When to travel?
Kyushu generally is very warm. Fukuoka in summer could be hot and humid however, if it is during wintertime, your stay will be more comfortable than snowy places.
Best season: Mar-Nov (Jun is monsoon, Jul-Aug could be hot and humid, Sep is typhoon)
Cherry blossoms: end of Mar-Apr
Foliage: mid of Nov-Dec
Events / Festivals
Jan: Oniyo (鬼夜), Kurume 久留米
May: Hakata Dontaku (博多どんたく), Fukuoka
May: Kawawatari Jinko festival (川渡り神幸祭), Tagawa 田川
Jul: Kokura Gion Taiko (小倉祇園太鼓), Kokura 小倉
Jul: Hakata Gion Yamagasa (博多祇園山笠), Fukuoka
Jul: Tobata Gion Oyamagasa (戸畑祇園大山笠), Kitakyushu 北九州
Touristic spots
Capital city: Fukuoka (福岡)
The capital of the prefecture as well as the region’s. It is the metropolitan city, but there are a lot of unique and historical places, too.
The biggest touristic spot may be Dazaifu Tenmangu (太宰府天満宮). This is the temple where an old noble man, Sugawara no Michizane (菅原道真), is worshipped. He is now considered as a god of intelligence, and more than 8 million people visit this temple.
Itoshima (糸島)
Located only half an away from Fukuoka city, Itoshima is a perfect getaway place. You can drive along a beautiful ocean to many attractive sites, such as old shrines, cafes, athletic parks, nature with waterfall and so on. Everyone including children or elderlies can enjoy a relaxing weekend here.
Shika Island (志賀島)
Shika Island is small, but it is where a gold stamp, which proofs that there was a communication with China in the 1st century, was found. The ancient book in China also says that the gold stamp was given to Japan.
Kita Kyushu (北九州)
Kita Kyushu is the second biggest city of Fukuoka, and there are a lot of great places to visit, too. The city has been flourished as a port, and there are many nostalgic and retro buildings which were nominated as Japanese National Treasures.
The most popular place in Kita Kyushu is Moji port, where you may find old building and warehouses along the coast.
Kokura (小倉) was an independent city but now it is a part of Kita Kyushu city. It is an entrance to Kyushu, so that you might be visiting this station when you transfer Shinkansen bullet trains.
Yanagawa (柳川)
Yanagawa is a hub city at the southern part of Fukuoka. It is also known as a city of water, as there are so many canals which were used to deliver items, which is the reason why the city got developed.
Munakata shrine (宗像大社), Miike Colliery (三池炭鉱) and the Imperial Steel Works (八幡製鉄所)
They are all World Heritage sites. Description available in Kyushu article.