How To Visit Nokonoshima / Noko Island
Noko Island / Nokonoshima is a great place for a half-day or a whole day excursion if you find yourself with a fair-weather day in the city.
Noko Island is a ten-minute ferry ride from Fukuoka City's Meinohama Port on the West side of the city. Although it is mostly known for the flower park at the top of the island, which draws thousands of visitors every season, the residential areas of the island are peaceful with the charm of a traditional fishing village unchanged by trends or technology. To fully enjoy the island, plan to arrive just before noon, and catch lunch at the port before making your way up to the flower park.
How to Get There
From Tenjin
Grab the #301 Bus or the #302 Bus heading to NOKOTOSENBA (能古渡船場) (Noko Ferry Terminal) from the bus stop IN FRONT OF the Tenjin Highway Bus Center (it will be labeled 天神高速バスターミナル前 1A). The bus center will be located on the higher floors of this building -- but do not go inside. The bus stop you are looking for is along the main road just outside of it. The ride takes about 30 minutes and costs 380en one way.
From Hakata
Grab the #301 Bus / #302 Bus / #312 Bus or #9 Bus heading to NOKOTOSENBA (能古渡船場) (Noko Ferry Terminal). Please be aware that not all busses with these numbers will be heading the same way, so always check the destination displayed on the front of the bus, or ask the bus driver, before getting on the bus.
To further complicate things, the bus stops are different depending on the bus you aim to catch. #301/302 can be taken from Bus Stop A in front of Hakata Station. #9 can be taken from Bus Stop B in front of Hakata Station, and #312 can be taken from the first floor of the Bus Center at gate #5. When in doubt, Google Maps should be able to help you decide which bus is leaving soonest, and which #9 to catch. No matter which bus you take, expect the ride to take from 40-50 minutes and cost 440 yen one way.
Using Nishitetsu's Bus Navi Website, you can check the time and the status of busses running on any given day. The layout is a little confusing but it can be useful to know the bus times in advance so you can plan your trip accordingly. Set your destination as "Noko Ferry Terminal" and then type in your area ("Tenjin Area" for Tenjin and "Hakata St. Area" to select Hakata as your departure point.
It is possible to bring your rental-car onto the ferry and drive around Noko Island, but the space is very limited for vehicles aboard the ferry and the process is expensive (3,000-5,000yen per car depending on size) so it is not recommended that you do so. There is a taxi on the island that you can call (they have the number at the Noko-side of the ferry port) and they will whisk you around the island instead.
Buying A Ticket To Noko Island
Once you have arrived at the terminal, head inside to the ticket counter. There is an automatic ticket vending machine with English instructions available to guide you. You can buy a round-trip ferry ticket from this machine. Hold on to it, and don't lose it! Tickets to and from the island are 230yen one way (or 460yen round-trip.)
Getting To Nokonoshima Island Park
The Noko Island Park Bus does not run very frequently during the off-season. If you want to make your way to the island park, the first thing you should do is head to the Noko Island Park Bus Stop and confirm the bus schedule for the day. The fare for the bus to Noko Island Park is 230yen. On busier days, the number of buses increases, but the schedule will not be written, so it can be a little tricky. If you're on a tight schedule, you can always call the island taxi and drive straight to the island park itself, it costs just under 1,000en, but if you're traveling in a group of 4, it's about the same price as the bus anyway.
How To Enjoy Noko Island
My ideal itinerary for visiting Noko Island includes time to wander around the harbor town and time to grab something to eat before heading to Noko Island Park. There are some snacks available inside the park, and a restaurant as well, but the price and quality are a little bit lacking, so I prefer to have lunch before I make my way up the hill.
From the port, take a left and walk along the harbor, and make your way through the twisting winding roads, as you make your way up the hill you can also encounter some old shrines, a Noko Island Museum, enjoy the fresh air and a panoramic view of Fukuoka City extending out over the ocean. On a fair-weather day, the silence of the sleepy town is really refreshing.
Before or after you walk around the town, plan to grab a small bite to eat. The restaurants on the island are limited, but one that I always recommend to Japanese-food lovers is Zakko. From Noko Ferry Port, take a left and continue along the road back by the Noko Island Park Bus stop, you will find a Japanese restaurant with a Japanese mythical "tanuki/raccoon" out front. Open from 11 am-6 pm, they can get pretty crowded for lunch, so I always make a straight dash for this restaurant as soon as I get off the ferry.
One can usually assume that Japanese restaurants located near the ocean serve decent fish, and since Zakko's menu changes daily depending on what comes in from the fishermen, the menus are handwritten and can be a little bit hard to read, even for advanced language learners. There are a few key menu items I can recommend -- one is the "sashimi bowl of the day" (海鮮丼) of which there are very limited quantities of, and the other is the "Zakko set lunch" (ざっこ定食). Both are outstanding in terms of quality and quantity. The Zakko "set lunch" is particularly impressive as it includes sashimi, fried fish, stewed fish, rice, miso soup, and an appetizer. You'll want to make sure you order it on an empty stomach.
If sushi and raw fish isn't your thing, there's also a Noko Burger that is very popular, available right outside the Noko Ferry Port, and a Noko Udon restaurant located within Noko Island Park which is also quite famous for it's take on the traditional udon noodle soup.
Finally, after all the island exploring, catch the bus, or call a taxi, and head up to Noko Island Park. The park itself is open all-year-round, but I would recommend checking the website beforehand to get an idea of what flowers are in bloom, and to confirm the opening and closing hours, as they can change depending on the season.
The park is spacious and has several fields of interest. What flowers are blooming, and where, will rotate depending on season and weather, but walking around the park has other treats as well -- including swing sets that overlook the bay, petting zoos for rabbits and goats, a cafe, a Showa-themed toy store filled with old-fashioned toys, a pottery workshop, and a kimono-rental shop.
I like the Noko Island brand fruit cider, and recommend grabbing one from the Showa toy shop, or the entrance to the park.
Even as a resident, I enjoy making the excursion out to Nokonoshima/Noko Island Park once or twice a year. It's an island that continues to remain interesting, as the changing seasons give it a different look every few months. Whether you're just stopping through Fukuoka, or you've been living here for a while and are looking for a fresh perspective on the city, this is a really easy trip that gives you the feeling of going on adventure, without, ultimately, straying too far from Fukuoka City itself.
After an afternoon at Noko Island Park, catching the sunset back at the ferry port, while looking back at the Fukuoka City skyline, is also an incredible experience and offers a really romantic finishing touch to a day out.
Have you visited Nokonoshima / Noko Island Park before? What are your must-try activities, or recommendations? I am looking forward to hearing from you.