The third and last of a three-part series of “Art Walk” focuses on Hakata area, the historic gateway to Asian Continent. Enjoy strolling by visiting art spots all in a walking distance; don’t miss the first-of-its-kind the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum and the Hakata Old Town where you can feel history, tradition and culture.

Artas Gallery was opened in 2019 by Hiroshi Murakami, head of Plus Fukuoka, a web media company that introduces information dedicated to 'people, culture and art' in Fukuoka. The gallery's name 'Artas' is a coined word combining 'art' and 'as'. 'What does art express? What is art for? "――the gallery encourages people to think for themselves through art and conveys the importance of expanding personal world of thought.

The gallery is located on the 2nd floor of a retro building across Reisen Park. That old building has been refurbished from a traditional kimono store from Kyoto. The building itself is unique, with shops such as Artas Gallery, a hidden interesting places for those in the know, and renovated rental properties for residential use.

Murakami organises solo and group exhibitions once or twice a month, mainly of young contemporary artists. “We introduce artists, mainly from Fukuoka and Kyushu, who have the power to appeal to the world, or those who are about to go global," he says. He also organises exhibitions of artists related to manga and games, saying "Japanese subcultures are recognised as contemporary art that we can be proud of to the world".

In addition to 'Plus Fukuoka', Murakami is active in a variety of other activities, such as organising 'Fukuoka Art Week,' working on art mapping, planning art events in department stores, and being one of the operators of the art exchange facility 'OVERGROUND' (opened in September 2022). This is why he is able to discover young artists. Artas Gallery is a place where you can get a sense of present and future in art of Fukuoka and Kyushu.

Artas Gallery
Address: Chowa Building 2nd Floor, Tenya-machi, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka City
TEL: 092-287-5599
Opening hours: 11:00-19:00
Closed: Mondays and Tuesdays
https://artas.fun/gallery/

The gallery is located in the Kawabata Shopping Arcade, just a short walk from the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum. The owner, Yutaka Tabata, is a former guitarist who has experiences to have planned and managed exhibitions at art museums around the world. He opened this gallery in 2016 in his hometown after hearing artists say that there were not enough places to hold exhibits in Fukuoka.

This is the fourth floor of the Kawabata Chuo Building, where the local speciality shops from the old days are located. When the elevator door opens, a well-worn corridor appears and the gallery is there. The concept is a gallery in a vintage building, like those in Brooklyn or Shanghai," says Tabata. The atmosphere is created by making good use of the building's age of about 50 years.

You enter the door and a small space appears in front of the gallery. Plants, aquariums and artworks are displayed in the dark lighting, giving it a fantasy feel like something out of a picture book. 'I want people to enjoy art in a way out of the everyday life. This space was created with the image of a boundary that switches from the ordinary to the extraordinary.”

The gallery’s setting is White Cube, a space created solely for artworks. The gallery hosts mainly temporary exhibitions of Fukuoka artists, as well as solo exhibitions of overseas artists and those in collaboration with galleries in Kyoto and Tokyo. It can also be used as a rental gallery. Tabata says, "I hope we can create a pathway for young people to become artists from here." It is a place open to young artists, not only for exhibitions but also for networking between artists.

410 Gallery
Address: Kawabata Chuo Building 4th floor, 11-8 Kamikawabata-machi, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka City
TEL: 092-982-0410
Opening hours: 13:00-19:00
Closed: Not fixed
https://www.410gallery.org/

There is a Showa-era retro building, over 64 years old, which stands in a back alley between the Kawabata Shopping Arcade and Reisen Park. The idea of renovating and reusing old buildings is now widespread, but it was only in 2006 that Reizenso was renovated and started to be reused under the concept of 'old building stock utilisation'. It can be said to be a pioneer of its kind projects in Fukuoka.

Every part of the building is full of flavour. There are two buildings, A and B, with a variety of tenants, including bagel and Japanese restaurants, artists' studios, yoga and other classes, Hakata Ningyo  studio and architectural office (currently 18 tenants).

Reizenso also has two multipurpose spaces, the Reizenso Gallery and the a reading room, which are shared rooms that can be used as rental spaces. The Reizenso Gallery, pictured above, often hosts photographic and painting exhibitions.

The Renovation Gallery, located on the first floor of Building A, provides detailed information on how the Reizenso building has been redeveloped. This also serves as the Reizenso office, where the collection of the building's caretaker, Koichiro Sugiyama, is also on display; there are also many toys and goods that are as retro as the building itself!

As the name suggests, the building itself is a museum, with lots of character and charm all in one place.

Renovation Museum Reizenso
Address: 9-35 Kamikawabata-machi, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka City
*Opening hours and closing days for each resident vary.

Reizenso Office
TEL: 092-985-4562
Closed on Tuesdays
https://www.reizensou.com/

Once you step inside, you are already in a different world. Like a scene from a foreign film, the view is simply breathtaking. Six eight-metre-high book stacks are set up in the 42-metre-high atrium, holding some 5,000 books. It is built like a museum, but it is not, and of course it is not a library. This is a hotel lobby.

THE BASICS FUKUOKA opened in 2020 as a fun hotel concept. The inner side of the curvy shelves feature Japanese books on the theme of the four seasons, while the outer side has books from the continent, country or region in that direction. Books within easy reach can be picked up and browsed. The wide range of genres, from classics to works by great writers, novels, poetry, photography, underground and animation, will stimulate your intellectual curiosity.

THE BASICS FUKUOKA opened in 2020 as a fun hotel concept. The inner side of the curvy shelves feature Japanese books on the theme of the four seasons, while the outer side has books from the continent, country or region in that direction. Books within easy reach can be picked up and browsed. The wide range of genres, from classics to works by great writers, novels, poetry, photography, underground and animation, will stimulate your intellectual curiosity.

You can visit the lobby even if you are not a guest. However, if you can read so many books in such a beautiful space, you may want to stay in the hotel and immerse yourself in reading in an elegant way. It's also a good idea to get away from your smart phone once in a while.

THE BASICS FUKUOKA
Address: 2-14-1, Hakataeki-higashi, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka City
TEL: 092-412-1234
Check-in 15:00, Check-out 11:00
https://www.thebasics.jp/fukuoka/

The bookshop BUNSHODO was located behind the Hakata Ward Office. BUNSHODO HOTEL inherited not only the name of the bookshop, but also the role as a bookshop that built a community connected by books, and opened in 2020 as an archive hotel and café.

You can spend time relaxing with books in a space unified by high-quality design. As well as a choice of rooms by room type, there is an unusual service here. If you choose your favourite theme from the 'Stay with books' page on the official website and book a room, on the day of your stay, a selection of books on that theme will be waiting for you in the room. The books are selected by the owners of various bookshops. They may lead you to a new world.

The TIMEZ café, which is also open to non-guests, is produced by TAGSTA (see our Yakuin/Haruyoshi page). At the café, you can also read books from the shelves in the lounge and enjoy a reading time with coffee and sand cookies.

Among the many initiatives, the most important one, which expresses the hotel's concept of an 'archive connected by books', is the 'pass the book' and 'deposit the book' mechanism. The 'give a book' initiative allows guests to donate a special book to the hotel. The donor can leave a profile and a message for the reader to connect with. In the 'leave a book' option, you can ask the hotel to keep a book that is important to you, or you can give a book with a message or gift that you have prepared as a present to the person you are giving it to, through the hotel.

The encounter with a book here is an once-in-a-lifetime encounter. Stay, spend time, give and leave books—you will have a unique experience.

BUNSHODO HOTEL
Address: 2-12-13 Hakataeki-mae, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka City
TEL: 092-600-9005
Check-in 15:00-23:00, Check-out 11:00
https://ldhd.co.jp/bunshodo/

The café is located a short walk down a path beside the approach to Sumiyoshi Shrine, a well-known power spot bathed in lush greenery.　

The path is long and narrow, like a hideaway. The flag says 'Coffee and Art'. For art lovers, this is intriguing indeed.

Art director RYOKI opened this place in 2021 with the aim of creating a place where people can enjoy a variety of art in a casual space. The café, which serves lattes and hand-drip coffee, displays the works of young artists, mainly Fukuoka-based KYNE, and also sells original goods and art goods.

The spacious gallery is decorated by "hot" young artists and illustrators from Japan and abroad, mainly from Fukuoka. The gallery introduces these artists through solo and collection exhibitions. Drinks purchased at the café can also be consumed here. It is a truly exceptional experience to taste art and coffee at the same time in a space that looks like a room in a museum! The café is said to be less crowded and more relaxed on weekdays until about 2pm and on weekday evenings, so be sure to aim for those times to enjoy a relaxing and luxurious time.

GOLDFLOG COFFEE
Address: NJKMYTHOS 1F, 2-11-13, Sumiyoshi, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka City
TEL: 092-292-1726
Opening hours: 11:00-21:00
Closed on Tuesdays
https://www.instagram.com/goldflog_official/