukuoka City and Kitakyushu City are both on the shinkansen line that runs to and from Tokyo. The JR train system has several lines running across the prefecture, as well as from the Meinohama subway station in Fukuoka City to Karatsu in Saga.

By bus
Nishitetsu is a company which provides daily service all over the prefecture as well as up to and down from Tokyo. Willer also offers long distance bus service to major cities in Japan.

By ship
Fukuoka offers the Camellia Line Ferry and Beetle hydrofoil service to Busan, South Korea.

Get around
Trains and buses travel to nearly all cities and towns, with the exception of a few isolated mountain areas. Taxis are abundant also but can be expensive, even by Japanese standards. Fukuoka City also has its own subway, and Kitakyushu has its own rail and monorail system. As in many other Japanese cities, JR runs the largest system, but another private rail company, Nishitetsu, also runs a heavily used rail line between Tenjin Station in Fukuoka City to Omuta, with local, express, and limited express trains. There is no difference in fare based on the faster trains, and the limited express trains travel between Fukuoka City and Omuta in about 1 hour.

See
Fukuoka offers a lot of the city life in Fukuoka City and Kitakyushu but still offers a lot of nature hiking, natural gardens, traditional crafts, and some of the oldest temples, shrines, and festivals in Japan. Even better is that the best places are not overrun by tourists and it is still possible to enjoy a leisurely adventure.

Do
During the winter months (through February), take a ride down a scenic canal in Yanagawa in one of 150 small "kotatsu-bune" boats. In the boat, you keep your legs covered with a kotatsu quilt, while sitting at a low table equipped with a charcoal braziers. During the ride you can often enjoy cups of hot sake and mikan (mandarin orange) citrus fruits, common to this area during the winter months.

Eat
The local speciality is a version of ramen made from boiled pork bones, known as tonkotsu ramen. It is widely available from a number of street stalls called yatai on the streets of Fukuoka City and Kurume, as well as at the Ramen Stadium in the Canal City entertainment complex. Also famous is the spicy salmon cod roe called mentaiko, though nowadays all is actually imported.

Go next
Fukuoka City hosts the largest entertainment district in Western Japan (i.e., west of Osaka). Situated on the islet of Nakasu between two rivers, with downtown Tenjin on the one side and the transport hub Hakata on the other, there are literally thousands of restaurants, clubs, hostess bars and other adult venues to whet the appetite of the fearless traveller. Be warned though, you are best going with a Japanese native, if only to be able to discover the reasonably priced outlets among a sea of bunny girls and drunk salarymen.