Fukuoka travel info

When the sun goes down, the yatai stalls light up one by one along the river at Nakasu. Lift the plastic flap and you're shoulder to shoulder with strangers on a single long bench, slurping tonkotsu ramen while the owner flips skewers and asks where you're from. Nakasu's neon smears across the water, and the office worker next to you offering to buy you a beer isn't unusual here.

Fukuoka is just the right size. Hakata Station and Tenjin are five minutes apart by subway, with Nakasu, Canal City and the temple lanes of Gion all walkable in between. Spend a morning circling the lake in Ohori Park, then head to the Momochi seafront and ride up Fukuoka Tower for sunset. With a spare day you can eat plum-filled rice cakes at Dazaifu Tenmangu or take the bus to the hot springs of Yufuin.

And the airport is practically in town. From the domestic terminal the subway reaches Hakata Station in two stops, and direct flights from across Asia make it an easy first stop in Japan. Signs in several languages are everywhere.

Fukuoka Airport (FUK)