Things To Do and Food to Eat in Fukuoka, Japan

Fukuoka isn't that small of a place. Actual numbersOn the occasions when I miss American and
bring the population to about the 5 million mark,Mexican food, I always have the option to head
with the city having roughly 1.3 million people. Withon over to Hard Rock Cafe right next door to
that amount of people around, you know thereFukuoka dome in Momochi. Momochi is adjacent
has got to be something to do. On any day ofto Nishijin so indeed I am in luck. Hard Rock Cafe
the week if you look you will be able to findFukuoka boasts the largest restaurant of its kind
something that interests you. There are oftenin Japan. The food is fantastic and of course the
festivals in one area or another in Fukuoka city.atmosphere is like all other Hard Rock Cafes out
With a little help from a friend or the domesticthere. The staff is very friendly and since I
foreigner magizines and information centers youfrequent their establishment often I am treated
will be able to find out where the festivals areextremely well with occasional benefits.
being held.Izakaya
The center of Fukuoka city will have to be TenjinThough not only found in Fukuoka, Izakaya
(though others may argue it to be Hakata). It isrestaurants deserve a notable mention. Izakayas
the shoppers haven of the prefecture. Feel youoffer a wide variety of food and more
need to do a little shopping for some nice namedimportantly drinks at a low price. University
brands from Italy or France? head on over tostudents as well as business men can often be
Tenjin. Want to blow off some steam and hit afound in these restaurants chatting with colleagues
bar (including foreigner bars)? Tenjin is the placeand drinking up a storm. All Izakayas offer a
to be. want to meet some new friends? Rainbowdifferent ambiance, and with some searching you
Plaza in... you guessed it, Tenjin, is the place to dowill be able to find one that suits you.
just that.Famous Fukuoka food
Right next door to Tenjin is Nakasu. Nakasu hostsFukuoka ramen
nightlife entertainment but tends to cater to theHave you ever had that cup O ramen or that
more affluent individual. However, Nakasu also hasfreeze dried packaged ramen? bah! throw that
a huge shopping complex named Canal City whichout and try some "Tonkatsu ramen" (pork
has so many shops that you wouldn't be able toramen) famous in Fukuoka and well know
count them all. The complex holds manythroughout all of Japan. First time I tried it I was
restaurants, two hotels, a large cinema and in theinstantly hooked and to this day try and eat it
center of Canal City is an area called Sun Plazaonce every week or so.
where it is common to find street performersMentaiko
doing their acts.Another famous food which Fukuoka is renound
Of course Tenjin and Nakasu aren't the only placefor is mentaiko (very tiny fish eggs). To some
you can have fun. I live about 10 minutes awaypeople mentaiko may not seem very appatizing
from Tenjin by subway in a town called Nishijinbut please don't knock it till you try it. Mentaiko
and I can do nearly as many things here as I canspagetti, as an example, is a delicious treat around
in Tenjin. Bowling, swimming, soccer, billards, gamethese parts. And there are of course many other
centers, and even a movie theater are just arecipes which have use for mentaiko.
few of the things Nishijin and the nearby area hasTransportation
to offer.Unlike the nickname given to New York, Fukuoka
Yahoo Dome (formerly Fukuoka Dome) is locateddoes tend to get a little tired at night but usually
in Momochi which boarders the sea. Yahoo Domenot until quite late especially on weekends. One of
is home to the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks. Thethe reasons for this in my humble opinion is the
Hawks are a strong baseball team, beloved bytransportation shutdown at around midnight. Thats
the city and its residents. In fact, there are onlyright, the subway, train, and bus system all but
two teams in Japan's professional baseball leaguestops once you hit the AM. Which leaves the
who attract more than one million fans to theirweary and, more often than not, drunk to either
home games per year, and the Hawks are one oftake a taxi home, walk, or I have even heard the
them. When the Hawks don't have a home game"I will just stay up until the subway starts again at
you can sometimes find other activities occuring in6:00 before I go home" line used by those who
the Dome. Yahoo Dome hosts various fleajust aren't finished partying when its time for the
markets and concerts throughout the year.transportation system's last call. This isn't just a
Food, food, food!Fukuoka special, for the shutdown happens
As far as I'm concerned, Fukuoka has the bestthroughout the whole of Japan.
food to offer in all of Japan (though I hear food inThough the transportation system does shutdown
Sapporo is quite good). Fukuoka has its own wellat perhaps inconvenient times, it is a wonderful
known dishes and of course the chefs here aresystem. Perfectly clean trains, buses and subways
well capable of recreating dishes found throughout(which are amazingly quiet) are the consequence
the world.of the shutdown for they are all cleaned during
Yataithe wee hours of the morning.
When night begins to fall on Fukuoka city youLocation
may suddenly notice many little street vendorsFukuoka is found on the southernmost island of
(usually operating out of their vans) popping up allthe four main islands in Japan. The name of the
over the sidewalks. These vendors serve aisland is Kyushu. Fukuoka happens to be closer to
variety of foods ranging from ramen to yakinikuSeoul, South Korea than it is to Tokyo. Fukuoka
to tempura. Yatais themselves are really a site toprefecture is located on the northern tip of
see.Kyushu.
Hard Rock Cafe Fukuoka