Nearly 15 years on from my first visit, Fukuoka, on the north coast of Japan's Kyushu island, feels like a city fulfilling its potential. When I stepped off the plane in 1999, the colleague who drove me to my apartment introduced the city as "the Liverpool of Japan". The analogy had to do with its position as an international port, as well as a spate of minor hits that the city's Mentai Rock scene produced in the early 1980s.

That run of chart luck, unexpected for a city some 700 miles from Tokyo's hipsters, reinforced a local spirit of independence, and today Fukuoka seems to have outgrown its old Gateway-to-Kyushu label, seeing itself more as a Gateway to Asia. Its proximity to the Asian mainland has attracted a rich, cosmopolitan population, and with KLM having just launched direct flights from Europe, there's no reason why it can't vie for some of the international tourism afforded Honshu's big hitters.

Returning here is never short of surprising. Whether it's the new Aitaka walkway – which edges you over the glistening Hakata Bay – or the expansion of already enviable shopping possibilities with the immense Hankyu mall, the city seems to be constantly improving itself.

Importantly, none of this regeneration seems to be to the detriment of the older town, meaning that in a geographically compact space, you get a little of everything you might ask of Japan, be that the ancient temples and zen gardens at nearby Dazaifu, the hi-tech gadgetry on sale in the Tenjin district, or the craft-loving communities that dot the Itoshima peninsula to the west.

Canal City shopping mall, Fukuoka. Photograph: Alamy

However, it's the lingering flavour of Showa-era Fukuoka that continues to attract me most. If Liverpool had Mathew Street, Fukuoka has Oyafuko Dori, which translates pleasingly as Delinquents' Street. This thin stretch leading between bustling Tenjin and the port warehouses is dotted with izakayas (traditional bars), nightclubs and the ubiquitous "live houses" in which the Mentai Rock movement flourished.

By day, it looks like an anonymous side street, but by night it's where the city's musical youth flocks. It'd be tempting to say these youngsters are hopeful of becoming the next Ayumi Hamasaki or Shiina Ringo, legends of the J-Pop and J-Rock scenes who spent their formative years in Fukuoka, but the feeling amongst many local artists tends to be "make it here or die trying". Seoul is closer than Tokyo. Why move to the capital beat?

There's a charm about Fukuoka's older shopping districts that is unique to the city. Lovers of the latest brands can happily throw their cash around all day long in the Hankyu or Parco malls, but for a taste of Fukuoka's more decadent character, it's good to take a walk from Nakasu Kawabata Station on Nakasu (a neon-specked island designed to keep the city's more eye-opening sights from the innocent) along the Hakata Kawabata Shotengai arcade to Canal City.

This rusty promenade hangs on (just) as a home to some of Fukuoka's more traditional shops, with kimono artists lined up alongside the mentaiko makers who specialise in the local roe delicacy that lent the Mentai rockers their name. The arcade is more alive in the earlier hours of the day, when it wakes to a dawn chorus of traders. Just before Kokutai Street sits Kushida Jinja, a fine example of an inner-city shrine still servicing the merchants it has looked after since the eighth century.

Canal City is now well into its second decade, but the imposing red shopping mecca is still worth exploring en route to the Naka River. Built in the mid-1990s, it's something of an architectural wonder, complete with it's own mini system of waterways, a small amphitheatre and an abundance of overhanging vegetation.

At weekends, the amphitheatre is given over to a kind of branded busking – often a bit cheesy, but never less than consummately professional, and entirely free to the passerby. Better still, during the New Year celebrations, the shows take on a more classical air, and it's not unusual to come across the likes of a shamisen orchestra squeezed onto the tiny stage.

Nakasu noodle district. Photograph: Alamy

Evening is the best time to walk the banks of the Naka river, especially the strip between Canal City and the bridge to Nishi Nakasu. As night falls, out trundle the yatai stalls – small, mobile restaurants complete with built-in benches that specialise in the local tonkotsu ramen broth and sticks of yakitori meat.

These first began to pop up among the second world war debris, offering warmth and community to impoverished locals, but they're a nationwide attraction now and, along with nearby Dazaifu and the further-flung hot springs of Kurokawa, they're among the region's biggest domestic draws.

In truth, some are less friendly than others, and entering can be the Japanese equivalent of stepping into a dusty saloon as the piano singsong fizzles out. However, with so many stalls to choose from, picking the right one is a quick exercise in trial and error. Poke your head under the canopy and see what kind of reaction you get. If it's a beaming smile, you're likely to be there into the small hours.

Food and nightlife

There are yatai stalls in abundance across the centre of town, but the relatively new Toriyatai near the Otani Hotel in the Yakuin district is excellent, and even has its own shop attached, selling homemade goods. For a friendly start to a more involved night out, try the American-run Dark Room on Oyafuko Dori, which opens a popular beer garden on the roof during the summer months.

Accommodation

As befitting Kyushu's largest city, Fukuoka is not short on accommodation in all budget ranges. The Grand Hyatt benefits architecturally from being part of Canal City, and is within easy walking distance of Nakasu, Tenjin and Hakata districts. For something more traditional, Daimaru Besso is in Futsukaichi (a 15-minute express train ride from Hakata Station), and has its own onsen (natural hot spring) attached.

Getting there

KLM now flies daily from Amsterdam to Fukuoka. Returns starting in London cost from £835.