Japan Guide
Kyūshū
Arrival
Central Fukuoka is split in two by the Naka-gawa. To the east of this river, Hakata district centres on Fukuoka's main train station, confusingly known as Hakata Station – a historical legacy from before the two neighbouring towns of Fukuoka and Hakata were combined. Hakata Station is the terminus of the Tōkaidō Shinkansen and the focal point of Kyūshū's local JR services. West of the Naka-gawa, in Tenjin, the city's commercial heart, stands Nishitetsu-Fukuoka Station, where trains from Dazaifu terminate. These central districts are linked by subway to Fukuoka airport, handily located only two stops down the line from Hakata (5min; ¥250) and five from Tenjin (11min; ¥250); note that the subway station is located in the domestic terminal, which is linked to the international terminal by shuttle bus (10–15min; free). Arriving at Hakata international or domestic ferry terminals you have to take a Nishitetsu city bus for the ten-minute ride to either Tenjin (¥180) or Hakata Station (¥220). Long-distance buses call at the Tenjin Fukuoka Bus Centre (above the Nishitetsu Station), before terminating at the Fukuoka Kōtsu Centre immediately north of Hakata Station.