Tours in Fukuoka

Start at the yatai. After dark, the food stalls set up along the pavements by the river in Nakasu and near Tenjin, plastic sheets go up against the wind, and strangers sit shoulder to shoulder over bowls of tonkotsu ramen. Fukuoka eats late and eats outside. That tells you most of what you need to know about the city: it is easy, informal and built around a good meal.

Hakata is the older side of town, with the station, the canal-side streets and the shrines tucked between office blocks. Tenjin is the shopping and eating side, a short walk from the water. Between them runs the Naka river, and the evening walk along it is the best way to get your bearings. Ohori Park has a lake you can circle at an easy pace, and Fukuoka Castle ruins sit on the rise nearby, worth it for the stone walls and the view back over the city. Try mentaiko, motsunabe and a bowl of Hakata ramen with a firm noodle. If there is a shrine, temple or market you want to see with someone who knows it, ask and a local guide can take the request.

Fukuoka is also a very good place to leave from. Out past the city the land opens up, and a long day by road takes you into Kumamoto and up to Mount Aso, where the grassland rolls out around a huge volcanic crater. Along the way the countryside is dotted with bronze One Piece statues, which makes the drive part pilgrimage for anime fans and part ordinary road trip. Small shrines sit in the woods, farmers markets turn up at the roadside, and you can stop wherever something catches your eye.

It is a long day, but a private one, so you set the pace. Come back to the city in the evening, and the stalls will be setting up again.