Fukuoka offers a lot of high profile sights to visit and today we will introduce you to another one that is located in the heart of the city. The building we will talk about today is located in front of the Tenjin Central Park, right behind the town hall: the ACROS building (アクロス)

The Acros building is a 15-storey building in central Fukuoka designed to look like a hanging garden. One side of the building is a smooth surface that is covered with glass panels, the other one is a giant staircase on which gardens are planted. The staircase.- garden side of the building can be entered for free on every day of the week. 

The roof of the ACROS building is tiered at each floor to maximize space for the garden which contains a total of 50,000 plants and trees of 120 species. The plants are allowed to overgrow in summer when the building becomes barely visible in a cloud of green. 

The ACROS building has an environmentally friendly design that minimizes energy and water use. These features were cutting edge when the building first open in 1995.

ACROS is filled with cultural attractions such as the Fukuoka Symphony Hall and a lively international exchange center. Anobservation deck on the top is open on weekends and holidays during the day. It’s reachable by 15 consecutive staircases on the exterior of the building. There are various facilities on each of 15 floors (including 2 underground floors) in this building; convention hall, municipal passport center, business office, restaurants and shops.

On a pretty day, ACROS is the perfect place to visit: after an exhausting way up the staircases, you are rewarded with a 360 degree panorama view of Fukuoka. Enjoy the freedom on top of the city!