Ukiha, Fukuoka

Kingdom of Fruits.

Ukiha (うきは市) is a rural city (pop. 26,000) in southeastern Fukuoka Prefecture next to the city of Yame in the south.

Strawberry picking in Ukiha. — Strawberry and pear picking in Ukiha.

Since Ukiha’s main industry is fruit farming, it’s nicknamed “Kingdom of Fruits” or “Fruits Capital.”

They grow strawberries (Jan.–May), blueberries (July–Aug.), peaches (mid to late July), grapes (late July–Sept.), pears (Aug.–Oct.), and persimmons (mid-October.–early Dec.). Fruit picking is possible when in season as indicated in parentheses.

Ukiha’s main tourist area is near JR Chikugo-Yoshii Station. During the Edo Period (1600–1868), Chikugo-Yoshii was a shukuba lodging town on the old Bungo Kaido Road (豊後街道) connecting Hita Domain (Oita Prefecture) and Kurume Castle. Hita was a fief directly governed by the central Tokugawa government instead of a local daimyo lord.

Irrigation systems were built and agriculture flourished in Yoshii. Wealthy local merchants built lavish homes and storehouses with shirakabe white walls, especially during the 1910s-20s.

From the mid-1980s, these traditional merchant homes were renovated by the local government and local residents. In 1996, the Japanese government designated the Yoshii Shirakabe neighborhood of traditional buildings as a Traditional Townscape Preservation District (伝統的建造物群保存地区).

The Ukiha Tourist Information Center is also in a traditional whitewall storehouse in Yoshii. They have maps, pamphlets, gift shop, and rental bicycles. Open 9:00 am–5:00 pm, closed Mon. and year-end and New Year’s period. Website: https://ukihalove.jp/information/travelguide-eng/

Ukiha is also known for Ukiha Inari Shrine with many red torii gates, Tsuzura terraced rice paddies, and Chikugogawa Onsen hot spring along Chikugo River (筑後川), Kyushu’s longest river (143 km) flowing east to west from Aso, Kumamoto to the Ariake Sea. You can bathe in a hot spring on a day trip or stay overnight at a hot spring ryokan inn.

Further away is Michi-no-Eki Ukiha or Roadside Station Ukiha (道の駅うきは) is like a local farmer’s market, especially for seasonal fruits.

Worth visiting because it’s on a hilltop with sweeping views of Ukiha and farm land on the Tsukushi Plain, Kyushu’s largest plain. Open 9:00 am–6:00 pm. Closed on the second Tuesday of the month. (Map here.)

Ellison Onizuka Bridge in Ukiha. — **Ellison Onizuka Bridge** in Ukiha.

For people from Hawaii like me, another major attraction in Ukiha is Ellison Onizuka Bridge (エリソン・オニヅカ橋) on Route 749 crossing over Inobu River (井延川). It’s probably the only public bridge in Japan named after a person.

Ellison Onizuka was a Japanese American Space Shuttle astronaut from Hawaiʻi. He first flew into space aboard Space Shuttle Discovery in January 1985. Unfortunately, on his second Space Shuttle mission, he and the entire crew died when the Challenger exploded shortly after launch on January 28, 1986. He was only 39.

Ellison has ancestral roots in Ukiha and once visited in June 1983 with his family. He made such an impression that they named a local bridge after him. Read about it here.

Ukiha tourist info in English (official): https://ukihalove.jp/information/travelguide-eng/

Getting to Ukiha
From JR Hakata Station, take the Kyushu Shinkansen or JR Kagoshima Main Line (Kaisoku) to Kurume Station where you transfer to the JR Kyudai Line to reach one of three JR stations in Ukiha: JR Chikugo-Yoshii Station (main station), JR Ukiha Station, and JR Chikugo-Ōishi Station (closest to Ellison Onizuka Bridge, 20-min. walk).

The JR Kyudai Main Line runs between JR Kurume Station and JR Oita Station. Note that trains in Ukiha run only once an hour or less. Check the train schedule in advance and plan accordingly.