Hakata city walking tours

The only town that has been welcoming foreigners for more than 1,000 years.

This tour will take you around the traditional craftsmanship that has been nurtured by such history.

Foreign ships arrived.

Korokan first appears in documents as “Tsukushi no Murotsumi” (Tsukushi Hall) in the 2nd year of Jito (持統2年/西暦688年), and changed its name to the Chinese style “Korokan” in the Heian period (西暦794年-西暦1185年).Until the first half of the 9th century, Korokan was a guesthouse where envoys of the Tang Dynasty and Silla Dynasty were received and accommodated, and a diplomatic mission where envoys of the Tang Dynasty and Silla Dynasty prepared for their journeys.

From the late 9th century onward, the main visitors to Hongrokwan were merchants from the Tang Dynasty (later the Five Dynasties and Northern Song Dynasty) and Silla, and it became a stage for trade with China and Silla.

Until the Nara period, when Tang or Silla envoys arrived, they were housed in this Hongrokwan, when permission was granted by the Imperial Court, they went to the capital.

Fukuoka City, located on the northern shore of Japan’s Kyushu Island, is a vibrant and culturally rich city known for its unique blend of modern urban life and traditional Japanese culture. With a warm and welcoming atmosphere, it’s considered one of Japan’s most livable cities.

The city boasts a beautiful waterfront, where modern architecture meets the serene Hakata Bay. Fukuoka’s green spaces, like Ohori Park, and historical sites, such as Fukuoka Castle Ruins, offer a mix of relaxation and a glimpse into the past. The city is famous for its lively food scene, especially its “yatai” (food stalls) along the riverbanks, where you can enjoy local specialties like tonkotsu ramen, mentaiko (spicy cod roe), and fresh seafood.

Fukuoka is also known for its annual festivals, such as the Hakata Gion Yamakasa, a UNESCO-recognized cultural event where teams carry large, elaborately decorated floats through the streets. With its laid-back yet dynamic energy, Fukuoka combines the excitement of a big city with the warmth of Kyushu’s regional charm.

Fukuoka, a large city with a population of 1.5 million, is also known as a “compact city” because of its extremely convenient access to the ocean and mountains within an hour, and the airport is only a 10-minute subway ride from the center of the city.

The city is also close to the sea, so there is an abundance of delicious fish, and there are many local foods such as tonkotsu ramen and motsunabe, which are inexpensive and have earned Fukuoka the nickname “food capital” among the Japanese people.

Fukuoka is a super city that has been welcoming foreigners for 1,000 years, as mentioned at the beginning of this article.

While we will guide you through the traditional arts and crafts of Fukuoka, the other real pleasure of this tour is walking around the city.

In this tour, we dare to take buses and subways.

The cityscapes and shopping streets you will pass along the way will be interesting and memorable.

Temple

Joten-ji

Tocho-ji

Experience

Hakata Doll Paint

Hakata ori

Street & Sightseeing

Rakusuien

Reizenso

Kawabata Shopping Arcade