#CatTravels: Walking the lively streets of Fukuoka

By Catherine Toth Fox • September 7, 2013 • #CatTravels, Food

Canal City Hakata

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The ramen in Hakata is very different from elsewhere in Japan. First off, the noodles are thinner and often served hard. And secondly — and most importantly, the broth is thickened with pork bones (hence, tonkotsu), which imparts collagen that makes it creamier than others.

Fukuoka may not as bustling as Tokyo or as culturally significant as Kyoto. But this city — the capital of Fukuoka Prefecture and the sixth largest in Japan — has its own kind of charm.

First off, it’s walkable. Meaning, from our hotel in Gion, we can literally walk anywhere — to the shops in Hakata Station to the 767-foot Fukuoka Tower. And along the way, there are shrines and restaurants and huge parks. (Fukuoka was ranked No. 12 most livable cities by the London-based magazine Monocle because of its many green spaces in an urban setting.)

So on our first full day in Fukuoka, we donned walking shoes and hit the streets, deciding to just wander around and see what we’d find.

With a map, of course.

Follow my #CatTravels adventures in Europe and Japan on Twitter @thedailydish and on Instagram @catherinetoth.