Fukuoka– category –

After dinner, I headed back to Canal City Hakata, an easy walk from Hakata Station, and caught the nighttime fountain show from the newer building side.

On the last stretch of my Hakata trip, I met up with a special guest from Hong Kong and headed to Tagyu, a popular yakiniku restaurant. The smell of grilling meat reached us before we even arrived, and once we sat down, it turned into a full-on meat feast.

Walking down along the Naka River, I finally reached Canal City Hakata, a place I had long wanted to see. Once inside, its winding canal, enclosed atmosphere, and striking design made it feel less like a shopping center and more like a world of its own.

After visiting Canal City Hakata, I headed to Hakata Riverain Mall, a commercial complex that opened in 1999 as a "super brand city." I had admired its lavish architecture ever since seeing a brochure back then, so finally seeing it in person felt long overdue.

Near ACROS Fukuoka, I stopped by Ganso Hakata Mentaiju for a surprisingly stylish meal centered on spicy cod roe. The signature mentaiju and the mentaiko stewed dipping noodles made for a filling and memorable lunch.

On my walk toward Canal City Hakata, I unexpectedly came across Kihinkan Old Public Hall of Fukuoka Prefecture and decided to step inside. The historic building felt calm and compact, with a memorable tower facing the Naka River and a very different atmosphere from the streets around Nakasu.

I stopped by ACROS Fukuoka, a striking building whose stepped roof is completely covered in greenery. It felt less like a rooftop and more like climbing a mountain in the middle of the city.

After arriving in Fukuoka and dropping our luggage at the Nishitetsu Grand Hotel in Tenjin, our first stop was Tenjin IMS, a fashion building I had wanted to see ever since catching a glimpse of it on TV. Its glittering exterior and lavish interior completely lived up to my expectations.