Fukuoka is a modern city

Fukuoka is a modern city; most of its buildings are new. Historically, it was divided into Hakata (博多) and Fukuoka (福岡), two separate cities divided by the central river, and the main railway station and port are still known as Hakata Station and Hakata Port.

The city really has two centres: one in Hakata and one in Tenjin. There's also a Tourist Information Centre in Tenjin, on the ground floor in front of Mitsukoshi under the Nishitetsu Fukuoka station. They have English speakers (and other languages) available. A lot of English information for residents (and some for travellers) is available on the 8th floor of the IMS building from Rainbow Plaza, just a couple of minutes walk to the east of Nishitetsu Fukuoka station. In the middle of Hakata JR train station there is a Tourist Information counter (sometimes with English speakers) with brochures in English, Japanese and other languages. They can help with transport information and making bookings. You can also check out the ACROS building near Nakasu for some English information, on the third floor.

The surrounding cities and towns make up the prefecture of Fukuoka.

Fukuoka is a good starting point to begin a vacation to Japan for first-timers. While still a big modern city, it's not hard to get around. A subway connects most of the city's main attractions, taking in Hakata, Tenjin, Fukuoka International Airport, Meinohama (where Asia's 2nd largest ferris wheel is located) and Nishijin (where you can find Fukuoka Tower and the baseball ground of the Softbank Hawks: Fukuoka Yahoo! Dome). The main station in Hakata also marks the terminus of the famous Shinkansen bullet train. (Kyushu shinkansen line, currently under construction, will link the existing Sanyo line directly with Kagoshima, near the southern tip of Kyushu.)