10 Best Family Things to Do in Fukuoka

Kashii Kaen Sylvania Garden is the first Sylvanian Families amusement park in western Japan. This site began life in 1938 as the Kashii Kaen tulip garden, and the highlight is the beautiful flower garden produced by a world-famous garden designer. Popular attractions include a Thomas the Tank Train, a leisure pool, and Super Hero Athletic Land NEO (one of Kyushu's largest indoor adventure courses), while the "Sylvanian Families Show" is free to watch. To get here, take the Nishitetsu-Kaizuka Line to Gion Station and then walk for about 1 minute.

Marine World Umi no Nakamichi is an aquarium located in Fukuoka's Higashi Ward that opened in 1989 and reopened after renovation in 2017. Ahead of the opening of the aquarium, a motorcoach was invited from "Kamogawa Sea World" in Chiba Prefecture to train the dolphins and sea lions. Must-see attractions include the "Dolphin and Sea Lion Show", the "Open Sea Aquarium Show" where you can see sharks approach and the feeding of large shoals of sardines, and a "Finless Porpoise Talk" which explains the secrets of this fascinating variety of dolphin that's close to Fukuoka's heart. There are plenty of other shows too, including "Sea Otter Meal Time", "Penguin Time", and "Seal Time", so you can view impressive sea creatures up-close at pretty much any time of day. To get here, take the train from JR Hakata Station to the nearest station, Umi-no-Nakamichi Station, and from there it's a 5-minute walk. You can also take a direct bus from Tenjin.

Nokonoshima Island Park is just a 10-minute ferry journey from Meinohama, Fukuoka City. Located on Nokonoshima Island, the park is set on a site of about 150,000 square meters and has flowers in bloom all year round. Highlights include the rapeseed flowers in spring and the cosmos in autumn, which spread as far as the eye can see. You can also engage your playful side with special sledges to slide down slops, long swings and other apparatus, all set against the sparkling blue backdrop of Hakata Bay and a natural environment full of greenery. You can also feed rabbits and goats at the mini zoo. To get here, take a bus from Tenjin Express Bus Terminal to the Nokonoshima Ferry Terminal Bus Stop, and then cross from the wharf to Island Park by boat.

Uminonakamichi Seaside Park is a vast national park located on a sandbar surrounded by Hakata Bay and the Genkai Sea. It's widely renowned for its beautiful seasonal flowers. The "Animal Forest" area is great for little ones, as you can interact with animals such as capybaras, squirrel monkeys, and kangaroos in a natural environment. There are also physical activities to enjoy such as "Kujiragumo Fuwanpolin" (a huge air trampoline) and the "Waterside Trim" adventure course. The nearest station is Saitozaki Station, which can you can get to by bus from Tenjin.

The historic Fukuoka City Zoo opened way back in 1933. The park's systematically divided into different neighborhoods based on how the animals are kept, and the "Asia Tropical Canyon Neighborhood" just after entering through the main gate is particularly interesting. Here you'll see tropical creatures of Asia such as Bornean orang-utans, leopards, and Malayan sun bears living freely. Other must-see species include rare animals such as the Tsushima leopard cat, a protected species, and the Arabian oryx with its white body and long horns. Of course, you'll also encounter popular zoo animals such as lions, giraffes, red pandas and hippos. The "Animal Information Center Zoolab" area is perfect for animal-loving children to deepen their knowledge of the animal world thanks to its exhibition of animal skeletons, an experience corner where you can learn more about animals, library, and other features.

Marinoa City Fukuoka is one of the largest outlet malls in Kyushu. But there's more to it than just shopping, with plenty of amusements to keep the whole family happy. "NOBOLT" is one of Japan's largest indoor activity centres to combine, sports, adventure courses and entertainment. The "Rope Mountain" attraction is an obstacle course of sorts where you can experience the thrill of being 15 meters off the ground in a harness, and over in the "Trampozone" you can bounce around on various shapes of trampolines. Back on the ground, take a stroll along the sea-facing board-walk, or go for a ride on the "Sky Hall" Ferris next to the bright blue sea and relax while looking out at the water. And if you still have some energy, there is of course a whole lot of reasonably priced shopping to be done at this outlet.

Fukuoka PayPay Dome is the home of the Pacific League's Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks and is Japan's first multi-purpose dome with a retractable roof. As well as baseball games, large concerts and exhibitions are also held here. Or you can get a look behind the scenes of the baseball side of things by taking a tour. The "Full Dome Tour" takes you on a guided tour of the bench, the locker room, and the bullpen where the players sit. On the other hand, the "Adventure Course" allows you to climb up to the 30-metre-high roof and even go out onto the rooftop. You'll need to book online or by phone for both. There's also a daycare center inside the Dome, so if you want to relax and enjoy a concert or baseball game without having to worry about finding a childminder, the PayPay Dome has you covered.

Fukuoka Anpanman Children's Museum in Mall brings to life the world of the popular TV anime series "Anpanman". Located in an open glass-roofed atrium on the 5th and 6th floors of Hakata Riverain Mall, the children will have a great time with Anpanman's friends here. Whether riding the Anpanmanmobile or Baikin UFO, playing on the rainbow slides and in the ball pool, or enjoying a show at the Takashi Yanase Theater, this site is full of attractions that Anpanman fans will find irresistible. There are plenty of hands-on activities too, such as making bracelets with your favorite characters and drawing on Dokin-chan and Baikinman's bread. You'll also find many characters from the series at the bakery and onigiri shop in the food area. The mall is connected to Nakasu-Kawabata Station, so it's really easy to get here using the subway.

If you want to take a leisurely walk while looking at seasonal flowers and plants, Fukuoka City Botanical Garden is the place to be. The highlight of this site is a vast greenhouse of 2,800 square meters housing a collection of rare trees and flowers. It's divided into 8 rooms and 2 gardens based on plant type and area, and from the 2nd floor you can take a look at the plants from a higher vantage point. In the greenhouse, which has palms and fruit trees native to the rainforest, you can observe the fruits of papaya, mango, coffee and other exotic plants. Inside the observatory is an observatory on a small hill that looks out over the city of Fukuoka. There's also a café on the 1st floor where you can look at the flowers while enjoying pasta, omurice (fried rice wrapped in omelet), or coffee and cake.

At Fukuoka City Science Museum you can experience space and science in unique and interesting ways, with a particular highlight being the dome-shaped planetarium, which is 25 meters in diameter and has 220 seats. There's also a "Star Trip World Edition" feature in which you can travel to various parts of the world to see the stars, such as the starry sky reflected on the surface of the Uuni salt lake in Bolivia or excursions to New Zealand, Hawaii and other places. Children tend to love the planetarium, as anime characters such as Chibi Maruko-chan and Hanakappa turn up and teach the mechanisms behind the earth and the universe. There are also many monthly astronomical observation meetings, fieldwork activities for parents and children, and special science experience projects with experiments. To get here, head to Ropponmatsu Station on the Subway Nanakuma Line. The museum is right next to the station.