Hakata, Japan

Hakata-ku is one of the wards of Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. It is a modern city with two centres: one in Hakata and the other in Tenjin. A subway connects most of its main attractions.

Fukuoka is a charming city with scenic coastlines, shrines and relics of the aborted Mongolian invasion, festivals, great shopping, dining and sightseeing. Attractions include the Sky Dream, one of the world’s largest ferris wheels, Fukuoka Castle, Ohori Park art gallery and the newly opened National Museum in nerby Dazaifu.

Ohori Park contains two kilometers of jogging tracks, and it is next door to Maizuru Park and the ruins of Fukuoka Castle. The Park has a large pond in the middle, and it is a wonderful place for long walks, relaxing picnics, and great views of the city. The 17th Century Fukuoka Castle was built by Chickuzen's first feudal lord, Kuroda Nagamasa. Only the ruins remain, but visitors can still see a gate and a castle turret while they take in the great views of the city.

Things to See & Do

* Ohori Park
* Maizuru Park & Fukuoka Castle
* Bayside Place
* Fukuoka tower
* Sky Dream Fukuoka ferris wheel.

General information

Cruise Season – Jan - Dec
Currency – Yen (JPY)
Language – Japanese
Population – 1,400,000 approx
Land Area – 340.03 km2 (Fukuoka City)
Electricity – 2 perpendicular flat pins USA style or with a round pin below
Time - GMT plus hours nine hours
International Country Telephone Code – 81

Port Location – The port of Hakata is located in the city of Fukuoka, at the northern end of Kyushu island.

Travel Links – – Fukuoka Airport is located to the east of the city, surprisingly close to the city centre (only two subway stops away from the Hakata JR station). Within the country, Japan Airlines and ANA fly to Fukuoka from most larger cities, including Tokyo (both Haneda and Narita), Osaka (Itami and Kansai), and Nagoya (Komaki and Centrair Airport). There are scheduled flights to most major cities in China and South Korea, as well as Taipei, Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok, Manila, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, but the only scheduled transpacific flights are to Honolulu and Guam.

Fukuoka's Hakata Station is the terminus of the Sanyo Shinkansen. Shinkansen services are offered from Kokura in Kitakyushu (20 mins), Hiroshima (1 hr), Okayama (1 3/4 hrs) and Osaka (2 1/2 hrs), and through via the Tokaido Shinkansen from Kyoto (2 3/4 hrs by Nozomi), Nagoya (3 1/2 hrs by Nozomi) and Tokyo (5 hrs by Nozomi).

Many overnight bus services run into Fukuoka from other parts of the country. These include the Moonlight bus and Willer Express from Osaka and Nishitetsu bus from Tokyo.