Fukuoka is the biggest city in Kyushu and is about 880km west of Tokyo. Fukuoka is not as widely known on the International scene as some of Japan’s other big cities, but has transformed itself over the last decade into one of Japan’s most cosmopolitan and internationalised cities. Fukuoka has been placed in the spotlight recently as a model green city and all of this has taken place before the March disaster bought energy conserving measures throughout Japan.
Fukuoka serves Japan as a major domestic and international gateway and is connected to Tokyo and southern Kyushu by the Shinkansen bullet train. The city itself is very vibrant and user-friendly offering expansive parks, museums, shopping and entertainment. In Japan, the city is known for its beautiful women, known as ‘Hakata bijin’ and its feisty baseball team called the Daiei Hawks.
The main sights of Fukuoka include:
Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine – one of the main shrines in Japan dedicated to Tenjin
Kyushu National Museum - the first new national museum in Japan in over 100 years
Fukuoka Asian Art Museum – some of the finest Asian Contemporary Art
Canal City Hakata – Fukuoka’s six-building shopping and entertainment complex
Space World theme park – a popular theme park created in 1990 and featuring a space theme
By Shinkansen
Fukuoka is 5 hours from Tokyo and costs 22,000 yen on the Nozomi
By Air
Approx 110 mins by air from Tokyo's Haneda Airport
Read about the other Top Destinations 2012 Winners
I like Fukuoka. The whole island of Kyushu is nice too.
ReplyDeleteThanks Lina, I haven't been able to explore Kyushu as much as I would like, but you seem to have done a fair bit of travelling there. I would like to visit Fukuoka again as it is such a great modern city and also explore some more of the unique places around Kyushu :)
ReplyDeleteIf you are heading out to Dazaifu for the Tenmangu Shrine, I can definitely recommend the Kyushu National Museum. I believe it is one of the best museums in Japan that shows the tradition of interconnected business and culture sharing within Asia.
ReplyDeleteIf you like history and tea, I can recommend to visit Shofukuji Temple: The first tea bushes in Japan were cultivated in this temple ground. Along the same lines Jotenji Temple as the spot where for the first time udon and soba noodles were introduced to Japan.
Thanks Sibylleito, I agree with you about the Kyushu National Museum, it is one of the best I've visited. Thanks for the tip about Shofukuji Temple and Jotenji Temple. I'll have to put them top of the list for my next visit :)
ReplyDeleteFukuoka City isn't really that great for sightseeing.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately there aren't that many things to see.
Personally I'd never recommend Fukuoka as a travel destination.
It's a great city, just not really great for sightseeing!
You did a great job listing a few of the things that you can visit there! :)
Thanks Zooming Japan, It is a wonderful destination and while it doesn't quite have the sights of a Kyoto or Nara, is still a great place to visit with a lot to do and see.
DeleteJohn