The most famous trail for foreign tourists coming to Japan is of course Tokyo followed by a combination of neighbouring cities Kyoto and Osaka. Some extend it to include Hiroshima and for anyone with even more time I’d suggest travelling further south to Fukuoka which is a really great city. I would definitely recommend having more time there than I had on my last visit though!

On the back of single nights in Oita and Saga prefectures my short time in Kyushu (Japan’s most southerly main island) was coming to an end but I still had nearly 12 hours in Fukuoka before my evening flight back to Tokyo. After an early morning train and a couple of buses (I took the wrong one to start with!) I was at Tomita Otolaryngology Clinic (3-4-27 Gojo, Dazaifu, Fukuoka-ken) at about 7:30 am but not because I needed any head or neck surgery! Yes, I did have to look up what otolaryngology was!

My interest was just the intricate design itself which looks very differently from all directions, and comes across as being something of a concrete fortress. This structure was  completed in 1986 and the tower simply bears the name of the clinic.

Just over an hour later I was at Nishitetsu Fukuoka (Tenjin) station and from there it was about ten minutes on foot till I passed by a building called Acros Fukuoka which is something of an architectural wonder with its terraced structure and eco friendly building design.

On my way to get some breakfast I passed by Kihinkan Hall; an early 20th century French Renaissance-style building in Tenjin Central Park.

Ramen at 9:00 am is not something I’d ever normally contemplate but as my time in Fukuoka city was very limited and it was open 24 hours I just had to sample what must be Japan’s cheapest ramen at just 290 yen! More details here.

There was a bit of time for me to have a quick walk round Ohori Park; a very pleasant and peaceful place surrounding a lake with islands and bridges.

More architecture followed by way of this giant O glass building.

It was built in 1998 and the O is said to represent the first letter of Omula; the name of the beauty fashion college there.

Due to traffic congestion a very long bus ride from near there followed as I headed to see a large, strangely-shaped sci-fi-like concrete tower that appears to look like it’s still in the process of being built. That is located on the eastern side of the airport and was once the only national coal mine in Japan. More details here.

The closest station to that mining shaft scaffold was an unstaffed one called Sue where the bleak looking exterior was slightly deceptive as the inside was actually quite a modern structure of glass and steel frames with a small, stylish waiting area. More details here.

Just over an hour later I was at the world’s largest bronze statue at Nanzoin Temple. The reclining posture (41 metres in length) depicts the Buddha at the moment of peaceful passing and entry into nirvana. More details here.

After that I headed a little further east to Tagawagatoji station just to see the sight of a platform zero. More details here.

Now it should be added that I did actually step into Fukuoka briefly the day before to visit the other platform zero station in Fukuoka. That was at Haruda station and was an equally brief stop in the name of a few signage photgraphs! More details here.

My final port of call in Fukuoka mid-afternoon was a fairly unique frog temple or so I thought! Unwittingly I had chosen to visit the slightly smaller secondary temple which is not so connected to civilisation! The one I went to lies south of Iizuka station which is just under an hour east of Hakata in central Fukuoka followed by a 25 minutes walk. The sight of many round-faced gold and silver-coloured frog statues made it all worthwhile though in my opinion. More details here.

Eating ramen twice in a day is something I’ve rarely ever done but as I was in Fukuoka (the birthplace of tonkotsu ramen) it felt right to finish my time in the city as I had basically started it. This one at the airport took me full-circle and even though I paid over three times more there wasn’t too much difference in terms of the soup taste! It was of course far more generous in terms of the chashu meat and eggs!

That was at 5:00 pm and just over an hour later I flew back to Tokyo. Of course 12 hours in a city is not enough in Fukuoka but when that’s all you’ve got you just have to go along with it and make the most of it. It’s still better than nothing!

That’s all funao folks!

Click here to read ‘TF Flashback: Christmas In Fukuoka (2005)’

Click here to read ’20 Hours In Oita: A Samurai District, An Iconic Tower, Modern Architecture, A Taste of America & A Few Quirky Sights!’

Click here to read ‘The Train Station Designed To Resemble Japan’s Most Famous Folkloric Creature!’

Click here to read ‘TF Flashback: Travels Around Japan’s Most Southern Main Island With My In-Laws (2014)’