Kawabata Shopping Street

If you’re looking for traditional Japanese products to take home as a souvenir, drop by this historic street arcade in Kawabata, Fukuoka’s earliest mercantile district. This array of around 100 shops includes some of Fukuoka’s oldest and most revered stores. Stop by Masuya for Japanese textiles and dolls, Kadota Chochin-ten for traditional paper lanterns and Hirakawa for local products such as fans, traditional prints and chopsticks. Every November, the shops in the arcade hold a massive annual sale called the seimon barai as a show of gratitude to their customers.