Must see attractions in Fukuoka

Spread over three machiya (traditional Japanese townhouses), this folk museum re-creates a Hakata nagare (neighbourhood unit) from the late Meiji era…

On the upper floors of the Hakata Riverain mall, this large museum houses the world-renowned Asia Gallery, and additional galleries for special…

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…

This small but pretty garden and teahouse was built by a Meiji-era merchant in 1906 and offers a couple of paths, a rushing waterfall and tea ceremony. In…

Delightfully rural, this island has fresh-seafood restaurants that line the harbour-side streets. Ferries depart hourly (¥670, 33 minutes) from Bayside…

The intimate Kushida-jinja, municipal Shintō shrine of Hakata, traces its history to AD 757 and sponsors the Hakata Gion Yamakasa Matsuri, in which…

Tōchō-ji houses the Fukuoka Daibutsu, Japan's largest seated wooden Buddha (10.8m high, 30 tonnes, completed in 1992) and some impressively carved Kannon …

Shōfuku-ji is considered the oldest Zen temple in Japan, founded in 1195 by Eisai, who introduced Zen and tea to Japan; the nation's first tea plants are…

Built in 1910, this historic French Renaissance–style building, a nationally registered important cultural property, can be found just across the river…

This smart museum displays artefacts from local history and culture. The pride of the collection is an ancient 2.3-sq-cm, 108g golden seal with an…

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

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…

A 15-minute ferry ride from Fukuoka, pretty Nokonoshima mixes natural and artificial parks. The latter, popular Island Park, has a swimming beach,…

Standing above the Momochi district is 234m-tall Fukuoka Tower, Japan's tallest seaside spire, a symbol of the city and mostly hollow (its main purpose is…

Sumiyoshi-jinja is said to be the original taisha (grand shrine) of Shintō's Sumiyoshi sect. The main kami (divine beings) enshrined here are protectors…

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

This compact museum displays stellar examples of local crafts, Hakata-ori textiles, Hakata ningyō (Hakata dolls), papier-mâché Daruma and lion figures,…

Couples date here a lot, particularly in spring and summer, when the hills are covered with cosmos or sunflowers. Otherwise, it's a pretty run-of-the-mill…

This red-brick, copper-turreted British-style building from 1909 has simple historical exhibits and a charming coffee shop. The architect, Tatsuno Kingō,…

This monolithic, retractable-roof stadium is the home field of Fukuoka's much-loved SoftBank Hawks baseball team. Tours (in Japanese) are offered and…