Fukuoka, Japan

Fukuoka is the capital of Fukuoka prefecture and the largest city on the island of Kyushu, Japan. It is a modern city; most of its buildings are new. The city has two centres: one in Hakata and one in Tenjin. A subway connects most of its main attractions.

Fukuoka is a charming city with scenic coastlines, shrines and relics of the aborted Mongolian invasion, festivals, great shopping, dining and sightseeing. Attractions include the Sky Dream, one of the world's largest ferris wheels, Fukuoka Castle, Ohori Park art gallery and the newly opened National Museum in nerby Dazaifu.

Things to See & Do

* ACROS building
* Ohori Park
* Fukuoka tower
* Sky Dream Fukuoka ferris wheel
* Kyushu National Museum

General information

Cruise Season - Jan - Dec
Currency - Yen (JPY)
Language - Japanese
Population - 1,461,650 approx
Land Area - 340.03 km2
Electricity - 2 perpendicular flat pins USA style or with a round pin below
Time - GMT plus hours nine hours
International Country Telephone Code - 81

Port Location - The port at of Fukuoka is located in Hakata Bay, at the northern end of Kyushu island.

Travel Links - Fukuoka Airport is located to the east of the city, surprisingly close to the city centre (only two subway stops away from the Hakata JR station). Within the country, Japan Airlines and ANA fly to Fukuoka from most larger cities, including Tokyo (both Haneda and Narita), Osaka (Itami and Kansai), and Nagoya (Komaki and Centrair Airport). There are scheduled flights to most major cities in China and South Korea, as well as Taipei, Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok, Manila, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, but the only scheduled transpacific flights are to Honolulu and Guam.

Fukuoka's Hakata Station is the terminus of the Sanyo Shinkansen. Shinkansen services are offered from Kokura in Kitakyushu (20 mins), Hiroshima (1 hr), Okayama (1 3/4 hrs) and Osaka (2 1/2 hrs), and through via the Tokaido Shinkansen from Kyoto (2 3/4 hrs by Nozomi), Nagoya (3 1/2 hrs by Nozomi) and Tokyo (5 hrs by Nozomi).

Many overnight bus services run from into Fukuoka from other parts of the country. These include the Moonlight bus and Willer Express from Osaka and Nishitetsu bus from Tokyo.