About Fukuoka Japan

Fukuoka

• Fukuoka Castle:
  

Fukuoka Castle is located in central Fukuoka between Maizuru Castle Park and Ohori Park. The decision to build the castle was made in 1601 by a fuedal lord of Chikusen, Kuroda Nagamasu who received lands around Fukuoka for his service in battle. It was never fully completed and now all that is left are the remaining ruins, the most famous of which are Tamon Turret and Otemon Gate which are about 400 years old, however, in its time Fukuoka Castle was the largest castle in Kyushu. One cannot complain about the surrounding beauty. The castle gardens are wonderful with the beautiful blooming of the plum blossoms in February and the blooming of the Sakura (Cherry Blossoms) in March. In the Cherry Blossom season you will find the grounds full of people picnicing and barbequeing under the trees. And to add to this Fukuoka castle provides a breathtaking view of the city. Having been designated as a Yamanashi Historical Site it is definitely worth visiting.

Daizaifu Tenmangu Shrine: This is a very important shrine within the Shinto faith. The shrine is dedicated to the God of learning; Sugawara no Michizane and is a major tourist spot in Fukuoka. Not only is it famous for its historical and religious status, but also simply for the beauty of the buildings and its grounds, in particular the white plum blossoms which can be seen from January to April. A recommended Daizaifu delicacy called Umegaemochi, a sweet plum rice pastry, is a must for anyone visiting.

Ohori Park:    Ohori Park is a nationally famous park built with Chinese styled bridges around a manmade lake that used to be part of the moat of Fukuoka Castle. It is located right next to the centre of Fukuoka City about 5 minutes from Tenjin. Some sections of the lake are open for fishing for those of you who enjoy taking it easy by the side of the lake. For those of you who are more active there are also pedal boats and row boats available for hire and of course there's ice-cream. Inside is a Noh Theatre and a Japanese Garden and the Fukuoka Art Museum and it also hosts the Fukuoka's largest firework festival on the 1st of August of each year which is worth watching.

Ohori Park Japanese Garden:    This beautiful Japanese garden is located adjacent to the Fukuoka Art Museum inside Ohori Park but is separated from it by a beautiful white stone wall so you cannot see into it unless you pay the entrance fee and enter through the wooden gates to the other side.  The garden is a gravel garden in Zen style and within the garden there is a quaint traditional style "Sukuya" -styled tea house. It is very pleasant to walk around and relax in and has many beautiful settings of which you can take you can take great photos. The garden contains many features which it might be good to read up on so that you won't miss any of the  meanings associated with them. Maizuru Castle Park: These are the gounds surrounding Fukuoka Castle which is about 400 years old and is a great place for rest and relaxation. Especially during the Cherry Blossom season it becomes one of the top locations for Cherry Blossom parties when you will see many people gathered under the Cherry Blossom trees picnicing and barbequeing and of course drinking but even during the other seasons it is certainly a pleasurable place to take a walk and have a coffee.

Noko Island: Noko Island is located just a few kilometres from Hakata  Bay and is very easy to get to with the frequent and reliable ferry service. It is a natural park about 150 thousand square meters and filled with flowers all year round. Rape blossoms and Cosmos are the most famous for this area. It is certainly a beautiful area with restaurants, a zoo, mini golf, and Omode-dori which is a reproduced small old town. If you want to stay longer, which you will, there are rental cottages and bungalows available.

• Fukuoka Art Museum: This museum can be found within the ground of Ohori Park. For those of you interested in art, the collection to be found in Fukuoka Art Museum is definitely worth having a look. It has a large collection of oriental pre-modern artworks as well as modern art and contemporary artworks.
  
• Fukuoka Asian Art Museum:  This museum highlights the art works of Asia. It was opened in 1999 and is the only museum in the world to collect and exhibit modern and contemporary art from Aisia and thus allows people to become familiar with Asian arts and culture. It is located in central Fukuoka  in the Riverain Building near Hakata-za, the Kabuki (Japanese traditional) theatre. So you can experience two different art forms in close proximity to each other.
  
• Fukuoka City Museum  This museum is located in Momochi close to Seaside Momochi. It holds an impressive collection of ancient and modern artifacts from Japan and Asia. The entrance fee is very is very cheap so it's definitely worth having a look and everyone is free to use the educational  faciites inside such as the information centre, the Aisan experience room and the reading room.
  
• Genko Historical Museum:  Also known as the Mongolian Invasions Historical Museum, this museum exhibits historical materials relating to the Mogolian invasions of  northern Kyushu. You can take a look at the armour of the armies of both Japan and Mongolia at the time and crtitically compare the technology of both countries. Also on display are pictures of the Mongolian invasions.
  
• Hakata Machiya Folk Museum: The old name for Fukuoka when it was in its historical prime was Hakata and even today the dialect of Fukuoka is still called Hakata dialect.  Here at the Hakata Machiya Folk Museum you can learn all about Hakata culture. You can leatn about the old lifestyle and culture of Fukuoka city in the Meiji and Taisho eras especially about urban living and houses from those times. You can even have a look at a miniture town of Hakata in it's great days. It is located across from the Kushida Shrine  which is famous for holding one of the most famous festivals in Fukuoka City; the Hakata Gion Yamakasa. There are also lectures held on the Hakata dialecct  and demonstrations of traditional hand crafting are also on exhibition.
  

• Fukuoka Convention Center: Made up of the Fukuoka International Congress Center, Marine Messe Fukuoka and the Fukuoka Kokusai (International) Center.
• The Fukuoka International Congress Center offers facilities for large scale conventions including the latest simultaneous interpreter booths and audio/visual equipment to respond to the high demands in the information age. Connected by a walkway to the Sun Palace Hotel makes it the perfect convention location.
• Marine Messe Fukuoka is a versatile facility used for many different types of events, functioning as a multi-purpose exhibition facility for large scale events, an arena facility for athletics and a hall facility for concerts.
• Fukuoka Kokusai Center has 5,052 square meters of flat floor space with no protruding pillars and serves as a flexible facility suitable for a variety of activities. The center is home to a wide variety of uses from large-scale exhibitions to sporting events and is capable of accommodating up to 10,000 people.
  
  

• Shikanoshima Beach
• Itoshima Beach
• Seaside Momochi
  

• Hakata-za:Hakata-za is located in the Hakata Riverain complex in Nakasu and is a theatre in Fukuoka City famous for its Kabuki plays but also has musicals and modern dramas. Being a modern theatre visablity is very good from all seats. As an art form Kabuki is a truly wonderful experience with the decorative costumes and energetic performances.
  
• Ohori Park Noh Theatre:This theatre is located in the beautiful Ohori Park just 5 minutes from the centre of Fukuoka City, Tenjin. There are often free Noh and Kabuki performances held here so if your timing's right you might just get a little bit of Japanese culture for free.
  

• Uminonakamichi Marine World:For those of you who love marine life this is definitely the place to go. Fukuoka's Uminonakamichi Marine World has beautiful and colorful aquarium displays including a gigantic water tank with a depth of 7meters holding 1400 gallons of water housing at least 120 sharks of 20 different kinds and there is also an outdoor dolphin and sea lion show.
  
• Fukuoka Tower: Fukuoka Tower is located at the waterfront of Seaside Momochi and it is the tallest seaside tower in Japan. It was constructed in 1989 and is 234m high and covered with 8000 mirrors. You can take the elevator up to 123m for a panoramic view of Fukuoka City. At night the tower lights up which is beautiful to watch. The lighting scheme is different for each season.
  
• Sky Dream Fukuoka: Sky Dream Fukuoka is a ferris wheel located next to Evergreen Marinoa shopping arcade. It is 120m high and known to be the tallest ferris wheel in Asia. It takes about 20 minutes to complete one round and offers wonderful views of the city. It is right next to the harbour and so the water view is also splendid. At night it lights up and really does look beautiful by the water.
  
• Fukuoka Dome: For all you baseball fans this is a must. Fukuoka Dome is the baseball stadium of Fukuoka and the headquarters of Fukuoka's baseball team Fukuoka Softbank Hawks. It is situated in Hawks Town and right next to Seaside Momochi. It was built in 1993 and can hold 35,695 spectators. Futhermore it was stadium in Japan to have a retractable roof. Not only has Fukuoka Dome hosted one game in each Major League Baseball All Star Series since it opened it has also been used for the music concerts of famous starts such as the Rolling Stones, Bon Jovi, Queen, Micheal Jackson and many others. Just opposite Fukuoka Dome is a Hard Rock Cafe which is a great way to end the day.
  
• Fukuoka City Zoological Garden / Fukuoka Municipal Zoo and Botanical Garden: As with most places of interest in Fukuoka, Fukuoka's Municipal Zoo and Botanical Gardens are located in the central city area. The zoo was established in 1953 and has an array of animals to observe including the ones everyone wants to see such as the lions, tigers and polar bears. It is a lovely little zoo and doesn't cost an arm and a leg to enter so people living in the near vicinity may visit as many times as they like during the year and many keep up with the animals. This is also true of the botanical garden which contains about 1300 types of outdoor plants and about 1,200 species of flower in the greenhouses. Surrounding the Fukuoka zoo and botanical garden is a expansive park which is great for walks and getting away from the city while still being in the city.
  
• Moo Moo Land (Abura-Yama Ranch): This is a ranch just 30 minutes from the central part of Fukuoka City. Here you can enjoy the farm life of Fukuoka. It is one of the spots where you can find domesticated animals such as pigs, sheep, horses and cows. The ranch is situated on the mountains so while relaxing with nature you can also enjoy the view below. You can also get ice-cream and fresh milk from the cows of the area. It's a great day trip for families with small childen.
  
• Abura Mountain (night view): Abura Mountain again is just 30 minutes away from Fukuoka City centre. It offers a wondeful night view of Fukuoka. You cannot describe it in words so you'll just have to go see for yourself. It is a popular spot for couples young and old to just marvel at the city lights.
  

• Canal City Hakata: Canal city is a large shopping complex with shops, restuarants and cinema. It's theme is water and there are beautiful waterspurt displays all around the complex. It's beautiful at night.
  
• Marinoa City: This is a shopping complex with various outlets with a beautiful ocean view and hosts the largest ferris wheel in Asia the Sky Dream Fukuoka.
  
• Hakata Riverrain
• Tenjin
• Nakasu
• Hawks Town
  

• Hakata Tonkotsu Ramen: This is a pork based soup with thin noodles.
  
• Mentaiko
• Motsunabe (beef or pork offal hot pot)
• Mizutaki (chicken broth hotpot)

• Hakata Gion Yamakasa: This is an annual festival held in Fukuoka City from July 1st to July 15th by Kushida Shrine. A Yamakasa is a portable shrine used to carry a deity during a festival. At the climax of the festival there is a race between local teams starting at 4.59a.m. in which they carry the Yamakasas and race at full speed for a 5km course departing from Kushida Shrine. The teams compete to finish this course at the fastest time. Many people come to watch this event even though the it starts so early in the morning which means it must be worth seeing.
  
• Dontaku Port Festival:This is another annual festival in Fukuoka City and takes place on the 3rd an 4th of May every year. The actual name Dontaku comes from the Dutch word Zondag meaning "Sunday" or "Holiday" and the festival originated in 1179 under a different name. Following this the festival underwent a few changes and obstacles such as being banned and being suspended during the second world war before becoming what it is today. People dress up in costumes and parade through the streets along with floats banging shamoji spoons and dancing. The festival boasts some 2 million participants each year.
• Fire Festivals