The Perfect Balance between City and Countryside Kurume is a medium-sized city in Fukuoka Prefecture.
With a population of 300,000 people, it ranks third after Fukuoka and Kitakyushu cities in terms of size.
Located 30 minutes by train and less than an hour by car from Fukuoka City, Kurume is a transportation hub for southern Fukuoka Prefecture.
Why not take advantage of this convenient access to pick fruit year-round and be healed by Kurume’s bountiful nature and beautiful flowers? The blessings of nature have also produced a diverse food culture here. For example, Kurume is the birthplace of tonkotsu (pork-bone broth) ramen and is known for its abundant array of ingredients for yakitori (grilled meat on a stick). With sake breweries that are attracting attention around the world, Kurume is satisfying the appetites of visitors within and beyond Japan.

Blessed with an abundant water supply and fertile land, Kurume counts a diverse food culture among its many charms.
Kurume takes pride in being the birthplace of Tonkotsu ramen, now popular around the world. As you walk around the city, you’ll see signs for Kurume ramen, advertising this noodle dish made with pork bone broth. What’s more, Kurume is known for having a wide range of local dishes, such as Chikugo udon noodles, gyoza, and yakitori (skewered meats). Among the yakitori menu items, Kurume’s specialties include darumu and senpoko. Named after the German word for innards, darumu is made of organ meat. The name of the second dish, senpoko, is said to be of Korean origin, but the contents are similar.

What really catches the attention of gourmets is the sake of Kurume, which can be counted among the three top producers in Japan, along with Kobe’s Nada and Kyoto’s Fushimi districts. From ancient times, a number of sake breweries have lined the banks of the Chikugo River. Even now, Kurume boasts some of the leading sake breweries in Japan. When new sake is brewed in February or March of every year, there is an event called “Sakagura-Biraki”, in which the breweries are opened to the public. Many people come and get drunk on the heady aroma of Japanese sake!

Kurume is known as the city of fruit and flowers.
Famous flower-viewing spots are dotted throughout the city, letting you feast your eyes on flowers all year long. Among these are the plum blossoms of Bairinji Gaien, a park located inside Bairinji Temple; the camellia of Kurume Camellia Garden, the cherry blossoms lining the Chikugo River and a grand old cherry tree standing among canola blossoms at a place called “Asai no Ippon Zakura”. In addition to these are the azalea of Hyakunen Koen, a park commemorating Kurume’s 100th anniversary, the roses of Ishibashi Bunka Center, the hydrangea of Senkouji Temple, Kitano cosmos daisies and the lotus of Yamamoto.

What’s more, Kurume is known for its strong fruit production industry. It is especially famous for its grapes, strawberries, persimmons, pears, and figs. With many facilities offering fruit picking, Kurume has become a popular sightseeing spot.

The spirit of traditional craftsmanship breathes throughout the Chikugo region.
These start with Kurume Kasuri, a type of indigo cotton invented during the Edo Period by Inoue Den, who came up with the pattern of weaving dots into her designs. It has been designated as a National Important Intangible Cultural Asset.
Another craft is rantai-shikki, a type of lacquerware made of tightly woven bamboo finished with layers of lacquer.
A third traditional craft developed in Kurume is jojima onigawara, a decorative roof tile bearing the face of the devil, called oni in Japanese.

In addition to traditional handicrafts, the spirit of Japanese manufacturing craftsmanship has been handed down in an unbroken line from one generation to the next. These start with Tanaka Hisashige, also known as Karakuri Giemon, an inventor whose output rivaled that of Thomas Edison. Born in Kurume, he founded what is now the Toshiba Corporation. In modern times, Kurume had become one of the world’s leading rubber industries. Kurume is the birthplace of rubber-soled tabi socks, invented by the founders of the Asahi and Moonstar shoe companies. Bridgestone, the world’s largest tire manufacturer, was founded by Shojiro Ishibashi, another son of Kurume. What’s more, auto manufacturers have made Kurume their production base. Kurume is also where a large volume of the latest research in biotechnology, such as cancer vaccine development, is based.

A large number of renowned temples and shrines exist in Kurume city. Over the generations, many people have gathered here, coming to pay their respects.

Near JR Kurume station is Suitengu, the headquarters of all Suitengu Shrines in Japan. It is worshipped as a guardian shrine of the seas as well as housing the god of safe childbirth. Every August, the Chikugo Fireworks Festival is held as a dedication to this shrine, which has a history going back over 360 years. At the peak of Mount Kora is an old shrine built over 400 years ago, called Kora Taisha. One of Japan’s largest statues of Kannon, the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy, stands as a symbol at Daihonzan Naritasan Kurume Temple.
Anyone who visits this larger-than-life statue of Kannon will be sure to be awe-struck by her presence. What’s more, Daizenji Tamataregu shrine holds a noteworthy annual fire festival, called “Oniyo”, in January. With a history going back 1600 years, it has been designated as a National Intangible Folk Cultural Asset. Another historical event held in September at Ojiwakamiya Hachimangu Shrine, located in Yamakawa-machi, is a fireworks display called, “Hanabi Doranbachi”. Events such as these attract many visitors every year!

Many famous Japanese celebrities, who have made contributions to the fields of culture and fine arts, hail from Kurume.

In the field of fine arts, several local men active in the late 19th through late 20th centuries were important in yoga, or Japanese-style Western painting. All born in Kurume, these artists include Shigeru Aoki, Hanjiro Sakamoto, Harue Koga, Yajuro Takashima, and Hiroshi Yoshida. In 2016, the Kurume City Art Museum exhibited a collection of works by artists mainly from Kurume.
From the early 20th century, Kurume’s contributions to music and the performing arts has been especially remarkable. One these artists is Hachidai Nakamura, who composed the “Sukiyaki” song, known as “Ue o Muite Arukou” in Japanese. Others include Fumiya Fujii of Japanese pop group, The Checkers and singer Seiko Matsuda who is famous world-over. Others include actors Rena Tanaka and Yo Yoshida.

Located in the southern part of Fukuoka Prefecture, Kurume enjoys good access with other parts of Kyushu. From Hakata or Tenjin stations in Fukuoka City, it takes about 30 to 40 minutes by train to arrive in Kurume. In addition, a trip from Hakata can be shortened to just 20 minutes by taking the Kyushu Shinkansen, completed in 2011.

Called the “aorta” of Kyushu, the Kyushu Expressway also runs through Kurume, and since it’s close to Tosu, the junction for all expressways, automobile access across Kyushu is also smooth. By using direct bus lines, you will arrive in Kurume in about an hour from either Fukuoka or Saga airports. Whether for everyday life or leisure activities, a wide variety of transportation methods can be used comfortably.