Discovering Fukuoka: Food, Culture & Hidden Gems in Kyushu, Japan

Kyushu, one of Japan’s southernmost islands, is often overlooked by first-time visitors to Japan who tend to seek out the bright lights of Tokyo and Osaka, as well as the historic charm of Kyoto. And while these iconic cities are famous for good reason, Japan has so much more to offer. With over tourism a real concern, we encourage you to look further afield and explore less visited parts of the country.

We’ve recently returned from a week-long visit to Fukuoka prefecture, barely long enough to scratch the surface of this stunning region, rich in history and natural beauty.

Fukuoka was one of the first Japanese provinces to open trade with the outside world during Japan’s Meiji period (1868–1912), and today it remains incredibly welcoming to foreign visitors.

Getting There

We started our journey in Fukuoka - one of our favourite Japanese cities - and just a short 1.5 hour flight from Tokyo, or a more leisurely 4 hour and 45 minute shinkansen ride. It’s a progressive and buzzing city and worthy of at least 2 to 3 days to explore its many sights. These include Shofukuji Temple - the first Zen temple built in Japan, Fukuoka Tower, and the stunning and expansive Ohori Park. The latter is home to the Fukuoka Art Museum featuring works from artists such as Yayoi Kusama, Salvador Dalí, Joan Miró, Marc Chagall, and Jean-Michel Basquiat. A true hidden treasure in our opinion.

Where to Eat

Fukuoka is famed as a foodie paradise, and the good news is it can be enjoyed by all, with Fukuoka Prefecture recently creating a Vegan and Muslim-Friendly Restaurant Map for travellers with dietary preferences and religious requirements.

Keen to experience this first-hand, we lunched at Sushi Shima, a striking sushi restaurant in the Ohori Park district, that has embraced this initiative and developed a vegan menu alongside its traditional sushi offering. Guests are immediately welcomed by beguiling hosts Okami san and her talented chef husband, Taisho.

Okami san is fluent in English from her time studying (her Master’s egree, no less!) in Melbourne, Australia and proves to be a charming hostess to accompany a stunning and creative omakase vegan meal including dishes such as vegan sushi and vegan ramen. We can’t recommend Sushi Shima highly enough and can’t wait to return to experience their traditional sushi menu which looked equally as incredible.

Later that evening saw us Yatai hopping at Fukuoka’s bustling and atmospheric street-side Yatai stalls enjoying dishes ranging from tempura to oden while chatting to locals about the finals playoff baseball game on that night. Such is Fukuoka’s charm.

But Fukuoka city was just our starting point. In our next blog, we head deeper into the prefecture to discover the charms of Yanagawa’s scenic canals, a stay at a spectacular hotel run by the descendants of samurai and much more!