Sharing a Fukuoka day trip gourmet route

First of all, I came from Busan on the New Camellia Ferry bound for Fukuoka, and as soon as I arrived, I reached Nakasu Kawabata Station.

This is a famous tonkotsu ramen spot frequented only by locals. They actually make the broth by simmering pork bones themselves, and the aroma of the stock is incredible as soon as you enter the shop. The basic ramen starts at 290 yen, and even if you add meat or green onions, it only costs around 450 yen, making it the best value for money! I'm finally letting go of the "tourist premium" Ichiran Ramen I visited at the beginning of my trip to Japan.

Since it is morning when I arrive in Fukuoka by ferry, I still have time before check-in even if I eat ramen. So, to help with digestion and head to Fukuoka Tower, a famous landmark, I will travel from Nakasu Kawabata Station to Nishijin Station.

You can take a bus from Nishijin Station to Fukuoka Tower, but I recommend taking the walk to the tower to enjoy the unique Japanese street scenery and get some exercise for digestion. I remember the admission ticket was in the 10,000 yen range. While Fukuoka Tower is mainly just a photo spot, there is a convenience store inside and a McDonald's nearby, so my group just went to try some of the unique Japanese McDonald's menu items.

If you look down from the Fukuoka Tower observation deck, you will see buildings along the beach below. After touring the tower, it is a great place to visit to see the Fukuoka coastline and enjoy a cup of coffee while looking at the sea, as there is a cafe there.

It is a restaurant called Fujiya. After having ramen for breakfast and looking around the tower to help with digestion, we headed to the station before check-in time. Since it was around lunchtime, we stopped by Fujiya for a meal before the restaurant's break time. This is a favorite lunch spot for our foodie club members! It's the go-to place for lunch after visiting the tower when visiting Fukuoka! Since it is a local restaurant, there is no tourist premium. You can see locals dining at the tables, and the atmosphere is typical of a Japanese local eatery. It feels a bit like a Japanese version of Kimbap Cheonguk (a chain of casual Korean restaurants). Perhaps because it has become somewhat known on Google Maps lately, I occasionally see Korean tourists there. I even posted a review under the nickname "Google Maps daily ad" haha. The katsudon is delicious here, and the yakisoba is also great (we always go for the katsudon haha).

You had a hearty lunch, right? If so, head to Ohori Park Station. You can check into your accommodation first or go straight there. Once you arrive at Ohori Park Station, you'll see the entrance to Ohori Park right away. This is a famous spot for a walk in a Japanese park to aid digestion! There is Ohori Park and Fukuoka Castle, so there is plenty to see here and there. The reason we specifically came here is because there is a famous Choco Cone ice cream shop and a great chicken place at the Ministop convenience store, so we added it to our food tour itinerary. We were really satisfied with this place.

There are large kiosks in the middle of the park, and one of them sells soft serve ice cream! I bought a chocolate soft serve and it was seriously delicious! Taking a walk in the park and having ice cream—perfect!

We took a walk in the park, and Fukuoka Castle is right next door. This is Maizuru Park, and we visited because we heard that the ruins of Fukuoka Castle are located within the park. I heard that they hold cherry blossom festivals in the spring. Although it wasn't spring for us, I think we did see some food trucks or food stalls being set up for another festival.

This place is seriously legendary. I came here for a walk in Ohori Park, but the quality of the chicken sold at Ministop is absolutely amazing, and the ordering system is so unique that I practically ended up having a full meal before leaving. When you order chicken at Ministop, you receive a receipt with an order number, just like the electronic display boards at McDonald's. There is an electronic display board above the Ministop counter where you can check the order status by the number. It’s such a fascinating system where you just look at the display to pick up your chicken once it’s fully fried! Seriously, this isn't even in Korea; I wonder if it exists only in Japan. The ordering method is incredibly fascinating, and I love the system where they fry the chicken right after you order, even though it's just convenience store chicken. Seriously, they need to introduce this to Korea!

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Since we arrived by boat and plan to return by boat as well, visiting Don Quijote before heading back home is practically a rule, right? Haha. So, the day before our trip ends, we stopped by Don Quijote for some window shopping and a preliminary scouting trip to check out what we plan to buy in advance. Since we booked our accommodation near the boat terminal, we returned to Nakasu Kawabata Station. (Nakasu Kawabata Station has Don Quijote, the Hakata Ramen introduced in Spot 2, and another local restaurant we need to try for dinner...!) Before dinner, we stopped by the Don Quijote near our accommodation for some quick window shopping and to scout out souvenirs and other items we need to buy.

This is a local Japanese restaurant that I always make sure to visit whenever I travel to Fukuoka. Just like Fujiya Restaurant, it is a real, authentic local gem where only locals dine. Honestly, this place shouldn't become too well-known... but I’m sharing it anyway. The interior features the layout of a truly traditional Japanese restaurant, and the kitchen is run by an elderly couple. It is a place where local office workers come to eat after work. You can experience the authentic local vibe and feel like a local here, and it is a place that you will keep thinking about even after your trip ends. And there is another reason why I recommend this place. You absolutely must check out Spot No. 14.

I absolutely recommend this too! After finishing a delicious meal at Furusato Shokudo, when you open the door and step out, you'll see an orange juice vending machine across the street. That orange machine isn't visible on Google Maps because the Street View is from 2022, but you'll see it right when you open the door. I forgot to take a street view photo, so I'm sharing a close-up shot of the vending machine instead. It looks like a machine installed sometime after 2022. It extracts juice directly from oranges using a juicer, making it 100% real orange juice. I think the price was also affordable, in the 2,000 won range. It's seriously delicious!

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