EZTrip.com International Destination Guide and Hotel Listings

Central Fukuoka is split in two by the Naka-gawa. To the east of this river, Hakata district centres on Fukuoka's main train station , confusingly known as Hakata Station - a historical legacy of when the two neighbouring towns of Fukuoka and Hakata were combined. Hakata Station is the terminus of the Tokaido Shinkansen and the focal point of Kyushu's local JR services. West of the Naka-gawa, in Tenjin , the city's commercial heart, stands Nishitetsu-Fukuoka Station, where trains from Dazaifu terminate . These central districts are linked by subway to Fukuoka airport , handily located only two stops down the line from Hakata (5min; ¥220). From the ferry terminal, however, you have to take a Nishitetsu city bus for the ten-minute ride to either Tenjin or Hakata Station (¥200). Long-distance buses call at the Tenjin Fukuoka Bus Centre (above the Nishitetsu Station), before terminating at the Fukuoka Kotsu Centre outside Hakata Station.

Fukuoka has a good sprinkling of information offices. There are desks at the airport, but the main tourist information centre (daily 9am-7pm; tel 092/431-3003, fax 431-3005) is located in Hakata Station's central concourse, where English-speaking staff are reasonably helpful and can provide city maps, hotel lists and the Fukuoka City Visitor's Guide . If you're in Tenjin, or need more serious English-language assistance, Fukuoka International Association (daily 10am-8pm; tel 092/733-2220) offers a broad range of information, from tourist brochures to local events and English-speaking doctors; you'll find them in the Rainbow Plaza, on the eighth floor of Tenjin's IMS Building. Finally, the Prefectural Information Centre (Tues-Sun 10am-7pm; tel 092/725-9100) is in east Tenjin, on the second floor of the ACROS Fukuoka building.

It's worth bearing in mind that overseas visitors to Japan are eligible for the Fukuoka Welcome Card , which entitles the holder to discounts of up to thirty percent at 140 participating hotels, restaurants and tourist facilities. The card is available at the Fukuoka Airport Information, Fukuoka City Tourist Information, Rainbow Plaza, Cultural Information Centre (ACROS), Hakata Machiya Folk Museum, Canal City Hakata Information, Tenjin Chikagai Information, Sea Hawk Hotel and Resort and Nishitetsu Solaria Information; you need to show them a passport or alien registration card.

All these places dish out free city maps , but it's also worth asking in the subway for the useful English booklet, Guide to Main Subway Station Vicinities , which contains five detailed area maps. Rainbow is a free monthly newsletter , available at Rainbow Plaza, aimed at residents but with some interesting articles and listings of what's happening around town. Fukuoka Now ( www.fukuoka-now.com ) gives snippets of local news together with details of clubs and restaurant reviews. Published on the 28th of each month, it can be picked up at the information desk at the airport, the tourist information booth at Hakata Station, Rainbow Plaza and various hotels in Fukuoka.

The easiest way of getting around Fukuoka is on its fast and efficient subway system. There's plenty of English-language information and, though there are only two lines, most places of interest fall within walking distance of a station. The main Kuko line runs from the airport through central Fukuoka, via Hakata Station and Tenjin, to Meinohama in the west, while the shorter Hakozaki line splits off at Nakasu-kawabata (one stop east of Tenjin) for the northeast suburb of Kaizuka. Trains run from 5.30am to around 11pm, every three to eight minutes depending on the time of day, and the minimum fare is ¥200; buy your tickets at the station vending machines. If you anticipate doing a lot of journeys, it might be worth buying a one-day subway card (¥850), which also gets you small discounts at several museums and the Fukuoka Tower. For those places not within striking distance of the subway, such as the Hawks Town area, you'll need to use Nishitetsu city buses , most of which funnel through the Hakata Station-Tenjin corridor. Take a numbered ticket from the machine as you enter and pay the driver on exit; the screen at the front of the bus shows how much you have to pay - the minimum fare is ¥100. A day-pass (¥600) is available for the central zone, but you probably won't cover enough ground in a day to make it worthwhile.