16 Best Things to Do in Fukuoka + Day Trips (Our Honest Ratings)

After spending five days exploring Fukuoka and taking day trips around northern Kyushu, we quickly realized that some of the region’s most famous attractions were not actually our favourites.

This was our second trip to Japan, and after spending more than two months travelling around the country, we noticed this is quite common. Japan has a bit of a popularity snowball effect where the same places keep getting recommended because they are all over Instagram, TikTok, and every “Top 10 Things to Do” list. But popularity does not always mean they’re the best experiences.

So rather than giving you another generic list of attractions, we wanted to do something a little different.

In this guide, we’re sharing the best things to do in Fukuoka, the day trips we genuinely think are worth your time, and our honest rating of each experience. It’s the kind of guide we wish we had before visiting.

If you’re planning your first trip to Fukuoka, this guide will help you build an itinerary you’ll actually be excited about instead of simply checking off the most famous sights. Let’s get into it. 

Best Things to do in Fukuoka (Our Honest Ratings)

To help you out with planning your stay in Fukuoka, here are the top recommended things to do in Fukuoka and how we would rate them. In this way, with limited time, you can better decide if it is right for you. We’ve also broken everything down into activities within the city and the best day trips from Fukuoka. Don’t skip the day trips either, as some of our most memorable experiences from Fukuoka actually happened just outside the city.

Things to do in Fukuoka (within the city)

In this section, we’ll cover the best things to do in Fukuoka itself. We’ll be honest: our favourite experiences were actually the day trips outside the city (which we’ll cover in the next section below), but these attractions are perfect for filling the one or two days you’ll spend exploring Fukuoka. Let’s dive into each activity and share how we rated it.

1) Fukuoka Civic Disaster Emergency Center

Let’s start with an attraction that we’ve barely seen mentioned in other Fukuoka guides, but one that genuinely surprised us: the Fukuoka Civic Disaster Emergency Center. 

Considering Japan is one of the most disaster prone countries in the world, with frequent earthquakes, tsunamis, and fires, it makes sense that they take emergency preparedness seriously. But instead of creating a boring museum full of information boards, they’ve turned it into a hands on, interactive experience that’s actually a lot of fun.

Throughout our visit, we got to experience different emergency scenarios. In one simulation, we get to navigate through a smoke filled hallway to learn how to escape a fire safely. Then learned how to do CPR and basic first aid in case of emergencies. Finally, we got to experience what a magnitude 7.0 earthquake feels like on a realistic simulator. (It’s really shocking how powerful it shakes)

It might sound like an unusual way to spend a couple of hours in Fukuoka, but we honestly had a blast. Not only was it entertaining, but we also walked away with a bunch of practical skills that could one day make a real difference.

🇯🇵👨‍🏫 Want to uncover more hidden gem ideas for your Japan trip? Check out our guide on 32 unique things to do in Japan and our comprehensive 10+ day Japan Itinerary guide! And before you go, save yourself the stress and learn from our mistakes — read our 36 Essential tips for traveling in Japan: First time visitors guide.

2) Team Lab Forest

By now, you’ve probably heard of TeamLab. Their immersive digital art exhibitions have popped up all across Japan and, more recently, even around the world.

We previously visited the outdoor TeamLab experience at Osaka’s Botanical Garden and really enjoyed it, but if we’re being honest, we had even more fun at TeamLab Forest in Fukuoka.

One of our favourite parts was how interactive it felt. You’re not just walking around looking at light exhibits. Instead, there is a Pokémon-style game where you catch and release virtual animals and dinosaurs as you explore. There’s also a creative area where you can colour your own sea creatures or animals, have them scanned, and then watch them come to life as part of the digital artwork around you.

If you end up creating something you like, you can even have it printed onto a handkerchief, tote bag, or T shirt to take home as a unique souvenir. There are also some rooms when you can jump on these bouncy balls and trampolines. 

Compared to other TeamLab experiences we’ve visited, this one felt much more interactive.

🚨 Don’t Miss this Japan Pass: Kyushu Rail Pass

3) Ohori Park and Fukuoka Castle ruins

No matter where you travel in Japan, you’re almost guaranteed to come across a castle and a beautifully maintained park or garden. Fukuoka is no exception.

With that said, we’ll be honest: we didn’t find the Fukuoka Castle Ruins to be particularly impressive. Very little of the original castle remains, so unless you’re a history buff, it’s probably not worth going out of your way just for the ruins themselves.

Fortunately, the castle sits right beside Ohori Park, which we thought was much more worthwhile. Centred around a large lake, the park was the perfect peaceful escape from the city. There are walking paths, landscaped gardens, and we even found an area where you can rent a mini tent where you can sit around barbecue. We loved watching families pedal around the lake in giant swan boats while we enjoyed a little picnic of our own.

If you’re looking for a slower paced afternoon, this is one of the nice spots in Fukuoka to unwind and enjoy the atmosphere. Alternatively, if you want to experience these sites and more hidden gems in Fukuoka, we recommend joining this Fukuoka Tour by a local.  

Check out our PDF guide that includes a summary of 36 essential tips for traveling to Japan! If you want to read about all these tips in detail, check out our Japan traveling tips guide!

4) Delicious and fun yakitori at 野球鳥

When visiting Japan, there are a few meals that you should definitely try: Yakiniku (grill), Shabu shabu (hot pot), Omakase (multi-course set meals), Sushi, and Yakitori (skewers).

And in Fukuoka, we found our favourite Yakitori restaurant at 野球鳥. What made the experience here so special was not only the affordable and delicious skewers, but also the entire community and lively family aspect in the restaurant. From the animated conversations of the locals, the excited calls from the restaurant staff, to the live baseball games playing on the TV, it was one of the most memorable meals we’ve had in Japan.

5) Nakasu/Yatai Food Stalls

The Nakasu Food stalls get mentioned frequently in other guides as a must-do in Fukuoka. They are small, open air izakaya style setups, usually lining the street or river, and typically only seat around 5 to 6 people at a time. 

We had originally planned to try them, but after chatting with a few locals, we heard mixed opinions. Many felt they can be a bit overrated, with long waits, rushed meals since you are expected to order quickly with people waiting for seats, and prices that are higher than expected for what you get.

With so many incredible restaurants elsewhere in Fukuoka, we ultimately ended up skipping this experience in favour of other restaurants. If you’re looking for a list of restaurants we tried and highly recommend, check out our curated restaurant list in the section below.

But if you do want to try the Nakasu Food Stalls, then we would recommend experiencing it as a part of this Fukuoka Evening Tour. In this way, you’ll be brought to the best tried-and-tested Yatai stalls (not the touristic ones), visit cultural sites, enjoy a 30-minute cruise along the Nakasu river, and maybe even end the night with some Karaoke.  

6) Nakatsukasa Magotaro Inari Shrine light up shrine

If you’ve been scrolling through TikTok or Instagram looking for things to do in Fukuoka, you’ll likely have come across this unique shrine where at night you can pay 1 yen and it lights up in all these neon colours. Nan had stumbled across it while researching for our trip, and since we were already nearby, we decided to stop by after dinner. The experience itself is really short (the lights turn on for just 1 minute), but admittedly it’s pretty cool if you’re looking for something quirky. 

With that said, we wouldn’t recommend going out of your way just for this.

One thing to keep in mind is that the shrine is located inside a park that becomes very quiet and quite dark at night. We felt ok walking there together, but it did have a slightly eerie atmosphere. If you’re visiting solo, just be aware of your surroundings. 

7) Ichiran Ramen store with show

No matter which Fukuoka guide you read, you’ll almost certainly see Ichiran Ramen recommended as a must try. But to be completely honest, we never actually ended up eating there. 

Here’s why: After spending several weeks travelling around Japan, we started noticing that many attractions and restaurants get recommended simply because they’re famous or because every other guide mentions them. While that doesn’t necessarily make them bad, it also doesn’t automatically make them the best experience either. 

On many occasions we had the chance to try Ichiran Ramen (since it’s a franchise located all across Fukuoka), but always found ourselves opting for other food options. From what we’ve seen, Ichiran Ramen is iconic, but it didn’t look like anything more special than the countless other independent ramen shops across Japan. 

Since our trip to Japan is limited, we treat every meal as a golden opportunity to try something special and memorable. So in the end, we can’t honestly tell you whether Ichiran is worth it because we never tried it ourselves.

But we wanted to share our perspective because it’s easy to feel like you have to check off every famous spot. In reality, some of our favourite meals in Japan came from tiny restaurants we’d never heard of before. Sometimes, skipping the viral attraction leads to an even better experience. And ultimately, we think it is also better for tourism as it supports the local mom and pop restaurants. 

Ichiran Ramen performance show

If you still want to try Ichiran Ramen, we recommend timing your visit with the nightly Performance Show to make the most of your visit. Every evening from 8:00–8:15 pm, the main Ichiran Ramen headquarters in the Nakasu/Tenjin area comes alive as performers appear on the balconies of the multi-level building, putting on a lively show of music and dance while diners and passersby watch from below.

8) See the Life-Size RX-93ff 𝛎 Gundam Statue at lalaport Fukuoka

There is a gigantic life size Gundam statue in Tokyo, but did you know there’s also one in Fukuoka? Located about 30 minutes south of the city, you’ll find the impressive life size RX 93ff Gundam Statue right outside the Lalaport mall Fukuoka. 

It stands at over 67 feet tall and is an impressive sight even for those who aren’t die hard Gundam fans. If you’re interested in anime, Japanese pop culture, or simply want to see one of the world’s largest Gundam statues, it’s an easy half day outing from the city centre. And make sure to not miss out on visiting Lalaport mall, where you can find the official Gundam store, trendy shopping, food court, and a Namco arcade.

We personally didn’t get a chance to head out to see it since our itinerary was already filled up with other day trips like Itoshima, Dazaifu temple, and Nanzo-in temple. But we wanted to mention it in case we have some die hard anime and gundam fans here.

9) Catch a baseball game at Mizuho PayPay Dome FUKUOKA

Growing up in Montreal, home of the Expos baseball team, I went to quite a few baseball games. I was never the biggest fan of the sport itself, but the atmosphere, stadium snacks, and hot dogs always made it a fun outing.

Japan, on the other hand, takes baseball obsession to a whole new level. You’ll notice it almost immediately. On game days, the streets are filled with people proudly wearing their team jerseys, and the excitement is contagious. It actually reminded me of back home in Montreal when the Habs are playing that night and you see jerseys everywhere you go.

So if you’re a fan or simply want to experience something unique in Japan, you can head over to the Mizuho Paypay dome to watch the Fukuoka SoftBank HAWKS play. It is also conveniently located next to the building where you’ll find the TeamLab Forest Exhibit, so can be combined for a perfect day trip.

You can find the baseball game schedule on the official Softbank Hawks website here.

Best Day Trips in Fukuoka

Now onto the best day trips from Fukuoka. To be honest, we actually found Fukuoka works best as a base for exploring the wider region, more so than visiting just the city itself. Many of our favourite experiences around here came from these day trips rather than what we did in Fukuoka proper.

10) Day trip to Itoshima and Sakurai Futamigaura’s Couple Stones (30 minutes away)

Let’s start with one of our favourite day trips from Fukuoka, and one that completely caught us off guard. Just about 30 minutes from downtown is the peninsula of Itoshima, where you’re suddenly transported to turquoise waters and white sand beaches that honestly don’t even feel like Japan anymore. Honestly, Itoshima reminded us of our road trip through the Izu Peninsula, and we mean that in the best possible way.

This is how our day went:

Sakurai Futamigaura’s Couple Stones

Our first stop was Sakurai Futamigaura’s Couple Stones, famous for its white torii gate standing in the shallow water and the two sacred rocks connected by a shimenawa rope in the background. The water here is strikingly blue-turquoise in colour that you would usually associate with tropical destinations. We ended up spending far longer than planned just sitting on the beach, taking it all in and enjoying the view.

Fresh Seafood Lunch at Kazura

As a bonus stop, we recommend having lunch at Kazura. It is located just 10 minutes drive from the Sakurai Stones and there we had one of the freshest grilled and fried fishes of our trip to Kyushu. It’s also really well priced compared to the far more touristic restaurants surrounding the Sakurai Stones.

Itoshima Totoro Forest and Keya No Ohto Cave

Next you’ll head further West to the Itoshima Totoro Forest and if you get the chance, take a boat to see the impressive Keya no Ohto basalt sea cave.

How to Visit Itoshima

These are the places that we ended up fitting in when we travelled independently to Itoshima, but if you don’t have a rental car like us, then we highly recommend checking out this Itoshima day trip tour. They don’t visit the Keya No Ohto basalt cave but instead you’ll get to enjoy a picnic at the Midori No Ohto forest cafe, make several instagram photo stops at the angel wings and swings, explore the Sakurai gates and couple stone, and visit a salt workshop.

11) Day Trip to Nanzo-in Temple (30 minutes away)

Just 30 minutes from Fukuoka, you’ll find one of the world’s largest reclining buddhas at Nanzo-in temple. The whole temple complex has such a calm, almost zen atmosphere, and we really enjoyed wandering through it at our own pace.

There’s also a nice variety of things to see, from rows of tiny quirky statuettes tucked into the grounds, tori gates lining up the mountain path, and then suddenly you’re face to face with the 135-foot bronze buddha statue.

Also before leaving, don’t miss grabbing one of their matcha ice creams right beside the Buddha. It costs only 300 JPY and was the perfect treat to help us slow down and admire the area. 

To visit, you can rent a car and self-drive like we did, you can take the train there directly and explore on your own, or you can join this guided Nanzo-in Temple Tour. 

12) Day trip to Dazaifu Temple (40 minutes Away)

Similar to Fushimi Inari near Kyoto, which was one of our favourite day trips in the Kansai region, Dazaifu is one of Kyushu’s most important and popular temple destinations. Located around 40 minutes from Fukuoka, in Dazaifu you’ll find a lively pedestrian street filled with boutique stores and countless shops selling delicious Japanese sweets. At the end of the street, you’ll arrive at the temple ground. 

The temple itself is not really that big but makes for a peaceful stroll. Before you leave, make sure to continue into the forest behind the main complex, where a short 10 minute walk leads to a smaller shrine and a set of torii gates that many visitors completely miss.

If we’re being completely honest, Dazaifu was probably our least favourite day trip from Fukuoka. It was still a pleasant place to wander for a couple of hours, but compared to places like Fushimi Inari near Kyoto or Yūtoku Inari Shrine, it just didn’t have the same wow factor.

If we were planning the day again, we’d definitely combine it with another destination rather than visiting Dazaifu on its own. One of the best options is this Dazaifu and Karato Fish Market tour. Pairing the temple with a visit to Karato Fish Market, which is similar to Tokyo’s famous Toyosu Fish Market, makes for a much more exciting and well rounded day trip.

This post is part of our series about Japan. If you want to learn more about Japan, planning your trip, and some of the best experiences there, check out the guides below:

11 Unforgettable Day Trips from Osaka or Kyoto

10 Days in Japan: Complete Itinerary for First-Time Visitors (+ 2 Week Options)

9 Unique Things to Do in Uji, Japan: A Perfect One-Day Itinerary

Izu Peninsula Itinerary: Planning & Tips for the Perfect Izu Peninsula Road Trip

32 Unique Things to do in Tokyo: Complete Travel Guide (2026)

34 Fun Things to Do in Japan: Your Ultimate Travel Guide

30 Unique Things to do in Kyoto (2026)

Day Trip to Nara, Japan: Ultimate Travel Guide (2026)

One day in Osaka: Itinerary Guide (2026)

36 Essential Tips For Traveling in Japan: First-time Visitors Guide

2 Days Kyoto Itinerary: Exploring off the Typical Tourist Trail

Hidden Fushimi Inari Route: How to Explore Without the Crowds

Mount Aso Travel Guide: Best Things to Do, Where to Stay & Tips

Best Things to do in Izu Peninsula, Japan (2026)

Best Hikes to do in Mount Aso National Park, Japan

13) Day trip to Mount Aso (2 hours Away)

Without a doubt our favourite experience in our entire Kyushu road trip was visiting the Mount Aso region. Located about 2 hours drive from Fukuoka, here you’ll find some of Japan’s most incredible volcanic landscapes, lush green pastures, and honestly landscape that you would expect more to see in Iceland. 

What’s more is the the region is home to more than 4 volcanoes, with one of them relatively active with clouds of fume rising right out of the crater. And the best part is that Mount Aso’s hikes and viewpoints are incredibly accessible, and you don’t need to be an avid hiker to reap the rewards. We wrote in depth guides on how exactly to plan the best itinerary in Mount Aso, as well as the top hikes we would recommend in the region. 

And if ever you’re not dedicating more time to the Aso region, then we’d highly recommend at least doing a day trip there. You can check out this Mount Aso Day Trip from Fukuoka or Kumamoto.

14) Day trip to Nokonoshima flower island (30 minutes Away)

Nokonoshima is a popular little island just off the coast of Fukuoka, best known for its seasonal flower displays. It’s only a 10 minute ferry ride from Meinohama Ferry Passenger Terminal, making it one of the easiest day trips from the city. 

Depending on the time of year, you’ll find fields of colorful flowers stretching across the hills, along with walking trails, scenic viewpoints overlooking Hakata Bay, and plenty of quiet spots to slow down and enjoy nature. Unfortunately, we didn’t end up making it to Nokonoshima ourselves since our itinerary was already packed with other day trips. 

15) Day trip to Takachiho Gorge (3 Hours Away)

Takachiho Gorge is one of the most popular landmarks in the Kyushu region and one that we constantly saw mentioned as a must-do. We personally got to visit it as a day trip during our 5 days Itinerary in Mount Aso, and we will share our opinion about it below.

Takachiho Gorge is known for its dramatic basalt cliffs and turquoise river, where you can rent a canoe and paddle through the narrow gorge past small waterfalls. It’s quite picturesque and makes for a very unique photo spot. 

Is Takachiho Gorge Worth Visiting?

But is it worth it? Ultimately, we felt like this was one of those popular but overrated activities. The gorge itself is beautiful, but the experience is quite short. You can walk from one end to the other in about 15 minutes, and if you want to do the canoeing, expect to pay around 5,100 JPY for a 30 minute ride. On top of that, securing a canoe reservation can be really difficult, as slots often get booked out within minutes months in advance.

How We would Recommend Visiting Takachiho Gorge

Nonetheless, this is just our personal take and might not be the case for everyone. If we were planning it again or recommending it to a friend, we would probably go for this Takachiho Gorge day tour that also includes stops at Kamishikimi Shrine and lunch serving our favourite wagyu beef, Miyazaki beef. For us, those two additions really elevate the day and turn it into something far more memorable and well rounded.

16) Day Trip to Yufuin and Kyushu Wildlife Park Africa Safari
(90 minutes)

Since we were visiting Beppu on our Kyushu Road trip, one of the places that also get’s frequently mentioned as a must-do is the little village of Yufuin. Here you’ll find this cute village with small yellow houses that look like something out of the Hobbit. We did it as a day trip from Beppu, but the big question is if it actually lives up to the hype?

In our humble opinion, Yufuin felt a bit overrated. The town itself is quite small and heavily geared toward shopping, rather than offering much to explore or experience. The famous section with the yellow cottages is cute at first glance, but is touristy and artificial. We also weren’t fans of the paid animal photo setups, which left a bit unethical.

So if your time in Fukuoka or Kyushu is limited, we would for sure prioritize other day trips like Mount Aso, Nanzo-in Temple, or itoshima. 

If you are still interested in visiting Yufuin, then we would recommend doing this Yufuin and Wildlife Africa Safari Park Tour where you also get to visit a wildlife park to see lions, zebras, and more!

How Many Days to Visit Fukuoka

Now that you have a full list of all the amazing things to do in Fukuoka, including the best day trips, next up is deciding how long to stay in Fukuoka. To make the best of your time in Fukuoka, we would recommend spending a minimum of 3-4 days. 

We personally stayed 5 days in Fukuoka, which allowed us to spend 2 days exploring the city, and 3 days doing day trips, and felt it was the perfect amount of time. Fukuoka was also our arrival point in Japan, and where we rented the car for our Kyushu road trip. 

5 Day Fukuoka Itinerary

Now that you have a better idea of what activities you may want to do in Fukuoka, next up is to figure out how to properly plan your itinerary in Fukuoka. We’ll go into detail in a separate post, covering exactly how to organize each day, where to stay, how to get around, and more, but here is a quick overview of an example 5 day Fukuoka itinerary:

• Day 1: Explore Modern Fukuoka including Fukuoka Civic Disaster Emergency Centre, Team Lab, and catch a baseball game
• Day 2: Day Trip to Nanzo-in Temple, at night eat Yakitori or Nakasu Food Stalls
• Day 3: Historic Fukuoka including Kushida Shrine, Ohori Park, Castle ruins, and light up shrine + Shabu Shabu for dinner
• Day 4: Day Trip to Itoshima
• Day 5: Day Trip to Mount Aso

Where to Stay in Fukuoka

If it’s your first time visiting Fukuoka, we recommend staying around Hakata or Tenjin. Hakata is the most convenient base if you’re arriving by train or plane and planning lots of day trips around Kyushu, while Tenjin has a livelier atmosphere with more shopping, restaurants, and nightlife. 

Since many of Fukuoka’s best attractions are within walking distance or easily reached by public transport, either area makes an excellent base.

We ended up staying in two different places during our stay in Fukuoka. First at Toyo Hotel next to Hakata Station, then an AirBnB near Yakuin-odori Station further West of downtown.

Toyo hotel was super convenient due to it’s central location and easy access to the main Hakata train station, whereas our AirBnB near Yakuin-odori station felt more local and had more restaurant options. Tenjin on the other hand is located in between the two places we stayed at.  

We’ll cover the best hotels, neighborhoods, and accommodation recommendations in much more detail in our complete 5 Day Fukuoka Itinerary.

Where To Eat in Fukuoka

We absolutely loved the food in Fukuoka, as well as our entire Kyushu road trip. Here is a list of some of our favourite restaurant experiences in Fukuoka, and the specialties of each place:

• Amazing and fun yakitori at 野球鳥: We’ve mentioned this place before in our best things to do in Fukuoka. At this baseball themed yakitori shop, the food is affordable, delicious, and the ambiance so local and lively! 
• Delicious Pork Shabu Shabu at 雷山豚しゃぶしゃぶ 花みずき: This place is a little hard to find, but absolutely worth it. The resto is run by one lone gentlemen and is famous for his pork shabu shabu. 
• Ichii Sushi: This little sushi shop is run by a lovely elderly couple and serves one of the most affordable and delicious sushi sets. The cuisine here is simple, but the ingredients are so fresh! We ordered the 10 piece sushi set and it included generous slices of o-toro, uni, and countless other fresh fishes. 
• Sashisu Tenjin: This is the only one in the list that we didn’t get to try out, since there was always a huge lineup. But the food looks absolutely delicious, from fresh sea urchin on beef, toro sushi, one prawn tempura, to their sashimi bowls. 
• Some dishes you should definitely try are Chicken Nanban, Pork Shabu Shabu, Tuna Donburi Bowls, Yakitori, Hakata Tonkatsu Ramen, Motsunabe (we like it grilled), and Hakata Gyoza.

FAQ

Do you need a Car to travel in Fukuoka

No you do not need a car to travel in Fukuoka. We stayed a couple of days in Fukuoka and toured around just using their public transportation system before later renting the car for our Kyushu road trip. If you’re interested in the day trips Dazaifu or Nanzo-In, they can both be conveniently reached by train. However, for places like Itoshima, Mount Aso, Takachiho Gorge, and Yufuin, we would recommend either renting a car like we did, or joining a day tour. 

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Which Transport IC Card to use in Fukuoka

Upon arrival at the Fukuoka Airport or train station, you should pick up the Nimoca Card. This is the rechargeable transportation card of the region and can be used for their metros, trains, buses, and even at convenience stores. From the airport, I paid 2000 JPY for the card, where you get 1500 JPY credit that can be used for transport, and 500 JPY is a deposit.

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How to get from Fukuoka Airport to Downtown

Getting from Fukuoka Airport to Downtown takes only about 15 minutes by bus, but your options will depend if you’re at the domestic or international terminal. We arrived from the International Terminal, and the best option there was just to take the direct airport shuttle bus to downtown. It costs 400 JPY and brings you directly to Hakata station (the main train station downtown). 

We heard there was also an option to the take the subway, but that is from the domestic terminal. You can take a free shuttle from the interantional terminal to the domestic, and then take the subway for two stops to reach Hakata station. For us though, that wasn’t worth the hassle so we opted for the airport shuttle bus. You can find this bus right after you exit the airport terminal, and head for door 6-7. 

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How to Get Around Fukuoka

Once you have the Nimoca card, it is easy to get around by taking the bus and subway. But to be honest, during our stay in Fukuoka, we only took the public transport maybe 2-3 times to reach the Civic disaster Emergency Centre, Team Lab, and the Baseball game. Otherwise, all the other sites are located downtown and can be easily reached on foot.

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Is Fukuoka Worth Visiting

Overall, we felt Fukuoka was worth visiting.

It felt a bit like a mix between Osaka and Hiroshima. We loved the small rivers through the city, and being located on the coast, the vibe felt a lot more laid back. Fukuoka is also the ideal starting point for a Kyushu road trip, which was one of our favourite experiences in all of Japan!

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Where to Go After Fukuoka

After Fukuoka, you can head far west to reach Nagasaki, head south to reach Kumamoto and Mount Aso, or head east to reach Beppu Onsen Town. We started in Fukuoka and then rented a car to do a full loop including Arita, Mount Aso, and Beppu, before returning back to Fukuoka. 

From Fukuoka, it is also a convenient departure point to go towards Okinawa, or a short flight north to South Korea!

Using WISE card in Japan

When taking cash out of an ATM while abroad, you will most likely be charged both a foreign exchange fee and a foreign transaction fee by that country’s ATM. With my Canadian card, this can easily be 3-4$ + 2.75% + a markup on the exchange rate charged by my bank, and then another 3-5$ charged by the foreign ATM.

This can be really costly. For this reason, we recommend using WISE card which has only minimal fees and just about no foreign currency exchange markup. This helps me save at least 5-7$ every time I take out money from an ATM. If you want to see our full review of the card showing exactly how WISE can help you save, check out our WISE Travel card Review post.

Summary: Best Things to do in Fukuoka

Fukuoka may not have the historic charm of Kyoto or the bustling energy of Tokyo, but it has a character all its own.

With its laid-back coastal atmosphere, incredible food scene, and easy access to the rest of Kyushu, it makes the perfect base for exploring the island. We spent a lot of time researching and experiencing the best things to do in Fukuoka, and now we’re sharing our honest opinions on what we think is actually worth your time.

Hopefully, it helps you avoid the common trap of visiting overcrowded attractions simply because they’re famous. And if there’s one other piece of advice we’d give, it’s this: if you have the time, rent a car and explore Kyushu beyond Fukuoka, especially the Mount Aso region. It ended up being one of the highlights of our entire Japan trip. The hiking is spectacular, the food was some of the best we had anywhere in the country, and the vast grasslands and volcanic landscapes felt more like Iceland than Japan. It’s an incredibly underrated part of the country that’s absolutely worth the detour.