Fun and Unusual Things to do in Fukuoka

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[{"address":"WeBase Hostel","location":{"longitudeDelta":0.10218818160659443,"latitudeDelta":0.09219986310369421,"latitude":35.31090636124843,"longitude":139.54133674999997},"media":[{"type":"text","content":"# Get a Selfie with the Giant Cat\nOkay, I can explain Japanese religion, I can explain the legend of Sumo – this I have no idea, but I like it so, go see it!\nIt’s at the We Base hostel on Doidori Avenue.\n\nIf you fancy sleeping near the giant cat, We Base is one of the main hostel brands you’ll find in Japan – and most of their hostels have some kind of cat input.\n\nIf you’re looking for somewhere fun and affordable to sleep in Fukuoka, this is definitely worth looking at."},{"type":"img","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FO6SpnqW3aYqqPKWdzEyL%2F12.webp?alt=media&token=b9310f9b-73d7-4d82-91bb-d5d0c806b929"},{"type":"link","content":"https://we-base.jp/hakata/"}]},{"address":"cafe","location":{"longitudeDelta":0.10218818160659443,"latitudeDelta":0.09219986310369421,"latitude":33.72850541060226,"longitude":130.97301760000002},"media":[{"type":"text","content":"# Meet Some Otters\nPop Quiz: You’re wandering down a road in Fukuoka and you see a sign that says 5F: Cafe of Otters – what do you do people, what do you do?\n\nWell considering you are talking to someone here who flew to Japan three days earlier than she needed to in order to visit an island full of cats, what do you think I did? And look at the cuteness.\nSo, now we have the cute out of the way, I have to mention a few reservations I had about this place.\n\nWhen it comes to cafes in Japan otters seem to be the new hedgehogs (you can also play with those here too) and there a few otter cafes opening up.\n\nI’ve been to one place in Tokyo which had the otters in a pool and didn’t let you hold them – this place did let you hold them, but I didn’t see any water for them to play in.\n\nThe other problem is, otters bite – and so you have to be a bit careful you don’t get nipped with their teeny tiny razor sharp teeth!\nBecause of this some of the otters who didn’t play well with people were kept in cages which I didn’t like at all.\n\nThe ones running around seemed happy enough and they definitely liked to interact with the people coming to see them – but personally, I really didn’t like the fact that they had some of them caged.\n\nIf you do choose to visit the otter cafe it’s pretty much next to the Morris Black Sheep British Pub on Shinganrinnoncho-dori.\n\nLook for the cutesy otter picture in the middle of lots of other signs. The cafe is on the 5th floor."},{"type":"img","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FO6SpnqW3aYqqPKWdzEyL%2F4.webp?alt=media&token=7b248c55-5942-4af3-a240-e8a1d3e50b19"},{"type":"link","content":"https://ktm-kawaii.com/s/fukuoka"}]},{"address":"Iizuka","location":{"longitudeDelta":0.10218818160659443,"latitudeDelta":0.09219986310369421,"latitude":33.60549742117007,"longitude":130.66773005410684},"media":[{"type":"text","content":"# See Thousands of Tiny Dolls\nIf you’re in Fukuoka in February or very early March then jump on a train to nearby Iizuka and experience the incredible sight of over 10,000 dolls displayed for a festival called Hinamatsuri.\nThe dolls are on display at an old miner’s home called the Old Ito Denomen House and what makes the display even more incredible is that one woman owns them all.\n\nTo find out more about Hinamatusuri and where to see the best displays in Fukuoka – and elsewhere in Japan, check out this post that gives you all the info on this amazing Japanese festival of dolls."},{"type":"img","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FO6SpnqW3aYqqPKWdzEyL%2F14.webp?alt=media&token=7dd4657a-dade-491b-b76b-27bdbed51106"},{"type":"link","content":"https://www.fukuoka-now.com/en/event/22nd-iizuka-hina-matsuri/"}]},{"address":"1035 Sasaguri","location":{"longitudeDelta":0.10218818160659443,"latitudeDelta":0.09219986310369421,"latitude":33.619853710558786,"longitude":130.5729574},"media":[{"type":"text","content":"# Visit the Incredible Buddha\nI’m talking about Nanzoin temple here – home to the World’s Largest Bronze Statue – and it’s just astounding. This place left me speechless for so many reasons.\nFor more pictures of the Buddha, full details of what else you’ll find at the temple and exact advice on how to get there visit my full post on Nanzoin Temple, but the short version is you take the train from Hakata to KidoNanzoin-mae and follow the signs."},{"type":"img","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FO6SpnqW3aYqqPKWdzEyL%2F1.webp?alt=media&token=66108934-9968-4165-a936-52f2080b59df"},{"type":"link","content":"https://goo.gl/maps/esLRjtEUxW541jSM7"}]},{"address":"Ainoshima Island","location":{"longitudeDelta":0.10218818160659443,"latitudeDelta":0.09219986310369421,"latitude":33.76102255659606,"longitude":130.3700428266713},"media":[{"type":"text","content":"# Go the Island Full of Cats\nThis was the main reason I wanted to visit Fukuoka and it did not disappoint.\n\nCalled Ainoshima it’s located about an hour’s train and ferry ride from Fukuoka itself. The island is home to about 150 mostly feral cats that lounge about the place looking cute and cuddly.\n"},{"type":"img","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FO6SpnqW3aYqqPKWdzEyL%2F2.webp?alt=media&token=1ccf28af-20ad-4375-a488-05e9619a1e30"},{"type":"link","content":"https://goo.gl/maps/9fSLaAAYPVkAA4J9A"}]},{"address":"Hakata AkaChokobe","location":{"longitudeDelta":0.10218818160659443,"latitudeDelta":0.09219986310369421,"latitude":33.59413756054851,"longitude":130.41024995},"media":[{"type":"text","content":"# Try These Quirky Kettle Noodles\nThese are the speciality of the Hakata AkaChokobe restaurant just a short walk from Kushida shrine – one of Fukuoka’s must-see sights.\n\nZubora Udon is unusual as, instead of being cooked by dipping the noodles in an entire vat of water, they are cooked in a kettle on the hob and served in the water they come in.\nYou then hoik them out with chopsticks – not as easy as it sounds as they are about half a metre long – and dip them in the tasty sauce that accompanies them.\n\nWhich brings me to the sauce – there are two choices. One contains natto – aka stinky soybeans, the other is a broth with chilli and pieces of intestine. Yes, I know that might sound a bit like Hobson’s Choice.\n\nI personally went for the intestine as the sauce was warm and I was in Fukuoka in February so needed warming up.\n\nIt was actually delicious – the sauce is rich and spicy and the intestines actually just taste like pig fat.\n\nIf you didn’t know what they were you wouldn’t be able to guess.\n\nHonestly, trust me – but if you really don’t want to eat them you can enjoy the sauce and the kettle noodle experience without consuming them.\nYou’ll find Hakata AkaChokobe at 7-10 Reisenmachi, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka, 812-0039. It’s open 7 days a week from 11.30-2pm then again from 6pm to 11."},{"type":"img","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FO6SpnqW3aYqqPKWdzEyL%2F19.webp?alt=media&token=95a97b0c-524b-4d09-b414-2227452908c0"},{"type":"link","content":" https://goo.gl/maps/h8pQyjRbFBd6Xb197"}]},{"address":"Canal City Hakata","location":{"longitudeDelta":0.10218818160659443,"latitudeDelta":0.09219986310369421,"latitude":33.59013422761478,"longitude":130.4109693},"media":[{"type":"text","content":"# Save the City from Godzilla\nWhenever you read a post of things to do in Fukuoka, it will tell you to go to Canal City shopping mall.\n\nAnd yes, it’s an interesting mall – with winding canals snaking through it and lots of themed restaurants like the Moomin Cafe or the Harry Potter Cafe to entertain you.\n\nHowever, the thing that makes Canal City end up on this list is that they do a nightly show involving Godzilla – and it’s definitely an ‘Only in Japan’ experience.\nThe idea is that you have to save Fukuoka from attack by Godzilla by downloading an app and frantically tapping at your smartphone.\n\nThe big scaly one appears about 20 feet high on one of the mall’s windows and attacks the city – fountains go off, lights flash, there’s crashing and booming and the aforementioned roaring. I thought it was fantastic!\nIt takes place every night but timings vary as it needs to be dark to show it. There is another show before it which is also pretty cute and involves more lights and fountains – but Godzilla is the good one."},{"type":"img","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FO6SpnqW3aYqqPKWdzEyL%2F16.webp?alt=media&token=1dd21481-99b2-4abc-b630-e3077f48a64e"},{"type":"link","content":" https://goo.gl/maps/dmKh1CZE4P8vbtzv9"}]},{"address":"Sumiyoshi, 3-chōme−1−５１","location":{"longitudeDelta":0.10218818160659443,"latitudeDelta":0.09219986310369421,"latitude":33.585924810545265,"longitude":130.4136836},"media":[{"type":"text","content":"# Visit the Power-Giving Sumo Statue\nTouch the well-built body and palms to feel it’s energy’ is a bit of a worrying phrase, but it’s the instructions of what to do when you visit this statue.\n\nThe statue is of an ancient Sumo warrior back in the day when Sumo wasn’t a sport but actually a spiritual ritual associated with the Shinto sect.\n\nBack then the warriors were sculpted as well as strong – a very different image from the strong but erm, curvy, Sumo wrestlers of today.\nThe lines on the palms of this statue resemble the character for the word power in Chinese and so people touch the statue to get some of his powerful energy when they need it.\n\nFind the statue outside the Sumiyoshi Shrine a short walk from Hakata station at 3 Chome-1-51 Sumiyoshi, Hakata Ward, Fukuoka, 812-0018, "},{"type":"img","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FO6SpnqW3aYqqPKWdzEyL%2F11.webp?alt=media&token=ef3babdc-0222-43e4-9b60-043e03f2c33a"},{"type":"link","content":"https://yokanavi.com/en/feature/120270/"}]},{"address":"2-26 Nishinakasu","location":{"longitudeDelta":0.10218818160659443,"latitudeDelta":0.09219986310369421,"latitude":33.59046206054704,"longitude":130.40533505000002},"media":[{"type":"text","content":"# Eat at One of the World’s Best Restaurants\nFrom one extreme to the other – roadside kebabs to La Maison de la Nature Goh – listed at No48 on the list of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants.\n\nIt serves French-Japanese cuisine in a six or seven course menu.\n\nSadly at between 6-8000 yen a head it’s a tad out of my price range, but if you like gourmet food, add it to your list of what to do in Fukuoka.\n\nOriginally, the restaurant was going to close at the end of 2019 as Goh had decided to team up with Bangkok chef Gaggan Anand to create a super restaurant in Fukuoka.\n\nI’m not sure if that’s still happening, as obviously, a lot has changed since then, but I have been lucky enough to go to Gaggan and that was incredible, so watch this space on that one.\n"},{"type":"img","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FO6SpnqW3aYqqPKWdzEyL%2F22.jpg?alt=media&token=1ef94900-c69e-4a95-9650-415f7cdd5403"},{"type":"link","content":" https://goo.gl/maps/12LhDToWts8SqPZd9"}]},{"address":"5-chōme-4 Nakasu","location":{"longitudeDelta":0.10218818160659443,"latitudeDelta":0.09219986310369421,"latitude":33.59411246054849,"longitude":130.40336639999995},"media":[{"type":"text","content":"# Stay at the Robot Hotel\nOfficially known as Henn na hotels these are springing up all over Japan and Fukuoka now has it’s one too.\n\nYou’re checked in by a couple of friendly dinosaurs and your room has a little robot butler to answer your every need.\n\nAdmittedly, from what I’ve been told the robot butler doesn’t always quite work as planned, but see it as part of the fun.\n\nNote check in time is at 3pm – if you get there earlier the robots will be sleeping (literally, it’s very cute, go check it out) – you can leave your bags though.\n\nCheck out the video below to see what happens on check-in. If this makes you as happy as it does me and you like the idea of staying at the Hen na Robot Hotel in Fukuoka, here’s where you can book or check rates."},{"type":"img","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FO6SpnqW3aYqqPKWdzEyL%2F17.webp?alt=media&token=4b37ee70-46ec-48cb-9a64-b5a30bc50782"},{"type":"link","content":" https://goo.gl/maps/46gbxKAAK5f8r16Y7"}]},{"address":"3-chōme-3-23 Tenjin","location":{"longitudeDelta":0.10218818160659443,"latitudeDelta":0.09219986310369421,"latitude":33.59251471054786,"longitude":130.39742835},"media":[{"type":"text","content":"# Visit Sanatorium\nThis cafe come art gallery is designed to look like a hospital – your drinks come in beakers, the staff dress in hospital coats, there’s bits of bodies (plastic and pickled) dotted around the place and there’s an MRI of the owner’s brain on the wall.\nSaid owner is artist Takamaka Sumi and if you’re lucky he’ll be there to show you around. He doesn’t speak much English, but he’s a lovely guy and his work is fantastic. You can see more pictures and read more about the cafe my larger post on Sanatorium here .\n\nThis is their full address – 3F Saeki Building, 3-3-23 Tenjin, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka-shi you’ll know you’re in the right place if you look up and see a body (plastic not real) in the window of the building.\n"},{"type":"img","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FO6SpnqW3aYqqPKWdzEyL%2F20.webp?alt=media&token=5da69401-c50d-46b5-a90c-84e9d588938e"},{"type":"link","content":" https://goo.gl/maps/HRX3G8Gfb6xKfcNa9"}]},{"address":"1-chōme-15-33 Daimyō","location":{"longitudeDelta":0.10218818160659443,"latitudeDelta":0.09219986310369421,"latitude":33.58727616054576,"longitude":130.39631005},"media":[{"type":"text","content":"# Have a Kebab\nI know I was surprised that this made my list as well, but sampling the signature dish at Guru Guru Chicken in Fukuoka’s hipster area of Daiymo is one of THE things to do in Fukuoka.\nThe kebabs are full of chicken meat and salad and you can pick how spicy you want your sauce – I went for super hot and it was pretty good.\n\nI’m not normally a kebab fan as I find them super messy and normally end up with more of it in my lap than my mouth, but in true neat, tidy Japanese style, this doesn’t seem to happen with a GuruGuru kebab.\n\nIt’s just a street stall so you’re not going to spend long here – you grab the kebab and then sit in the small row of seats behind the stand, but if you want a quick meal while sightseeing – or a really local experience, give it a try.\n\nYou’ll find it at 1-chōme-15-33 Daimyō, Chūō-ku, Fukuoka, 810-0041. They are open from 11.30-10pm."},{"type":"img","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FO6SpnqW3aYqqPKWdzEyL%2F21.webp?alt=media&token=70061528-deb5-4095-89fc-c66a2b168274"},{"type":"link","content":" https://goo.gl/maps/v355BeRVdvbVkdEF7"}]},{"address":"Daimyo","location":{"longitudeDelta":0.10218818160659443,"latitudeDelta":0.09219986310369421,"latitude":33.5882266426797,"longitude":130.3938266638768},"media":[{"type":"text","content":"# Go Through the Tiny Door\nIf you’re an Alice in Wonderland fan this is your happy place. It’s called Alice on Wednesday and once you crawl through the tiny door to get inside you’ll find all manner of Alice themed trinkets to weigh down your luggage on your return.\nThis is one of the many cool shops and bars in the Daimyo district of Fukuoka.\n\nIt’s kind of like Harajuku in Tokyo (without the thousands of tourists) or America Mura in Osaka.\n\nIf you’re looking for independent boutiques, second-hand clothing, cool bars and chic cafes you have to add this to your list of what to do in Fukuoka and spend at least an afternoon here.\n"},{"type":"img","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FO6SpnqW3aYqqPKWdzEyL%2F15.webp?alt=media&token=2313edce-76e7-46f3-a33f-335423430367"},{"type":"link","content":"https://goo.gl/maps/7gP1iR9wHdWntkQJ6"}]},{"address":"Kokutai-doro Avenue","location":{"longitudeDelta":0.10218818160659443,"latitudeDelta":0.09219986310369421,"latitude":33.584749010544755,"longitude":130.39014040000004},"media":[{"type":"text","content":"# Find the Robot Vending Machine\nYou can also add this to my list of ‘I have absolutely no idea why but it’s cool.’\n\nYou’ll find it in Daimyo on the junction of Kokutai-dori and Konyamachi Higashidori (the same road as Alice on Wednesday is on – see below)\n"},{"type":"img","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FO6SpnqW3aYqqPKWdzEyL%2F13.webp?alt=media&token=91806bc8-d3ee-4e6e-993e-b57aeb09b21d"},{"type":"link","content":"https://goo.gl/maps/8mV7t6VDyVAnRJc27"}]},{"address":"Nagahama","location":{"longitudeDelta":0.10218818160659443,"latitudeDelta":0.09219986310369421,"latitude":33.59493371069254,"longitude":130.38944006241988},"media":[{"type":"text","content":"# Breakfast at the Fish Market\nOkay, so this isn’t that unusual, but it’s super authentic and was one of my favourite moments on the trip.\n\nUnlike Tokyo’s famous fish market, Fukuoka’s Nagahama fish market isn’t normally open to the public (but if you’re lucky enough to be there on the second Saturday of each month you can go inside) however there is a tiny arcade of restaurants right next door, serving fresh sushi and fish dishes made from the catch of the day.\nI went to this one, Hagata Uogashi.\n\nThey had pictures with prices in the window and so I snapped a shot of the one I wanted, waved it at the smiley waitress and voila – the most delicious plate of fresh sushi, amazing miso with fresh clams, some pickled cucumber and two small deep-fried prawns appeared for just 1100 yen.\nI really loved this place. I was surrounded by old guys in wellies taking a break from working the fish market asking me where I was from and if I liked the food.\n\nI sat at the counter and watched fish being grilled and the old lady and man who I guess must own the place barking orders at the kitchen staff. It was a great way to start my day in Fukuoka.\n\nFinding the mall is a bit tricky as you’ll think google maps is sending you to the wrong place. It’s not.\n\nHead to the fish market and walk up toward the gate barring entrance, you’ll see a pathway to the right heading towards a nondescript concrete building.\nGo into this building – you’ll see a restaurant on your left and a set of stairs on the right you’ll still think you’re in the wrong place – it looks like a bad council office – but you’re not the restaurants are all on this floor, just wind your way around until you find one you like the look of.\n\nIf you’d like some clue of where else might be good, this was the best guide I found – although I still wasn’t quite sure which restaurant was which when I arrived."},{"type":"img","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FO6SpnqW3aYqqPKWdzEyL%2F18.webp?alt=media&token=31c49879-ccf3-47a2-9235-4571ba7d6d50"},{"type":"link","content":" https://goo.gl/maps/8vRXaxFpJ9PTyjen8"}]},{"address":"Ohori Park","location":{"longitudeDelta":0.10218818160659443,"latitudeDelta":0.09219986310369421,"latitude":33.586211818552776,"longitude":130.37724705},"media":[{"type":"text","content":"# Go Stand in the Middle of Lake\nOhori Park is another one of the few things that you see on normal guides of things to do in Fukuoka – and it’s pretty.\n\nYou can hire a boat shaped like a swan to float about in, run around the edge or sit on the grass – but the only real ‘sight’ is this pagoda that juts out into the lake.\nI’ve put it in here are it is cute (and, if you’re looking for instagrammable things in Fukuoka it’s a doozy) – but, if you’re short on time, there are far more interesting things to do in Fukuoka than this!"},{"type":"img","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FO6SpnqW3aYqqPKWdzEyL%2F10.webp?alt=media&token=8a4b1a8f-89c6-4287-9f29-2773976af236"},{"type":"link","content":"https://goo.gl/maps/3ePx8hnbcN8iDEv3A"}]},{"address":"1-chōme-3-3 Momochihama","location":{"longitudeDelta":0.10218818160659443,"latitudeDelta":0.09219986310369421,"latitude":33.58924336054659,"longitude":130.35501854999995},"media":[{"type":"text","content":"# Experience an Earthquake\nNo, not a real one, I’m really hoping that doesn’t happen on your holiday, but, it’s a fact of life that Japan does have earthquakes and other natural disasters and City Disaster Prevention Centre centre aims to prepare citizens for any of these with simulations of earthquakes, typhoons, fire and more.\n\nYou can stand in a room and be blasted by the full wind of a typhoon (which leaves you with the hair below – the serious eyebags and the fact that I look twenty years older than normal is thanks to a night flight and a bad camera angle. I don’t normally look like a Bassett Hound).\nYou can then sit in a mock schoolroom and practise your earthquake drill.\n\nThe simulations occur at set times and so you’ll get to try whatever is going on when you arrive – time things correctly and you’ll also be taught how to get out of a burning building – which must be quite realistic as the people coming out before me all had handkerchiefs over their faces – and what to do if your car goes into water.\nThe centre is a short walk from Fukuoka Tower, so it’s easy to combine the two.\n\nYou’ll find the City Disaster Prevention Centre at 1-3-3, Momochihama, Sawara-ku, Fukuoka. It’s closed on a Monday. The simulations are only in Japanese but you do get an English audio guide to help you work out what is going on.\n\nYou have to lock your bag in a locker which costs 100 yen so make sure you have some change.\n\nAs you can see from the picture above, you may also need a hairbrush afterwards."},{"type":"img","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FO6SpnqW3aYqqPKWdzEyL%2F5.jpg?alt=media&token=e7fbaf1a-be68-4446-a34d-6c37cd11d66c"},{"type":"link","content":"https://goo.gl/maps/7myBvCvM2Kt58YqT8"}]},{"address":"Fukuoka Tower","location":{"longitudeDelta":0.10218818160659443,"latitudeDelta":0.09219986310369421,"latitude":33.592857775239416,"longitude":130.35188094999998},"media":[{"type":"text","content":"# Walk the Path Between Heaven and Hell\nFukuoka rivals Kyoto for cool shrines – there are a lot of them – and Tochiji is one of the must-sees.\n\nNot only does it have this incredibly beautiful pagoda outside it, inside is a huge wooden Buddha nearly 11 metres tall (you can’t photograph this so you’ll need to go see it for yourself).\nThat’s interesting enough but underneath the Buddha runs one of the most unusual things to do in Fukuoka – a walkway that represents the path between heaven and hell.\n\nIt starts off lit allowing you to view pictures depicting eight visions of hell, as you go past these though you enter a completely pitch black tunnel that you walk through to get out.\n\nIt’s said if you manage to touch the iron ring in this tunnel you’ll go to heaven (hopefully not there and then, but that’s not exactly specified!).\n\nIt is REALLY dark in there but there is a rail to hang onto.\n\nIt’s only about 100 metres, but I went through on my own so it was super spooky. I didn’t find the ring. I am doomed."},{"type":"img","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FO6SpnqW3aYqqPKWdzEyL%2F8.webp?alt=media&token=15edf627-552f-4b00-a1e5-7ce6231fc257"},{"type":"link","content":"https://planetyze.com/en/japan/fukuoka/blog/top-8-most-beautiful-temples-and-shrines-in-fukuoka"}]},{"address":"2-chōme-902-1 Momochihama","location":{"longitudeDelta":0.10218818160659443,"latitudeDelta":0.09219986310369421,"latitude":33.59474816054875,"longitude":130.3517783},"media":[{"type":"text","content":"# Head to the Beach\nI never think of Japan’s cities as being beachside, but Fukuoka is and the beach in town is super cute – if a bit windswept the day I went.\nThey’ve created a boardwalk and the tiny shops that line one end of it are reminiscent of a US seaside town – you can sit in a deckchair with a beer and watch the waves, have a seafood lunch, or, just around the corner, they have oysters you can shuck and BBQ.\n\nIt would be a lovely place to spend a few hours in Summer"},{"type":"img","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FO6SpnqW3aYqqPKWdzEyL%2F7.webp?alt=media&token=8d390744-bb3b-4813-89c7-bf77e21049af"},{"type":"link","content":"https://goo.gl/maps/Kiqgs5rS37a8NS2h8"}]},{"address":"Nokonoshima Island Park","location":{"longitudeDelta":0.10218818160659443,"latitudeDelta":0.09219986310369421,"latitude":33.632383829338465,"longitude":130.30193599999998},"media":[{"type":"text","content":"# Visit the Island of Flowers\nNokonoshima Island is another short ferry trip away from Fukuoka and it’s best known for Nokonoshima Island Park at its northernmost tip. This is filled with thousands of beautiful flowers with something different flowering each season.\nWhat you see will, therefore, depend on when you visit – it might be sunflowers, tulips, poppies or pretty pink flowers called Cosmo’s above – they have a full list of what is likely to be in bloom when on their website in English\n\nTo get to Nokonoshima from Fukuoka you jump on the ferry from Meinohama Port. You’ll need to get to here by train and then a local bus."},{"type":"img","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FO6SpnqW3aYqqPKWdzEyL%2F3.webp?alt=media&token=460a66c5-af5b-4665-ac90-8fc8efd2224f"},{"type":"link","content":" https://goo.gl/maps/tcyaWKQxNaVsdDHS6"}]},{"address":"Fukuoka","location":{"longitudeDelta":0.10218818160659443,"latitudeDelta":0.09219986310369421,"latitude":33.650267350447514,"longitude":130.2639714285056},"media":[{"type":"text","content":"# Climb the Green Building\nThe Acros building in the middle of Fukuoka is known for the cascading layers of greenery that adorn one side of its exterior – but, what you might not realise, unless you spy someone peeking out from the fronds, is that you can climb up to the top for a view of the city. – once you find the entrance that is.\nTwice I went inside to try and work out how to get to the roof, before I found someone to ask and discovered that actually, the entrance is on the green side of the building on the left if you are facing it (roughly where the guy in blue is on the pic above).\n\nBelow is a picture of the entrance. Just keep climbing until you reach the top.\nThe official observation level on the roof does close early – as early as 4.30 when I was there – but even if that is closed you can climb up the stairs to about the 13th floor for a view over one side of the city."},{"type":"img","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FO6SpnqW3aYqqPKWdzEyL%2F6.webp?alt=media&token=c8a77f76-d7d3-4a73-9b39-5a3dce4a5532"},{"type":"link","content":"https://goo.gl/maps/hQribUyskoEwdfKY6"}]},{"address":"Fukuoka","location":{"longitudeDelta":0.10218818160659443,"latitudeDelta":0.09219986310369421,"latitude":33.650267350447514,"longitude":130.2639714285056},"media":[{"type":"text","content":"# Pick up the Strength Stone\nKushida Shrine is another one of the must-see shrines in Fukuoka and it’s full of quirky touches – but one of my favourites is this seemingly rather dull looking stone.\nIt’s known as a Chikari Ishi and back in the day stones like it were used for fortune-telling. You’d ask a question and, if you could suddenly lift the big heavy bit of rock the answer was yes.\n\nThey aren’t used for that now though, over the years there developed a custom of sumo wrestlers lifting large rocks at the shrine and dedicating them to the gods – and this is leftover from that. It’s the only one that mere mortals, rather than gods of sumo, are allowed to try and lift.\n\nPlease try not to put your back out!\n"},{"type":"img","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FO6SpnqW3aYqqPKWdzEyL%2F9.webp?alt=media&token=7be95223-81cc-44be-a85e-8f3f5ce7bf81"},{"type":"link","content":" https://goo.gl/maps/YPN8W6xxA9tXuH9D9"}]}]