Nakasu

Fukuoka's pulsing entertainment district, built on a narrow island between the Naka and Hakata rivers and especially alive after dark. The area is famous for its yatai (outdoor food stalls) that line the riverbanks each evening, where you sit on stools under a tarp and eat steaming bowls of ramen, grilled skewers, and oden while chatting with the cook and your neighbors. Beyond the yatai, Nakasu's streets hold a dense concentration of bars, izakayas, clubs, and karaoke parlors that keep the district humming well past midnight. Daytime is quieter but still worth a walk along the river for the views and the contrast with the neon-lit energy that takes over at sundown.