I can't find anything like this here, on Meetups, in the official Urban Sketching Group or on FB.
What I'm looking for is not a course, but people getting together who have the same hobby.

any hint/tipp would be appreciated

My trip is from Fukuoka airport to Nagasaki station. I booked online (https://www.atbus-de.com/), payment went through but the web ticket didn't come through. I've gone through the steps to reissue the tickets but still no tickets. Any advice pls? Would I be able to board the bus directly with just the confirmation screenshot?

Recommendations needed for your fav joints for beef (yakiniku or else) in Fukuoka!

I will be going to Fukuoka from July to December, and if things go well possibly longer (trying to move over so I can stay with my GF). I love squash and play padel tennis too from time to time, was wondering if anyone here has a club where they play that they could recommend.

https://blueprint-court.com

Did find this place close to Tenjin minami, was wondering if anyone has experience going there (or any other place, can't seem to find too many places down town). My Japanese isn't bad but nothing great, did pass N3 so I think I should be fine if the club is Japanese only. At least I hope ^^ ^^ .

Any recommendations would be great!

Where I can find girl friend in Kitakyushu. As a foreigner.

Hello every body, next month I will travel to Fukuoka. I want to buy matcha tools such as bamboo matcha whisk, whisk cup, chashaku, matcha powder ... Can you recommend or suggest me some matcha stores or any where in Fukuoka (around Hakata as I book hotel there)?

And suggest me about the good price for them?

P/S: Anyway, Can you also suggest me other Fukuoka's or Japan's souvenir I should consider to buy when travel there?

Thanks you all so much

I am moving to Fukuoka next month and I am wondering if anyone knows of somewhere I would be able to have a box of clothes shipped to?

This would ideally be a hotel or Post Office to hold it until I arrive.

As my title suggests, I am asking for any hotel (not a guesthouse or capsule) recommendations for one adult. I will be traveling on May 23-30 (7nights). Most probably ¥3,800 - ¥5,700 only.

Hope you can help me find one! Thank you.

I am looking at staying in that area, but it looks like the only option to and from the area around PayPay Dome to the nearest station (Tojinmachi) is to walk about 20 minutes? This is based on Google Maps estimates.

Has anyone been there? How does it compare to the Kyushu National Museum?

I’ll actually be coming from Osaka then head to Okayama to see them too (from June 23 onwards) which is at their peak season in that region..

However, seeing that fireflies show up in Fukuoka at around late-May to mid-June, will there still be a chance to see them at a much later period say early July? I’ve seen their cycles more at a much later date in the recent years so maybe it’s possible..

I'm looking to grab some Hario, Kalita Wave, and Origami coffee gear and pick up delicious beans and loose leaf as well.

Recommendations for coffee shops and tea shops are also welcome.

We will be renting a car and driving around Kyushu ... and plan to spend 2 nights at a Ryokan in the Kurokawa area. There are so many Ryokans to choose from! There seems to be two options: either book something in Kurokawa Onsen itself (which allows us to do onsen-hopping) or book something in the area but not in Kurokawa itself (maybe more remote/peaceful but no onsen-hopping?).

While the idea of onsen-hopping is interesting, it seems like it's a bit of a hassle (esp for onsens not really within walking distance) when we can just enjoy the onsens at the Ryokan we're staying in. Is the hopping thing more for day-trippers who aren't staying overnight? What am I missing?

Any recommendations on where to stay (and what other pros and cons are there to be in the village itself)? A few that I found with positive ratings and availability include: Yamamizuki (in the village), Yamashinobu (outside the village). But there are so many others, it's hard to choose.

For a family with small children, is it better to live near Nishijin station or Meinohama station? We like to be near restaurants and have easy access for shopping, but want kids to be comfortable as well.

Hi there, I am a hairstylist Yuki working at Kepka hair salon FUKUOKA. I like meeting people from different countries and cultures. I used to live in NY for 4 years, so I speak English a little bit. And I can also teach you practical Japanese, If you like. :) Please come visit us! Thank you!

https://www.instagram.com/kepka_yamaguchi_yuki/

Several weeks ago, I passed it twice on a bus, and there was a long, long queue. There was just a question mark sign above the doorway.

Hello, I (25M from France) arrived in Fukuoka last October and will be here until at least next October (language school). I currently have a few friends from school, but would like to expand that circle and meet new people in the city (japanese or not).

I often check if there are Meetup events but it seems that it mostly consists of language exchange events, which I have attended a few times but I didn't really made any meaningful connections. I also looked up if there were Facebook pages, but it seems that they are mostly used by people trying to sell stuff. I thought about joining a tennis club but for this year the budget is a bit tight for that, maybe later if I get a job ^^.

I would really appreciate any recommandations/ ideas !

Thanks

Hello. Due to a scheduling conflict I'm unable to run this tour myself and I'm looking for someone to help me out!

This is through another company but they cover travel to and from Okinawa as well as hotel stay. It begins 8am on Friday March 14th so you will be arriving the day prior. There will be a training / information meeting before hand. There might be opportunities for future tours! You have to be fluent in German as the tour is for German tourists! Please send me a message for more details and the pay.

Hi group, I plan on visiting Fukuoka with my wife, who's pregnant, in the coming weeks & I read about the flu outbreak in Japan. How serious is it in Fukuoka? Should we be worried at all? Thank you!

Hello everyone, I'm going to be moving to Fukuoka (which will also be my first time visiting) in March on a Working Holiday Visa (WHV) and will be attending Japanese Language School for 4 months - my current level is around N5 at the moment. I've been researching accommodation options and it's so frustrating trying to find suitable, short-term (3-6 months), budget-friendly places for foreigners.

Previously, I lived in Japan for 6 months in 2022 for my study abroad semester in Tokyo. But that was in an international dormitory provided by my host university, so I didn’t have to worry about finding accommodation thankfully - and was spoiled by the fact that it was basically in the middle of Tokyo.

From my research, I heard that places like Leopalace aren’t the greatest because of how thin the walls are and that they’re massively overpriced. But I’ve looked into places like UR Housing but don’t know how viable they are for someone under a WHV and short-term stays.

So I guess my two best options are: sharehouses and マンスリーマンション (monthly mansions) but my main ‘wants’ is that it has a close proximity to train/subway stations, and is around the Tenjin/Yakuin area.

Though I did find some sharehouses near Ijiri station such as: ‘Discovery Hakata South’, ‘Sharely Style Hakata’ and ‘SHAREHOUSE AMATSU KAZE’ and one near Tōjinmachi station ‘Moka House Ohori’. So if anyone has any experience living in these sharehouses/areas, please let me know how your stays were - you are more than welcome to send me a personal message if you’re not comfortable posting publicly.

I have put aside 6 months worth of savings. So my housing/rent budget is around 80,000 yen per month including bills and utilities. But let me know how realistic this budget is, because I might have to rebudget because I have found that mansions are quite expensive and have priced me out of budget. 

For background, I just turned 26 a month ago and graduated with a Bachelor's in Computer Science in January 2024 and have been taking a gap year to travel and work, whilst simultaneously applying for entry-level, 0 YOE, software engineering/full-stack positions (tough market to be in at the moment).

In terms of hobbies/activities: 

• I’m planning on utilizing the Engineer Cafe for networking and hackathons
• I like to play soccer and would love to find a place where I can play pick-up soccer
• Are there any places where I can play Magic The Gathering?
• Gym, how do memberships work? Am I locked into a contract or can I cancel anytime?
• Lastly, are there any places where I can perform/play guitar in open mics or something along those lines?

That’s all and thank you for reaching this far, I’m trying not to be too fussy and selective with my (lack-of) options, so let me know if I’m being realistic with my ‘wants’ and I look forward to hearing your advice about housing, living in Fukuoka or just doing a Working Holiday in Japan in general!

Edit: added 'per month' in housing budget

Hi I'd love some help about Itoshima.

I'll be coming from Tenjin, Hotel Richmond. I don't drive, and I saw that you can take a bike around Itoshima. It seems like a nice place to slowly explore cafes and be at the beach, so I intended to take my time with a 2d1n trip. But I saw there are not many places to stay that are near the shoreline, they are all inland (45min bus to the shore) or one hotel, seven x seven.

I was going to splurge on seven x seven when I saw that it's about 1.5km from the nearest busstop, which is rather more than I'm used to walking with luggage, so Im just a bit confused.

What's the best way to explore itoshima without driving? I can ride a bicycle.

I'll be travelling solo, so I can't book those trips on Klook etc. But these are what I'm interested in in Itoshima:

• Beach side cafes
• Futamigaura couple rocks (not terribly interested, but it's in the area right?)
• Keya beach
• nogita beach
• arts and crafts shops for shopping
• akuya gate cruise (I realise this might be a problem because it's inland, but is it possible to take a bus?)

Any help would be appreciated!

I'd also like to ask a general question about forwarding luggage - would all hotels do it? I'm thinking of heading back to Tenjin for the night back after Itoshima, and then going to Yufuin the next morning for 2 nights, and then a day in Kurokawa, take the bus from Kurokawa directly to Beppu (so I'd be forwarding my luggage from Yufuin to Beppu) 1 night in Beppu. If that's not possible, my back-up plan is to leave my luggage at Yufuin, so after my day trip to Kurokawa I come back to Yufuin, stay 1 night, and with my luggage, bus to Beppu. (but obviously Id like to minimize travelling with my luggage xox)

Also also, do you think I would be able to go to the African Safari (Kyushu Animal park right?) from any of my locations directly (express bus from beppu?)? I saw the tour starts in fukuoka, goes to yufuin and then beppu all in one day, but I can't go for the tour, being a solo traveller. I did find one tour that is OK for a single traveller, but I was wondering if I could ask them to drop me off at Yufuin on the way back - otherwise should I just spend 1 day on the tour, and then travel to Yufuin and continue my planned itinerary the next day?

We will be arriving on the Shinkansen from Hiroshima around noon, and renting a car near the station (to explore Kyushu for a few days). We want to grab lunch near the station before getting the rental car ... but we'll have our luggage with us. Not sure how feasible or comfortable it would be to bring our luggage into a nearby restaurant, so I thought it might be better to eat in one of the malls connected to the station. Looks like AMU Plaza and KITTE are connected to the station? Any recommendations on where we should go, and what floor the best food options would be on?

Hi! I'm returning to my country during my school break and looking for traditional Japanese desserts to bring as souvenirs.

I'm seeking two types of souvenirs:

• Affordable options for former coworkers and neighbors
• Special treats for my loved ones

Additional question: Do you know a place where I can find Karinto manju or high-quality karinto?

Recommendations for tea and sake in these two categories are also very welcome!

Thank you very much!

Hi all,

I am looking for someone who can come along with me to a show on Feb 1st or 2nd. There is a live show I wanna see at the venue called DRUM Be-1 in Fukuoka. I mostly listen to metal/rock, but this time the band that's performing is metal/v-kei and I feel a bit excluded going by myself. But their new album is too good to miss! If you are available on either of those days and live nearby please DM me. Also, how do you find friends without going to a bar/club? Are there any apps or online platforms I can try? I do drink but I'm not a big fan of that atmosphere (I think it's because I'm Japanese female and most people think I came to speak English or look for a guy to flirt with lol). I had a few friends before moving to the States but after I came back to Japan I have no one to hang out with (especially nobody listens to that genre in Japan nowadays). I thought there might be more people listening to metal/rock here so... help!

My family of 9 people (with elderly) will be travelling together for 1 week around Fukuoka area. With the elderly people, we want to hire a private driver with a van because they can’t walk too much. Any recommendations or advice on where to look for this?