UKIHAうきは市
The rural town of Ukiha (Fukuoka Prefecture) evolved as a well-to-do area of farmers and industrialists whose advantageous location allowed their businesses and wealth to expand so much that they were also able to patronise a local, creative culture.
Visitors to Ukiha have access to three very distinct attractions. Amid the canals and narrow streets of the old centre of commerce, there is still an area where the iconic, white-walled merchant houses of the town’s forefathers have been tastefully maintained, and which are now home to a variety of thriving local businesses, such as independent coffee shops, bakeries, and bookshops.
A little further to the south, at the foot of the Minou mountain range, is a quiet cluster of chic boutiques known as Budo-no-Tane.
After all your retail therapy desires have been satisfied, head even further into the mountains to experience thatched farmhouses, breathtaking views of paddies, and the warm hospitality of the villages of Tagomori and Niikawa.
One of the 100 hidden towns in Japan chosen for this publication.