6 Reasons Why Fukuoka is the Best City in Japan
Fukuoka City has been ranked the best city to live in in Japan. We have moved our family here about 2 years ago. Now we can confidently tell you why.
You think Tokyo is best?
One image of Japan is 17-year-old Scarlet Johannsson jumping on the bed of Park Hyatt Hotel in Tokyo, in the movie Lost in Translation. I had a lot of fun like that too when I was living in Tokyo.
But one thing I absolutely hated was flying into and out of the infamous Narita airport. It is so far away from Tokyo center, adding 2 hours to the already long flight from anywhere in Asia. From Hong Kong, you can only aim to arrive Tokyo at dinner time, even if you start your trip early in the morning. It is very inefficient.
10 Minutes from FUK Airport to City Center
For people like us who have strong connections with other Asian Cities, Fukuoka is a much better place to be in. It is a much shorter flight to go to Hong Kong, Shanghai, Taipei for business, and places like Thailand, the Philippines for holiday.
Also, FUK airport is only 10 minutes by taxi or subway to the city center. You can get on an early flight from most Asian city, and be at lunch in a fancy restaurant in the middle Hakata or Tenjin (the central business district of Fukuoka City)
Nature: 20-min Drive to a Beach or a Waterfall
If you like nature, you will love Fukuoka City. We live in the city center, but we can easily go to a beach or a hike in the mountain. In fact, from where we live, it is a 5-mins walk to the beach, where our son can practice riding his bicycle, and we can have a freshly-baked pizza at the beach restaurant.
It only snows a few days in year in Fukuoka. So when it snows, we drive for about 20 minutes to the mountains and enjoy the snow view.
Also, we love water falls. It is great to hike a little to feel the power of water and gravity. There are many water falls within 30 minutes drive from the city. And then there are rivers to play in, in the hot summer.
My husband likes water sports. So he rented a small apartment right on the beach to be his office. It is just 5-minutes from the train station which is 20 mins from the city center.
Michelin Star Restaurants and Excellent Cheap Eats
Since ancient times, Fukuoka has been an important trading port, connecting Japan with China and Korea. It is the biggest city in West Japan, so most big companies have their regional headquarters here. With a lot of business travelers and exhibition visitors, Fukuoka City supports a vibrant and diverse culinary industry. You can find cheap local cuisines, as well and Michelin Star restaurants here.
Fukuoka is famous for it’s ramen. It you like ramen, make sure you visit the Ramen Stadium in Canal City, as well as the Ramen Runway inside Fukuoka Airport.
And then there are famous street-food stalls called “Yatai”. Fukuoka has 100+ Yatai, which is some 40% of the whole of Japan. These colorful food stalls are fun to eat at. You can even practice your French at the one operated by 2 French gentlemen.
Fresh Farm Produce and Seafood
Fukuoka is a seafaring and fishing port. Seafood produce is abundant. So if you like sushi and sashimi, here you can have high quality cuisine at a fraction of the price in Tokyo.
I really love sushi and Japanese beef. When we first moved to Fukuoka, we ate so much of them because they are so good and inexpensive. I actually had a few experience of eating too much of them and feeling sick. No wonder Gluttony is one of the seven deadly sins!
We are also close to an abundance of farming land, producing a great variety of fresh farming produce, supplying the whole of Japan. Since we are just a couple of hours truck drive from farms, with low transportation cost, fresh food are cheap at supermarket. If you like cooking, this place is heaven.
In the Spring, we go on “strawberry hunt”. In the Autumn, we go pick chestnuts. In the Winter, we eat BBQ oysters in a small fishing port. All are just a short drive from the city.
High Quality and Affordable Housing
Here you can enjoy the high quality Japanese housing at a fraction of the price of other big cities. We estimate that house prices are 1/4 of that of Hong Kong, and about 1/2 that of Tokyo. Whatever budget you have, you can upgrade your living condition instantly.
You can choose to live in modern condominium, or a detached house in the city center. If you have a smaller budget, nice and clean one-room apartment units can be rented from USD300 to 600 per month. My husband has rented one, right on the beach, and made it his office and home away from home.
Great Choices of Transportation
I was not able to get a local drivers license because my home license has expired when I came here, but it is no problem at all. It is very easy to get on a bus to go into the city center to do my window shopping and restaurant sampling.
My husband doesn’t really enjoy driving, but every time I force him to drive us somewhere, we always enjoys the scenery and the nice facilities at service stations along the highway. Parking is easily available everywhere, even at convenient store in the city.
Either you want a car life or not, Fukuoka offers the convenience and flexibility. Unlike Tokyo, which I went last week for a weekend trip, I had to walk so much between train stations, making high heels impossible! Here in Fukuoka I can really be glamourous all the time.
Access to Numerous Hot-springs, Golf Resorts
When we were living in Shanghai, going out of town is a nightmare of traffic jam. When my husband was living in Tokyo, it took him a 2-hour drive to get to a round of golf, or to sail with his friends.
Here in Fukuoka, there are many golf courses within 30 minutes drive. And the yacht harbour is just 20 minutes away.
Since we have moved here, we have been on driving trips to numerous sightseeing and onsen (hot-spring) holidays in Kyushu.
There are a few ski-resorts in this region, but not as world-class as those further up north. But since the airport is so easy to get to, we do use our airmiles to fly north for ski holidays.
Kids Friendly
Our 5-year-old son loves Fukuoka! Not only does Fukuoka have a lot of space for kids, even in the city center, people here are really kids friendly. Family facilities like breast-feeding room, kids toilets are easy to find.
We often take our son to high-end restaurants in the city center. Every restaurant has a kids menu. This is unthinkable in Tokyo. Many restaurants in Tokyo expressly forbid kids.
It is no wonder that Fukuoka is the fastest growing city in Japan. Many young couples want to move here to start a family. Fukuoka has a policy to attract foreigner starting a business here. If you want to know more, make sure you subscribe to this channel. My husband will soon make a video to explain how he got us to move here via the “Startup Visa Scheme”. If you have no interest in moving Japan, make sure you don’t miss out on Fukuoka, if you ever visit Japan.
