Fukuoka has a diverse range of outdoor activities, many of which are geared towards the young at heart. Venues like Space World, Wonder Park and BigAir are all popular entertainment sites on a rainy day. You can also catch a Japanese baseball game from March through September featuring the local Hawks team. Beaches are located just minutes from the city, and Mount Aso is a beautiful volcano you can climb in the heart of the island.

Baseball
There’s no denying the Japanese love the game of baseball, and watching a live game is a lot of fun in this country. The Fukuoka Softbank Hawks are the local team, and play their home games from March through September at the Fukuoka Dome, the first retractable roof stadium built in Japan. Tickets are very reasonable and the spectators as entertaining as the baseball.

Beaches
There are several decent beaches around Fukuoka even though the city isn’t known as a beach destination. Most of them are easily accessible by train from the city and make a nice break from the urban scene. Mitoma, Niginohama, Futamigaura, and Imuta are all close and popular. They even have a small surfing scene.

Canal City Hakata
This city-within-a-city is an amazing place where hotels, restaurants, shops and entertainment centres are interconnected by a lovely 177m-long canal that winds through its heart. There are 13 cinemas here, along with a Club Sega amusement video arcade for the youngsters. 
Phone: +81 92 282 2525

Mount Aso
This slightly active volcano in the centre of Kyushu Island is the world’s largest caldera, spanning 24km from north to south. The landscape is truly beautiful, with lush green hills mixed with a couple of smoking cinder cones. There are several villages right inside the crater, and the hiking around the area is superb.

Snowboarding
Escape the heat of summer by stepping into BigAir, a year-round artificial snowboard park right in the heart of Fukuoka. Snow is generated every day without any chemicals. There is always at least 50cms of base on the ground, which contains a 60m slope, jumps and a quarter-pipe. Rentals are available. 
Phone: +81 92 263 5755

Space World
In the neighbouring town of Kitakyushu is this popular amusement park with a distinctive space travel theme. Numerous thrill rides such as roller coasters and water rides balance a range of kiddie rides. There’s an Imax theatre, virtual Space Dome for a trip to the Space Station and an interactive movie theatre. 
Phone: +81 93 672 3600; www.spaceworld.co.jp/english

Wonder Park
This popular gaming centre is ideal for both adults and kids on a rainy day. There are batting cages, bowling lanes, billiard tables, and naturally, karaoke rooms. There is also a huge video game room filled the latest Japanese games. 
Phone: +81 92 833 8282

Fukuoka may not be as endowed with cultural icons as Kyoto, but there are certainly enough ancient temples and informative museums to provide visitors with a good sense of the heritage of this region. From the festive village of Dazaifu to the Kawabata-Dori shopping arcade, there is a range of the old and the new in and around Fukuoka that is sure to keep you entertained during your stay.

Dazaifu
One of the best daytrips you can do from Fukuoka is a trip to the wonderfully authentic village of Dazaifu. It’s very popular with the Japanese for its special shrine, as well as the newly-opened Kyushu National Museum. The atmosphere in Dazaifu seems to be festive all year round, making it a fun place to visit even if nothing special is happening.

Fukuoka Asian Art Museum
This fascinating museum is one of the only institutions in Japan completely dedicated to modern and contemporary artwork from around Asia. Everything from folk art to pop art is displayed here, and it’s all cutting edge stuff. Works from every Asian country are represented in the permanent collection, and the temporary exhibits are always provocative and original. Art fans won’t want to miss this place. 
Phone: +81 92 263 1100

Hakata Machiya Folk Museum
Celebrating the history of the ancient merchant town of Hakata, which thrived during the Meiji and Taisho eras, this museum offers an excellent look at the everyday life within these societies. The folk museum occupies three buildings, one of which is an authentic 150 year-old weaver’s home. In addition to the exhibits, visitors can watch real artisans at work on Hakata’s famous crafts of dollmaking, Hakata-ori cloth and wooden containers. 
Phone: +81 92 281 7761

Kawabata-Dori
This popular shopping arcade presents a fantastic look at what the residents of Fukuoka do in their free time. In olden days, this was the city’s central shopping street, as it links Canal City Hakata with Hakata Riverain. There is plenty to do here besides shopping. The Riverain is home to the Asian Art Museum, and the people-watching here is top-notch.

Kyushu National Museum
One of Japan’s newest museums is the first national museum to be opened in Japan in over a century. The architecture is strikingly modern, blending in perfectly with the hills on which it is perched. Exhibits focus on the rich cultural heritage of Japan, and how other Asian cultures have influenced this nation over the centuries. An interesting collection of relics show the cultural exchange between Japan and its neighbours in past times. 

Shofukuji Temple
There’s a special role that this Zen temple plays in the annals of Japanese history. It was the very first Zen temple to be built in Japan, founded by the father of the Japanese Zen movement, Eisai, in 1195. It still stands in all its glory today, along with two other ancient temples within the compound: Tochoji and Jotenji. Shofukuji is an excellent introduction to the realm of Japanese temples. 
Phone: +81 92 291 0775

Fukuoka is the largest city on Kyushu Island, and it’s well known throughout the region for its vibrant dining and nightlife scene. Of all the dishes that Fukuoka does well, it is most famous for its ramen noodles, which can be enjoyed in more than 400 ramen shops and food stalls (yatai) throughout the city.

The yatai stalls set up for business from late afternoon until late at night. Ramen shops can easily be found on all the major streets, especially in Nakasu, Tenjin, and Nagahama-Dori. Another dish that is famous in the city is mentaiko, a spicy condiment made from cod roe. Pork dumplings known as gyoza are also big local favourites in Fukuoka.

Canal City Hakata is the best single site for one-stop dining. There are dozens of restaurants in this one shopping complex offering everything from traditional Japanese to Chinese, Italian and Asian fast food snacks. The fifth floor of this complex contains Ramen Stadium, which as you can guess is a noodle utopia showcasing eight different styles of ramen from around Asia.

Even more local are the 200 or so yatai stalls that cover the sidewalks after dark from 18.00 to 02.00. The fare here is simple but delicious and caters to the night-time revellers as they make their way to and from the famous Nakasu entertainment district. Besides the standard ramen, yatai stalls are great for tempura, oden, yakitori and other simple dishes served quick and cheap.

Shoppers should head straight to the Tenjin district, which is the undisputed hub of commerce in Fukuoka. Watanabe-Dori runs right down the middle of this strip, housing a wealth of high fashion and designer brand stores in several towering blocks dedicated to the art of consumerism.

Apart from the large shopping centres, there are boutique shop areas in Tenjin Chikagai, a quaint underground arcade running right under Watanabe Street. Nishi-Dori and Oyafuko-Dori are two other popular strips lined with both chain and independent stores and restaurants. The Kego and Imaizumi areas are two of the rising stars among the chic set of Fukuoka.