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Momochi Seaside Park & Uminonakamichi: Fukuoka Vlog

 

Video from my first full day in Fukuoka, exploring the seaside and going on a ferry in the bay. There’ll be lots more vlogs coming up too, with more ideas for things to do in the area and around Kyushu.

Momochi Seaside Park

Momochi Seaside Park is a beach in Fukuoka that’s easy to get to from the city. Take the subway to Nishijin and it’s a short walk to the seaside, or there’s a bus that takes you there more directly. There’s a sandy beach, a beautiful Mediterranean-inspired wedding pavilion called Marizon and the Fukuoka Tower. There’s also a few places to eat – barbecue on the beach, ice cream and the stand where we had takoyaki and yakisoba (the same place also had fries and chicken nuggets). It’s free to get onto the beach and it’s a nice place to spend time, walk or relax. It was very clean and I’m not sure why, but we both noticed it doesn’t have that classic smell of the seaside.

Fukuoka Bay

View of Marizon a wedding pavilion, from Fukuoka Tower

Fukuoka Tower

Next week’s video is a vlog from Fukuoka Tower – subscribe and press the notification bell to catch it! There’ll be new Japan vlogs every Thursday, with lots more ideas for things to do in Fukuoka, Osaka and Tokyo, along with travel tips and advice.

Uminonakamichi Seaside Park

As you see in the video, there’s lots to do at Uminonakamichi Seaside Park, and it looks like a fun place for families. Rather than turning up mid afternoon like we did, you’d be better off spending a whole day or afternoon there.

We found it quite confusing and kept getting funneled into the entrance of Wonder World (a kids park) – we couldn’t work out how to get to the main road or navigate on foot. The original plan was to spend a couple of hours walking around the peninsula, get some sea views (and maybe cherry blossom viewing) and bike over to Shikanoshima, where there are woods and mysterious little hidden temples to explore.

Having done some more research, entry to the park gets you into the various attractions (including access to the bike rental stations). Here are some links if you want to visit (and have a more successful time than I did!):

While Uminonakamichi looks close to the city on maps, it actually takes several trains to get there. The ferry’s an easier option (and more fun!), although it is a little pricey at 1030 yen each. You can get the ferry from Hakata Port or Momochi Seaside Park – here’s the website with details:

Other Things to do in Fukuoka Bay

Nokonoshima Island was on my list of possible things to do, which we didn’t get round to during our time in Fukuoka. You can see it from the bay – a large steep island with lots of nature. There are seafood restaurants and the main attraction is the island park, with seasonal flowers and the island’s local sport noko noko ball, which looks a bit like croquet crossed with golf. You can also rent bikes or go hiking, although some parts are quite steep. You can get a ferry there from Meinohama Ferry Terminal – it’s only 230 yen each way and the journey takes 10 minutes.

There’s also Ito Island, which is about an hour into the bay by boat and a pricier trip.

I also completely forgot when we were there, but next to Fukuoka Tower there’s a robot showroom called Robosquare. It’s on the 2nd floor of the TV Nishi Nippon building next to the tower, with 200 robots to look at – and it’s free to go in.

Momochi Seaside Park

Momochi Seaside Park