Travel Features : The Best of Fukuoka
Fukuoka is the largest city in Kyushu, and possibly the oldest city in Japan. Its close ties with the rest of Asia have made it a cultural and economic hub, but what is most noticeable about Fukuoka is its hedonistic outlook on life. The city’s entertainment district is the biggest in Western Japan, its baseball stadium has the highest attendance in the country, and when they did construct a giant commercial skyscraper they built it right next to the beach.
So Good They Named It Twice
Visitors to Fukuoka may get the initial impression that the city is suffering from some kind of multiple personality disorder. In 1889, the samurai district on the west side of the river, known as Fukuoka, merged with the merchant town of Hakata on the east side. The merchants held a meeting and had decided to name the new city Hakata. However, several late arrivals from the samurai side of town made a convincing argument that the city should keep the name Fukuoka. The merchants may have been masters of trade and doll making, but a man with a katana tends to get the final word. (It is interesting to note that in the Japanese language there is no adage similar to “The pen is mightier than the sword.”)
More than a century later, the historical division is still evident; visitors can fly into Fukuoka Airport, but the bullet trains arrive at Hakata Station.
The Naka River winds its way through the center of the Fukuoka. During the day, those in need of retail therapy flock to Canal City an up-market shopping center and hotel complex. At night, however, it is the neon lights of the Nakasu entertainment district that draw in the salarymen on their way home from work. Along the riverbank are the yatai, street vendors selling sushi, skewers of fried chicken, bowls of ramen, and glass after glass of Asahi and Kirin beers. Although a sculpture depicting 3 geisha stands at the entrance of the Nakasu district, geisha are now a rare sight. Nevertheless, the “floating world”, continues to thrive with the area filled with hostess bars and exclusive clubs catering to “distinguished gentlemen.”
The Gateway for Zen
A short walk from Hakata Station brings you to Shofukuji, the oldest Zen temple in Japan. Zen Buddhism originated in India, but made its way to Japan via China in the late twelfth century. A Zen priest named Yosai, not only founded the first Japanese Zen temple, but also introduced the first green tea seeds to Japan.
Nearby is Tochoji Temple, which contains a massive 11-meter, 30-ton statue of Buddha and various scrolls of the temples founder priest Taisha Kobo.
A little further on is the Kushida Shrine. Starting on July 1, and culminating in a spectacular finale on July 15, the shrine is the focal point of the Hakata Gion Yamakasa, one of the biggest festivals in Japan. The festival has been held for over 700 years and involves groups of men dressed in loincloths racing along the city streets carrying giant “portable” shrines on their shoulders. Each shrine weighs about the same amount as a car, and with the summer heat, it is an impressive spectacle of religious fervor, teamwork, and endurance.
The Sporting Life
Major sumo competitions take place in just four cities: Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuoka. The events are called basho and Fukuoka’s basho takes place each year in November. Tickets are not expensive unless you want to sit right next to the ring, and even at a distance the colossal competitors are difficult to miss.
The city’s fascination with sumo can be likened to cherry blossom, it blooms for a couple of weeks each year, and then the frenzied excitement quickly disappears. Fukuoka’s love of baseball, however, goes on month after month, its fanatical fans flocking to the stadium in the tens of thousands. During the sixth inning, the Fukuoka Hawks fans release yellow balloons into the air, and if their team wins, the end of the game is celebrated with thousands more white balloons.
The baseball stadium is located in Seaside Momochi to the west of the city center. Twenty years ago, the entire area was underwater, but now is one of the city’s most popular areas with a great beach, museums, malls, and the Fukuoka Tower. At a mere 234 meters in height, the tower is not close to being the highest building in Japan, but an unusual triangular cross-section, 8000 half mirrors, and a beautiful waterfront location make it an impressive sight.
Ancient & Modern
Thirty minutes south of Fukuoka is Daizaifu, home to several ancient temples and shrines and one thoroughly modern museum.
Komyozenji Temple is famous for having the only traditional Zen garden in Kyushu. The “dry landscape” is made up of carefully positioned stones, white sand, and patches of moss that create images of oceans and shorelines. The temple is most popular during the fall when the changing leaves add a final touch of tranquil beauty to the garden.
Daizaifu Tenmangu Shrine is dedicated to a Shinto god of learning. As with shrines across the country, a lot of visitors come to celebrate the New Year, but Daizaifu Tenmangu is busiest during the Japanese exam period when students make pilgrimages here in the hopes of a little divine help with their studies. The shrine is also famous for its white plum blossoms in the early spring, and a plum filled rice cake umegaimochi that visitors can try all year round. A local legend says if a couple crosses all three bridges spanning the shrine’s Shinjiga Pond their relationship is doomed to failure. It may, however, be nothing more than a cunning ploy so that students focus their attention on their studies rather than their classmates.
Just a few minutes walk from the temple is the Kyushu National Museum. The museum opened in October 2005 and focuses on the close ties between Japan and the rest of Asia. The building itself is an impressive piece of architecture with moving walkways, elegant columns and giant glass walls that reflect the surrounding trees.
Demon Night
Daizen-ji Tamataregu spends most of the year as a quiet unassuming local shrine that visitors might easily pass by. However, on January 7, the shrine holds the Oniyo Matsuri, or demon night festival, and that quiet place of worship becomes a center of fire, sweat, smoke and celebration.
Over the weeks leading up to the festival members of the shrine construct six 13-meter (40-foot) long torches out of pinewood. These are positioned within the shrine grounds for the big night. On the evening of January 7, hundreds of local men and boys dressed in nothing more than a tiny loincloth arrive at the shrine and build numerous small bonfires. At around 9 p.m., they carry small torches from the bonfires around the temple and gather along with thousands of spectators beneath the giant torches. Following a signal from the shrine’s high priest the huge torches are lit sending flames and plumes of smoke up into the night sky. When the inferno seems to be reaching a peak, the men then pick up the colossal torches and begin to carry them around the temple. Ash and glowing embers rain down on the men, purifying them, ensuring their health, strength and virility over the coming year.
Life on the river
Approximately 400 years ago, the townspeople of Yanagawa diverted several of the local rivers to produce a series of small canals. This allowed the residents to draw water into the castle town, and improve flood control, irrigation, and even security. The network of canals has been maintained, and now tourists can take a leisurely guided tour in one of the small boats known as a donko-bune. The guides punt the boats along the canals while providing guests with a brief history of the area. The most famous resident of Yanagawa was the Meiji-era poet Hakuhsu Kitahara, but as the guide is eager to tell foreigners, Yoko Ono’s grandfather also lived in the town and both Yoko and John Lennon were regular visitors.
When to go
The Oniyo Matsuri fire festival is held on January 7 at Daizenji Tamataregu Shrine.
Cherry blossoms blooms for about 2 weeks beginning in early April and, along with the fall, is a very popular time to visit parks, gardens and temples.
Hakata Dontaku Port Festival takes place May 3 and 4. There are traditional performances and impressive floats, but beware there is usually about 2 million other spectators. Hakata Gion Yamakasa is held from July 1 to 15, with the main race and largest crowds on the final day.
The Fukuoka Basho takes place in November, and baseball seasons lasts from mid March thru early October
Getting There
Fukuoka is well connected by air, sea and land. Fukuoka Airport is right next to the city. From the airport, you can catch the subway and local buses. Downtown’s Tenjin Station is only a ten minute subway ride.
From other parts of Kyushu, Fukuoka is connected by express trains. Nagasaki is just under two hours away. Fukuoka is also the terminus of the Sanyo Shinkansen bullet train. From the Hakata station, Hiroshima takes 1 hour, Osaka 2.5 hours, and Tokyo takes 5 hours.
There is also a ferry that connects Fukuoka with Busan, South Korean. It makes several trips each day.
Getting Around
Fukuoka has an efficient subway system, but it doesn’t offer a convenient stop near Fukuoka Tower or the baseball stadium. For these, take a local bus from outside Hakata or Tenjin station.
For Dazaifu go 30 minutes on the Nishitetsu Omuta Line from Nishitetsu Fukuoka (Tenjin) Station to Nishitetsu Futsukaichi Station. Change to Nishitetsu Daizaifu Line then ride for 10 minutes to Nishitetsu Daizaifu Station.
Daizenji is 45.1 km south on the Nishitetsu Omuta Line from Nishitetsu Fukuoka (Tenjin) Station. (70 minutes by local train)
Yanagawa is 58km south on the Nishitetsu Omuta Line from Nishitetsu Fukuoka (Tenjin) Station. (46 minutes by express train)
More Information
Flight information for JAL and ANA can be found at www.jal.co.jp and www.ana.co.jp
Train times and fares can be found at hyperdia.com
Sumo information can be found at www.sumo.or.jp
View all Fukuoka images at Alamy.com
