In 2024, we kicked off the year with a family trip to Fukuoka, Japan. The group consisted of 12 people including some elderly family members. This was our first time traveling abroad with such a big group. Since we had limited time and some elderly people with us, we didn’t have a tight itinerary and spent most of our time in the shopping malls near Hakata Station.
Pre-Arrival Preparations
We made sure to create an account with Visit Japan Web and fill in all the necessary information such as travel document details, hotel information, planned entry and return date, and the number of family members accompanying us before we arrived in Japan. I appreciated the option to add accompanying family members to the same account, rather than creating multiple accounts. We saved the QR codes generated during the process, which will be used for immigration and customs.
Because we will be traveling with our grandmother, we decided to rent a wheelchair from a local rental company in Japan. If you also need to rent a wheelchair or transport service for your elder family members, I wrote a separate post about it here.
4D3N Fukuoka Itinerary
Our short visit to Fukuoka was mainly for shopping and dining. Hence, most of our itinerary involves exploring nearby malls around Hakata station.
| Day 1 | Arrival AMU Plaza Hakata |
| Day 2 | Ohori Park Lunch at Tenjin Solaria Plaza Tenjin Underground Shopping Street Dinner at KITTE Hakata Peanuts Cafe |
| Day 3 | Yodobashi Hakata Lunch at KITTE Hakata Hankyu Department Store Kawabata Shopping Arcade Kushida Shrine Canal City Hakata |
| Day 4 | Hakata Station Souvenir Shops Departure |
Day 1: Arrival in Fukuoka
We did not plan anything special on our first day since our arrival in Fukuoka was already late afternoon. So we just checked in to the hotel and went to the shopping mall nearby.
Our accommodation – Hotel Forza Hakata
We stayed at Hotel Forza Hakata for 3 nights. We booked a triple room, which is located in the annex building of the hotel. Other family members who booked a room for two, stayed at the main building of the hotel. Our room has a split bathroom design, where the toilet and shower area are separated. The toilet is in a small confined space, so for people with claustrophobia, it might be a good idea to request a room with a normal bathroom setup. We noticed that rooms in the annex buildings look newer than the rooms in the main building.
The location of the hotel is very convenient, it is located just beside Hakata Station. The breakfast buffet is included in our booking. The restaurant is small so it can be crowded during peak hours. The restaurant has horigotatsu tables and regular tables. Guests can choose where they want to have their meal. Note that guests who choose to have their breakfast at the horigotatsu table need to remove their shoes.
AMU Plaza Hakata
After checking in, we headed to Amu Plaza Hakata. This 10-floor shopping mall has its restaurants located on the 9th and 10th floors. For Disney enthusiasts, there’s a Disney store on the 5th floor, while Pokemon fans can head to the Pokemon Center on the 8th floor. Both stores offer a variety of adorable and useful merchandise, making it a perfect place to shop for gifts for friends who love Disney and Pokemon.
In addition to character goods, we also stopped by Tokyu Hands, which occupied 5 floors of the shopping mall. We spent only an hour and a half in the mall before having dinner on the 9th floor. We called it a day after dinner as everyone was tired from a long day.
Day 2: Ohori Park, Tenjin, KITTE Hakata, Peanuts Cafe
On our second day, we visited Ohori Park in the morning. Afterward, we had lunch in the Tenjin area and visited the underground shopping street before heading back to Hakata.
Ohori Park
The Ohori Park is only about a 10-minute train ride away from Hakata station via the Airport Line. There is a big pond in the center of the park. The park comprises three small islands – Willow Island, Pine Island, and Sweet Flag Island.
Inside the park, you can find a Japanese Garden and an art museum too. If you are interested in art, the Fukuoka Art Museum is situated on the south side of the park and is one of the largest art museums in Western Japan. It features modern and ancient works of famous artists such as DalÃ, Miró, and Chagall.
There is not much flowers to see during winter, but the park felt very peaceful and relaxing. The time felt slow when we were inside the park, while strolling, we saw a lot of different species of ducks and birds. It was fun watching the ducks swimming and catching fish in the pond.
Overall, Ohori Park is a great place to visit when you are in Fukuoka. We had a wonderful time strolling in the park.
Part of our plan was to visit the Fukuoka Castle Ruins after Ohori Park. Unfortunately, the road to Fukuoka Castle Ruins was closed. Because the rain started pouring, we did not find an alternative route to Fukuoka Castle Ruins and left the park to go to Tenjin where we planned to have our lunch.
Lunch at Tenjin Solaria Plaza
We had lunch at Hachi Hachi restaurant located in Solaria Plaza. It is a Yakiniku restaurant with lunch sets and ala carte options. We ordered 2 lunch sets and ordered some ala carte chicken and pork. Their staff are friendly and understands English, which made ordering a lot easier.
Tenjin Underground Shopping Street
After our delicious lunch, we decided to go check out the Tenjin underground shopping street. The Tenjin underground shopping street boasts over 150 shops selling a range of products including clothing, food, books, bags, and more. It is conveniently linked to both Tenjin and Tenjin-Minami subway stations.
The shopping area is beautifully adorned with European-style walls, floors, and ceilings. During our visit, we stopped at a shop and purchased some soybean buns which tasted great and reminded us of the mochi breads in Hong Kong.
Dinner at KITTE Hakata
For dinner, we went to another shopping mall, KITTE Hakata. We did not make any reservations, so we went early to avoid the peak hours. We ordered a simple set meal and were surprised that the serving was quite big.
Peanuts Cafe
The reason why we had a simple dinner was because we wanted to have desserts at Peanuts Cafe. The cafe is a pop-up store which is until April 2024 only. Beside the cafe, there is a small gift shop where you can find all sorts of Snoopy merchandise.
Day 3: Yodobashi Hakata, KITTE Hakata, Hankyu Department Store, Kawabata Shopping Arcade, Kushida Shrine, Canal City Hakata
Yodobashi Hakata
During our third day of the trip, we spent most of the morning exploring Yodobashi Hakata. This shopping center offers a wide range of products, including mobile devices, games, figurines, cameras, home appliances, cosmetics, and sportswear. The four floors of Yodabashi Hakata are divided into different categories, so you can find what you need easily. If you spend over 5000 yen, you can apply for a tax refund.
| Basement | You’ll find computer-related things in the basement such as keyboards, computer mouse, monitors, software, toys, and comics. |
| 1st Floor | On the first floor, there are watches, bicycles, mobile phones, fitness equipment, bags and luggage, cameras, etc. |
| 2nd Floor | On the 2nd floor, there are home appliances, audio-visual equipment, and portable audio components such as earphones, mixers, CD players, etc. |
| 3rd Floor | On the 3rd floor of Yodobashi, there are camping gear and equipment, sportswear such as shoes, down jackets, backpacks, etc. |
Lunch at 9/F KITTE Hakata
We lost track of time in Yodobashi. We decided to head to KITTE Hakata and try the Okinawan cuisine. There is only a limited choice for lunch and the English menu on the tablet was not translated properly. It was a bit difficult to place an order.
Hankyu Department Store
After lunch, we decided to head back to the hotel for a short break. On our way back to the hotel, we passed by the underground level of the Hankyu department store, which is filled with food stalls and souvenir shops. We stopped by this ice cream shop to enjoy some milk-flavored ice cream. Then, we returned to the hotel to take a short break and drop off our shopping bags.
Kawabata Shopping Arcade
After taking a refreshing short break, we decided to explore the city on foot and embarked on a walking tour. Our first stop was at the Kawabata Shopping Arcade, which is a delightful 400-meter-long shopping street with more than 100 stores. As we walked along the arcade, we were enchanted by the vibrant local vibes and the unique items on display. Unlike the more commercialized Tenjin and Hakata shopping areas, Kawabata has more of a local feel and offers a variety of local items such as traditional Japanese sweets, handmade crafts, and uniquely designed clothing. We took our time exploring the arcade and found the perfect souvenirs to take back home.
Canal City Hakata
Finally, we ended the walking tour at Canal City Hakata. It is a shopping mall in Fukuoka with a unique design. It has a fountain show every night that is free of charge.
The greatest thing about going to Japan in the first week of the year is you can purchase fukubukuro. Fukubukuro means “luck bag” (Fuku means ‘luck’ and bukuro means ‘bag’). There are a lot of retail shops that participate in this kind of sale. If you are lucky, the contents of the fukubukuro can contain products that are worth double the price that you paid, hence it sold out pretty fast and is pretty popular among tourists and locals.
Day 4: Hakata Station & Departure
Hakata Station Souvenir Shops
Besides being a major railway station, Hakata station is connected to several shopping malls and has a lot of souvenir shops inside the station. Hence, we went back to Hakata Station to do last-minute souvenir shopping before leaving for the airport.
Other Recommendations in Fukuoka
It is clear from our itinerary that our trip to Fukuoka was mainly focused on shopping. However, Fukuoka is a fascinating city with plenty of other attractions to explore. If you’re planning a trip to Fukuoka, be sure to consider visiting places like Nokonoshima Island and Yufuin.
Nokonoshima Island
To reach this island, you have to take a ferry from the Noko Tosenba ferry terminal. The island park has flowers in all seasons. There are restaurants and gift shops, too. We visited the park island in May 2019. The park is filled with fully bloomed yellow and orange Marigolds.
Yufuin
Another place of interest is Yufuin. Yufuin is famous for its hot springs and charming environment. You can take the sightseeing train Yufuin no Mori which takes about a 2-hour ride from Hakata Station, making it a perfect day trip destination from Fukuoka.
Some of the popular things to do in Yufuin are to check out the beautiful Lake Kinrin, shop at the charming Yufuin Floral Village, and enjoy local food and shops at Yunotsubo Street. In addition, there is a Snoopy tea house and a Studio Ghibli shop too!
