This Fukuoka itinerary has been so hard for me to write because there are so many things to do in Fukuoka that it’s almost overwhelming - but that’s why you’re here right?!
So instead of trying to write multiple blog posts, I’m going to put together a list of the best things to do in Fukuoka, Japan. Then I’ll wrap up with the exact Fukuoka itinerary that I did - if you want to see this itinerary right now, skip to the bottom of this post.
Really, you could probably do Fukuoka in 3 days, but then I think you’d be missing out on a couple of great day trips and Fukuoka hidden gems!
We spent 2 days in Fukuoka at the start of our Kyushu road trip and 3 days in Fukuoka at the end of our trip, so I think a 5 days Fukuoka itinerary is the best representation of what we actually did.
That said, if you only have 3 days in Fukuoka or are doing a similar trip to us, you can definitely adapt this Fukuoka itinerary and not to the day trips to cut it down to what you need!
Nanzoin Temple
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something. While clicking these links won't cost you anything, they will help me to keep this site up and running! Check out the full disclosure policy for more details. Thank you so much!
Where to stay in Fukuoka, Japan
Because we visited Fukuoka twice, we stayed in two different hotels - one on each side of the river.
My favourite hotel was the Best Western Plus Fukuoka Tenjin-minami which was easily walkable to Daimyo district, Canal City, Yatai and various other spots and Tenjin-minami Station to get around the city.
We also stayed in Daiwa Roynet Hotel Hakata Reisen Premier
which is well-located on the road between Kushida Shrine and Tochoji Temple as well as being close to Gion station.
Quick tips for Fukuoka:
The pre-Meiji name for Fukuoka is Hakata, so be aware that Hakata Station is the main station in Fukuoka
Getting around the city on your Fukuoka 5 day itinerary is easy because the city subway system has a tap-to-ride system similar to the UK and many other countries. So you don’t need a special travel card, you can just tap your contactless credit or debit card or use your mobile wallet to tap on at the turnstiles
Best time to visit is before the rain season in April-May or in the autumn for fall foliage (October-November)
You can get to Fukuoka on the Nozomi Shinkansen, however we found domestic flights to also be very affordable to get there which is what we did
The best things to do in Fukuoka
See a SoftBank Hawks Baseball Game
SoftBank Hawks
This was probably my favourite, most unexpectedly fun activity in Fukuoka!
We had seen a baseball game previously in South Korea and knew that baseball was even bigger in Japan with a very popular country-wide national baseball league, so we really wanted to get tickets!
Fortunately, we found that Klook offers baseball tickets on their website which is in English, making it much easier to book tickets compared to trying to navigate baseball ticketing sites in Japanese!
Once we bought tickets online, there was a specific ticket counter at the MIZUHO PayPay Dome (the Softbank Hawks Stadium) for foreigners to exchange their online tickets for actual game tickets.
The game was SO epic! I’ve seen baseball games in the USA and this was so much more fun! There are constant team chants with male and female signing parts, brass bands in the stands, dancing and music playing, huge reactions from team fans, there are women with roaming beer coolers attached to their backs for you to order beer, you can buy player-favourite Bento boxes to eat and in the 7th inning the entire stadium lets of jet balloons!
We landed in Fukuoka in the afternoon and this was our first evening activity and it was the best start to our trip - so much fun and definitely one of the top things to do in Fukuoka if you’re a sports fan or not!
Be aware that the Japanese baseball season runs from March to October so if you’re visiting outside of these times then there won’t be baseball games available.
Visit TeamLab Forest Fukuoka
Fukuoka Team Lab
Yes, there is a TeamLab in Fukuoka! And bizarrely, it’s right next to Softbank Hawks Stadium (literally).
If you’ve been to a TeamLabs before, this is similar… but different. When you arrive, you’ll download an app and the focus of TeamLab Forest is catch and release.
You’ll see animals roaming the walls in fluorescent colours among waterfalls, jungles and forest landscapes that you can catch and learn about, before releasing again.
There are also bubble rooms, a mirror room, a trampoline floor room and so much more!
You can even draw your own piece of artwork that is then scanned and brought to life on the walls and floors!
Tickets can be purchased here, adult tickets cost 2,400 yen.
Visit Tochoji Temple
Home to a 5-storey pagoda and a large wooden buddha, this temple is in the Hakata Old Town (old town area of Fukuoka).
It’s a free temple to visit, although there is a small admission fee of 50 yen to see the big buddha. I loved seeing the bright red pagoda contrasting with the modern buildings behind it and the seated buddha (Daibutsu) is the largest seated buddha in Japan.
Tochoji Temple
Explore Hakata Old Town Area
You can explore the Hakata Old Town when you visit Tochoji Temple as the temple is in this area.
Hakata is the old name for Fukuoka and while this area of Fukuoka is only small, there are lots of shrines to wander around (although we found most to be closed to the public).
The traditional buildings are beautiful and it doesn’t feel like it’s in the centre of a busy city!
Visit Kushida Shrine
Located on the same road as Tochoji Temple, this is another easy one to do in the same day and is one of the best places to visit in Fukuoka for the history and culture of the city.
Kushida Shrine was founded in the year 757, making it the oldest Shinto temple in Fukuoka and is an impressive complex!
You have the central shrine where you can get your fortune. There are multiple ornate wooden gates to enter by, there are a line of orange and stone torii gates at the back of the temple and multiple lantern displays and artwork as well as the large Yamakasa display.
The famous Hakata Gion Yamakasa festival is held here every July (with huge Yamakasa floats).
Inside the shrine are various craft stores and places to buy lucky charms and stones that are unique to this shrine. We also got our Goshuin book from here and our first stamp.
Kushida Fukuoka
Get coffee at FUK Coffee
I love coffee, but what I love more is coffee with a theme and this theme is FUK - the airport code for Fukuoka Airport!
The coffee shop is pretty chill but they have airport themed cups, snacks and merch. Your coffee cup has an airport ticket on and they also have an AMAZING creme caramel dessert which was yummy!
It’s on the way to Hakata Station so we stopped off here on our way to the station to visit Nanzoin Temple.
FUK coffee Fukuoka
Canal City Hakata and the Ramen Stadium
Canal City is the big shopping centre in Fukuoka and while I’m not a big shopping fan, of course this shopping centre does more than that!
There’s a big fountain display in the central outdoor concourse that happens every 30 minutes.
The architecture is fascinating, so colourful with hanging green foliage and colourful lights.
There are so many stores here with lots of special-interest stores including a Ghibli shop, a Gundam store, a Muji Market, ABC Mart, and a whole massive arcade on the lower floor with a massive Gachapon area!
On the 5th floor is the Ramen Stadium. This whole floor is made up of eight individual ramen shops that all sell different regional styles of ramen from all over Japan, including the classic Hakata ramen from this region. You literally can’t go wrong with ramen here!
I’m not usually a shopping centre visitor when I travel abroad but this is one of the fun things to do in Fukuoka where there’s far more than just shops!
Canal City Fukuoka
Hakata Ramen
Ride the Rail Kitchen Chikugo Train
We actually didn’t do this as I didn’t realise how difficult it was to get tickets…
This is a dining experience on board a scenic train that takes you through the countryside of Kyushu.
The train only runs on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and offers routes that start and finish in Fukuoka, or routes that start in Fukuoka and finish in Omuta.
Tickets for the meal cost 13,000 yen per person and the rail day pass is 650 yen.
Book tickets here.
Eat at the Yatai food stalls
Fukuoka is big on foodie experiences and the Yatai stalls are one of those that’s unique to Fukuoka.
These are mobile food stands that are wheeled in every evening by the owners to certain areas of the city - we found most along the river near the shopping centre and around Tenjin station on Watanabe-dori Avenue.
I don’t just mean a little pop up tent or van, I mean an entire kitchen with seating, all on wheels - it’s really incredible even just to see these stalls and know that they all pack away and are wheeled away at the end of the night!
Yatai in Fukuoka
See the views from Hakata Station rooftop for free
If you’re heading out to Nanzoin Temple or on any day trips by train from Hakata station, this is a super easy and quick stop to make.
In Hakata Station, take the lift to the top floor, then find the escalator to the rooftop. Here you’ll find an outdoor seating area, cafe and viewpoint looking across the whole city of Fukuoka.
View from Hakata Station rooftop
Get baked goods at Dacomecca
Another great stop if you’re near the station and honestly probably the best selection of baked goods I’ve ever come across in a Japanese bakery!
The bakery counter selection is EXTENSIVE! Everything is baked fresh and you have to try their signature sausage sandwiches. I got a couple of savoury and a couple of sweet pieces but there was so much to try - definitely worth a couple of visitors during your trip!
Dacomecca Bakery
Walk along the Naka River or take a Nakagawa River Cruise
We found ourselves walking along the Naka River through Fukuoka on a couple of occasions on our trip and it is a great way to see the city both during the day and at night.
We walked from Canal City to Tenjin during the day and from the station to Gion at night and both were a great way to see the city.
Doing that walk is also where we found the Nakagawa River Cruises which can be picked up from the riverside at Tenjin Central Park.
Naka River in Fukuoka
Explore the Daimyo district
This is such a fun area of the city!
If you’re looking for vintage and secondhand stores, great coffee shops, lively streets and great food spots, this area of the city is a fun way to spend a couple of hours or even an afternoon.
This Google Maps pin is a pin I dropped which is kind of in the centre of it all with shops along this street and the streets opposite.
We also ended up getting tacos, nachos and craft beer for lunch from Fukuoka Craft by El Borracho which is around the corner from the dropped pin in the Daimyo area.
Daimyo District
A vintage shop in the area
Fukuoka Craft
Get a matcha set at Matcha Cafe HACHI JR Hakatashiteiten
Honestly, Hakata Station is massive and I’m sure you could spend a day just exploring all the floors of shops, eateries, cafes and izakayas here - they even have a craft beer taproom and the free rooftop I already mentioned.
If you’re a matcha fan then you also need to check out the Matcha Cafe here where I had the most amazing matcha set - a matcha coffee, matcha cake and matcha jelly. And it was aesthetically pleasing too!
Matcha
Visit Nanzo-in Temple
Nanzoin Temple is 30 minutes by train outside of Fukuoka and is one of the best things to do near Fukuoka, I think it’s well worth a half day visit.
Take the Fukuhokuyutaka Line from Hakata Station, these run every 10-20 minutes and bring you to the station directly opposite the temple entrance (using Google Maps to navigate there is easiest).
Nanzo-in Temple is a stunning Buddhist Temple complex that’s most famous for its 41 metre-long reclining Buddha statue. However there is so much more to see there with woodland trails through forests, caves to walk through, waterfalls, shrines in the caves and woodland or tucked away into cliff faces and over 4,000 nokotsudo - urns or statues that hold cremated remains.
Parts of this temple are eerily beautiful and the reclining Buddha is absolutely striking to see.
It costs 500 yen to enter the temple but PLEASE BE AWARE there is a strict dress code, particularly for women who must have their knees and shoulders covered. There is someone at the entrance checking your outfit and they have limited cover up options to give you, but otherwise you could be turned away.
Nanzoin Temple
Visit Nakatsukasa Magotaro Inari Shrine aka the Cyber Punk Shrine
This shrine in Fukuoka is best visited at night because if you’ve seen it on Instagram, you’ll know that it’s been given the nickname: The Cyber Punk shrine due to the neon lights on the lanterns and up the stairs.
I’ve read recently that the lights are not always on anymore and you need to pay 100 yen into a slot to activate the lights, so make sure to take coins with you if you’re visiting at night!
Craft beer at BEERKICHI
One for the craft beer lovers if you’re looking for things to do in Fukuoka at night! This is like a modern izakaya vibe but a craft beer bar. You’re all standing around the bar and there’s space for maybe 10 people, while the owners are in the centre, pouring beer and cooking snacks.
We had such a fun evening here for drinks after dinner and met some other travellers from Tokyo and around the world.
BEERKICHI
BEERKICHI beers
Bar Kitchen for Whisky Lovers
If you’re more of a whisky fan then this one is more for you…
We stumbled on this whisky “library” with hundreds of different types of whisky and run by a man who is a whisky expert. He was able to tell us from our preferences what kind of whiskies we might want to try, the regional specialties and had bar snacks for great pairings too.
Prices were not too bad either and overall this was such a unique and interesting experience!
Bar Kitchen whisky bar in Fukuoka
See Gundam at LaLa Port Fukuoka for Gundam fans
We had seen the Gundam in Yokohama the year previously and there’s a Gundam store in Canal City Hakata, but there’s also a Life-Size RX-93ff Gundam out at LaLa Port in Fukuoka if you want to see a one that actually moves - you can see it animate every hour.
Ride the Yufuin no Mori train
This train journey is the perfect scenic option if you’re exploring Kyushu by public transport.
The train runs twice a day to Yufuin and once a day from Hakata Station to Beppu with stops in Kurume, Hita, Amagase, Yufuin and terminating in Beppu onsen town.
You can order a bento box in advance of your journey and you’ll be served a selection of railway gourmet foods and sweets.
Book your journey here.
If you’d prefer to save a bit of money, there are a couple of regular regional trains that run on the same route throughout the day. Obviously these don’t come with plush seats or meals, but you’ll still get the same views and same stopping options in Kurame and Yufuin. And it’s a great way to get to Beppu to spend a night or two there.
A day trip to Yanagawa
Often called the Venice of Japan, Yanagawa is famous for its canal network winding among historic streets and the castle.
You can ride in one of these boats that come with their own punter/rower which is especially popular during spring when cherry blossoms hang low over the waterways.
These boat rides are also the famous ones that you might have seen on Instagram where some of the boat rowers jump onto stone bridges, run across the road then jump back down onto the boat full of tourists!
In Yanagawa in April and May you can also see the famous Great wisteria arch of Nakayama.
Yanagawa
A day trip to Itoshima Peninsula
This is the day trip we had hoped to do but weather was not on our side for a coastal day out.
You can take the train to Itoshima from Fukuoka, however you might find it easier to explore the whole peninsula by car if you’re renting a car in Kyushu.
The most famous spot to visit is the Sakurai Futamigaura's Couple Stones, where you’ll find a white torii gate in the sea and two rocks just off the shore connected with a Shinto rope.
I also wanted to hike and see the spectacular views from Mt. Tateishi, visit Itoshima Cafe Farmhouse, visit the beautiful beaches, see Itoshima's Totoro Forest and see the flower fields either on Nokonoshima island or Uminonakamichi Seaside Park (although this is not on the Itoshima Peninsula).
I wasn’t able to do these things because of the weather but I hope you’re able to experience some of them if you decide to visit!
A day trip to Kitakyushu
You can read my full Kitakyushu day trip guide here, this was a last minute decision as we wanted to ride the Shinkansen at least once on our trip in Kyushu and amazingly it’s only 20 minutes from Fukuoka to Kitakyushu by Shinkansen but would take 2 hours to drive!
We visited Kokura Castle and Japanese Gardens and also visited the Toto Toilet Museum - it’s free to visit and honestly fascinating to learn the history of sanitation and the toilet experience in Japan. If you’re a fan of Japanese toilets, this is a fun and free place to visit!
Kokura Castle Kitakyushu
Toto Museum
A day trip to Yufuin (and onwards to Beppu to continue your trip)
I’ve already mentioned this as a great way to continue your onward trip and you can choose to take the train or drive this route from west to east in Kyushu.
There is the Yufuin No Mori train which runs 3 times a day to Yufuin or Beppu and there’s also regular trains. So if you’re travelling by public transport, this is one of the easiest routes to do and you can do it as a day trip from Fukuoka to Yufuin or as an onward trip to continue on to Beppu.
The train from Hakata Station to Yufuin takes 2.5 hours or you can drive it in around 1 hour and 45 minutes.
Yufuin is a cute town, albeit a little bizarre. It’s most famous for the Yufuin Floral Village which is a street area in the centre of town that’s supposedly modelled on the Cotswolds. It doesn’t look particularly Cotswold-y to me, but it is a fun area to explore with lots of cute stalls and there’s also a great area just outside with matcha, bubble tea and snack stalls.
There’s also Yunotsubo Shopping Street and Kinrin Lake to explore.
It’s a great spot for an hour or two before you continue your onward journey to Beppu.
Beppu
Yufuin
My 5 day Fukuoka itinerary
Here’s I’m going to bullet point my Fukuoka itinerary for 5 days, on day 5 you can take a day trip to Yufuin and continue on the same train line to Beppu onsen town which I also think is a must visit in Kyushu and a great next stop if you’re exploring Kyushu by train.
Day 1:
Tochoji Temple
Hakata Old Town
Kushida Shrine
TeamLabs
Baseball game
Day 2:
FUK Coffee
Breakfast from Dacomecca
See the view from Hakata Station rooftop
Take the train to visit Nanzo-in Temple
Yatai for dinner
Day 3:
Visit Ohori Park and lake shores
Explore Daimyo district
Stop at Fukuoka Craft for food and craft beer
Visit Canal City Hakata
Eat at the Ramen Stadium in Canal City
Day 4:
Day trip to Kurume and Yanagawa
Day 5: Fukuoka day trip options
Day trip to Yufuin or Kitakyushu or Itoshima peninsula (weather dependent)
I would recommend Yufuin if you are continuing your trip by train in Fukuoka as the train from Fukuoka to Yufuin continues on to Beppu onsen town on Kyushu’s east coast and I’d highly recommend spending a couple of days in Beppu
Summary: the best things to in Fukuoka, Japan
I hope this Fukuoka travel guide has given you all the information you need to plan your trip to Fukuoka! It’s honestly taken me longer than I’d like to write this because I loved this city so much and really wanted to do justice to everything that there is to see and do in Fukuoka.
I hope you enjoy your Fukuoka Japan itinerary and if you have any questions, drop me a message!
