About Fukuoka Prefecture

Hakata ningyo dolls. — *Hakata ningyo* dolls are famous symbols of Hakata.

Gateway to Kyushu.

Fukuoka Prefecture (pop. 5.08 million, 福岡県) is in Kyushu, Japan’s southern-most main island. The capital city is also named Fukuoka which is the main gateway to Fukuoka Prefecture and Kyushu with JR Hakata Station (Tokaido/Sanyo Shinkansen bullet train terminus opposite Tokyo), Fukuoka Airport, and Hakata Port.

Kyushu is well away from Japan’s popular tourist “Golden Route” between Tokyo and Hiroshima, so you can expect fewer crowds, especially outside the major cities. Kyushu and Fukuoka Prefecture, for the most part, don’t have an overtourism problem.

Fukuoka is a convenient starting and/or ending point for any tour of Kyushu. There are train lines going almost completely around Kyushu, starting and ending in Fukuoka (Hakata or Kokura Station).

Other than being a transportation hub for Kyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture has pretty much everything you would want to see, do, or eat in Japan. Enjoy lots of natural scenery with mountains, rivers, and three different oceans, seafood (fugu blowfish and mentaiko cod roe), Hakata ramen, fruits, premium matcha tea, traditional crafts, cycling, hot springs, and more.

Fukuoka onsen — Hot spring in Fukuoka and cycling in Itoshima (Futamigaura Wedded Rocks).

Hot spring in Fukuoka and cycling in Itoshima (Futamigaura Wedded Rocks).

Since Kyushu has more active volcanoes than anywhere else in Japan, the island has many hot springs (onsen). Fukuoka Prefecture has a few of Kyushu’s oldest hot springs from centuries or even 1,300 years ago.
Hot spring info: https://www.crossroadfukuoka.jp/en/articles/onsen_daytrip

Cycling is also big in Fukuoka with many scenic cycling paths and cycle stations supporting cyclists. Rental bicycles are commonly found in the prefecture.
Cycling guide: https://www.crossroadfukuoka.jp/en/articles/cycle

Fukuoka Prefecture has 29 cities (in purple and pink), 28 towns (mustard), and 2 villages (light green). The capital city of Fukuoka is the most populous city (1.66 million) in Kyushu followed by nearby Kita-Kyushu (pop. 900,000) also in Fukuoka Prefecture. Since Fukuoka fronts at least three different oceans, seafood is big in Fukuoka.

Whenever you say “Fukuoka,” you should make the distinction on whether you mean the prefecture or the capital city.

Difference between “Fukuoka” and “Hakata.”

Fukuoka Castle — **Fukuoka** Castle (Shiomi Turret) and JR **Hakata** Station (Wikipedia photo), symbols of their namesake place names.

JR Hakata Station — **Fukuoka** Castle (Shiomi Turret) and JR **Hakata** Station (Wikipedia photo), symbols of their namesake place names.

You’ll often see or hear “Fukuoka” and “Hakata” being mentioned together. Both place names are often used interchangeably. However, there is a difference and even many Japanese don’t know the difference.

You may wonder why the capital city of Fukuoka’s main train station is named “Hakata Station” instead of “Fukuoka Station.” All the other 46 Japanese capital cities have the main train station named after it. There’s an interesting history behind the place names “Fukuoka” and “Hakata.”

During the Edo Period (1600–1868) of the samurai, Fukuoka and Hakata were two different neighboring towns with the Naka River as the border in-between. Fukuoka was named after Fukuoka Castle which was named by the ruling samurai daimyo lord Kuroda Nagamasa who built the castle on a hilltop. Fukuoka therefore became a castle town of samurai.

Meanwhile, the neighboring old town of Hakata developed as a trade and transportation hub and merchants’ quarters. In 1889, while Japan was modernizing and establishing new municipalities, Fukuoka and Hakata were ordered to merge to form a new city. There was a great local debate over what to name the new capital city, “Hakata” or “Fukuoka.” By a slim vote, “Fukuoka” was finally chosen.

However, as consolation for Hakata, the city’s main train station built in 1889 on Kyushu’s first train line was named “Hakata” instead of “Fukuoka.” As further consolation in 1972, the former Hakata area was given the name “Hakata-ku” (Ward) when the city of Fukuoka was authorized to subdivide into multiple wards. (Be aware that although there is a Fukuoka Station in Japan, it’s in Toyama Prefecture, a totally different place.)

Hakata remains as Fukuoka’s main commercial, transportation (JR Hakata Station, Fukuoka Airport, Hakata Port), and prefectural government center.

Knowing the difference between “Fukuoka” and “Hakata” is also helpful to understand local brand names for food and products. Anything branded “Fukuoka” usually refers to a product from outside Hakata Ward or somewhere else in the prefecture. Whereas “Hakata” indicates something from the Hakata area in Fukuoka city.

Fukuoka city is most famous for yatai food stalls. — Fukuoka city is most famous for *yatai* food stalls in the Nakasu, Tenjin, and Nagahama areas.

Fukuoka Prefecture is also a sister state of Hawaii since 1981. (My home state.) Fukuoka Prefecture actually brought the fifth highest number of Japanese immigrants to Hawaii up until 1924. Their descendants included prominent Japanese American politicians in Hawaii and even an astronaut. Sister-state activities between Fukuoka and Hawaii have been very active on many different fronts. (Blog post here.)

Getting around Fukuoka Prefecture

The capital city of Fukuoka is easy to get around with three subway lines and local buses. Besides JR Hakata Station, Tenjin Station (Nishitetsu Fukuoka) is another major station for trains running within the city and prefecture.

Fukuoka Prefecture has a good number of long and short train lines running between north and south or east and west. The main train line within the prefecture is JR Kagoshima Main Line operating between Kitakyushu (Mojiko Station) and Kagoshima Station in Kagoshima Prefecture on the southern tip of Kyushu. This line stops at stations in Fukuoka Prefecture such as Hakata Station, Kurume Station (transfer to JR Kyudai Line), and Omuta Station. It mainly goes along the prefecture’s western border.

The Kyushu Shinkansen from JR Hakata Station goes in the same direction as JR Kagoshima Main Line with only three stops in Fukuoka Prefecture including Kurume Station before going on to Kagoshima-Chuo Station.

People visiting eastern Fukuoka Prefecture should go to JR Kokura Station (Sanyo Shinkansen station) or Kitakyushu Airport in the city of Kita-Kyushu. There’s the local JR Nippo Main Line running along the prefecture’s east coast from Kokura Station to Buzen city and beyond to Oita and Miyazaki Prefectures before reaching Kagoshima Station in southern Kyushu.

Much of Fukuoka Prefecture is rural where trains don’t run that often. Be sure to check the train schedule and plan accordingly.

The larger train stations usually have buses or taxis standing by. But rural train stations might require you to call for a taxi, preferably in advance.

More Fukuoka transportation info here: https://www.crossroadfukuoka.jp/en/access