The more you know, the more fascinating it becomes! A list of things to do in Fukuoka Prefecture from travel enthusiasts

So this time, we asked JALPAK Kyushu area representatives, hot spring sommelier writers, and hotel producers about what they would like to do on a trip to Fukuoka. Discover new attractions in Fukuoka Prefecture with the perspectives of experienced travelers.

JALPAK Kyushu Area To-Do List for Three People

Fukuoka prefecture is full of delicious food, beautiful nature, and compact cities that are easy to get around in. First, three JALPAK Kyushu area staff who know Fukuoka inside and out will introduce you to some fun things to do on a short trip within the prefecture.

JALPAK Co., Ltd. Domestic Purchasing and Sales Department Kyushu Purchasing Center
SA-san
18 years of experience working at a travel agency (responsible for operations, planning, purchasing, etc.)

I'm originally from Fukuoka Prefecture, and this is my first time living in Fukuoka in over a decade. Having left the prefecture once, I've once again come to appreciate the city's charms. Fukuoka City is compact and easy to get around, and just the right amount of urban. You can also enjoy the rich natural scenery if you drive about an hour away!

Autumn is the season! Experience an oyster hut in Itoshima

SA-san

In late October, the oyster hut season arrives in Itoshima! You can get there by train without worrying about driving at Fukuyoshi Fishing Port. It takes about 60 minutes from Hakata or Tenjin to Fukuyoshi Station on the JR Chikuhi Line. It is about a 10-minute walk from the station.

There are four oyster huts in the Fukuyoshi area, and you can bring your own rice, vegetables, drinks, seasonings, etc. In a friendly and relaxed atmosphere, you can enjoy the deliciousness of grilling freshly caught oysters yourself. You can also enjoy other seafood dishes such as scallops, squid, turban shells, abalone, and kuruma shrimp.

In Itoshima City, you can eat oysters grown in the nutritious and clean Genkai Sea. From autumn to early spring, a total of about 30 oyster huts open in six districts of the city. Fukuyoshi oysters are cultivated in the open sea, more so than other areas, so they are firm when rubbed by the waves, and are characterized by a moderate saltiness and firm texture. Food and drinks that you bring with you can be purchased at convenience stores and fishery cooperative stores along the way.

Oyster huts in Itoshima (Fukuyoshi Fishing Port)

JALPAK Co., Ltd. Domestic Purchasing and Sales Department Kyushu Purchasing Center
YH
4 years experience working at a travel agency (in charge of call center, purchasing, etc.)

I've been in Fukuoka for about two years. I love traveling, eating, and drinking! Before COVID, I often went on weekend trips and drives, including to the spots I introduced this time. My recent hobbies are golfing and drinking alone at home.

Stroll through the historical streets of Akizuki Castle Town

YH

The entire town is designated as an Important Preservation District for Traditional Buildings by the national government, and is known as a famous spot for viewing cherry blossoms and autumn leaves. A short walk through the historic streets will make you feel like you've traveled back in time.

As a fan of Japanese history, I highly recommend the samurai residence "Kuno Residence." This is the residence of a high-ranking samurai who served Kuroda Nagaoki, the first lord of the Akizuki clan, and has a beautiful garden where you can relax and enjoy time. If you get tired of walking, I recommend eating Akizuki's specialty kuzukiri at "Hirokukuzu Honpo"! It is a long-established store with 200 years of history, founded in the Edo period.

Akizuki Castle Town is beautiful not only in the tourist seasons of spring and autumn, but also in the seasons before the new greenery and cherry blossoms. On weekends and holidays from February to early March, the "Koto Akizuki Hina Meguri" is held, where about 600 Hina dolls are lined up on the stone steps in front of the Nagayamon gate of the Akizuki Castle ruins. There are also facilities in the castle town where you can experience dressing in kimono, papermaking, dyeing, pottery, and more. Learning about history at the "Asakura City Akizuki Museum" before exploring will add to the enjoyment of your trip.

Akizuki Castle Town

JALPAK Co., Ltd. Domestic Purchasing and Sales Department Kyushu Purchasing Center
OH-san
23 years of experience working at a travel agency (15 years in international travel / 8 years in domestic travel)

I have been in Fukuoka for two years and three months. My family of three is completely immersed in the delicious food, abundant nature, and other attractions of Fukuoka Prefecture. There are still so many places I want to go and things I want to do, so I want to stay in Fukuoka for as long as possible.

Enjoy the cuisine of the Chikugo region on the tourist train "THE RAIL KITCHEN CHIKUGO"

OH-san

There are tourist trains all over the country that allow you to spend a luxurious time on the train, but in Fukuoka, we recommend "THE RAIL KITCHEN CHIKUGO," which connects Nishitetsu Fukuoka (Tenjin) Station and Omuta Station. You can enjoy delicious food made with fresh ingredients from along the line while looking out at the scenery of the Chikugo region from a red and white checked carriage that stands out against the rural landscape.

We recommend the dinner course that departs from Omuta Station after 6 p.m. Why not spend a luxurious day sightseeing in Yanagawa and Omuta during the day and then board this train?

This tourist train began operating in March 2019, connecting Nishitetsu Fukuoka (Tenjin) Station and Omuta Station. You can spend time in a relaxing space incorporating local specialties from the area, such as Yame bamboo and Jojima tiles. For lunch and dinner, the main dish is pizza made with seasonal vegetables baked in the train's special oven, with an original course that changes with the seasons. Reservations must be made online to board the train.

THE RAIL KITCHEN CHIKUGO

A hot spring sommelier writer's bucket list

Miki Ando

She has been a travel writer for 10 years and is also a certified hot spring sommelier master. She also obtained a health bathing instructor qualification in order to further perfect her bathing techniques. Now that it's difficult to go to hot springs due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she is enjoying the hot spring experience at home by researching bath additives and bathing techniques.
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Miki Ando, a hot spring and travel expert with a long career as a travel writer, has stayed at 130 hot spring inns and written more than 750 articles in total. She told us about the skin-beautifying hot springs that are known only to those in the know, and what she wants to do at unique good luck spots.

Improve your skin in the unique double skin-beautifying baths of Haratsuru Onsen

Haratsuru Onsen is not well known, even though it is easily accessible, just an hour's drive from Fukuoka City. The thick, smooth water contains two skin-beautifying ingredients: a weak alkaline simple spring that removes dead skin cells, and a sulfur spring that helps excrete melanin, leaving your skin glowing after a bath.

The simple, Showa-era retro atmosphere of the town is wonderful. You can relax and enjoy the exquisite hot springs. The Chikugo River that runs through the hot springs offers other fun activities besides the hot springs, such as water activities.

Haratsuru Onsen boasts one of the largest hot spring water volumes in Fukuoka Prefecture. There are 11 accommodation facilities, and day-trip bathing is available at 12 facilities, including the accommodation facilities. There are many hot springs, and the subtle differences between each source are also appealing. You can enjoy it according to your travel schedule, style, and preferences. The famous cormorant fishing is currently suspended due to the heavy rains of 2017, but new ways to enjoy it such as SUP, kayaking, and water cycle are also popular.

Haratsuru Hot Springs

Visit two "Frog Temples" and get a powerful amulet

The grounds of Nyoirinji Temple (also known as the "Frog Temple") in Ogori City are filled with frogs! You will be greeted by a variety of frog ornaments and objects of various sizes. There is a legend that says that if you meet a frog, "good things will come to you" or "happiness will return," and that it is an auspicious creature that brings happiness.

Located about 30-40 minutes by car from Nyoirinji Temple is Shohoji Temple (commonly known as "Kogaeru Temple"), where the son of the head priest of Kaeru Temple serves as the head priest. Nyoirinji Temple has an "enmamori" (en-mamori) with the belly part of a parent frog turned into a pocket, while Shohoji Temple has a "manmamori" (man-mamori) with a kogaeru (frog-mamori) inside it. If parent and child complete one "enmanmamori" (en-mamori), you may find that your happiness will be doubled!

There are about 8,000 frogs at Nyoirinji Temple and about 2,000 at Shohoji Temple, welcoming visitors and making us feel warm and fuzzy. The idea behind this was to create a place where anyone could put their hands together and feel at peace, starting with the friendly frogs. Be sure to take a look around the two temples.

Nyorinji Temple (Frog Temple)

Shohoji Temple (Kogaeru Temple)

Hotel Producer's Bucket List

Miho Kobayashi

Hotel planner and regional producer. I work on planning luxury and concept hotels, producing urban development and tourism, and as a writer. I love hotels, traveling, and coffee shops.
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Miho Kobayashi, who is currently working on the theme of "discovering the unique value of a place, polishing it, and conveying it as a story," talked about what she wants to do in places where she can experience history and drama, and feel romance and excitement.

Discover exciting fireworks and stories at Tsutsui Tokimasa Toy Fireworks Factory

Behind this beautiful culture lies the handiwork that supports it. You can experience the spirit of these craftsmen at Tsutsui Tokimasa Toy Fireworks Factory in Miyama City, which borders Kumamoto Prefecture in the southern part of Fukuoka Prefecture. It is one of only three companies in Japan that manufactures sparklers, and offers a selection of carefully crafted handmade fireworks made from natural materials.

At the factory, you can experience making sparklers, and you can also buy colorful hand-held fireworks individually. It's like making a bouquet of flowers. In 2020, "Kawa no Ie," an inn where you can enjoy fireworks, will open in Yame City. It's also a place you'll want to visit.

Founded in 1929, Tsutsui Tokimasa Toy Fireworks Factory is currently run by the third generation couple, Tsutsui Ryota and Kyoko. In order to preserve the culture of fireworks, which is difficult to revive once it has disappeared, they are passionate about every aspect of it, from growing rice to procure the raw materials, to creating beautiful packaging that catches the eye of many people, selling individual fireworks so that you can buy the one you like, and running a lodging where you can enjoy fireworks to your heart's content.

Tsutsui Tokimasa Toy Fireworks Factory

We asked people who love traveling to suggest new destinations where you can experience the charms of Fukuoka Prefecture. Whether you have already been to Fukuoka Prefecture or not, why not use this "To Do List" as a reference when planning your next trip? You are sure to discover a new Fukuoka trip.

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ontrip.jal.co.jp

*Some content was updated on February 25, 2023.