One Day Fukuoka Trip
Tochoji Temple
Whenever we go to a new city in Japan, we usually look for a temple to visit. Fukuoka doesn’t have a lot of major temples, but Tochoji definitely stands out. It is located in the heart of a dense residential neighborhood with several other historic points of interest, so you’ll likely be nearby during your visit. The main feature of this Buddhist shrine is the large red pagoda towering over the garden. There is also a large multi-story Buddha statue in an upper room, although we were not allowed to photograph it. Aside from a large prayer hall and a few pavilions, the temple is quite small.
Founded in 806, Tochoji is one of the oldest temples in Kyushu. The pagoda really reminded me of Sensoji in Tokyo, but without the droves of tourists. In fact, during our entire visit, we were one of a few people there. It was so nice to be able to have the temple to ourselves, and the blue skies and sunlight were a welcome sight for what turned out to be a rainy day. There isn’t much to see, so only plan on visiting for 30-45 minutes. If you only have one day in Fukuoka, this should be on your schedule.
MANLY coffee
Tucked away down a small alley in Hirao is MANLY Coffee. This is the paragon of a specialty coffee shop. It is small but mighty, with a cozy standing area and a small seating area across the alley. As soon as I saw it, I knew I was going to have a special experience. The vibes are off the charts, but so is the quality.
They serve AeroPress and espresso, and have a very limited non-coffee menu. I went for a Colombian AeroPress to warm up on such a gloomy day. Yemisi got a cascara soda. The coffee was absolutely S-tier, with spicy and sweet fruity notes you only get from masterfully roasted beans. The cascara soda was also delicious. I assume that the barista was also the owner, because she was so knowledgeable and friendly to us. She wasn’t happy with the first soda she made, so she gave us two. It was the perfect way to kick off the day.
Coffee County
This shop is a total 180 from MANLY. With a beautiful green tile facade, an open layout, and pops of color. Coffee County was packed when we showed up, it’s definitely a more popular shop. Once again, the non-coffee menu is limited, with mostly hand drip and espresso. They had a wider variety of beans, and they allow you to smell them all before you choose. I got an Ethiopian pour over, and Yemisi got the seasonal cordial, which was a sort of elderflower soda.
The coffee was delicious, and I had no problems with it. But it was missing the extra special sauce that MANLY had. It is a bit more of a hot spot, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that they really know what they’re doing. If you’re looking for a more trendy vibe, Coffee County won’t disappoint.
Shin Shin Ramen
Fukuoka is home to Hakata, the neighborhood responsible for one of Japan’s most popular styles of ramen. Hakata ramen has a thick tonkatsu (pork) broth with thin noodles. The very popular chain Ichiran sells this style, but we wanted to try a more local place. Shin Shin is a top spot for Hakata ramen, but I wasn’t prepared for how popular it would be. When we arrived, there was a line down and around the block, meaning a 30+ minute wait. With such a long line, our expectations were high.
Finally, we got our seats and ordered ramen and a set of fried gyoza. Immediately, I realized what makes Hakata-style ramen different. The broth is definitely the strong suit, it’s so rich and savory. The noodles, on the other hand, aren’t my favorite. Neither Yemisi nor I like thin noodles, and while these aren’t as bad as angel hair pasta, we both really prefer thick hand-cut noodles. Still, Shin Shin felt special, and we didn’t regret waiting in line. We were most excited to see how it compared to the other famous Hakata ramen from Ichiran the next morning.
Ohori Park
Located in the center of the city is Ohori Park. This park circles a lake, and is the largest park in the Fukuoka area. I wasn’t sure why Yemisi had planned here, since it’s not that interesting on the surface. I wasn’t prepared for the absolutely beautiful walk we were in for. There are bridges connecting to some lovely islands in the center of the lake, making for a shockingly nice walk. The sun finally made an appearance again as the light dripped through the trees and over the water. I almost forgot it was the middle of winter, until the freezing winds came to remind me.
Just next to Ohori Park is Fukuoka Castle. Unfortunately, this castle no longer exists, so it’s more of a ruin in the area where the castle used to be. There are some structures around, such as guard houses and halls, but the original castle is long gone. Regardless, it’s still a very nice area, with a large hill allowing you to see a sweeping view of the park and the city. In the distance, we could see Fukuoka tower, where we would be heading next. Ohori Park and Fukuoka Castle were a surprisingly high point of our day, rather than filler.
Fukuoka Tower
If you’ve seen Fukuoka, you’ll recognize Fukuoka Tower. This iconic structure is the most notable building in the entire city and the focal point of the skyline. The tower is located on the coast and is visible from almost everywhere. Fukuoka doesn’t have any real skyscrapers, so having a tower like this really stands out. Of course, the tower has an observation deck, so we had to go up. Since Fukuoka Tower isn’t that big, you can usually get a ticket on the spot, although ordering online is recommended. The line took us about 15 minutes to get into the elevator.
We opted to go at sunset, to see the city in light and dark. Fukuoka really pops at night, with the city nestled between the mountains and the sea. It’s not the most impressive sky view ever since Fukuoka is so much smaller than Tokyo or Osaka. But it’s still a great experience, and overall a very nice observation deck. There were quite a few photo zones and areas with activities such as a custom gacha and a love lock wall. We were on a tight schedule, so we didn’t stay too long, but it was definitely worth the stop.
Blue Seal
Just a few months before our visit to Kyushu, we were lucky enough to visit Okinawa. This incredible island is home to Blue Seal, a famous local ice cream chain. We wrote a whole article about it if you’re interested, but the gist is that it’s delicious and we love it. Leaving Okinawa, we were so sad to not have Blue Seal anymore, so imagine our excitement as we realized there was a branch in Fukuoka! We knew we would have to go, and thankfully, it is right under Fukuoka Tower. We got the famous combo of sea salt cookie and beni imo ice cream. Even though it was bone-chillingly cold, it was so nice to revisit Blue Seal and imagine the hot summer weather we associate with the flavors.
Amu Plaza Hakata
One thing we really wanted to do in Fukuoka is visit a Christmas market. For some reason, Fukuoka has several large Christmas markets and displays. We saw there was a huge tree and lights display set up outside the Amu Plaza Hakata Mall, and went to check it out. This place was absolutely packed, even more than Shibuya in Tokyo on a busy night. There was a concert in front of the tree, and several stalls lining the plaza were selling Christmas drinks. We were totally overwhelmed by the crowd, which is rare for us. We tried to look at the stalls, but there were surprisingly only about 10 of them with not a lot of options. The lights were overrun by teenagers making TikToks, so we couldn’t really enjoy them either. After walking around for a bit, we realized there wasn’t much to do, since the mall just couldn’t accommodate that many people.
Tenjin Christmas Market
After the slight disappointment at Amu Plaza, we really wanted to get into the Christmas spirit. I knew there was another market near our hotel, but I wasn’t sure how big it would be. As we arrived, I was shocked at how many people and stalls there were. The park outside the town hall is flooded with people and hundreds of stalls selling all sorts of delicious warm food and German spiced Christmas drinks. Best of all, there were no kids filming TikToks clogging the road.
We decided to get some drinks. I got a spiced hot wine, and Yemisi got a hot chocolate. Of course, they were massively overpriced, but they were delicious nonetheless, and we were really full of holiday joy. The market is so much more lively than Amu Plaza. So many foreigners were there, and some even said hello and offered to take our pictures. It was a magical end to a long day in Fukuoka, and it definitely beat out all the other Christmas markets we saw.
KFC Christmas Meal
One of the biggest Christmas traditions in Japan is getting KFC. The story goes that a KFC marketing representative lied to an unsuspecting boardroom that Americans eat KFC on Christmas. The executives bought it and marketed KFC as a Christmas tradition to the Japanese people. Surprisingly, it worked incredibly well, and ever since then, Japan has bought hundreds of thousands of KFC meals during the holidays. The KFC frenzy is so severe that if you want the special dinner meal on Christmas, you must place a reservation several weeks in advance. We reserved our meal at the store closest to our hotel, which happened to be in a shopping mall.
We were so excited for our “traditional” Japanese Christmas meal, however I think getting chicken at a mall was our big mistake. Japanese fast food is usually high quality, but this store was not as nice as a normal branch. Our chicken wasn’t cooked the greatest, and was sitting out for a long time. By the time we got back home, it was cold, soggy, and absolutely caked in grease. Sadly, they no longer include the famous decorative plate in the meal. We couldn’t even reheat the potatoes because our hotel didn’t have a microwave. We were left with some of the worst fried chicken we’ve ever had, an inedible side, and a mediocre dessert cake. While the meal itself could have been a lot better, the day was so amazing that it didn’t get us down.
Ichiran Original Shop
Before we left the city the next morning, we decided to get ramen and none other than Ichiran for breakfast. Most foreigners go to Ichiran at least once on their Japan trip. This chain comes from the Hakata neighborhood of Fukuoka, and now has hundreds of chains across the country. Our hotel happened to be by their original store, so we just had to go and compare it to Shin Shin. What makes Ichiran unique is the ordering process. This massive eleven-story building is full of single stalls where you can sit down, write your order on a card, and receive your ramen without having any interaction with the chef. This is the perfect place to go if you have anxiety about ordering in Japanese, since the cards are in English and no speaking is necessary.
Like Shin Shin, Ichiran sells Hakata-style ramen. This has the same tonkatsu broth and thin noodles, and you can customize the spiciness, noodle firmness, and broth strength on your card. I’m going to be honest, I’ve heard a lot of incredible things as well as terrible things about Ichiran. Some foreigners say it’s the best ramen they’ve ever had, some say it’s barely edible. In my opinion, it’s just fine. It’s better than what you might get in America, but there are so many places in Japan that blow Ichiran out of the water. I’m not the biggest fan of Hakata ramen. The noodles aren’t my favorite, but if I had to choose, Shin Shin is certainly higher quality.
Final Thoughts
Fukuoka was a bit of a wild card. In reality, we mostly wanted to explore other destinations in Kyushu. In the end I’m really glad we spent one day exploring Fukuoka. There’s a lot of charm in this overlooked city, and it really helped us feel the Christmas cheer, something we don’t often find in Korea.
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