Fukuoka 4-Day Itinerary (3 Nights)

Fukuoka Mosque

Temples & religious sites

Fukuoka Mosque (formally the Fukuoka Masjid Al-Noor Islamic Cultural Center) is a mosque in Hakozaki, Higashi Ward, Fukuoka City. It opened in April 2009 and is known as the first mosque in the Kyushu region.

Hakozaki Shrine

Temples & religious sites · 0.7 km from the previous stop

Hakozaki Shrine is a Shinto shrine in Fukuoka, counted among the Hachiman shrines found across Japan. It is less a flashy tourist attraction than a place locals visit to worship, and its worth lies in the calm atmosphere you can feel while walking the grounds. It makes for a quiet stop to break up a day of sightseeing in the city.

Sōfuku-ji Temple

Temples & religious sites · 1.3 km from the previous stop

Sōfuku-ji is a Rinzai Zen temple located in Hakata Ward, Fukuoka. Its formal mountain name is Yokotake-san; the temple was founded in Dazaifu in 1240 by the monk Tan'e, and later moved to its current location in 1600 after becoming the family temple of the Kuroda clan.

Shōfuku-ji Temple

Temples & religious sites · 0.9 km from the previous stop

Shōfuku-ji is a temple of the Myōshin-ji school of Rinzai Zen Buddhism located in Kosho-machi, Hakata, and is known as Japan's oldest Zen temple. It was founded by Eisai with the patronage of Minamoto no Yoritomo, founder of the Kamakura shogunate, and a plaque said to be written by Yoritomo himself hangs at the temple's mountain gate.

Hakata Bay

Nature

Hakata Bay lies northwest of Fukuoka City on Kyushu, facing the Tsushima Strait. With beaches and a port close to downtown, it offers easy access to the sea from the city center, and much of its shoreline has been reclaimed over the course of urban expansion, so port facilities and parks now sit side by side along the coast.

Marine World Uminonakamichi

Zoos & aquariums · 3.3 km from the previous stop

Marine World Uminonakamichi is a public aquarium on the Uminonakamichi Peninsula in Fukuoka's Higashi Ward, facing Hakata Bay. A member facility of the Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums (JAZA) and recognized by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology as museum-equivalent, it features exhibits recreating the habitats of various marine life, including species found off the coast of Kyushu.

Hakata Port Tower

Views & landmarks · 7 km from the previous stop

Hakata Port Tower is a lattice steel tower built in 1964 near Hakata Port in Fukuoka's Hakata ward. It stands 103 meters tall overall, with an observation deck at 73.5 meters.

Fukuoka Prefectural Museum of Art

Museums & galleries · 0.8 km from the previous stop

This museum opened in 1985 on the former site of the Fukuoka Prefectural Culture Hall (opened 1964), which had combined a museum and library. Its collection centers on works by artists from Fukuoka Prefecture and the wider Kyushu region, including pieces by surrealist painter Harue Koga. It suits travelers who'd rather explore regional art at a quiet pace than visit a large-scale museum.

Fukuoka Art Museum

Museums & galleries

The Fukuoka Art Museum holds both Western and Asian art, with rotating special exhibitions alongside its permanent collection. It has previously hosted major shows such as one on Chagall, and these exhibitions spotlighting particular artists or themes are often the main reason to visit. The museum sits inside Ohori Park, making it easy to combine with a stroll through the park.

Fukuoka Castle

Castles & palaces · 0.3 km from the previous stop

Fukuoka Castle is a Japanese castle built in the early Edo period by the tozama daimyo Kuroda Nagamasa, also known as Maizuru Castle or Seki Castle. Most of the original structures are gone today, but the walls, stone ramparts, moat, and turret ruins remain, giving visitors a sense of the castle's original scale.

Ōhori Park

Parks & gardens · 0.6 km from the previous stop

Ohori Park is an urban park in Fukuoka's Chuo Ward, notable for the walking paths that circle its large central pond. Since the park was built around what was once the outer moat of Fukuoka Castle, the water and the old castle terrain blend together naturally, and it is also designated a Place of Scenic Beauty by the Japanese government.

Our Lady of Victory Cathedral, Fukuoka

Temples & religious sites · 1.8 km from the previous stop

Our Lady of Victory Cathedral (Daimyomachi Church) is a Catholic cathedral in Fukuoka's Daimyo district, dedicated to Our Lady of Victory. Rather than a major tourist attraction, it's a quiet religious building worth a brief stop while walking around Daimyo and Tenjin, offering a calm, cathedral-like atmosphere in the middle of the city.

Sumiyoshi Shrine

Temples & religious sites

Sumiyoshi Shrine, located in the Sumiyoshi area of Hakata Ward, Fukuoka, was the ichinomiya (highest-ranked shrine) of the former Chikuzen Province. Along with Sumiyoshi Taisha in Osaka and the Sumiyoshi Shrine in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi, it is counted among Japan's three great Sumiyoshi shrines. Its annual grand festival takes place on October 13.

Kushida Shrine

Temples & religious sites · 0.9 km from the previous stop

Kushida Shrine, in Fukuoka's Hakata Ward, enshrines Amaterasu and Susanoo. Said to have been founded in 757, it is the central venue for the Hakata Gion Yamakasa, Hakata's signature summer festival. A large, elaborately decorated yamakasa float used in the festival is permanently displayed on the grounds, so visitors can see its scale and craftsmanship even outside festival season.

Tōchō-ji Temple

Temples & religious sites · 0.4 km from the previous stop

Tōchō-ji is a Shingon Buddhist temple in the Hakata district of Fukuoka. It is said to have been founded in 806 by Kūkai and is considered the oldest surviving Shingon temple in Kyushu. Rather than a flashy tourist attraction, think of it as a place to quietly take in the atmosphere of an old Buddhist temple in the heart of the Hakata streets.

Nakasu

Shopping & districts · 0.7 km from the previous stop

Nakasu is a long, narrow island between the Naka and Hakata rivers running through Fukuoka, and it's the city's largest nightlife district, lit up at night by bars and street food stalls (yatai) lining the riverbanks. By day it feels like an ordinary commercial area, but once the sun sets, neon signs flick on down every alley and crowds gather along the riverside food stalls, transforming the whole atmosphere.