Though Fukuoka isn’t quite Kyoto, there are a handful of temples throughout the city that are definitely worth visiting.
I’ll admit that the two bowls of tonkotsu ramen I’ve had so far in Fukuoka threw me for a loop. I love that style of ramen… or do I? The two bowls I sampled in Fukuoka (the birthplace of tonkotsu ramen) were one-note porky in a way I found vaguely unsatisfying.
Since I happened to be in Fukuoka during cherry blossom season, I figured I should probably take advantage. So I headed to Uminonakamichi Seaside Park, which is about a half hour’s train ride outside of the city (it also costs 450 yen to get in, so it’s not kidding around).
Though Hakata Ikkousha is a chain (and apparently they’ve just opened a location in Toronto), they serve some seriously acclaimed ramen — it’s frequently called one of the best bowls in Fukuoka.
Though Fukuoka Castle, originally built in the 1600s, is long gone, parts of it still remain (mostly just some of the walls).
If you’re in Fukuoka and you’re into beer, you’re probably going to want to check out the Asahi Brewery tour.
One of the local specialties here in Fukuoka is something called mentaiko — a reddish, sausagey-looking thing made from cured sacs of pollock roe.
Despite my undying love for ice cream, I’ve been dragging my feet on trying Cremia, the Japanese soft serve that everyone raves about.
It recently occurred to me that I was about to leave Japan without having yakitori (skewered meat, traditionally cooked over charcoal). Obviously, that wouldn’t do.
Tonkotsu ramen — in which pork bones are boiled down for hours and hours until you wind up with a rich, creamy soup — might be the most famous style of ramen.