Food and Drink
- Wine Bars
- Wine Bar Cave de Reflet or Wine Shop Nico
- Best Food Delivery App
- UberEats or Wolt
- Best Local Dish to Try
- Hakata Tonkotsu Ramen (Ichiran or Ippudo HQ)
- Vegan/Vegetarian Options
- Rotus (Vegan Ramen) or Revo Vegan Japanese Food
- Best Dessert Spots
- 鈴懸 (Suzukake) Honten for traditional wagashi sweets
- Affordable Shopping Spots
- Don Quijote (Tenjin/Nakasu) or Lopia (Grocery)
- E-commerce/Online Store
- Amazon Japan, Rakuten, or Mercari
- Grocery Delivery
- Aeon Net Super or Green Beans (by AEON)
- Bar/Nightlife Area
- Oyafuko-dori (Tenjin) and Nakasu
- Street Food Stalls
- Yatai (Food stalls) in Nakasu or Tenjin (Try stal 'Mamichan')
- Popular International Cuisine
- Pizzeria Da Gaetano (Itoshima/City) or Chingu (Korean)
- Local Brewery
- Fukuoka Craft Brewing (Daimyo)
Essentials
- Internet Speed
- Average 150 Mbps; widely available fiber optics and 5G
- Currency & Banking
- 1 JPY ≈ 0.0067 USD, 1 USD ≈ 150 JPY
- Tap Water
- Drinkable and high quality
- Power
- 100V, 60Hz, 🔌 Type A/B sockets (flat two-pin)
- SIM Card
- Sakura Mobile (Travel), Mobal (Long-term), or Ubigi (eSIM)
- Banking for Expats
- Sony Bank (English friendly), Wise, or Japan Post Bank (JP Bank)
- Accommodation
- Monthly Mansions, Airbnb, or Fukuoka Properties for long-term leases
- Cashless Friendly
- Largely yes; Suica/Hayakaken cards, PayPay, and credit cards in malls
- Short Term Rentals
- Airbnb (Tenjin area), Oakhouse (Coliving), Zabu Fukuoka
- Budget Accommodation
- Fukuoka Hana Hostel (approx. 3,500 JPY/night), WeBase Hakata
- Best Area to Stay for Tourists
- Hakata (Transit hub) or Nakasu (Nightlife and food stalls)
- Best Area to Stay for Digital Nomads
- Tenjin (Business/Work cafes) or Akasaka (Quiet but central)
- City
- Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan
- Population
- 1,600,000
Working and Networking
- Best Coworking Space
- The Company (Tenjin/Hakata locations) - approx. 20,350 JPY/month
- Best Cafe for Work
- Manneken Pis (Tenjin) or Manu Coffee (Roasters location)
- Networking Events
- Engineer Cafe (Fukuoka Akarenga Cultural Center) - Tech-focused meetups
- Social Events for Expats
- Fukuoka Now community events or Internations Fukuoka chapters
Transportation
- Best Taxi/Ride App
- GO Taxi or DiDi (Uber exists but mostly for premium cars)
- Bike/Scooter Rental
- Charichari (Red shared bikes) - 6 JPY per minute
- Best Beach Nearby
- Momochihama Beach (Central) or Itoshima (45 mins west)
- Top Regional Airline
- StarFlyer or Fuji Dream Airlines
- Top International Airline
- Japan Airlines (JAL) or All Nippon Airways (ANA)
- Highway Access
- Kyushu Expressway connecting to Kumamoto, Saga, and Nagasaki
- Main Train/Transit Hub
- JR Hakata Station (Shinkansen terminal)
- Public Transport Passes
- Hayakaken (IC Card) or Fukuoka City Subway 1-Day Pass (640 JPY)
- Regional Travel
- JR Kyushu Sonic Express (to Oita) or Nishitetsu Bus Network
Health and Wellness
- Best Hospital
- Kyushu University Hospital (Maidashi) - English available
- Yoga & Wellness Centers
- Yoga Breeze (Tenjin) or Hot Yoga Studio LAVO
- Gyms & Fitness Centers
- Anytime Fitness (Multiple locations) or Gold's Gym Hakata
- Laundry Services
- Wash & Fold (Tenjin) or local Coin Laundry shops
Culture and Attractions
- Must-See Landmarks
- Fukuoka Tower and Kushida Shrine
- Museums & Art Venues
- Fukuoka Asian Art Museum or Fukuoka Art Museum (Ohori Park)
- Historical Sites
- Fukuoka Castle Ruins (Maizuru Park)
- Religious Sites
- Tochoji Temple (Giant Wooden Buddha)
- Annual Events
- Hakata Gion Yamakasa (July) or Hakata Dontaku (May)
- Cultural Districts
- Kawabata Shotengai (Traditional shopping arcade)
- Theater Venues
- Hakata座 (Hakata-za) for Kabuki and musicals
- Local Markets
- Yanagibashi Rengo Market (The Kitchen of Hakata)
- Music Scene
- Zepp Fukuoka or Billboard Live Yokohama/Fukuoka
- Street Art
- Daimyo District backstreets
- Cooking Classes
- Mizutaki cooking classes at local culinary studios
- Art Galleries
- Mitsubishi Artium (Tenjin)
- Historic Buildings
- Kihinkan Public Hall (Meiji-era architecture)
- Local Heritage
- Hakata Ningyo (clay dolls) and Hakata-ori textiles
Nature and Outdoor Activities
- Nearby Nature Escapes
- Ohori Park (City center lake Park)
- National Parks Nearby
- Saikai National Park (reachable via ferry/drive)
- Cycling/Walking Paths
- Uminonakamichi Seaside Park trails
- Scenic Viewpoints
- Mt. Abura (Aburayama) Observatory for night views
- Birdwatching Locations
- Imazu Tidal Flat
- Bonfire-Friendly Spots
- Nokonoshima Island Camp Ground
Other Services and Amenities
- Parcel Delivery Service
- Yamato Transport (Kuroneko) or Sagawa Express
- Tech Repair Services
- Apple Tenjin or Bic Camera Tech Support
- Table Tennis Spots
- Fukuoka City Gymnasium (Public use tables)
- Language Classes
- Genki Japanese and Culture School (GenkiJACS)
- Libraries & Study Spots
- Fukuoka City Public Library (Momochi)
- Community Centers
- Fukuoka City International Center
- Gaming Lounges
- G-Stage Tenjin
- Casino & Gaming Halls
- Round1 Hakata (Pachinko/Arcades - Casino gambling is illegal)
Business
- Studio Purchase Price (City Center)
- Approx. 800,000 JPY per m² (e.g., 25 m² = 20,000,000 JPY)
- Studio Purchase Price (Outside City)
- Approx. 500,000 JPY per m² (e.g., 25 m² = 12,500,000 JPY)
- 1-Bedroom Purchase Price (City Center)
- Approx. 950,000 JPY per m² (e.g., 40 m² = 38,000,000 JPY)
- 1-Bedroom Purchase Price (Outside City)
- Approx. 600,000 JPY per m² (e.g., 40 m² = 24,000,000 JPY)
- 2-Bedroom Purchase Price (City Center)
- Approx. 1,100,000 JPY per m² (e.g., 65 m² = 71,500,000 JPY)
- 2-Bedroom Purchase Price (Outside City)
- Approx. 700,000 JPY per m² (e.g., 65 m² = 45,500,000 JPY)
- Corporate Tax
- Effective rate approx. 30.62% (combined national and local)
- Dividend Withholding Tax
- 20.42% (standard for non-residents)
- Tax System
- Residency-based; worldwide income for permanent residents
- Highest Income Tax Bracket
- 45% (plus 10% local inhabitant tax)
- VAT
- 10% (standard Consumption Tax)
- Controlled Foreign Company (CFC) Rules
- Yes, applicable to Japanese residents with foreign holdings
- Property Tax
- 1.4% Fixed Asset Tax annually
- Property Transaction Tax
- Registration Tax (up to 2%) and Real Estate Acquisition Tax (3-4%)
- Attractive Tax System for Digital Nomads
- New 6-month Digital Nomad Visa (specific eligibility applies)