Fukuoka travel guide

Fukuoka: what to see and when to go

About two in three yatai with a fixed day off rest on Sunday, one festival float stays up at Kushida Shrine all year except June, Dazaifu Tenmangu’s old main hall is open for prayer again, Yanagawa’s boats leave from seven companies’ landings, and in Kurume the first tonkotsu bowl is a lunch while almost every yakitori place opens only in the evening.

We have not visited these places in person. Everything here comes from official pages, and each card says when we checked them.

A row of lit yatai stalls in Nakasu at night, with customers on stools and a sign for Hidechan ramen at the right

What to see in Fukuoka

  • A row of lit yatai stalls in Nakasu at night, with customers on stools and a sign for Hidechan ramen at the right

    Yatai food stalls屋台

    For a night at the counter, and a reason to try Tenjin on a Sunday

    • Food
    • Night
    OpensEvenings. Hours vary by stall; for example Barakamon 18:00–2:00, Kawachan Sun 19:00–24:00.
    CostsNo toilets at the stalls. One drink and one dish per person is considered polite. Most stalls are cash only.
    ClosedEach stall has its own day off, and any stall may close for rain or strong wind.

    Checked 10 October 2026

    Read the guide
  • A tall decorated Yamakasa float with warrior figures standing beside a red-trimmed shrine building under trees at Kushida Shrine

    Hakata Old Town (Kushida Shrine to Joten-ji)博多旧市街

    For the Yamakasa float that stays up, and the walk to where the festival began

    • Shrines
    • Walk
    OpensKushida Shrine main hall 4:00–22:00. Hakata Machiya Folk Museum 10:00–18:00.
    CostsHakata History Museum 300 yen; Hakata Machiya Folk Museum 200 yen (adults).
    ClosedFloat down in June. Hakata History Museum closed Monday.

    Checked 11 October 2026

    Read the guide
  • The front of the Dazaifu Tenmangu main hall, a wide red-trimmed building under a deep brown bark roof, with stone lanterns and a few visitors

    Dazaifu Tenmangu太宰府天満宮

    For the old main hall, now open for prayer at the front again

    • Shrine
    • History
    OpensGates open from 6:30 (autumn equinox); close 18:30–19:30 depending on the season.
    CostsFree to enter. Combined museum ticket 1,000 yen for adults.
    ClosedTreasure Hall and national museum usually closed Monday.

    Checked 13 October 2026

    Read the guide
  • Passengers bending low in a long wooden boat as it passes under a stone bridge on a narrow canal, with the boatman standing behind them

    Yanagawa canal boats柳川

    For an hour on the moats under low bridges, and steamed eel at the end

    • Boat ride
    • Food
    OpensBoat reception from 9:10 or 9:30 until 15:00 or 15:30, depending on the company. Ohana 10:00–16:00.
    CostsOne way to Ohana 2,000 or 2,200 yen for adults, depending on the company. Ohana 1,200 yen.
    ClosedMoats drained for about ten days in mid-February; heavy rain or a storm can stop the boats.

    Checked 15 October 2026

    Read the guide
  • Grilled yakitori skewers on a white plate beside a heap of raw cabbage leaves

    Kurume ramen and yakitori久留米

    For the bowl said to have started tonkotsu ramen at lunch, then yakitori after dark

    • Food
    • Night
    OpensNankin Senryo’s Kokubu shop 11:00–14:30. Most yakitori places open only in the evening; Teppo’s main shop 17:00–1:00.
    CostsOur guide lists hours and days off, not prices.
    ClosedNankin Senryo closed Wednesday and Thursday. On a Friday or a Saturday none of the places in the guide has its weekly day off.

    Checked 16 October 2026

    Read the guide
A row of lit yatai stalls in Nakasu at night, with customers on stools and a sign for Hidechan ramen at the right

One thing that could change your plan

On a Sunday, walk to Tenjin: most yatai with a fixed day off rest that night

Of the yatai on the city tourism site that keep a fixed weekly day off, about two in three take Sunday. Of the 63 the site marks as open on a Sunday, 35 are in Tenjin and 20 in Nakasu, so if your night falls on a Sunday, Tenjin gives you more curtains to try. Stalls can also close without notice for rain or strong wind, and three listings give conflicting days.

Read the Yatai food stalls guide

How the day changes

The guides give the full tables.

From 4:00

Kushida Shrine

The main hall is open 4:00–22:00 with no regular closing days.

From 9:00

The museums open

The Dazaifu museums open at 9:00, the Hakata museums at 10:00 (9:30 for the Machiya Folk Museum from July to September).

Midday

Boats in Yanagawa, ramen in Kurume

Yanagawa’s boat reception closes at 15:00 or 15:30, depending on the company. Nankin Senryo’s Kokubu shop in Kurume is open 11:00–14:30.

Evening

Yatai and yakitori open

Kurume’s yakitori places open from 17:00. Barakamon and Hidechan open at 18:00, Kawachan and Tomochan at 19:00. Dazaifu Tenmangu’s gates close between 18:30 and 19:30 depending on the season.

Before you go

  • Try Tenjin on a Sunday. More of the stalls marked as open on Sundays are in Tenjin than in Nakasu.
  • Skip June for the float. The Kushida Shrine display float is up all year except June.
  • Pray in front of the old hall. The temporary hall is being taken down, and you can pray in front of the main hall again.
  • Choose the landing first in Yanagawa. Seven companies run the boats from different landings, and one is a taxi ride from the station.
  • Stay in Kurume past dark. The bowl said to have started tonkotsu ramen is a lunch, and almost all the yakitori places on the lists open only in the evening.

Each card shows the date its official pages were checked.