Japan's rising business city and gateway to Kyushu
A compact, dynamic city 5 minutes from its airport, known for outstanding food and more reasonable costs than Tokyo.
Fukuoka Airport (FUK): about 5 minutes to Hakata Station and 11 minutes to Tenjin on the Kuko subway line. By private coach, allow 15–25 minutes to Hakata or Tenjin depending on the terminal (international or domestic) and traffic.
International links: direct flights to several Asian cities (Seoul, Busan, Taipei, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok depending on season). European participants usually connect via Tokyo, Seoul or another Asian hub.
From Tokyo: about 1h45–2h flight from Haneda with very frequent departures, or about 5 hours by Shinkansen. From Osaka: about 2h30 by Shinkansen from Shin-Osaka.
Tip: for groups arriving from Tokyo we favor flights (group booking across several departures) with an airport meet-and-greet and coach; the short distance lets you go straight into a meeting or lunch.
The Fukuoka Convention Center on the Hakata waterfront groups several complementary facilities: Fukuoka International Congress Center (main hall of about 1,000 in theater style and numerous rooms), Marine Messe Fukuoka (multi-purpose hall for up to about 15,000 in theater setup), Fukuoka Kokusai Center and Fukuoka Sunpalace (main hall of about 2,300). Downtown, ACROS Fukuoka in Tenjin offers a symphony hall and conference rooms.
Major hotels — Hilton Fukuoka Sea Hawk (Momochi), Grand Hyatt Fukuoka (Canal City), Hotel Okura Fukuoka, Hotel Nikko Fukuoka, ANA Crowne Plaza Fukuoka, Rihga Royal Hotel Fukuoka — offer ballrooms for several hundred guests. Fukuoka comfortably handles conventions of 300 to 500 people; exact capacities are confirmed case by case.
The station district (Shinkansen, 5-minute subway to the airport), with plenty of business hotels and the Canal City complex. The ideal logistics base.
The commercial and business center, transformed by the Tenjin Big Bang redevelopment (One Fukuoka Building opened in 2025). Restaurants, department stores and new hotels.
A trendy neighborhood next to Tenjin: boutiques, cafés, cocktail bars and characterful restaurants, including historic ryotei for group dinners.
The island between two rivers at the heart of the nightlife, with its row of yatai along the Naka River. Best explored in small hosted groups.
The western waterfront with Fukuoka Tower, the domed stadium and Hilton Fukuoka Sea Hawk. Suited to residential conventions and seaside evenings.
Ambience · FukuokaFukuoka
福岡国際会議場
The Fukuoka International Congress Center is the core of Hakata's waterfront convention zone. Its main hall seats up to 3,000 in theater style and is supported by 19 flexible halls and meeting rooms with simultaneous interpretation booths. Extensively renovated in 2024, it can be combined with Marine Messe Fukuoka and Fukuoka Kokusai Center a few minutes' walk away, so a single campus can host plenary, breakouts, exhibition and gala dinner.
Max. capacity 3,000 pax · 17 hotels
Ambience · FukuokaFukuoka
福岡国際センター
Fukuoka Kokusai Center is known across Japan as the home of the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament every November. Its column-free flat floor of over 5,000 m² holds close to 10,000 people for conventions, exhibitions or large corporate events. It belongs to the waterfront convention zone together with the Congress Center and Marine Messe, run by the same foundation, which makes combined bookings straightforward.
Max. capacity 9,852 pax · 1 hotels
Ambience · FukuokaFukuoka
マリンメッセ福岡
Marine Messe Fukuoka is the large exhibition and arena complex on Hakata Bay. Multipurpose Hall A holds up to 15,000 people for concerts, conventions or trade shows; Hall B, opened in 2021, adds roughly 5,000 m² of flat floor and two meeting rooms of over 400 m². The halls are linked by an arched covered plaza and can be booked together, with the neighboring Fukuoka International Congress Center handling plenary sessions.
Max. capacity 15,000 pax · 15 hotels
Momochi
Kyushu's largest MICE hotel: 1,052 rooms on Hakata Bay, a 2,440 m² main hall for 3,300 in theater style and 37 additional meeting rooms. Next to the Mizuho PayPay Dome, it can house, meet and feed an entire convention under one roof.
Tenjin
One of Fukuoka's largest banquet floors: a 1,618 m² hall for 2,000 in theater style or 1,100 seated, 11 additional rooms and 372 guest rooms, between Tenjin and Yakuin.
Hakata
A major conference hotel facing Hakata Station. Its 1,500 m² main hall seats 1,500 in theater style or 800 for dinner, with 11 additional rooms and 360 guest rooms.
Nakasu
A landmark hotel in Nakasu-Kawabata, directly linked to the subway. Its 1,500 m² Heian no Ma ballroom holds 1,500 in theater style or 800 for a seated dinner, with 11 more rooms for breakouts.
Kokura (Kitakyushu)
The RIHGA Royal brand is present in Fukuoka Prefecture in Kokura (Kitakyushu), not in Fukuoka City. Linked to Kokura Station, the hotel offers the 1,235 m² Royal Hall (1,300 in theater style, divisible into 3).
Tenjin
In the heart of Tenjin above Nishitetsu Station, this hotel has an 875 m² hall for 1,200 in theater style or 500 seated, plus 6 additional rooms.
Nakasu
A 308-room hotel on the Naka River in Nakasu, a few minutes by taxi from the Congress Center and Marine Messe. Main room of 187 m² (200 in theater style).
Hakata
A 235-room business hotel right outside the Chikushi (shinkansen) exit of Hakata Station. A second Forza property (II, 160 rooms) nearby helps with larger groups.
Hakata
An upscale business hotel from the JR Kyushu group, opened in 2013 opposite Hakata Station. 247 well-designed rooms, ideal for housing a meeting group right by the shinkansen.
Gion
Opened in 2019, this 300-room hotel draws on Hakata merchant-house design and has a top-floor public bath. It sits between Hakata Station and the Gion temple district.
Tenjin
A Richmond chain business hotel on Watanabe-dori, south Tenjin. Closed for a full renovation from August 17 to December 23, 2026, it reopens on December 24, 2026.
Hakata
A lifestyle hotel near Hakata Station built around a library atrium. An alternative to the classic business hotel for design-minded attendees.
10 restaurants
Daimyo · 博多料亭 稚加榮
A ryotei founded in 1961 in Daimyo, in the former residence of a coal magnate. On the ground floor, a large counter wraps around a big fish tank; upstairs, traditional tatami rooms host banquets and business dinners. Also famous for its mentaiko.
Groups up to 100 paxDinner: kaiseki from ¥9,900 to ¥22,000 and omakase from ¥12,000 to ¥33,000 per person
Tenyamachi (Hakata) · 博多もつ鍋 おおやま 本店
The original branch of the Ooyama chain, a Fukuoka benchmark for motsunabe. Guests enter through a small lantern-lit lane; 180 seats over three floors, all at horigotatsu tables. The motsunabe, made only with wagyu small intestine, comes in miso, soy or mizutaki-style broth and ends with champon noodles.
Groups up to 72 paxSet menus from ¥4,500 to ¥7,600 per person
Sekijōmachi (Hakata) · 新三浦 博多本店
A mizutaki house founded in 1910, one of the oldest in Hakata. The white broth, simmered all day from chicken and water, is tasted on its own first, then with the chicken and vegetables, and finally poured over rice. Every seat is in a private or semi-private room, some overlooking the Mikasa River.
Groups up to 60 paxDinner: courses at ¥8,800 and ¥12,100 per person
Nakasu · 中洲 はかた舟
Fukuoka's only yakatabune, running on the Naka River for over 35 years. Two boats: a Japanese boat with tatami and horigotatsu seating (42 guests) and 'La Belle Époque', a Western-style boat with a bar counter (25 guests). Two-hour cruises around Nakasu with dinner served on board, boarding at Deai Bridge.
Groups up to 42 paxTwo-hour cruise with dinner: courses from ¥6,600 to ¥15,400 per person
Sumiyoshi (Hakata) · GohGan
A collaboration between chef Tsuyoshi Fukuyama (Goh, a starred Fukuoka restaurant) and chef Gaggan Anand, a leading name in creative Indian cuisine. On the ground floor of the 010 Building in Hakata, with an open kitchen, 40 indoor seats and a terrace on the Naka River; the menu blends French technique with Indian spice.
Groups up to 40 paxDinner: courses at ¥8,800 and ¥14,300 per person
Daimyo (The Ritz-Carlton, Fukuoka) · Bay（ザ・リッツ・カールトン福岡）
The signature bar on the 24th floor of The Ritz-Carlton, Fukuoka, in Fukuoka Daimyo Garden City. A design inspired by the ships of Hakata Bay, an open-air terrace facing the sunset, a DJ every evening, house cocktails and charcoal-grilled small plates using Kyushu produce.
On requestPriced by the drink
Tokyo · Kyoto · Osaka · Fukuoka
A master calligrapher introduces the group to shodo: holding the brush, stroke order, then writing a kanji chosen to express a team value.
60 to 90 minutes · 6–150 pax
Fukuoka
An evening in teams among Fukuoka's yatai street stalls in Nakasu and Tenjin: tastings, missions and conversations with stall owners, ending at a shared final venue.
2.5 to 3 hours, in the evening · 10–120 pax
Tokyo · Kyoto · Osaka · Fukuoka
A dinner in an izakaya reserved for your group, with a sharing menu, free-flow drinks and light entertainment: Japanese conviviality without the constraints of a crowded restaurant.
2 to 2.5 hours · 15–150 pax
Tokyo · Kyoto · Osaka · Fukuoka · Okinawa
An introduction to taiko, the Japanese drum, led by professional players, building in under two hours to a collective performance by the whole group.
90 minutes to 2 hours · 10–300 pax
3 days · Fukuoka
This Fukuoka business seminar gathers 30 to 150 participants for 3 days in a compact city where the airport is just 5 minutes by subway from Hakata Station. It combines working sessions in a conference hotel, an introduction to the local startup ecosystem and evenings around the Nakasu yatai food stalls. Fukuoka is an efficient, more affordable alternative to Tokyo, with short flights to Seoul, Taipei or Shanghai.
From €1,800 per person, excluding flights
3 days · Fukuoka
This 3-day Fukuoka convention hosts 300 to 800 participants at the Fukuoka International Congress Center on the Hakata waterfront, with an optional partner exhibition in Hall B of the neighboring Marine Messe Fukuoka. Attendees stay in 3 or 4 hotels in Hakata and Tenjin, about 10 minutes by shuttle from the congress center. Fukuoka Airport is 5 minutes by subway from Hakata Station, which makes wave-by-wave arrivals easy to handle.
From €1,900 per person, excluding flights
4 days · Fukuoka
This 4-day Fukuoka incentive trip takes 30 to 120 participants from the city center to the Umi-no-Nakamichi peninsula. It combines a yatai challenge along the Naka River, a morning at Dazaifu Tenmangu shrine, a crossing of Hakata Bay to THE LUIGANS Spa & Resort and a gala dinner facing the sea. Fukuoka Airport is 5 minutes by subway from Hakata Station, which keeps arrival and departure transfers short.
From €2,900 per person, excluding flights
4 days · Fukuoka · Okinawa
This 4-day roadshow runs two client events of 80 to 200 guests, one in Fukuoka and one in Naha, linked by a direct flight of about 1 hour 45 minutes. A team of 10 to 30 is based in Tenjin at ONE FUKUOKA HOTEL, which also hosts the event, then in Naha at SOUTHGATE HOTEL OKINAWA, opened in May 2026 and 11 minutes from the airport. We handle venues, bilingual invitations, interpretation, equipment transport and client dinners in both cities.
From €2,600 per team member, excluding international flights
3 days · Fukuoka
This 3-day study tour introduces 15 to 60 participants to the startup ecosystem of Fukuoka, a city that declared itself a "Startup City" in 2012 and became a National Strategic Special Zone in 2014. The program combines a visit to Fukuoka Growth Next, housed in the former Daimyo Elementary School, a session at Engineer Cafe, company visits and two facilitated workshops. Everything sits within a 15-minute walk of Tenjin, 11 minutes by subway from the airport.
From €2,100 per person, excluding flights
5 days · Tokyo · Osaka · Fukuoka
This 5-day Japan roadshow runs three stops in Tokyo, Osaka and Fukuoka to present a product or meet clients or investors, with 50 to 300 guests per city. The Shinkansen links Tokyo to Osaka in about 2.5 hours and Osaka to Hakata in about 2.5 hours, making one event per day achievable. SHINOGI DMC coordinates venues, equipment moving between cities, bilingual invitations, guest reception and interpretation.
From €3,400 per team member, excluding flights
3 days · Fukuoka
This 3-day executive retreat brings 8 to 25 members of a leadership team or board from Fukuoka to the hot spring town of Yufuin, in Oita Prefecture. After a first working session in Tenjin, the group travels to Yufuin on the Yufuin no Mori limited express (about 2 hours 15 minutes from Hakata) for two half-days of strategy in a privately booked onsen ryokan. The format alternates closed-door sessions, time to think and kaiseki dinners, away from the pull of a big city.
From €4,800 per person, excluding flights
For logistical simplicity (airport 5 minutes from the center, compact city), generally lower hotel costs and food renowned across Japan. Fukuoka is particularly well suited to seminars of 30 to 300 people and to groups that already know Tokyo and Kyoto.
Yes, as long as the group is split. A yatai typically seats around ten people and local etiquette discourages very large groups. We form sub-groups of 6 to 8, reserve across several stalls and host each group.
Usually via Tokyo (1h45–2h flight from Haneda) or via an Asian hub such as Seoul. From Osaka, the Shinkansen reaches Hakata in about 2h30. We coordinate connections and staggered arrivals.
Fukuoka International Congress Center has a main hall of about 1,000 theater-style, and Marine Messe Fukuoka hosts up to about 15,000. For 50 to 500 participants, the major hotels in Hakata, Tenjin and Momochi offer suitable ballrooms.
October, November and late March to May (excluding Golden Week) offer the best conditions. Winter is mild and affordable. The rainy season from June to mid-July and typhoon risk in August–September call for backup plans.
Capacities, airport access, nearby hotels and booking lead times: a comparison of Japan's major convention centres for a corporate convention, congress or trade show.
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Sumo practice at dawn, a night in a temple, cormorant fishing, the Toyosu tuna auction, Fukuoka's yatai, Ishigaki's starry skies: 30 unique things to do in Japan, with seasons, bookings and tips for groups.
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Official 2026 accommodation tax rates for Kyoto (up to ¥10,000 per night), Tokyo (3% from April 2027), Osaka, Fukuoka, Sapporo and Okinawa, how they are calculated, and what they cost a 50-person seminar.
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