NOREN
Co-founder · NOREN
October 1, 2026
4 min read
ASOBINA Itoshima invited me to try this flight. All thoughts in this post are my own.
Most people come to Fukuoka for the food. Ramen, yatai stalls, a long list of places to eat. Even people who live here say it: "Fukuoka? It's all about the food."
I live in Fukuoka, and I don't think that's the whole story. There is a lot here that visitors never hear about. That is a big part of why I started NOREN.
Recently I went paragliding with ASOBINA Itoshima, about 40 minutes by car from Fukuoka and Hakata.
I should say this first. I don't like heights, and I avoid roller coasters whenever I can. I signed up anyway, and I was honestly nervous right up until the moment we took off. (I can laugh about it now.)
It's a tandem flight, so you fly together with an instructor. Once we were in the air, it felt much more stable than I expected, and I wasn't scared at all. If I can say that, I think most people can.
Another guest that day was an older traveler. I asked why they had decided to try paragliding, and this is what they said:
“It was on my bucket list, so I went looking for a place. This was the only one I found where an instructor flies with you, so I felt safe choosing it here.”
You don't need to be young or experienced to try this. You just need to want to.
Experience Fukuoka, for real.
Find handpicked local experiences that no guidebook covers.
Browse experiences →I go to Itoshima quite often. From the sky, it looked completely different.
The sea was beautiful, as I expected. What surprised me was the greenery near the coast. From above, it looked like a jungle, thick and green, and it was so pretty. For a moment I felt like I was somewhere overseas, not 40 minutes from the city where I live.
My days are usually busy, and it's hard to switch off. Up in the air, I forgot about all of it. I didn't realize how much I needed that until I was back on the ground.
Fukuoka really is a great food city. But if you have a free half day and want to try something a little different, this is the one I would recommend.
I'm already planning to go back. Next time I want to fly at sunset and watch the sun go down over the sea.