When comparing Onomichi vs Hakata, the Slant community recommends Onomichi for most people. In the question“What are the best cities to visit in Japan besides Tokyo and Kyoto?” Onomichi is ranked 1st while Hakata is ranked 10th. The most important reason people chose Onomichi is:
There are several walking paths that take you through the hills, past many interesting sites and nice views of the city.
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Pros
Pro Nice walking paths
There are several walking paths that take you through the hills, past many interesting sites and nice views of the city.
Pro Friendly street cats
Pro Easily accessible by train
Pro Capital of southern-style, pork-bone broth ramen
Home of tonkotsu ramen, famous chains such as Ippudo and Ichiran originated from this city. Getting off the train, you can immediately smell the thick fragrance of pork broth all around the city.
Cons
Con Is a tourist town, but for locals and not foreigners
Onomichi has lots of locals living in it, but it's definitely a popular place for Japanese locals to visit. From that perspective, it's still interesting for a foreigner, but has some of the same drawbacks as the standard touristy cities.
Con Very little English communication
Most signs are Japanese-only, and very few locals speak any English at all.
Con Not a lot of cultural attractions besides food
There are a lot of famous foods in Hakata: motsu nabe, tonkotsu ramen, mentaiko. While there's also a few shrines and gardens, Hakata is a fairly modern city and thus doesn't have a lot of traditional cultural attractions.