Perhaps one of the most underrated cities in Japan, Fukuoka was one of my favourite places we visited in the country. It's got a little of everything, and somehow captures the traditional aspects of Kyoto, the bustle of Tokyo and the excitement of Osaka.
If you've got a few days to spare - I would say four minimum - make sure to check out this cool city and do some of the things on my list!
Make the journey to Itoshima
In the Spring and Summer, there are beautiful beaches to explore, with sand to laze on and waves to jump over. One of the most incredible spots we found was in the prefecture Itoshima. It's quite a long journey, which involves a train...and a very small shuttle bus, which comes every hour or so.
There are two spots by the beach you may want to check out. One is where the white Torii gate in the sea is - it's beautiful, but you may have to stand in a large queue to get your photo, which takes from the tranquility of the place. Behind the gate are two large rocks with a rope between them, which look like two people wedded together in the sea. It was about a half an hour walk from where the bus drops you off, and you do have to walk along a main road. Luckily, there's the sea on your left and tall cliffs on your right, so you won't be skimping on scenery!
Another amazing spot is on the other side of the beach - and it has a palm tree swing! There's also another swing, a play area and a set of palm swings so you can get a snap together! When we went, it was super windy and we were basically eating sand and getting catapulted on the swing. However, beware it is a forty minute walk from the white Torii gate, which takes you through the backstreets of Fukuoka into a village with creaking bamboo trees on your right and farm lands on your left. Nevertheless, it is also a cheap cab fare away too, so if you're running out of time to get the bus home (which we were!) it's best to take an Uber there instead. We got a taxi there and walked back, which was definitely an adventure.
Explore the parks and temples
Fukuoka is home to some incredible parks that you can stroll through on a sunny day or a warm evening. Ohori Park was one of the most magical parks I've ever been to. It was just over the road to where we were staying and it's a jewel in the middle of the city. The park is huge and we didn't even manage to walk around the whole of it. There's a huge lake in the middle and three lanes surrounding it - one for walking, one for cyclists and one for joggers - please UK, consider a jogging lane! Everyone had their own space and there was no darting and moving over to avoid each other.
In the middle of the park, there's an island you can access via a very picturesque bridge. On the island, is this beautiful pavilion type structure that overlooks the lake and, if you're lucky enough, the sun setting! The forest on the island is also lit by orange and green lights, so you'll feel like you're walking through the set of a fantasy film.
A little way into the city, you can the Shofuku-ji Temple and Kushida Shrine - make sure to check these beautiful sights out!
Have a matcha-flavoured ice-cream
If you haven't already tried one on your previous travels through Japan, make sure to try a green tea flavoured ice-cream on your visit to Fukuoka. You can find one at pretty much any ice-cream vendor, or get one from the convenience stores if you fancy saving a few yen. You can even get a half matcha, half vanilla ice-cream which is super delicious and for those that want to try it for their first time.
Find the castle ruins
Perhaps one of the more frightening things we did on the trip (probably because we did it as it was just getting dark), was find the Fukuoka castle ruins. They are just over the road from Ohori Park, so you could easily do both in one long walk. There was no-one really around when we went and the creepy, leafless leaves added to the spooky setting. We climbed the castle and there was one man walking around. He disappeared under the ruins for a bit, and we'd genuinely thought we had just seen a ghost - he reappeared a while after and I started breathing again.
The place is very atmospheric and started construction in 1601! If you climb to the very top, you'll get an impressive view of the city from either side too.
Feast at the 100 Yen sushi place
My friend showed us this great sushi place called Kura Sushi. There are also a lot of these in Tokyo too, so if you cannot make it to Fukuoka, make sure to find one there! The sushi is delicious - and cheap! You simply select from a screen, and your sushi gets delivered on a conveyor belt. Each sushi dish is ¥100, except a few which are a bit more expensive because they're more...advanced (e.g. they have more toppings). I went for a tuna one, a salmon and cheese, a sweetcorn and mayo, a mackerel and any kind of veggie options they had. For the meat-eaters, there were steak-topped sushi, wagyu beef and hamburgers on little beds of rice. You could also get fries and delicious mango bubble tea to accompany your dishes. As each dish arrives, the screen displays your dish and you hear a dinging noise - it's glorious!
However, the best part of Kura Sushi is that for every five plates of food you get, you can have one go at their pinball-esque game - it's kind of a lucky draw, but you can win little prizes like a keyring, a badge or a sticker. My friend gave me her prize of a little panda on a sushi and I will be forever grateful for it!
Explore the Big Buddha
Fancy another trip out from Fukuoka? Then it's time to hop onto a train and get down to the Nanzoin Temple. It's a world away from the centre as you hop off at a traditional and old looking train station. There are signs explaining that you cannot visit the temple in short shorts or inappropriate clothing. I think it even told visitors to cover their tattoos too, so if you've got a large leg or arm piece, make sure to wear trousers and a cardigan.
It's a beautiful walk up to the temple, and it's not long until you stumble across the large reclining Buddha, which is said to be the largest bronze statue in the world. Seriously, photos cannot do this statue justice - its feet were bigger than me! There are little seats at the back, so you can sit and marvel at the reclining wonder!
Go to Cat Island
If you're a cat lover, then there's really nothing better to do than get the ferry over to cat island. There are a few islands in Japan with an overpopulation of cats, but the closest one to Fukuoka was Ainoshima Island, which I discovered on a whim. I kept trying to plot a route from Fukuoka to Ao Island (another famous cat ground, but it would've taken half a day to get there and ferries left to the island irregularly), and found Ainoshima, which was just off the Fukuoka prefecture! There are over three hundred cats there, all waiting to be stroked!
I was in heaven! There isn't really anywhere to eat properly on the island, so take a few snacks as the ferry back to the mainland comes every two hours. The shop was closed because of COVID-19, so we ended up exploring the island. However, there are vending machines dotted over the island too - make sure to get the apple juice with the cat on; it's the best I've ever had!
Take a trip to Hiroshima
You can get to Hiroshima from Fukuoka on the Shinkansen, which is included in your JR pass! It doesn't take long, and you come out of the train station into the city centre. Unfortunately, some of the shrines and parks were closed due to the coronavirus outbreak, but we did pop into the Pokemon centre for one last time.
We then headed over to the Atomic Bomb Dome and the Peace Memorial Park, which were incredibly moving areas. At the park, there were lots of statues and structures dedicated to the lives lost in the bombing, including a bell you can ring for peace. It was a tranquil and peaceful place, despite the horror that had happened there. The museum was closed due to coronavirus, but we got to explore the surrounding areas and find out as much information on the place as we could.
Also, you can head over to Miyajima - an island just off Hiroshima. You can get there using your JR pass on the ferry and there's a hiking trail, cable cars, more deer (if you didn't get your fill at Nara Park), a beach and a market with lots of scrumptious treats. I got a gin cider cocktail and it was incredible - the place even did cheap refills if you bought back your cup, so make sure to hang onto it. There are even more temples and shrines to see on the island and you could easily spend half your day there! The famous shrine in the sea is just off the island's coast, but unfortunately it was under construction when we visited.
Head up Fukuoka Tower
Fukuoka Tower is huge and each evening there is a different light show happening on its exterior, making it a spectacular sight in the dusk.
If you time it right, you can watch the sun set from the observation deck, then head outside and see the incredible lights on the building. There is a space to take a selfie in front of it, but position your phone correctly or it'll turn out like the one below...
I hope you get to explore Fukuoka under better circumstances (that do not involve a pandemic), but despite things being closed, we still got to see the beauty of the city.
A huge thank you to Yagura Hostel, who were so kind, helpful and good to us when we found out the bad news that our flight to Thailand had been cancelled! 3% of your accommodation fee goes towards a nearby cat shelter too and everything is cat themed - it was like I'd died and gone to heaven! They also left us cute messages on our door each night!
