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chazumaru

788th Post

Red Carpet Regular Member+

"The Fukuoka Experience" , posted Wed 18 May 22:24

I am thinking of going to Fukuoka in September. Nothing concrete yet, but it is a part of Japan I do not know at all and now that it is five hours away from Tokyo by Nozomi Express, it's not so far from Makuhari anymore. My original plan was to return to Sapporo the week before TGS but then 2011 decided to destroy both Hudson and the part of Japan located between Kanto and Hokkaido, so let's go for plan B.

So, is this a good idea? I want to visit with a friend and enjoy
1. great food
2. cool places
3. nice people
4. culture (good music or arts)
5. travelling through the city by bicycle

Does Fukuoka in September fit the bill? I guess the weather will still be super fine and I already know my dates would fall around Asian Month, which seems to have a lot of activities and FOOD to offer. I remember someone telling me that Fukuoka was a pretty active scene in terms of music.

However, I am not sure at all that Fukuoka is the best place to visit in 九州. I am worried of being trapped in a Nagoya-like city. Should I rather travel around the island and visit other places? Please keep in mind I have no driving license, which is why a town directly connected by Shinkansen is so attractive to me and why I gave up on places such as the Setonaikai or Okinawa.

Any tips or good contact is welcomed!

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Replies:

Professor

3046th Post

MMCafe Owner

"Re(1):The Fukuoka Experience" , posted Thu 19 May 01:10

Fukuoka is an interesting Pick! But what do you mean by Nagoya-like city?

From what my friend in Kyushu tells me, you shouldn't have any problems around Fukuoka without a car-- in fact, it's more of a hassle when you have one. I'm not sure how much culture there is in the city; it might be good to go around Kyushu for a more diverse experience.

Maou

2194th Post

Platinum Carpet V.I.P- Board Master

"Re(2):The Fukuoka Experience" , posted Thu 19 May 03:21

That said, I've yet to meet a single person who's from or who has lived in Fukuoka who hasn't loved it. Like, they're all really into it. Not everyone (foreign or local) has ever bothered to go to Kyushu, so I think since it's not quite as mainline as Tokyo or Osaka, it's possible to be a "fan" of the city more actively in ways that would be silly for the megalopolis.

More substantially, I would be happy to just eat good tonkotsu raamen there all day, and people do dig their noodles. People-wise all the Fukuokans I've met have been pretty swell! But for more adventure, might as well pop over to Kagoshima and do the Bakumatsu-Saigou Takamori thing, too.

人間はいつも私を驚かせてくれる。不思議なものだな、人間という存在は．．．

Professor

3048th Post

MMCafe Owner

"Re(3):The Fukuoka Experience" , posted Thu 19 May 21:49

This might be just the thing!

chazumaru

790th Post

Red Carpet Regular Member+

"Re(3):The Fukuoka Experience" , posted Thu 19 May 22:24

Interesting feedback, thanks. If your Fukuoka friends have any specific suggestions, it would be very kind of them to share those.

What I meant by "Nagoya-like", and I hope I won't offend anyone here, is that I always saw Nagoya as a convenient but soul-less and extremely boring city, stuck between Kinki (my favorite part of Japan) and the always entertaining Tokyo area. My old man lived there for a while and was bored to hell compared to his previous life in Kyoto and his following years in Tokyo; this might have influenced my view as well.

So I was worried that Fukuoka could be in the same situation: a very convenient city for the island, but not an interesting place to visit compared to Kagoshima and Oita.

無限早見は無限早見は無限早見は無限早見は無限早見は無限早見は無限早見は無限早見は無限早見は無限早見は

Zepy

1564th Post

Red Carpet V.I.P- Platinum Member

"Re(4):The Fukuoka Experience" , posted Fri 20 May 01:35

Interesting facts about Fukuoka

Professor

3050th Post

MMCafe Owner

"Re(4):The Fukuoka Experience" , posted Fri 20 May 01:37:

Humm... as far as I know, Fukuoka is pretty much the place that local Kyushu residents go when they want to enjoy the city life, shopping, and events at Fukuoka Dome. I'm not sure if it's comparable to Nagoya, but my comrade's response to this was "We don't season everything with Miso like them".

However, Tonkotsu ramen was the first response before that when I asked if there's any regional dishes there, so that makes me wonder if Fukuoka has unique experiences to offer. I think it's hard for locals to say whether their town is exciting or not, everything is normal to them when it's a part of daily life. So at the end of the day, it usually tends to be better to check a tourist guide. Nokonoshima looks interesting!

From what I generally gather, Fukuoka has a relaxed atmosphere. I remember Level 5's Hino saying that the enviorment allows their creativity.

There are beautiful exceptions though, of course.

[this message was edited by Professor on Fri 20 May 01:46]

sfried

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Red Carpet Regular Member

"Re(5):The Fukuoka Experience" , posted Fri 20 May 03:15

I've always wanted to visit Nakama. I hear it's not too remote but still more relaxed than the big cities.

Professor

3060th Post

MMCafe Owner

"Re(6):The Fukuoka Experience" , posted Fri 27 May 22:35

If you do end up in Fukuoka, and you're up for some wacky B-rank gourment, this might be an interesting experience.

http://rocketnews24.com/?p=46407

Location

chazumaru

796th Post

Red Carpet Regular Member+

"Re(7):The Fukuoka Experience" , posted Sat 28 May 01:12

Thanks! The "no kansaiben" part is dangerous for me... The place sounds a bit like the Soup Nazi in New York. I went there the last time I visited New York and actually planned to come back there in a couple of weeks, because it was pretty good, but I am now reading that it closed in 2005! Damn.

It is looking more and more likely that I'll be in the region in early September. A friend and I went through the different possibilities to get there from either Paris or London.

無限早見は無限早見は無限早見は無限早見は無限早見は無限早見は無限早見は無限早見は無限早見は無限早見は

chazumaru

821th Post

Red Carpet Regular Member+

"Re(8):The Fukuoka Experience" , posted Sat 27 Aug 01:42

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I just booked my travel to TGS and following holiday. A friend is coming down with me.
We will probably leave Tokyo for Fukuoka on either the Sunday (18th) or Monday (19th).
We are not sure how long we stay until we head back to Kinki. Probably around five days.

Our current plan is to keep a cheap base in Fukuoka and visit other places in the island. Eventually we could even miss one day of hotel in Fukuoka; the main point is to have somewhere to drop all our stuff and avoid carrying the crap we bought everywhere. As always, i welcome any suggestion on the area / whole island. Prof, we might try the place you mentioned but there is too much kansaiben in my crappy Japanese so I am a bit scared that I might never get to try the ramen...

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