Things to do and Food to eat in Fukuoka, Japan
Fukuoka isn't that small of a place. Actual numbers bring the
population to about the 5 million mark, with the city having
roughly 1.3 million people. With that amount of people around,
you know there has got to be something to do. On any day of the
week if you look you will be able to find something that
interests you. There are often festivals in one area or another
in Fukuoka city. With a little help from a friend or the
domestic foreigner magazines and information centers you will be
able to find out where the festivals are being held.
The center of Fukuoka city will have to be Tenjin (though others
may argue it to be Hakata). It is the shoppers' haven of the
prefecture. Feel you need to do a little shopping for some nice
named brands from Italy or France? head on over to Tenjin. Want
to blow off some steam and hit a bar (including foreigner bars)?
Tenjin is the place to be. want to meet some new friends?
Rainbow Plaza in... you guessed it, Tenjin, is the place to do
just that.
Right next door to Tenjin is Nakasu. Nakasu hosts nightlife
entertainment but tends to cater to the more affluent
individual. However, Nakasu also has a huge shopping complex
named Canal City which has so many shops that you wouldn't be
able to count them all. The complex holds many restaurants, two
hotels, a large cinema and in the center of Canal City is an
area called Sun Plaza where it is common to find street
performers doing their acts.
Of course Tenjin and Nakasu aren't the only place you can have
fun. I live about 10 minutes away from Tenjin by subway in a
town called Nishijin and I can do nearly as many things here as
I can in Tenjin. Bowling, swimming, soccer, billiards, game
centers, and even a movie theater are just a few of the things
Nishijin and the nearby areas have to offer.
Yahoo Dome (formerly Fukuoka Dome) is located in Momochi which
boarders the sea. Yahoo Dome is home to the Fukuoka Softbank
Hawks. The Hawks are a strong baseball team, beloved by the city
and its residents. In fact, there are only two teams in Japan's
professional baseball league who attract more than one million
fans to their home games per year, and the Hawks are one of
them. When the Hawks don't have a home game you can sometimes
find other activities occurring in the Dome. Yahoo Dome hosts
various flea markets and concerts throughout the year.
Food, food, food!
As far as I'm concerned, Fukuoka has the best food to offer in
all of Japan (though I hear food in Sapporo is quite good).
Fukuoka has its own well known dishes and of course the chefs
here are well capable of recreating dishes found throughout the
world.
Yatai When night begins to fall on Fukuoka city you may suddenly
notice many little street vendors (usually operating out of
their vans) popping up all over the sidewalks. These vendors
serve a variety of foods ranging from ramen to yakiniku to
tempura. Yatais themselves are really a site to see.
Hard Rock Cafe Fukuoka On the occasions when I miss American and
Mexican food, I always have the option to head on over to Hard
Rock Cafe right next door to Fukuoka dome in Momochi. Momochi is
adjacent to Nishijin so indeed I am in luck. Hard Rock Cafe
Fukuoka boasts the largest restaurant of its kind in Japan. The
food is fantastic and of course the atmosphere is like all other
Hard Rock Cafes out there. The staff is very friendly and since
I frequent their establishment often I am treated extremely well
with occasional benefits.
Izakaya Though not only found in Fukuoka, Izakaya restaurants
deserve a notable mention. Izakayas offer a wide variety of food
and more importantly drinks at a low price. University students
as well as business men can often be found in these restaurants
chatting with colleagues and drinking up a storm. All Izakayas
offer a different ambiance, and with some searching you will be
able to find one that suits you.
Famous Fukuoka food
Fukuoka ramen Have you ever had that cup O ramen or that freeze
dried packaged ramen? bah! throw that out and try some "Tonkatsu
ramen" (pork ramen) famous in Fukuoka and well know throughout
all of Japan. First time I tried it I was instantly hooked and
to this day try and eat it once every week or so.
Mentaiko Another famous food which Fukuoka is renowned for is
mentaiko (very tiny fish eggs). To some people mentaiko may not
seem very appetizing but please don't knock it till you try it.
Mentaiko spaghetti, as an example, is a delicious treat around
these parts. And there are of course many other recipes which
have use for mentaiko.
Transportation Unlike the nickname given to New York, Fukuoka
does tend to get a little tired at night but usually not until
quite late especially on weekends. One of the reasons for this
in my humble opinion is the transportation shutdown at around
midnight. That's right, the subway, train, and bus system all
but stops once you hit the AM. Which leaves the weary and, more
often than not, drunk to either take a taxi home, walk, or I
have even heard the "I will just stay up until the subway starts
again at 6:00 before I go home" line used by those who just
aren't finished partying when its time for the transportation
system's last call. This isn't just a Fukuoka special, for the
shutdown happens throughout the whole of Japan.
Though the transportation system does shutdown at perhaps
inconvenient times, it is a wonderful system. Perfectly clean
trains, buses and subways (which are amazingly quiet) are the
consequence of the shutdown for they are all cleaned during the
wee hours of the morning.
Location Fukuoka is found on the southernmost island of the four
main islands in Japan. The name of the island is Kyushu. Fukuoka
happens to be closer to Seoul, South Korea than it is to Tokyo.
Fukuoka prefecture is located on the northern tip of Kyushu.
Scott Brady http://www.translators.jp/