Canal City キャナルシティ
Shopping mecca
At the heart of Hakata, this colorful shopping center offers five floors of shops and restaurants.
200 shops on 5 floors, a multiplex cinema, hotels and an amusement park, all built around a 200 meter channel: Canal City is a small town in Fukuoka, a shopping paradise open 7 days a week.
There is nothing particularly original here, however the building has interesting neo-futuristic architecture (rounded shapes, flashy colors). The shopping center has not changed much since its construction in 1996, but does have some nice stores.
- The stars of Japanese shopping, Muji and Uniqlo
- Useful services for tourists: ATMs taking international credit cards (Yucho ATM and Seven Bank ATM), Internet stations (100 yen for 10 minutes), telephones, public toilets, and a nursery with changing tables
- The Ramen Stadium (5th floor): a succession of eight restaurants which offer recipes emblematic of Fukuoka's famous ramen noodles.
Do not forget to show your passport while checking out, because many shops offer discounts to tourists.
(Check out the Canal City English site for discounts offered and ideas on shopping).
The fountain show at Canal City.