Canal City

Canal City Hakata is a large, upscale shopping mall and hotel complex located near the Naka River to the south of the Nakasu neighborhood, roughly midway between Tenjin and the Hakata Station area.

There are light and fountain shows at regular intervals in the evening from 7:45 pm until 9 pm. The best places to see the shows are from the bridge linking the mall and the Grand Hyatt Fukuoka or from the small plaza next to the fountain.

The mall has plenty of shops dedicated to Japanese pop culture and cutesie stuff including an Evangelion store, a Disney store, a Sanrio Gallery (Hello Kitty), an Ultraman shop and lots of international brand stores. There are plenty of food outlets as well—also of the chain variety. Although the shops close at 9 pm, most food outlets continue until 11pm.

One of the biggest attractions is a permanent space/installation by teamLab on the 5th floor. If you’re not familiar with teamLab, check out our review of the teamLab produced Mori Building Digital Art Museum in Tokyo.

Also in the entertainment department, Canal City has a cinema complex, a theme park with “riddle-solving games” and a Taito game center, so it’s a good option for rainy Fukuoka days.