Hakata Station — your base for exploring Kyushu
Hakata Station is Fukuoka's hub for the shinkansen, JR lines, the subway and highway buses. It's two stops from the airport — handy for dropping off your bags — and the station building alone has enough shops and restaurants to fill a day.
Lines at the station
Subway Airport Line
About 5 minutes (¥260) to Fukuoka Airport, and straight through to Tenjin with no transfer.
Subway Nanakuma Line
For Canal City, Kushida-jinja-mae Station is the handiest stop.
JR conventional lines
The Kagoshima Main Line, the Sasaguri Line and others run across Kyushu.
Shinkansen
South to Kumamoto and Kagoshima; for Nagasaki, change at Takeo-Onsen. The Sanyo Shinkansen also runs east to Hiroshima, Osaka and Tokyo.
Highway buses
From Hakata Bus Terminal to cities across Kyushu.
Check your exit first
At Hakata Station, which exit you use changes everything.
Hakata exit (博多口)
The downtown side — use it for Canal City, Nakasu and Tenjin.
Chikushi exit (筑紫口)
The shinkansen side. Many hotels are on this side.
JR Hakata City
The shopping complex attached to the station, with AMU Plaza and Hakata Hankyu.
If you're meeting someone, agree on both the exit name and the floor — coming out on the wrong side means a long walk back.
Inside the station
Shopping
JR Hakata City has AMU Plaza, Hakata Hankyu and Hands. The basement food hall sells mentaiko, sweets and other gifts.
Food
Ramen shops cluster in the Deitos area — this is the home of Hakata ramen. The station has more than 100 places to eat.
Rooftop garden
The JR Hakata City rooftop is free to visit, with a small shrine and a viewing area.
Storing luggage
Coin lockers are on several floors. Large ones fill up fast, so claim one early. Many accept IC transit cards.
Good to know
The shinkansen, conventional JR lines and the subway each have their own gates. For reserved seats and routes an IC card doesn't cover, buy tickets at a JR counter or ticket machine.
If you're only exploring around the station, walking and the subway are enough. On days you head out of town or to other Kyushu cities, compare JR and highway-bus round-trip discounts.