Fukuoka
An unremarkable start to Japan.
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Historically significant as a former castle town, it offers ancient temples, modern shopping districts and immediate access to the coastline.
Worth popping by for a couple of nights if already in Japan. Access to the nearby coastline and WeWork presence makes it an appealing destination for work.
Worth popping by for a couple of nights if already in Japan. Access to the nearby coastline and WeWork presence makes it an appealing destination for work.
Worth popping by for a couple of nights if already in Japan. Access to the nearby coastline and WeWork presence makes it an appealing destination for work.
Worth popping by for a couple of nights if already in Japan. Access to the nearby coastline and WeWork presence makes it an appealing destination for work.
Having spent a week in Busan on the other side of the Korean Strait, Fukuoka provided a convenient, if unconventional, starting point for my Japanese itinerary.
I had relatively low expectations from a city I had previously never heard of, but an abundance of cheap hotels and WeWork availability made it a viable starting point.
Based on my wider experiences in Japan, it's best to search for a hotel in major cities rather than relying on the limited stock on Airbnb, especially for short stays.
I could happily recommend the Hotel Oriental Express Fukuoka Nakasu Kawabata. Despite the lack of natural light in the room, it was a comfortable base for the week.
The price was very reasonable at around £45 a night, which includes access to the gym on the top floor. The ground floor lobby was also a perfectly adequate place to work late into the evening with complimentary coffee until 22:00. When searching for hotels in Japan, I would suggest having a browse on Agoda, where some of the best value deals can be found.
The city has two WeWork locations at the Gates shopping centre and also at Damiyo. Alongside these, there are various local coworking operators and numerous coffee shops open late into the evening.
If you're only in town for a couple of nights, consider a more business-oriented hotel (of which there are plenty) that provides spaces to work. Alongside these there are a range of local coworking operators and there's plentiful coffee shops open later into the evening.
Prices were in Fukuoka were on a par with the rest of the country, with eating out particularly good value.
Fukuoka doesn’t compare favourably in terms of excitement when set against larger cities like Osaka and Tokyo. In fact, there’s hardly anything noteworthy for conventional tourism that would justify adding it to your itinerary at the expense of other locations. As a place to work from however,
However, when visiting a new country and culture for the first time, there’s something intriguing about experiencing a typical Japanese city. It’s perhaps similar to how a Japanese person might feel about visiting an utterly unremarkable English city like Sheffield.
Japan observes Japan Standard Time (JST), which is 9 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). However, the time difference reduces to 8 hours during the summer months as Japan does not observe daylight saving time.This large gap in time zones has advantages and disadvantages, but planning a trip during the summer would reduce the likelihood of having to work past midnight to maintain alignment with European schedules.
The city is served by a decent metro service making it easy to get across the city but I would suggest staying within close proximity to one of these three.
Out of the two WeWork sites in the city, this is your best bet if you are working later evenings.
Based on the top floor of the Gates shopping centre, there is a large open plan area for All Access members. Softbank also have an office on site which makes for an interesting observation if you're familiar with their involvement in the company.
The shopping centre has easy access to the metro station, with numerous supermarkets and restaurants in easy reach. The only downside is a lack of any natural light, but assuming you'll only be passing through, it is not of major concern.
The office stays open until 20:00 which makes it a better option than the nearby Daimyo site, which finishes at 18:00.
Japan has introduced a new digital nomad visa under its specified visa category, allowing remote workers to stay in Japan for up to 6 months.
Requirements include having an annual income over 10 million yen (around $65,000 USD), private health insurance, and being from an eligible country like the US, UK, EU, Australia, Singapore or South Korea.
Visa holders are not considered residents, cannot extend their stay beyond 6 months, cannot open bank accounts or access national healthcare system in Japan.
Easily reachable by either a ferry boat or train, it's definitely worth an afternoon exploring this quiet stretch of land which wraps around the Hakata Bay. Uminokamichi Seaside Park is a large well landscaped public park bordering the sea and walking further west will take you towards Shika Island, home to several Shinto shrines and an observatory. Head towards Saitozaki or 志賀島 Ferry terminals.
I can't imagine theres many better times of year to visit than May. Daytime temperatures were in the mid-20s, never scorching, with a cool breeze in the evenings. The city is not immune to the wet season in June, which you may want to avoid, especially if planning to enjoy the coastline.
A couple of nights would be sufficient for exploring the city centre while on holiday. However, if you're not in a rush and focusing on work, there's no reason it couldn't be an adequate base for a few weeks.
Of all the places I visited in Japan, Fukuoka was comfortably the least populated with tourists. Despite being an unassuming city, there was still a fair number of people passing through, as it serves as a gateway to the southern parts of the country and also to Korea.