This week we’re leaving the snowy northern Japanese island of Hokkaido and heading south, all the way down to the country’s southernmost main island, Kyushu, and its largest city, Fukuoka. Fukuoka is Japan’s fifth largest city, with a population of about 2.5 million people. It’s said to be one of the world’s most livable cities, thanks to its “excellent shopping, outstanding food, good transport links, good museums, “a feeling of openness in its sea air”, green spaces and because it’s friendly, safe, clean and close to the rest of East Asia”, at least according to a 2008 magazine article. Fukuoka is famous within Japan for having a laid back, relaxed approach to life that stands in stark contrast to the frenetic pace of Tokyo, and which is evidenced by its reduced number of harried-looking, dark suit-clad salarymen!
To be honest, we’d never even heard of Fukuoka before we started planning our trip to Japan, and we really only included it in our itinerary because we wanted to take the train all the way down to Kyushu, and needed another city to visit besides Nagasaki.
Fukuoka, it turns out, is a bit of a paradise for Pacific Westcoasters (especially the dreaded hipsters), thanks to its plethora of independent coffee shops and craft beer joints that serve up artisanal brews morning, noon and night. And with plenty of delicious food options served up in joints around the city, Fukuoka has every a food-focused tourist could dream of. Here are just a few reasons why you should consider adding Fukuoka to your next Japan itinerary.
CRAFT BEER
If, like the Raincity Software Engineer, you’re a bit of a beer snob, Fukuoka has got you covered. The city isn’t exactly awash with craft breweries, with only four located in and around the city, but it does offer several fantastic pubs and drinking establishments offering a wide variety of Japanese craft beers.
Located in Fukuoka’s hip and trendy Daimyo district, Cafe Beer Brim is a craft beer lover’s heaven, with 15 taps serving beer from across Japan and the world. The food isn’t really anything to write home about, but the selection of local beers is fantastic, and the location, surrounded by trendy shops and restaurants (and by happy happenstance immediately across the street from our Airbnb apartment) just couldn’t be beat. Quick note – while the Daimyo district is a hip and happening place to be, and very centrally located, you might want to rethink staying there on a weekend, because it is very happening…all the way into the wee hours of the night. Which is great if you’re a party animal, but less than ideal if you’re an exhausted traveller looking for a good night’s sleep!
The Fukuoka branch of Goodbeer Faucets offers an even more extensive selection of beers, with around 40 taps pouring predominantly American and Japanese craft beer, while Brewers Beer Pub, a tiny pub located a bit out of the way, pours only Japanese beers, and is a great place to sample local brews.
In other words, Fukuoka is very craft beer friendly!
INDEPENDENT COFFEE SHOPS
Fukuoka is famed for its incredibly hip independent coffee shops, which serve only the finest espresso prepared by only the coolest and most talented baristas. Whatever your coffee preference, there’s likely a tiny coffee shop in Fukuoka that will float your coffee boat. We only had two days in the city, so we only scratched the surface of the city’s coffee culture, but what we sampled left us wanting more.
Manu Coffee, a tiny shop situated in the the Yanagibashi Market, offers delicious coffee drinks minus the snob factor, in a cozy, comfortable setting with friendly, helpful staff. The second floor seating area offers a lovely view of the river, perfect for people watching while enjoying a warming drink after exploring the market. Despite what we’d envisioned, Kyushu does indeed get pretty cold in the winter!
Adachi Coffee is the cafe for coffee lovers who are looking for a more socially-conscious cup of joe, as the owner apparently works closely with the small farms that supply the shop. The shop’s signage is almost entirely in Japanese, and with about ten different kinds of coffee on offer, and several different preparation methods available, just ordering a beverage felt a bit intimidating! Thankfully the young barista who helped us was very friendly, and with her beginner’s English and our beginner’s Japanese we were able to start our day with hand-crafted lattes.
YATAI
Fukuoka, like Sapporo, has its own particular style of ramen – in this case, hakata ramen, rich, oily, and salty, with an intense tonkotsu (pork bone) broth, thin noodles and slices of fatty chashu pork. It’s absolutely heavenly, and while you can sample hakata ramen at ramen joints around the city, few experiences are as memorable as a ramen meal at a yatai, or food stall. Yatai are typically tiny, tented stalls offering street food in crammed, poorly lit conditions, with customers wolfing down inexpensive meals cheek by jowl in settings that are either frigid in the winter or absolutely sauna-like in the summer. It’s also a lot of fun, and a fantastic opportunity to meet locals in a fun and casual environment. Nakasu is a strip of land that runs along the Naka river, and is home to a bustling assortment of yatai, in addition to having been a red-light district since Edo times. English isn’t always spoken, but English menus with photographs are widely available.
After all that beer, coffee and ramen you’ll probably be wanting a bit of exercise and some fresh air. Conveniently accessible and centrally located, Ohori Park offers jogging tracks, playgrounds, picnic areas, sports fields, and a lake filled with paddle boats – a lovely day out, especially for families. In spring the cherry trees around the park erupt in an explosion of pink, but even in the dead of winter there’s greenery around every corner. History buffs can explore the ruins of Fukuoka Castle, while plant aficionados can pay a nominal fee and stroll the grounds of the Japanese garden. Ohori Park offers a lovely green escape, right in the heart of the city.
Fukuoka, as the Guardian put it, has delights at every turn. Vibrant and cosmopolitan, it blends the traditional with the modern to create a laid-back but lively atmosphere, and offers something for just about every traveller, from coffee snobs to beer hipster to families with kids. We were only there for a very brief stint, and could have easily stayed for a week or more – there’s just so much to see and do! Fukuoka was absolutely one of the highlights of our visit, and a city we could definitely see ourselves living in. If you’re considering a trip to Japan, don’t overlook this awesome southern city!
Sounds great! You make a wonderful guide
Thank you! I just loved this city so much!
What a great post! I’ve never really wanted to visit Japan, until I read this. Now I want to try the coffee and ramen.
I can’t recommend Japan enough!!
Japan is one of the destinations I really want to go to. Their culture is so rich. Thanks for the awesome guide
It’s absolutely worth visiting, and you’re right, the culture is just incredible, it’s like nowhere else in the world. Hopefully you’ll get there soon!
as long as there is coffee, I’m more than happy #mondayescapes
HA sounds like my partner, for sure!
You got me at craft beer and coffee shops to be fair
#citytripping
Yup, that’s definitely what happened to the Mr., too!
Fukuoka sounds lovely! I lived in Japan for a year but never made it out there. I’d love to visit Ohori Park!
It’s really lovely! We have a big park with a lake in my hometown, so it definitely reminded me of home. ^_^
Looks like a great place to visit once I get to Japan! Jessica
Absolutely!!
Sounds a very cool city to explore. I like the sound of it. Would love to explore more of the Japan. Thanks for linking #citytripping
There’s just so much to explore and experience across Japan!
That’s so interesting! I’ve never heard about Yatai before but they look pretty funny. What’s the reason though that they’re tented?
I think to make them all-weather? Not sure!
Oh I so want to visit, and the park looks so lovely I love that little pavilion on the lake so pretty. Thanks so much for linking up #MondayEscapes x
I do like the sound of the laid-back atmosphere you’ve described here. Beer and coffee? You make it sound a bit like Seattle – and I LOVED Seattle. I like the idea of sampling a completely different city to the hecticness of Tokyo. Thanks for sharing on #FarawayFiles
It definitely has a similar spirit to Seattle, and by extension my own Pacific Northwest home city.
Oh I just love the idea of Japan, my husband has been quite a bit and I can’t wait to take the girls, and yes for amazing coffee shops! #FarawayFiles
Japan is OBSESSED with coffee, so my coffee-loving hubby was absolutely in heaven.
Laid back, relaxed approach to life .. in Japan?! I’d have to see that to believe it haha .. Never heard of this city, but looks like a great place to visit! Beer & coffee? What could be wrong?
I know! Japan is so much more than Tokyo, and way more diverse in style and spirit than I ever imagined before going there.
I’d love to go back to Japan one day, and now Fukuoka has definitely made my list! I love the idea of exploring somewhere away from the tourist hustle, which such a great mix of old and new. #farawayfiles
I honestly can’t wait to get back to Japan for trip # 3!
I hadn’t heard of Fukuoka either until I read this post, however it sounds like a City in Japan I would enjoy … hubby would like the craft beer and we can both enjoy the fine coffee … that’s enough of a reason to visit if you ask me! Pinned for when I visit #feetdotravel
Excellent, I hope you do get there! It’s definitely a city worth visiting.
Craft beer, independent coffee shops, paddle boats – it’s not at all what I imagine from Japan and it sounds super!! I love reading your posts and expelling my terrible Japan stereotypes
Japan is absolutely a country filled with surprises! I had a lot of the same expectations about Japan, and travelling through the country absolutely opened my eyes!
Kyushu is one of the few parts of Japan I haven’t been to, and I’m surprised by how hip their cafe culture is! #CityTripping
Fukuoka is a real gem! We didn’t have quite the same experience in Nagasaki, though it’s definitely also worth a visit too.
Coffee, beer, ramen, repeat! I’d probably get some exercise in too. Your post really makes me want to jump on a plane and go to Fukuoka right now.
Ugh, me too!!! Just looking through all my photos again made me so nostalgic!!
Fukuoka is just plain fun to say! And as a Pacific Northwesterner – you had both my husband and I at coffee and craft brew. It’s brewed in I think! Love the tour and showing me a corner of Japan I did not know
Oh absolutely – coffee and beer, I’m in!
Great…now we’re craving Ramen. Mmmmm…. We had heard of Fukuoka, but hadn’t read too much about it. So thanks for the introduction! As we’re working on the planning for our own Japan trip, this is really helpful. Can’t wait to check out the hipster scene. (And we can only say that without irony because it’s in Japan.
Thanks for sharing on #FeetDoTravel!
Oh, Japan is hipster heaven – there’s such an earnestness to their hipsters that’s actually quite charming (none of the “irony” that seems to be a big thing here, ha!).
Had never heard of Fukuoka. But it seems amazing! We would love to try out the coffee shops and the Yatai. Thanks for the introduction.
I honestly hadn’t heard of Fukuoka before we sat down with a Japan travel guide book either!