Surving Hot Summer Nights!
‘Tis the season for midsummer night’s dreaming, but you can’t dream without sleeping, and who can sleep on a steamy, sultry Hakata night? If your mind’s racing and your bedroom feels like a sauna, then here are some tips on how to maintain or regain your cool. Step out! You’re gonna sweat anyway, so you might as well be doing something fun, educational or both!
Genki Drinks
Knuckles dragging on the pavement from heat and fatigue? Dreading tomorrow’s hangover? Or perhaps a hot date with someone who’s expecting you to be “standing tall”. You need one of those Japanese miracle elixirs. The Greenpeace drugstore just off of Oyafuko-dori has them all. Friendly Mr. Shimakawa, the proprietor, can help you select the right drinks to prepare your kidneys for a night of heavy drinking, and other beverages to help speed up “the morning after” recovery process. He’s got caffeine-laced drinks in varying dosages to help you stay awake into the wee hours. And the male hormone drinks will not cure balding, but reportely have other uplifting effects.
Greenpeace Drugstore
3-6-8 Tenjin, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka
Tel: 092-731-0996
Open: 11:00~1:00 / 17:00~1:00
Closed: Sun.
** Nocturnal Creatures **
Night Aquarium
What could be more fun than watching fish swim in the daytime? Watching fish swim at night! That’s right, Marine World’s Umi no Naka Michi stays open late on summer weekends! See divers in the large tank search for 150 sharks, watch the Dolphin Show with a night view of Hakata Bay as a backdrop, and listen to the soothing sounds of violin and erhu performances next to the large tank. There’s a 30% discount on tickets if you show up in a yukata!
Marine World Uminonakamichi
18-28 O-aza Saitozaki, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka
Tel: 092-603-0400
Open: 9:00~18:30, or until 21:30 p.m. in August when the aquarium is open late. No admittance after 20:30
Night Zoo
No, this is not a new Tenjin pick-up joint, but the actual Fukuoka City Zoo with authentic wild animals. Enjoy the frisson as you get in touch with your primitive past while stalking and walking among the beasts at night. Like Tenjin barfly predators, some animals are more active at night. The zoo is open every Saturday night in August, but for the real caveman experience, try the last Saturday of the month near the full moon. Those of a more refined temperament may wish to view the botanical gardens, which are open at the same time.
Fukuoka Zoological Park & Botanical Garden
1-1 Minamikoen, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka
Tel: 092-531-1968
Open: 9:00~17:00 with the night zoo open from 18:00~21:00
Closed: Mon. the day after holidays
Critter Catching
What boy hasn’t gone out at dawn to catch a stag beetle? OK, what Japanese boy?
Takeo Nakata, operator of the Stag Beetle Farm (Kabutomushi Noen) suggests finding a kunugi tree (sawtooth oak) because the stags like to hang out at night and suck the sap of deciduous trees. Shake the tree and the sap-sated bugs fall to the ground. Be sure there are no bees sucking sap at the same time! If you’re interested in staging stag beetle battles, or just want a cute new pet, head on over to Nakata’s spread next to Prefectural Highway 54, in Miyaura, Nishi Ward. In addition to the kabutomushi, kuwagata beetles are yours for the taking.
Open every day during summer vacation until O-Bon 9:00~18:00/ Call 092-809-2137
** Sports After Dark **
Night Snowboarding
Ain’t modern life grand? It’s hot enough to fry soba on the sidewalk and the humidity is 110%, but inside Big Air Fukuoka, it’s minus 3C with daily snowfall all year round. This is the spot where the elite meet for snowboarding in August. Beginners should try the special offer that includes equipment rental and a tutorial. More advanced practitioners can strut their aerial stuff by soaring off the ramp. If you’re a dedicated snowboarder who can’t wait until winter, a beginner who absolutely positively has to start practicing this minute, or someone who wants a winter sports workout, cruise on over to the indoor slopes at Bayside Place.
Big Air Fukuoka
1312 Chikkohon-machi, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka
Tel: 092-263-5755
11:00~23:30, 10:00~24:30 Sat., 10:00~23:30 Sun. and holidays
The special offer for beginners is 4,000 yen per person, 3,500 yen for students
Night Diving
For a fine experience in nocturnal underwater sports, try the Triton Diving Resort in Higashi Ward, Fukuoka City, with diving at Shikanoshima and Koinoura. If you have a license above the beginner level, they’ll give you some instruction, stick a light in your hand, and send you off to seek the mysteries of the deep. The warm summer seawater breeds a lot of phosphorescent sea creatures, which emit a phantasmagoric light that surrounds divers. The Triton has English-speaking instructors from overseas to help you talk to the fish in your native language.
Toriton Diving Resort
1-5-5 Ojimazaki, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka
Tel: 092-671-3743 / Free Dial: 0120-143534
Open: 11:00~20:00
** Super Game Center **
Round One
If booze won’t take care of the blahs, maybe some games or playing a wholesome sport is what you need. Round One, a vast amusement center next to the Toei Movie Theater, is always open. How about some tenpins? Or mini-basketball on the rooftop? Or mini-tennis? Or the batting cage? You’re already sweating – why not exercise? Speaking of sweat – no problem – they have showers! Indoors, there’s karaoke, a planetarium, darts, billiards, and the kitchen sink, which they’re planning to use for an amusement activity, too! Pay 110 yen for 10 minutes, and you can do anything you like on the premises as long as it’s legal. Cheaper if you are a student or a member.
Round One
2-6-12 Tenjin, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka
Tel: 092-720-8101
Open: 24 hours a day, except one section 8:00~1:00 a.m.
Price: Bowling costs 590 yen a game, or 490 yen for members. Annual memberships are 500yen.
** Relux Spots **
Kenbien
Depending on your viewpoint, a massage on the soles of the feet is either an excellent way to relax or a particularly refined form of torture. If you’re of the former persuasion, or enjoy a bit of masochism, try Kenbien with its firm Taiwanese style foot massage. When the massage is over, and if you’re still in the realm of the living, your metabolism will be activated to expel bodily wastes, making you feel better in consolation for the experience you just underwent. Only 2,000 yen for 20 minutes of excruciating bliss. You also can opt for a full body massage and a foot bath. The Tenjin and Nakasu outlets are open until 5:00 a.m.
B1F Otowa Bldg., 2-7-22 Tenjin, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka
Tel: 092-737-1883
Open:10:00~5:00
Hakata Ichiban Buro
Located next to Big Air, the Hakata Ichiban Furo is a bathhouse that stays open until 3:00 a.m. Let go and dissolve those late-night knots in theses splendid and spacious baths and sauna. Might as well go the whole nine yards and wear a yukata there. In fact they’re holding a yukata contest for women and children until August 15. To enter, come dressed in a yukata and the staff will take your photo. Even better, bring a copy of Fukuoka Now to the reception desk from midnight to 2:00 a.m. during the month of August to get in for ｴ800–half price.
13-1 Chikkohon-machi, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka
Tel: 092-273-1126
Open: 10:00~3:00
Yakuin Shiroyama no Yu
Located on the west side of Yakuin Station, Yakuin Shiroyama no Yu has the last thing you’d expect to find in the middle of the metropolis–a natural hot spring with exceptional waters from 2,000 meters underground. This water is said to be good for the skin, and besides, how can you beat a spa and a view of the night sky to rinse off brain and body? There’s even a place where you can stretch out and snooze until 8 a.m., but you can’t enter the bath from 3:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m., and patrons are not admitted after 2:00 a.m. If your timing is good this could well be the most luxurious way to pass a hot summer night. They also offer aromatic massages and beauty treatments. The basic admission fee is ｴ1,800.
1-1-1 Yakuin, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka
Tel: 092-781-2211
Open: 10:30~8:00
Night Drugstore
Minutes can seem like hours, hours like days, when pain strikes – or when you need a refill of your favorite lipstick. Well, you will be glad to know that Papahiroya on Nakasu Odori is a drugstore (with a cosmetics section) that is open until 2:30 a.m. The friendly store clerks are a fountain of pharmaceutical knowledge, and if you live in the Nakasu area and are too wasted to move, Papahiroya delivers!
Papahiroya
#20 Line Bldg 1F, 2-5-8 Nakasu, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka
Tel: 092-262-1866
Open: 15:00~2:30
Closed: Sun.
** Shopping **
Makii Sanso-dori Store
Makii in Hirao has been in business 24 hours a day for more than 20 years. The owner proudly offers a tasty, healthful product lineup including lots of hard-to-find imported items. Fresh vegetables are brought in directly from Itoshima and Asakura every day, and they also feature top quality black beef from Kagoshima and the Osumi Peninsula. You can even find Spanish olive oil made from organically grown olives picked early in the season.
5-19-1 Hirao, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka (Next to the Minami Sanso-dori bus stop)
Tel: 092-522-7000
Open: 24 hours
Don Quixote
This store’s got it all–food, clothing, fans, and air conditioners. What more could you want? With 40,000 items in stock at rock bottom prices, you can get a cheap thrill just by looking, and Sancho Panza won’t get in the way. It’s similar to a 100 yen shop; however, the goods aren’t limited to 100 yen. But, it’s equally hard to walk out of there without buying something. The Nishijin outlet stays open till 5:00 a.m.
3-4-2 Saishin, Sawara-ku Fukuoka (Next to the Wakiyama Guchi intersection at Meiji-dori)
Tel: 092-846-5511
Open: 10:00~5:00
Night Vision
The Saturday night all-night show at Nakasu Taiyo starts after their late show ends ’round midnight and costs just 1,200yen. Sink back into the super-deluxe reclining seats made in France, and cool your fevered brain by sipping on a cool beverage–hey, isn’t this why you came to Japan? Surf on over to http://www.nakasu-taiyo.co.jp/ to find out what’s showing.
Homebodies who’d rather enjoy videos or DVDs behind closed doors can rent their own 24/7 at GIGA Tenjin on the first basement level of the Tenjin Junkudo Bookstore. They’ve also got a 24-hour Internet caf・ so you can hole up in the shop until you need a shower.
Nakasu Taiyo
4-6-18 Nakasu, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka
Tel: 092-291-4058
Open: Theater hours depend on the feature shown
Price: The all-night show costs 1,200 yen
GIGA Tenjin
1-10-3 Tenjin, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka
Tel: 092-739-3820
Open: 24 hours
Security Goods
As safe as Fukuoka is reported to be, women should consider packing a security buzzer before heading out late in the night. Incube on the 5th floor of the Zakka-kan in the Solaria Stage Building has plenty of bells and buzzers that make loud noises and bright lights to ward off evildoers.
** Munchies! **
Pikﾕs Coffee Shop
“American diner food done better than Americans” – that’s the buzz on the street. Chow down on an American-sized steak or grilled chicken, affordable at 600 yen to 900 yen until 4 a.m. Hot dogs, fish and chips, ice cream and American-style breakfast served anytime of the day or night. Coffee is just 150 yen.
3-2-18 Tenjin, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka
Tel: 092-781-0246
Open: 11:30~4:00, 18:00~4:00 Sat., (OS3:30)
Closed: Sun.
Okiyo Shokudo
If you’re looking for a good meal to start the day with at the end of your night, try the Okiyo Cafeteria on the first floor of the Fish Market Kaikan in Nagahama. Open 6:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. they close from 2:00 p.m. on Saturday to 6:00 p.m. on Sunday. It’s fish or fish – and all sourced from the market next door. They have 5 or 6 daily specials ranging from an affordable 600 yen to 1,000 yen, including sashimi, tekka donburi, and lip-smacking salt mackerel. A well known off-the-beaten-track classic.
3-11-3 Nagahama, Chou-ku, Fukuoka
Tel: 092-711-6303
Open: 18:00 ~14:00
Sunrise
It’s a downer when you get so caught up in carousing the night away and the sun rises before you’re ready for it. Since you can’t stop the sunrise, the only solution is to find someplace to enjoy it. Although it’s facing north-west the observation deck next to the Yamanoue Hotel near the Fukuoka City Zoo, boasts a view of the whole city – and is a wonderful place to watch the sunlight slowly speed over the city. Open 24/7 and it’s free. We hope you enjoyed our suggestions for a summer night in Fukuoka – the only thing missing is sleep!
