Fukuoka with a kid?

December 1, 2015 8:02 AM

I have a conference in Fukuoka Japan in June. I think that I want to take my 7 year old.

He is very well travelled so I'm not worried about the trip. But I fear that his picky eating will get in the way (eating noodles exclusively at Japanese places I suspect) generally and impact my adult foodie fun (Fukuoka is supposed to be a food mecca). If there is a supermarket where I could get some American kid basics in addition to bringing Mac and cheese and snacks, that'd be good. I'm also not opposed to him eating fast food once a day for a more familiar protein source.
Second, what stuff is there to do for kids in Fukuoka? I'll be at the conference itself for a week so he'll need stuff to do. I'm fairly certain a few colleagues' kids could be rounded up for group activities.
Third, I'm up for a side trip if that would be fun. Any recommendations? Would it be worth going to Tokyo with a kid?

posted by k8t to Travel & Transportation around Fukuoka, Japan (9 answers total)

I'm not sure how familiar you are with Japan so apologies if I'm going over familiar ground, but as a picky eater (in most of the same senses a 7-year-old boy is) I've had really good luck there. Does he like rice? A lot of the food in the donburi genre (katsudon, oyakodon, gyudon, etc.) is available at a ton of restaurants and tastes pretty American to me—meat (sometimes fried), rice, egg.
posted by Polycarp at 10:36 AM on December 1, 2015

Agree that I think you'll find him things to eat. I don't think a seven yr old would have any particular interest in Tokyo, but what about the Studio Ghibli museum?

Not sure about kid stuff in Fukuoka specifically - maybe check in some expat forums?
posted by jrobin276 at 10:55 AM on December 1, 2015

I know Fukuoka fairly well. Do you know which part you'll be staying in, as this will affect access to supermarkets and restaurants?
Second, stuff to do (including group activities) means supervised or alone?

There are plenty of places to eat, for example Hard Rock Cafe, family restaurants, and a ton of things your son will recognize, McDonalds, KFC, and Starbucks, etc, and the local versions such as MOS Burger and Freshness Burger are very good. But it's a big place and knowing where you're planning to stay would help a lot.

The same goes for things to do. There are museums, parks, interesting parts of town and so on, but your location is important as the transport system (buses in particular) may be tough on him.
posted by Prof Iterole at 5:32 PM on December 1, 2015 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thanks. We're at the big Hilton near the baseball stadium.
Activities would be with adults leading them.
We have always lived in large cities in the US, so he is used to taking public transport.
İ am relieved to hear about all the (junk) food options.
posted by k8t at 5:42 PM on December 1, 2015

The big Hilton is pretty good, and right next to the Hard Rock Cafe. Last time I was there, there were a couple of other restaurants there and there's a cinema. There's a supermarket (small-ish one). However, the complex is being redeveloped, so changes are likely. The hotel itself has a convenience store inside.

It's right next to the beach, and walking distance to a subway station (Tojinmachi).
You can also get buses to anywhere from very close to the hotel. Tenjin and Hakata are the main shopping areas, maybe 15 minutes by bus?

Ohori park is pretty close, as is the Fukuoka museum.

I'll think about stuff for kids. You may be running into the rainy season, so I'll need some time on that one.
posted by Prof Iterole at 6:49 PM on December 1, 2015 [1 favorite]

My husband is an extremely picky eater and also has a good time in Japan. It helps when we discuss the types of restaurants we'd like to go to first.

You might want to consider looking at Fukuoka's Tabelog. Tabelog is a restaurant review website.

Don't forget about Japan-Guide's Fukuoka section.
posted by Ms. Moonlight at 3:04 AM on December 2, 2015 [1 favorite]

There's a pretty nice aquarium near downtown.

2nding Hakata/Tenjin for shopping. Both have big multifloor dept. stores, and Tenjin has upscale street shopping; Canal City mall in Hakata might be a bit more kid-friendly, or maybe Yodobashi by Hakata Station (multi-floor electronics shop).

I can't imagine any problem with food- worst case there are 7-11's everywhere with hot dogs, ham & cheese sandwiches, etc.

I don't know how far they want to go for day trips, or how much fun vs. educational you're aiming for, but a little further away, there's a big famous shrine and a nice museum in Dazaifu city (30 min away), or a recreated Yayoi era village called Yoshinogari Historical Park (1 hr away). Nagasaki is about 2 hrs, not sure young kids would enjoy though...
posted by p3t3 at 6:10 AM on December 3, 2015 [1 favorite]

Oh, also if you want to check out a castle, Kyushu has one of the best ones in Japan, down in Kumamoto. It's less than an hour from Hakata via Shinkansen.
posted by p3t3 at 6:21 AM on December 3, 2015 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: You all are awesome. Thanks so much.
posted by k8t at 7:17 AM on December 3, 2015