Fukuoka Facts

Fukuoka is just the right size. It is big enough to offer everything that most people need, from abundant shopping, restaurants, businesses, transportation and accommodation to an exciting array of entertainment activities, but small enough to be manageable. This manageable size provides for easy navigation and easy explanation of the city's layout. The city is essentially divided into seven wards called ku: Nishi, Sawara, Jonan, Chuo, Hakata, Minami and Higashi.

Chuo-ku

North of Jonan-ku and east of Sawara-ku is Chuo-ku, meaning "central ward." This, for most people, is Fukuoka proper. The majority of visitors will spend the bulk of their time in this ward, and most Fukuoka residents will pour...

...is Kyushu's largest city and serves as a major international and domestic gateway to the island. On the northern coast of Kyushu, it lies closer to Seoul, Korea, than to Tokyo.

During Japan's feudal days, Fukuoka was divided into two distinct towns separated by the Nakagawa River. Fukuoka was where the samurai lived since it was the castle town of the local feudal lord. Merchants lived across the river in Hakata, the commercial center of the area. Both cities were joined in 1889 under the common name of Fukuoka. Fukuoka's main train station, however, is in Hakata and is therefore called Hakata Station. Hakata Station serves as the terminus of the Tokaido-Sanyo Shinkansen Line from Tokyo (though...