Fukuoka Hotels

The vibrant ward of Hakata is particularly venerable and the origin point for a vast array of culinary staples in the national diet. Vital festivals like Dontaku Minato Matsuri and Gion Yamakasa take place in the area and Hakata Station is a major point of arrival and departure in Fukuoka.

Culture galore is on hand too in this city halfway between Shanghai and Tokyo. Most expressly, it takes the form of impressive landmarks like the Fukuoka Art Museum, Genko Historical Museum and Kyushu National Museum. All three embody major institutions in Japan and combine with the likes of Maizuru Castle, Nokonoshima Island Park and elegant temples and shrines to provide a rich mélange of attractions.

Fukuoka’s Top 10

Fukuoka Events

Hakata Gion Yamakasa is of the Japan’s pre-eminent annual festivals. The Kushida-jinja Shinto shrine event lures up to 1 million spectators and is both an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property and one of 100 Soundscapes of Japan. The festival takes place from July 1-15.

Hakata Dontaku also cements Fukuoka’s status as a premier festival city. Well over 800 years old, the boisterous civic festival is the most venerable in the country and features copious costumes on parade every May 3-4.

The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks play to sell-out baseball crowds at the Fukuoka Dome.

Kyushu Basho Grand Sumo Tournament takes place every November at Fukuoka Convention Center.

Setsubun, or Bean-Throwing Festival, ushers in spring across Japan.

When To Go

A subtropical climate injects Fukuoka with some of the most desirable weather in Japan. Hot summers and mild winters typify the average year in the city, with July and August firmly in the 75°F (24°C) to 90°F (32°C) temperature range. June and July do, however, get about ⅓ of the average annual total rainfall of 64 in (1,626 mm).

Winters are not that difficult a slog in Kyushu, with temperatures seldom below the 32°F (0°C) mark and scant snowfall. For ultra-pleasantness and the best of all worlds, visit in the months of May or October.

Take note: cherry blossom season in Fukuoka is in late March or early April.

Getting Around

Fukuoka Airport serves the likes of Busan, Beijing-Capital, Shanghai-Pudong, Hong Kong, Tokyo-Narita, Tokyo-Haneda, Osaka-Kansai, Manila, Singapore and Taipei-Taoyuan. Close to 20 million people use the second class airport, number four in Japan in total passenger movements, every year.

The shinkansen, however, is the way to travel in Japan and especially to Kyushu. To get to Fukuoka, catch either the Sanyō Shinkansen from Osaka to Hakata Station or the Kyushu Shinkansen from Kagoshima. Affordable sleepers from Tokyo thrive as well. A rapid hydrofoil service operates from Busan, South Korea to Fukuoka ferry terminal.

Within Fukuoka proper, Nishitetsu bus service and a tidy subway network provide efficient public transport. Moreover, the core of the city is quite pedestrian and bicycle friendly. Taxis proliferate but can be rather expensive.