Uminonakamichi Seaside Park

What to know

Uminonakamichi Seaside Park (海の中道海浜公園, Uminonakamichi Kaihin Kōen) is a huge, family-oriented park spread across a narrow peninsula across the bay from central Fukuoka. It features several distinct areas including flower gardens, playgrounds, sports fields, a water park, a zoo, and vast lawns perfect for picnics.

The park stretches nearly four kilometers from end to end, so many visitors find it too large to explore on foot. To make getting around easier, there is a network of cycling trails, and bicycles can be rented at the entrance gates for 500-600 yen. Alternatively, a bus runs between the park's main attractions during spring and autumn, costing 300 yen per ride or 500 yen for a day pass.

Uminonakamichi Seaside Park is also a popular spot for flower viewing, with millions of flowers planted across different areas, including narcissus, tulips, nemophila, roses, hydrangeas, sunflowers, and cosmos. The flowers bloom at various times of the year, mostly between mid-March and early autumn.

Additionally, about 2,000 cherry trees line the lawns and cycling trails, creating beautiful cherry blossom tunnels when in bloom. This makes the park one of Fukuoka's top cherry blossom spots. The trees are mainly Somei Yoshino and Oshima varieties, typically blooming from late March to early April.

A short walk across the train tracks from Uminonakamichi Seaside Park is Marine World Uminonakamichi, an aquarium focusing on the aquatic life around Kyushu. Its main tank is a huge, seven-meter-deep pool filled with diverse marine life, including over 120 sharks of 20 different species. There are also outdoor tanks where you can feed dolphins and sea lions.

The aquarium also has a large stadium pool where dolphin and sea lion shows are held daily. The stadium opens onto Hakata Bay on one side, offering spectators a beautiful view of central Fukuoka during the shows. Note that the aquarium requires a separate admission fee from Uminonakamichi Seaside Park.