Now we present a great travel destination, highly suitable for a one day or weekend trip if you are located in Fukuoka. The resort area of Itoshima Peninsula in Fukuoka is well-known for its beaches, cafés, and art shops. And Keya Beach is one of the most fancy ones. Chosen as one of the Japanese Top 100 beaches by the Ministry of Environment, Keya Beach is based outside the Metropolitan Fukuoka and is hidden in a bay with green mountains and giant boulders. The clean sandy beaches and the clear blue water makes Keya to a popular destination for swimmers, sunbathers, families, and those looking to sit back and take in the atmosphere.
At the bay you can find beach houses serving up food and drinks as well as hosting volleyball, boat and beach umbrella rentals, barbecue huts, and more. All have showers, changing rooms, air-conditioned VIP rooms, and you can even sing karaoke and spend the night there, or stay at the campground. A few other cafés and shops are located along the walk from the main parking area to the beach. It’s just a splendid atmosphere to go or drive along the coast, sitting in one of the Hawaiian style restaurants, and watch the sun sets under the palm trees.
In addition, Keya hosts a fireworks display over the bay on July 23, and smaller fireworks are held almost every Saturday until the end of September!
Every September, Sunset Live, Kyushu’s largest outdoor concert event, is also held here. It’s a music festival with multiple stages for several bands, live art, and dozens of food and drink stalls in addition to the beach houses. About 15.000 people attend every year.
Access
By train: take the JR Chikushi Line (Fukuoka City Subway Airport Line) west and get off at Chikuzen-Maebaru Station. It’s 40 minutes from Hakata Station. Transfer to a Showa bus bound for Keya and get off at Keya, an eight-minute walk to the beach.
You can also take a trip to see the rare rock formations of Keya no Oto Cave in Itoshima, one of Japan’s natural and protected monuments, with a sightseeing tour. Keya no Oto is also one of Japan’s three biggest basalt rock cave formations. It is 64 meters high, 90 meters long, and 10 meters wide. The ferry ride to the cave takes around 30 minutes.
