Fukuoka-jō & Ōhori-kōen

Fukuoka


Only the walls of Fukuoka-jō (Fukuoka Castle) remain, but the castle's hilltop site (Maizuru-kōen) provides good panoramas of the city and great views of aircraft landing at nearby Fukuoka Airport.

Ōhori-kōen, an expansive park and pond (once part of the castle's moat system), is adjacent to the castle grounds. It has a traditionally styled Japanese garden, a more recent construction (1984), set around a pond with stone gardens and a teahouse.

Nearby, the Fukuoka Art Museum, closed for renovation until 2019, has ancient pottery and Buddhist guardians, as well as works by Basquiat, Brancusi, Rothko and Warhol.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Fukuoka attractions

1. Fukuoka Art Museum

0.21 MILES

Expected to reopen in March 2019 following renovations, Fukuoka Art Museum has ancient pottery and Buddhist guardians, as well as works by Basquiat,…

2. Gokoku-jinja

0.25 MILES

This stately shrine to Japan's war dead sits just south of Ōhori-kōen, surrounded by woods. Its 13m-tall torii (gate) is one of Japan's tallest.

3. Ōhori-kōen Japanese Garden

0.28 MILES

Set within the expansive grounds of Ōhori-kōen, adjacent to the remains of Fukuoka's once-grand castle, this traditional (though constructed in 1984) 12…

4. Daimyō Catholic Church

0.79 MILES

Also known as the Cathedral of Our Lady of Victory, the church holds AA meetings and religious ceremonies.

5. Kego-Jinja

1.02 MILES

This popular Shintō shrine is set right in the midst of the city, steps from Tenjin Station. While it's not as grand as some other religious sites in town…

6. Fukuoka City Hall

1.15 MILES

There's no particular reason to visit Fukuoka's boxy skyscraper of a city hall, but the large building is good for orientation, just west of Tenjin-chūō…

7. Tenjin Chūō-kōen

1.21 MILES

Some attractive historic Western architecture populates this park near city hall, most notably the French Renaissance–style Kihinkan, dating from 1910 and…

8. ACROS Fukuoka

1.22 MILES

Inside this unique building are a tourist-information centre (1st floor), cultural-information centre (2nd floor) and craft gallery. The building itself…