GENERAL INFORMATION

Fukuoka city lies on the northern side of Kyushu, the southwestern island of Japan. Bordered by the Sea of Genkai and mountains everywhere else, Fukuoka has a lot of visuals to offer for those coming in and out.

The first of the warm southern Spring winds start to edge their way into the city at the beginning of March, accompanied by hot, sunny days. Summer itself, whilst not quite Florida, hits 30 C some days, and those without air-conditioners or at least a decent fan will sweat their arses off in the humidity. Not recommended for visitors is to visit in the beginning of the Fall, since it is the typhoon season, and during September and October you can see three typhoons a week sometimes turning ordinarily bustling cities into total ghost-towns.

Though kerosene heaters may still be essential for some days, the winter is moderately painless for the most part, and even in February itfs possible to get away with only a couple of layers and some gloves to keep warm. Forget about seeing a white Christmas or any snow-capped mountains ? people in Japan go north for beautiful winters.

Fukuokans speak in their own southern dialect of Hakata-ben, a thick brogue that very effectively confuses the rest of the country whenever they open their mouths to speak, making them the comparitive equivalent of Scousers. The similarities extend further; Fukuokans are inclined to invite complete strangers to join them for a pint in the local, have more musical talent than the rest of the country (a disproportionate ratio of pop groups, singers and tv celebrities hail from here), and generally make parties more entertaining to be at. Unlike Scousers, they donft know what a shellsuit is, donft wear offensive mullets, and they wonft headbutt you for spilling their pint or telling them you support a different football team.

PLACES TO GO

CANAL CITY- I remember Oscar quoted a while back that this place wouldn't look out of place in an episode of The Jetsons. A well-made observation of the place. A dynamic, futuristic structure that wraps itself around a violin-shaped artificial canal and composes of a multi-screen cinema, a decent amount of shops, a theater, hotels, video-arcades, and for the famished, Ramen Stadium on the top floor. Canal City was designed by American architect Jon Jerde in 1996. Looking at the thing, I think I think it's likely the guy built a few casinos in his time. It's a bright, catchy-looking establishment that attracts a lot of entertainers and even has dancing water-fountains with accompanying music aka Disney World. Great place for a date, or to ditch mom and pop at if they're ever over visiting.

MOMOCHI BEACH - Forget about bothering to see this place in the colder seasons, but once the heat starts creeping its way into Fukuoka this is exactly the place to navigate yourself to.Warm tides, Picturesque almond sand, weird jumping fish???. Just be careful not to go for a dip after late August because thatfs exactly when the jellyfish come out to play and let me tell you from personal experience ? they have a sting that hurts like a sonofabitch.Little bastards.Anyway, after all, this is Kyushu, and what better place to bum an afternoon than down the beach. Though itfs just not the same without fish & chips and rollmop herrings, that doesnft stop the sun being damn hot, and man do the babes like to occupy this place when the rays are out. Momochi also has more to offer than sand, with plenty of restaurants and stalls to gratify the peckish and a library just round the corner should you fancy a good place to break from the sun.

NOKONOSHIMA - It's such a pretty place in the summer you half expect to be greeted by a beige-suited Mr.Rourke and his midget Tattoo.Nice little party-island if ever there was one. Saying that, visit there around 14th May when the place becomes host to ... a jammin' reggae festival that brings a lot of well-known names to Fukuoka. Some really good grilled fish restaurants.

RAINBOW PLAZA - Located on the 8th floor of the IMS Building on Watanabe Dori you will find the Rainbow Plaza. This is a good pitstop for sightseerfs and foreign residents alike. Rainbow Plaza is exactly the same as the international plaza you'll find in other big cities in Japan. What that means is that it is the place to go with any of the queries you have about Fukuoka, where they have English-speaking staff behind the service desk waiting to help you out with those queries, advertisement boards for those offering/seeking a job/place to live or to sell furniture or to look for a language-exchange partner, a million brochures on display for every imaginable service a foreigner might find themselves in want of, and a mini-library. Free internet is available there for 30 minute periods on a first-come first-served basis. For those in need of it, the Plaza also offers free counseling days for those with legal, health, immigration, and pyschological problems. It's also a decent place to call (tel : 0927332220;fax - 0927332215) before you decide to come live in Fukuoka for a while, just to find out what the current job/accommodation situation is looking like on the boards. The Plaza also produces its own bite-sized newsletter in English which introduces some good particulars on Kyushu and the current events in the Fukuoka prefecture. They usually have a compiled list of the concerts, exhibitions, sports games, and whatfs playing at the movies that month. You can pick up a copy of Fukuoka Now, an essential free monthly tabloid that contains most of the juice on what's happening Fukuoka that current month, (emphasis on the foreign scene) with articles available not only in English, but also Chinese, Korean, Spanish and Portuguese. It's a superb little publication that contains info on really anything a weekend tourist would ever want to find out in order to enjoy themselves in Fukuoka, including good restaurant guides and the lowdown on all the bars/clubs that good-looking people like you and me are going to. Just as a sidenote, the IMS building is also host to the Sony Plaza on the basement floor. They import Western candy amongst other things, so if you are ever grasped with the sudden urge to snack on a Swiss chocolate bar or American sour cream Pretzels, this is the place to seek.

EATING-OUT

NIGHTLIFE

OYAFUKU-DORI - Although this isn't really any kind of establishment, it's worth a mention as a great place simply to hang-out at. Come Friday or Saturday night at around 2am this little area is alive with babes and guys all coming out of clubs for a rest away from loud music and something to chew-on. This means 'nanpa'-central for any gaijin because you have the benefit of having chicks that are wasted and in a boogy-mood along and every question you ask won't be answered with "What? I can't hear what the hell you're saying!!"

INTERNATIONAL BAR - Located on Watanabe Dori (the 'center' of Fukouka) on the same side as the Mitsukoshi but a couple of blocks further north is this tidy little pub on the 4th floor of a nameless building. Look for the colourful rainbow sign at the 1st floor entrance.

This place is not so much international as in itfs there strictly to to cater for foreigners, but it is staffed by them, and as a result English is the dominant language in the premises. It's a Snack bar minus the expensive cover you would pay anywhere else, with a karaoke room and drunken salarymen everywhere. Staff behind the bar are chatty and welcoming and most of the Japanese who go there are there to practice their English and make foreign friends, thus are quite approachable.. It's not everybodies cup of tea, the International Bar, for a start, itfs quite small and not a place you can hide away on your own in the corner, the price of the drinks are a little on the steep side - 500 for a beer, 700 for a cocktail. Some nights the place is as quiet as a cemetary, but still, it has itfs perks, some cool regulars, tasty food, a relaxing pull-up-a-chair-by-the-bar sort of atmosphere, great staff members who are genuinely enjoying themselves, and music not so loud you have to scream in order to have a conversation. You'll always see a few foreigners huddling around a table at the weekend, but just note that this it's not really a 'Friday-night' kin of place with a thumping atmosphere but more of a pub you might drop into for a pint on the way to somewhere else. Not really the kind of place to go pick-up chicks - though I'm not saying it doesn't happen, wink wink, nudge nudge. Open everyday from 18:30 - 2 am

SAM & DAVES - NishiDori, next to the Tenjin Center Hotel and above Kitamura Camera. 3F.Sam & Daves is a franchise club that originally comes from Osaka and has only recently spread down here to Kyushu. Most of the staff there are foreigners but I'd be disinclined to call it a 'gaijin night-club' since the ratio of gaijin to Japanese clubbers probably favours the Japanese proportion. The club is smart and modern looking with trendy-lighting and a dancefloor a little larger than most of the others in Fukuoka. The DJfs have got some talent and the place pulls in a good-size crowd on the weekend ? sometimes it even gets real ass-to-wall. Do the hot chicks go there? Yes they do. Sam & Daves is probably the best choice for the new guy in town. Other places such as Safari and Happy Cock might pull in a sluttier crowd, but Sam & Daves offers what most are used to, ie musical anthems to suit the masses, reasonable drink prices, special events, and chicks galore.Mon + Tue Closed. Wed + Thur Open 7pm - 4am No Cover. Fri + Sat Open 7pm ? 5am. Charge- Men 2000 yen 2 drinks free, Women 1000 yen 1 drink free from 9pm.

THE DARK ROOM - Tenjin Baccus Building 8F. OyafukuDori. A little further past the Yoshinoya at the entrance of the street. This is a gaijin-run club/pub or 'Urban Rock Bar' as it likes to promote itself as in the magazine ads. If good hard rock or the latest British music is what you seek, you're likely to find it at the Dark Room. However, it is a little cramped, with little space for boogying. Dark Room might be the the most foreigner-infested club you can find in Fukuoka with a lot of local regulars there on the weekend, and there are nights when you'll hardly find any Japanese there. But, at 1000 yen for 3 drinks on the weekends, it's impossible to complain. The bar is owned by a local DJ and the nicest guy in the world, Moses, and it'll only take you One Commandment for him to fetch you the beer.

Nice-bloke owner aside, there is another saving grace in the form of a rooftop patio, which opens during the summer, and is a little more cool and spacious than downstairs and hosts a great view over the rooftops of Tenjin on those baking hot'n'humid 34 degree nights. Thursdays are probably the busiest night for the bar, when they offer 100 yen cans of beer. This and the rooftop are a lethal combination for a good time. Far too many regulars even on a Saturday to offer a clubby atmosphere. Thursday 9pm-10pm 100 yen beers.9pm-12pm 300 yen Corona. Friday & Saturday 1000 yen 3 drinks free (or 500 yen before 11)

VOODOO LOUNGE - From Oyafukudori Yoshinoya go one block East (towards Watanabi Dori) and then take a left. You should see 3rd floor sign. The Voodoo Lounge has a 9-10pm 100yen beer-on-tap special every Thursday, same as the Dark Room.

SAFARI - Just down the street from the Family Mart on Oyafukudori is this little dance club which doesn't come alive until after 1am. 1000 yen entrance with 1 drink. People start to flood in and by 3 it's a total meat-market complete with Russian and Filipino hookers on a break. Hey, I'm not saying that's a bad thing - it adds to the atmosphere. In fact, I'd say that this is probably the best club for the money in Fukuoka. For those preferring a classy(ish) or at least normal atmosphere I recommend Sam & Daves, however, the dark corners and the Hip Hop ass-shaking atmosphere of Safari reeks of opportunity and endevours it more towards the kind of gaijin looking not for real love but fast love. The inhibition-free dancefloor isn't huge but it gets jam-packed with some fine-looking birds of every nation grinding down to whatever the DJ spins, usually waaay into the early morning. As if that weren't enough, there's a roomy seating area in the back for those with tired feet or people wanting to get to know each-other without having to tear their vocal chords or pass notes. More importantly, tons of hot jungle pussy.Fridays & Saturdays only. 1000 yen - 1 free drink. 1am to ??

HAPPY COCK - Happy Cock has a lot more to offer in terms of space and class than most of the other clubs. Whilst not quite Sam & Daves, At the time of writing, it's being reconstructed, and I have In fact it almost has the inverse problem that Happy Cock suffers from in the way that therefs almost too much space and not enough punters to fill it, leaving the single dude in town feeling exposed and finding himself with the need to get talking to a chick quickly or else risk being seen as Billy-no-friends. On their website they have videos of people packing the place out but I've personally never seen it like that except on event nights. Saying that, the staff they're are much friendlier and matey than the moody twats that work at Sam & Daves. But who cares about staff? What's the poon like? Not bad I say, old chap. Pretty much the good type of girl that is sick of finding herself. Open Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday 6 - 1AM. Weekend Fri/Sat 6 - 5AM. 1000 yen - 1 free drink

FU-BAR - Oyafukudori.

Upon entry it is clear that there has been some mischief going on with the flyers advertising this as a decent place as you find yourself in a trashy shoebox of a place with barely room the room to move around and hardly the capacity to hold more than 40 people.

The only thing going for this place is it's clever promotion. They use the same tricks as the dudes in Roppongi, people handing out flyers outside and everything really give you the impression that it's one of Fukuoka's better clubs, and yet it completely sucks in comparison to Sam & Daves or Safari. The dance floor is tight and if you ever attempt to cut the rug on it you'll feel like a pachinko ball bouncing off the chests of GI's on weekend release.

Avoid it if you're looking to have a real weekend.

__LOVE-HOTELS__

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BRIEF EXCURSIONS

KARATSU BURGER VAN - not that it's anything to write home about, and frankly, being that I'm not even sure you can access it by anything other than car, it was debatable as to whether or not to include this in the Fukuoka guide. If you head 40km West along Route 202 out of Fukuoka, you'll eventually find tucked away in a little wooden glade near the train tracks, the unfathomably famous Karatsu Burger truck. I'll be the last one to say this isn't a decent burger, it is. But it's not so unforgettably good that you'll be shouting it from the hills, and compared to Whopper it pales. Demi-glace sauce cannot compete with flame-grilled cows flesh. Compared to MOS Burger, it also pales.

Yeah, the Karatsu burger is just another one of Japans attempts to sandbag foreigners and its people into believing every prefecture has itself it's own secret little gastronomic masterpiece that you cannot find anywhere else in the country.

"Go to Hiroshima" they say,"Try the okinomiyaki, its special" Then you go to taste it only to find it tastes the same as anywhere else.I did.

"Osaka has the best takoyaki."Alright, prove it. Tastes the same as everywhere else to me and every foreigner I know.

And not just food too. The Tokai Tower in Sapporo is written about as if it were an architectural challenge to St.Paul's Cathedral, but one look at it and you'll laugh and wonder if your Uncle Jim the builder couldn't knock something up like that in a day. Sadly, this is often the case with pretty much any of these well known local exhibitions and delicacies.

So why go all the way to Karatsu for a burger? Because it's a nice scenic drive over pretty Kyushu beaches and rocky islets off the coast. And that's exactly what the trip offers. Chilling out with the dudes or the girl and enjoying the sun, the sand, and the road. Worth an hour or so in the car, I reckon.

EXTRAS

WHERE TO STAY

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Page Contributors - Kris