Secret Japan: This unsung city is stealing the show

This area is Hakata, but we say Hakata is here." The Japanese man walking half a step behind me at the Kushida shrine has piped up out of the blue and I turn to see him pointing to the left of his chest. Our eyes meet and he offers a single, firm nod, then keeps walking.

The fact we are in Hakata is an important detail. And the fact he holds Hakata dear in his heart points to a deep history that threads the pieces of Fukuoka together.

This city, located in the south of Japan on Kyushu island, is having a moment, not least because it made it onto Lonely Planet's "best in travel" list for 2023.

If you plan to arrive in Fukuoka by bullet train, the first thing that might throw you is the fact there is no Fukuoka station. The main interchange is Hakata station, which can be explained with a brief history lesson. What we now broadly know as Fukuoka started as a merchant town called Hakata. Centuries later, a samurai town called Fukuoka developed on the other side of the river. When the two areas fused in 1889, the sense of "us and them" never quite dissipated, and this made agreeing on a name for the new metropolis quite the challenge. A close-call vote saw the city officially become Fukuoka, but its roots would later be recognised via the train station's name to appease those who disapproved of the decision.

Owing to its west-facing, portside location, the historical city of Hakata became Japan's gateway to China. Standing on the grounds of the Jotenji temple, our guide, Kumie, explains the meaning of the three stone monuments in front of us, which honour customs that were introduced to Fukuoka from China. First, the weaving technology that bore the city's beautiful Hakata textiles (Hakata-ori), which are famously used to make sashes worn by sumo wrestlers (you can still find a number of textile factories in Fukuoka); second, manju, a steamed bun filled with sweet red bean paste; and third, udon and soba noodles, given the milling technology used to make the noodles first arrived in Fukuoka, then spread across Japan.

There are almost as many udon noodle restaurants as there are ramen joints in the city, but tonkotsu ramen, made with a pork-bone broth, has become a symbol of Fukuoka. There's a dedicated ramen food court called Ramen Stadium in the Canal City shopping complex, but to experience a true fusion of Fukuoka flavour and culture, my partner and I hunt tonkotsu down at one of the city's "yatai", which are small mobile food stalls (nearly 100 of them) that spring up around the city every evening. "Fukuoka specialty," says the young man behind the narrow counter as he places a steaming bowl of ramen before us, along with a plate of chicken-skin yakitori skewers (another local speciality), and two icy glasses of shochu, a vodka-like spirit produced on the island of Kyushu. If there was an experience that epitomised a trip to Fukuoka - known across Japan as a foodie city - this is it.

As well as shochu, Kyushu is famous for its hot springs, and you can experience onsen culture right in the city centre. The next day we set off towards the iconic red Hakata Port Tower to visit the onsen next door, Namiha-no-Yu, where 400 litres of hot water per minute are pumped from the volcanic ground 800 metres below.

My partner and I split off to the men's and women's bathing areas (yep, you've got to get your kit off), and, though I can't understand the game show playing on the giant TV next to the main outdoor bath, it's almost equally entertaining listening to a row of women chuckling away, with their legs dangling outside the small individual tubs.

Like the rest of Japan, Fukuoka has a religious backbone underpinned by both Buddhism and Shintoism. One of the most famous shrines - Dazaifu Tenmangu - is located outside the city centre in Dazaifu, which is peppered with gorgeous pink plum blossoms in late winter (and the Kyushu National Museum is pretty much next door). Then, closer to the CBD is one of the most impressive Buddhist monuments we see on our trip - a 10.8-metre-high wooden Buddha, Fukuoka Daibutsu - at the Tochoji temple.

"Do you want to see what it's like in Buddhist hell?" asks Kumie, as we stare up at the impressive structure. "Um ... I guess so?" Kumie leads us around the back of the Buddha, where a series of paintings depict confronting scenes of people being engulfed in flames and seemingly stewed in a giant hot pot. We then reach a pitch black tunnel, which symbolises the feeling of darkness that we all face in life at times and the guiding role of Buddha, who can help us find the light again. Kumie tells us that we need to hold the rail on our left, and touch the wall on our right. "And try to find the ring on the wall. If you touch the ring, you will be happier." We pop out the other side, happy to have been led to the light, but disappointed that we didn't find the ring.

Oh well, though we didn't find added happiness, we did find a city full of history and heart, so I'll take that as a win.

The writer travelled as a guest of Fukuoka Prefecture Tourism Association.