Tuesday, September 25, 2018

Hakata Station - Fukuoka City's Main Transport Hub (Kyushu, Japan)



When my plane landed in Fukuoka, I opted for the bus to take me to Hakata Station which is 15 minutes away (about 2.7 kilometers). This was because the bus' access was easier, not to mention cheaper (260 yen), than getting a single subway ticket. It was too late for  a day pass. The bus took me straight to the station which was a dizzying activity of manual traffic. It's one of the busiest stations I've seen in all of Japan. Hakata Station is the main transit station in the city of Fukuoka. It has bus terminals, train platforms for JR and shinkansen, taxi bays and subway rides. 

Hakata is Fukuoka's direct connection to Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, as well as to Kumamoto and Kagoshima further south. Remember though, the name of the station is Hakata, not Fukuoka Station, just in case you need to find this in HyperDia.

Clio Court, my hotel, is located east of the station, just a 3 minute walk from the east gate (aka Chikushi Gate). Despite being a very busy station, I find Hakata Station very functional. In fact, it's easy to orient yourself. Entrance and exits from the station are east and west. There's plenty of coin lockers, inside and outside the station. There are also restaurants and noodles bar, shops and bakeries in the building.

While the eastern entrance is designed simpler, the western facade has a gorgeous curving dome-shaped ceiling directly facing the busy commercial street. The eastern entrance however has the taxi bay and the bicycle parking.

There's a Family Mart and a 7-11 nearby - and I love Japan's convenience stores because of the variety of options available. Take out sushis, anyone? 

West entrance of Hakata station





Clio Court is just across the station.


Coin lockers

To the subway

Platforms to the JR trains





#hakatastation   #fukuoka   #japan   #kyushu

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