Hotels in Fukuoka

Fukuoka is Kyushu's biggest city and Japan's most livable-feeling metropolis, home to around 1.4 million people and famous above all for Hakata ramen, the rich pork-bone tonkotsu style now served worldwide. Its other signature is the yatai, open-air food stalls that set up each evening along the river at Nakasu and around Tenjin, serving ramen, yakitori and oden elbow-to-elbow with locals. The city is compact, walkable and unusually easy to reach: Fukuoka Airport sits right on the subway line, just a short ride from the centre, and Hakata Station is the southern terminus of the main shinkansen route from Osaka and Tokyo.

It is also a natural base for exploring Kyushu and sits close to South Korea by ferry. Fukuoka lacks the headline temples and landmarks of Kyoto or Tokyo, the yatai can be crowded and pricier than their humble look suggests, and summers are hot and humid. Stay near Hakata Station for rail and airport convenience, or in Tenjin for shopping, nightlife and easy walking access to the yatai.