Photo: Hirho, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Fukuoka Travel Guide

About Fukuoka

Fukuoka is the capital of Fukuoka Prefecture and the largest city on Kyūshū, home to about 1.6 million people — Japan's sixth-largest city. Built along the shores of Hakata Bay, it has been Japan's gateway to the Asian mainland since ancient times, the nearest point among the main islands to Korea and China, with a distinctive local culture and dialect to prove it.

The modern city was formed in 1889 by merging the port-and-merchant town of Hakata with the samurai town of Fukuoka. When the merged city voted on a name, the ballots tied repeatedly before Fukuoka won out — but Hakata survives in Hakata Station, the Hakata-ben dialect and Hakata ramen. The city's deeper history includes the Mongol invasions of 1274 and 1281, when typhoons scattered Kublai Khan's fleets off Hakata Bay — the original kamikaze, the 'divine wind'.

Today Fukuoka is famous for its food — tonkotsu ramen, mentaiko and motsunabe served from yatai street stalls that appear most evenings — and for its airport, one of the closest to a city centre anywhere in Japan. The Sanyō Shinkansen has run to Hakata Station since 1975, and hydrofoil ferries link Hakata directly with Busan, South Korea.

Population: 1603543 (2021).

Interesting facts about Fukuoka

Population

1,603,543 (June 1, 2021) — the most populous city on Kyūshū and Japan's sixth-largest, having passed Kobe in 2015.

Gateway

The nearest point among Japan's main islands to the Asian mainland; a centre of international commerce since ancient times.

Name

The name Fukuoka was introduced in 1600 by daimyō Kuroda Nagamasa, after the Fukuoka district of Bizen Province.

Merger

The modern city was formed on April 1, 1889, by merging the port-and-merchant town of Hakata with the samurai town of Fukuoka.

Mongol invasions

In 1274 and 1281 Kublai Khan's invasion fleets were scattered by typhoons off Hakata Bay — the origin of the word kamikaze, 'divine wind'.

Oldest Zen temple

Shōfuku-ji, founded by the monk Eisai, is the oldest Zen temple in Japan; Eisai also brought tea culture to Japan, while Kūkai established Tōchō-ji.

Airport

Fukuoka Airport (FUK) is just 3 km east of Hakata Station — about 10 minutes by subway to the business district — making it one of Japan's most convenient airports. It is the fourth-busiest in the country and opened a second runway in March 2025.

Main attractions in Fukuoka

Ohori Park

Photo: Hirho, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Ohori 2-chome, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka, Fukuoka 810-0051

A large park centred on a pond, next to the remains of Fukuoka Castle. One of the city's favourite strolling and cherry-blossom spots.

Category: park

Fukuoka Castle Remains

Photo: Hirho, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Maizuru Park, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka, Fukuoka 810-0043

The stone walls and remains of the castle built in the early 1600s by daimyō Kuroda Nagamasa, who named his new castle town Fukuoka. The grounds are now Maizuru Park.

Category: castle

Kushida Shrine

Photo: Hirho, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Kamikawabata-machi, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka, Fukuoka 810-0801

The guardian shrine of Hakata's old merchant quarter, in the historic district around the Kawabata shopping arcade.

Category: temple

What to eat in Fukuoka

Getting to Fukuoka

• By air: Fukuoka Airport (FUK) is famously close — just 3 km east of Hakata Station, with the subway reaching the business district in about 10 minutes. It is the principal airport on Kyūshū and Japan's fourth-busiest. Note the airport's late-night curfew (22:00–07:00).
• By rail: Hakata Station (Hakata-ekimae 3-chome, Hakata-ku) is served by the Sanyō Shinkansen — extended here in 1975 — and the Kyushu Shinkansen, plus JR Kyushu conventional lines.
• By sea: JR Kyushu and a Korean company operate hydrofoil ferries (Beetle and Kobee) between Hakata and Busan, South Korea.

Getting around Fukuoka

The Fukuoka City Subway began operations in 1981 with its first segment between Muromi and Tenjin; the Nanakuma Line followed in 2005. Tenjin (the old samurai-town shopping district) and Hakata (the merchant-town commercial core) are the two downtowns.

Travel tips for Fukuoka

• Yatai street stalls appear in Tenjin and Nakasu most evenings — the essential Fukuoka food experience.
• The airport's 22:00–07:00 curfew means last departures leave in the early evening — plan connections accordingly.
• Dazaifu Tenmangu is in the nearby city of Dazaifu, not in Fukuoka itself — plan it as a separate trip.
• Hakata Station keeps the old merchant town's name; Tenjin is the other downtown core.
• Major IC cards work on the subway and city buses.

Nearby cities

Own a business in Fukuoka? List it on Dayfari free →
Hosting something? Submit your event free →