Fukuoka, Fukuoka
Encyclopedia
is the capital city
of Fukuoka Prefecture
and is situated on the northern shore of the island of Kyushu
in Japan.
Voted number 14 in a 2010 poll of the World's Most Livable Cities
, Fukuoka is praised for its green spaces in a metropolitan setting. It is the most populous city in Kyushu, followed by Kitakyūshū. It is the largest city and metropolitan area west of Keihanshin. The city was designated on April 1, 1972 by government ordinance. Greater Fukuoka (福岡都市圏), with 2.5 million people (2005 census), is part of the heavily industrialized Fukuoka-Kitakyūshū
zone, as well as Northern Kyushu
.
As of June 2011, Fukuoka is Japan's 7th largest city, having passed the population of Kyoto, and the first time a city west of the Kinki region has a larger population since Kyoto was established in the 7th century. However, in ancient times, the area near Fukuoka was thought to be perhaps even more influential than the Yamato
region.
, Sawara
and Imazu) is said to be the oldest city in Japan, because it is the nearest city to China and Korea. The area around Fukuoka is among the oldest non-Jōmon settlements in Japan. Dazaifu was an administrative capital in 663 A.D., but a historian proposed that a prehistoric capital was in the area. Ancient texts, such as the Kojiki
, and archaeology confirm this was a very critical place in the founding of Japan. Some scholars even go as far as to claim it was the first place outsiders and the Imperial Family set foot, but like many early Japan origin theories, it remains contested. See History of Japan
. Fukuoka is sometimes still referred to as Hakata
, the central ward of the city.
In 923, the Hakozaki-gū was established at Fukuoka as a branch of the Usa Shrine
.
of the Mongol Empire
turned his attention towards Japan starting in 1268, exerting a new external pressure on Japan with which it had no experience. Kublai Khan first sent an envoy to Japan to make the Shogunate acknowledge Khan's suzerainty
. The Kamakura shogunate
refused. Mongolia
repeatedly sent envoys thereafter, each time urging the Shogunate to accept their proposal, but to no avail.
In 1274 Kublai Khan mounted an invasion of the northern part of Kyūshū with a fleet of 900 ships and 33,000 troops, which included troops from Goryeo
on the Korean peninsula
. This first invasion was compromised by a combination of incompetence and storms. After the first invasion of 1274, Japanese samurai
built a stone barrier 20 kilometers in length bordering the coast of Hakata Bay
in what is now Fukuoka city. The wall, between 2–3 metres in height and having a base width of 3 metres, was constructed between 1276 and 1277 and was excavated again in the 1930s.
Kublai sent another envoy to Japan in 1279. At that time, Hōjō Tokimune
of the Hōjō clan
(1251–1284) was the Eighth Regent. Not only did he decline the offer, but he beheaded the five Mongolian emissaries after summoning them to Kamakura
. Infuriated, Kublai made another attack on Fukuoka Prefecture in 1281, mobilizing 140,000 soldiers and 4,000 ships. The Japanese defenders, numbering around 40,000, were no match for the Mongols and the invasion force made it as far as Dazaifu
, 15 kilometers south of the city of Fukuoka. However, the Japanese were aided by another typhoon which struck a crushing blow to the Mongolian troops, and the invasion was thwarted.
It was this typhoon that came to be called the Kamikaze
(Divine Wind).
Fukuoka was formerly the residence of the powerful daimyo
of Chikuzen Province
, and played an important part in the medieval history of Japan. The renowned temple of Tokugawa Ieyasu
in the district was destroyed by fire during the Boshin war
of 1868.
The modern city was formed on April 1, 1889, with the merger of the former cities of Hakata
and Fukuoka. Historically, Hakata was the port and merchant district, and was more associated with the area's culture and remains the main commercial area today. On the other hand, the Fukuoka area was home to many samurai, and its name has been used since Kuroda Nagamasa
, the first daimyo
of Chikuzen Province, named it after his birthplace in Okayama Prefecture
and the “old Fukuoka” is the main shopping area and now called Tenjin.
When Hakata and Fukuoka decided to merge, a meeting was held to decide the name for the new city. Hakata was initially chosen, but a group of samurai crashed the meeting and forced those present to choose Fukuoka as the name for the merged city. However, Hakata is still used to reference to the Hakata area of the city and, most famously, to refer to the city's train station, Hakata Station
, and dialect
, Hakata-ben.
It is located 1,100 km from Tokyo.
Winter temperatures rarely drop below 0 °C (32 °F) and it rarely snows, though light rain does fall on most days if not as consistently as on the Sea of Japan
side of Honshu
. Spring is warm and sunnier, with cherry blossoms appearing in late March or early April. The rainy season (tsuyu) lasts for approximately six weeks through June and July, during which time the humidity is very high and temperatures hover between 25 °C (77 °F) and 30 °C (86 °F). Summers are humid and hot, with temperatures peaking around 37 °C (99 °F). Autumn, often considered to be Fukuoka's best season, is mild and dry, though the typhoon season runs between August and September.
s. The most powerful recent earthquake registered a lower 6 of maximum 7 of the Japanese intensity scale
and hit at 10:53 am local time on March 20, 2005, killing one person and injuring more than 400. The epicentre of the earthquake was in the Sea of Genkai, along a yet-undiscovered extension of the Kego fault that runs through the centre of Fukuoka. Genkai island, a part of Nishi-ku
, was the most severely damaged by the earthquake and almost all island residents were forced to evacuate. Aftershock
s continued intermittently throughout the following weeks as construction crews worked to rebuild damaged buildings throughout the city. Traditional Japanese houses, particularly in the areas of Daimyo and Imaizumi, were the most heavily damaged and many were marked for demolition, along with several apartment buildings. Insurance payments for damages were estimated at approximately 15.8 billion yen.
A similar quake, with an intensity of 5+, also occurred one month later on April 20, 2005.
Fukuoka's major Kego fault, runs northwest to southeast, roughly parallel to Nishitetsu's
Ōmuta
train line, and was previously thought to be 22 km long. It is estimated to produce earthquakes as strong as magnitude
7 at the focus approximately once every 15,000 years. If the focus were located at a depth of 10 km, this would translate to an earthquake of a lower-6 magnitude (similar to the March 20, 2005 earthquake) in downtown Fukuoka if it were the epicenter. The probability
of an earthquake along the known length of the Kego fault occurring within 30 years was estimated at 0.4% prior to the March 20, 2005 earthquake, but this probability has been revised upwards since. Including the new extension out into the Sea of Genkai, the Kego fault is now thought to be 40 km long.
Following reports that the city has only prepared for earthquakes up to a magnitude of 6.5, several strong aftershock renewed fears that the quakes might cause the portion of the Kego fault that lies under the city to become active again, leading to an earthquake as big as, or bigger than, the March 20 quake.
of 4,184.07 persons per km². The total area is 340.60 km². With an average age of 38.6 years, Fukuoka is Japan's second youngest major city and with a growth rate of 4.4%, is also Japan's second-fastest growing city .
According to local magazine Fukuoka Now, a recent government survey found Fukuoka has over 1200 homeless, the 4th highest number for any city in Japan
.
and Kyushu Electric Power. Fukuoka is also the home of many smaller firms in the logistics, IT and high-tech manufacturing sectors. Most of the region's heavy manufacturing takes place in the nearby city of Kitakyushu.
Several regional broadcasters are based in the city, including Fukuoka Broadcasting System, Kyushu Asahi Broadcasting
, Love FM
, RKB Mainichi Broadcasting
and Television Nishinippon Corporation
.
The port of Hakata and Fukuoka Airport
also make the city a key regional transportation hub. Fukuoka houses the headquarters of Kyushu Railway Company
(JR Kyushu) and Nishi-Nippon Railroad
. Air Next
, a subsidiary of All Nippon Airways
, is headquartered in Hakata-ku
; prior to its dissolution, Harlequin Air
was also headquartered in Hakata-ku.
Fukuoka has its own stock exchange
, founded in 1949. It is one of 6 in Japan.
's 10 "Most Dynamic Cities" in its July 2006 issue. It was chosen for its central Asian location, increasing tourism
and trade
, and a large increase in volume at its sea and airport. Fukuoka has a diverse culture and a wide range of cultural attractions.
In its July/August 2008 issue, Monocle
selected Fukuoka as number 17 of the "Top 25 liveable cities". It was chosen for excellent shopping, outstanding food, good transport links, good museums, "a feeling of openness in its sea air", green spaces and because it's friendly, safe, clean and close to the rest of East Asia.
, located in Fukuoka City's western ward, is one of the world's largest ferris wheel
s at a height of 120 meters.
Fukuoka Castle located adjacent to Ohori Park features the remaining stone walls and ramparts left after a devastating fire during the upheaval of the Meiji Restoration
. It has now been preserved along with some reconstructed prefabricate concrete towers constructed during the 1950s and 1960s, when there was a trend across Japan to rebuild damaged castles as tourist attractions. Ohori Park
is also the location of one of Fukuoka City's major art galleries
. There is a newly opened Kyushu National Museum
in nearby Dazaifu
.
The Marine Park Uminonakamichi is located on a narrow cape on the northern side of the Bay of Hakata. The park has an amusement park, petting zoo, gardens, beaches, a hotel, and a large marine aquarium.
For tourists from other parts of Japan, local foods such as mentaiko
, Hakata ramen
and motsunabe
are associated with Fukuoka. Yatai (street stalls) serving ramen can be found in Tenjin and Nakasu
most evenings.
Fukuoka Tower
is near the beach in Momochi.
The Fukuoka Asian Culture Prize
was established to honor the outstanding work of individuals or organizations in Asia.
Fukuoka is home to many festival
s (matsuri) that are held throughout the year. Of these, the most famous are Hakata Dontaku and Hakata Gion Yamakasa.
Yamakasa (山笠), held for two weeks each July, is Fukuoka's oldest festival with a history of over 700 years. The festival dates back to 1241 when a priest called Shioichu Kokushi saved Hakata from a terrible plague by being carried around the city on a movable shrine and throwing water. Teams of men (no women, except small girls, are allowed), representing different districts in the city, commemorate the priest's route by racing against the clock around a set course carrying on their shoulders floats weighing several thousand pounds. Participants all wear shimekomi (called fundoshi
in other parts of Japan), which are traditional loincloths. Each day of the two-week festival period is marked by special events and practice runs, culminating in the official race that takes place the last morning before dawn. Tens of thousands line the streets to cheer on the teams. During the festival period, men can be seen walking around many parts Fukuoka in long happi
coats bearing the distinctive mark of their team affiliation and traditional geta
sandals. The costumes are worn with pride and are considered appropriate wear for even formal occasions, such as weddings and cocktail parties, during the festival period.
Hakata Dontaku (博多どんたく) is held in Fukuoka City on May 3 and 4. Boasting over 800 years of history, Dontaku is attended by more than 2 million people, making it the Japanese festival with the highest attendance during Japan's Golden Week holidays. During the festival, stages are erected throughout downtown for traditional performances and a parade of floats is held. The full name is Hakata Dontaku Minato Matsuri.
The festival was stopped for seven years during the Meiji era, and since it was restarted in the 12th year of the Meiji era it has been known as Hakata Dontaku.
include Ayumi Hamasaki
(allegedly Japan's richest woman), singer/songwriter Ringo Shiina, hugely popular singer/songwriter duo Chage & Aska
, singer-songwriter Nobuchika Eri, Misia and Yui
. During the 1970s, local musicians prided themselves on their origins and dubbed their sound, Mentai Rock
.
Morning Musume
6th generation member Reina Tanaka
was also born here in 1989 along with 9th generation member Erina Ikuta in 1997.
Dominican
songwriter and singer Juan Luis Guerra
pays homage to the city in his bachata song Bachata en Fukuoka
(2010).
, the Sanyō Shinkansen
and the Kyūshū Shinkansen
high speed rail line and other JR Kyushu
trains at Hakata Station
and by ferry
. JR Kyushu and a Korean company operate hydrofoil
ferries (named Beetle
and Kobee
) between Hakata and Busan
, South Korea
. The city has three subway
lines, and the newest one, Subway Nanakuma Line, opened on February 2, 2005.
, one of Japan's top professional baseball
teams. Threatened with bankruptcy and forced by its creditors to restructure, in 2004 former owner Daiei sold the Hawks to Softbank Capital
.
Fukuoka is home to a professional soccer team, Avispa Fukuoka
.
Annual sporting events include:
Fukuoka has hosted the following sporting events.
National Universities
} - merged with Kyushu University on October 2003
Prefectural University
Private Universities
Colleges
Atlanta, Georgia
, United States Auckland
, New Zealand Bordeaux
, France (1982) Busan
, South Korea Guangzhou
, China (1979) Ipoh
, Malaysia Oakland, California
, United States
Fukuoka City established the Asian Pacific City Summit in 1994. It consists of 26 Asian-Pacific Cities.
Cities of Japan
||A is a local administrative unit in Japan. Cities are ranked on the same level as and , with the difference that they are not a component of...
of Fukuoka Prefecture
Fukuoka Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on Kyūshū Island. The capital is the city of Fukuoka.- History :Fukuoka Prefecture includes the former provinces of Chikugo, Chikuzen, and Buzen....
and is situated on the northern shore of the island of Kyushu
Kyushu
is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....
in Japan.
Voted number 14 in a 2010 poll of the World's Most Livable Cities
World's Most Livable Cities
The world's most liveable cities is an informal name given to any list of cities as they rank on a reputable annual survey of living conditions. Two examples are the Mercer Quality of Living Survey and The Economists World's Most Livable Cities .Liveability rankings are designed for use by...
, Fukuoka is praised for its green spaces in a metropolitan setting. It is the most populous city in Kyushu, followed by Kitakyūshū. It is the largest city and metropolitan area west of Keihanshin. The city was designated on April 1, 1972 by government ordinance. Greater Fukuoka (福岡都市圏), with 2.5 million people (2005 census), is part of the heavily industrialized Fukuoka-Kitakyūshū
Fukuoka-Kitakyushu
Greater Metropolitan Region is the most common name given to the region comprising the metropolitan areas of the cities of Fukuoka and Kitakyūshū in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan and in between...
zone, as well as Northern Kyushu
Northern Kyushu
is a subregion of Kyūshū.This northern region encompasses the prefectures of Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, and Ōita.-History:The northern region of Kyūshū was the first to be colonized by the Chinese and Koreans....
.
As of June 2011, Fukuoka is Japan's 7th largest city, having passed the population of Kyoto, and the first time a city west of the Kinki region has a larger population since Kyoto was established in the 7th century. However, in ancient times, the area near Fukuoka was thought to be perhaps even more influential than the Yamato
Yamato
Yamato was originally the area around today's Sakurai City in Nara Prefecture of Japan. Later the term was used as the name of the province and also as an ancient name of Japan...
region.
History
Fukuoka (the area of Kashii, HakataHakata-ku, Fukuoka
is one of the seven wards of Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. It is best known as the location of Fukuoka's main train station, Hakata Station.-Geography:...
, Sawara
Sawara-ku, Fukuoka
is one of the seven wards of Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan.-Data:*Population: 211,851 people *Area: 95.88 square kilometers -Profile:...
and Imazu) is said to be the oldest city in Japan, because it is the nearest city to China and Korea. The area around Fukuoka is among the oldest non-Jōmon settlements in Japan. Dazaifu was an administrative capital in 663 A.D., but a historian proposed that a prehistoric capital was in the area. Ancient texts, such as the Kojiki
Kojiki
is the oldest extant chronicle in Japan, dating from the early 8th century and composed by Ō no Yasumaro at the request of Empress Gemmei. The Kojiki is a collection of myths concerning the origin of the four home islands of Japan, and the Kami...
, and archaeology confirm this was a very critical place in the founding of Japan. Some scholars even go as far as to claim it was the first place outsiders and the Imperial Family set foot, but like many early Japan origin theories, it remains contested. See History of Japan
History of Japan
The history of Japan encompasses the history of the islands of Japan and the Japanese people, spanning the ancient history of the region to the modern history of Japan as a nation state. Following the last ice age, around 12,000 BC, the rich ecosystem of the Japanese Archipelago fostered human...
. Fukuoka is sometimes still referred to as Hakata
Hakata-ku, Fukuoka
is one of the seven wards of Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. It is best known as the location of Fukuoka's main train station, Hakata Station.-Geography:...
, the central ward of the city.
In 923, the Hakozaki-gū was established at Fukuoka as a branch of the Usa Shrine
Usa Shrine
, also known as , is a Shinto shrine in the city of Usa in Ōita Prefecture in Japan. Emperor Ojin, who was deified as Hachiman-jin , is said to be enshrined in all the sites dedicated to him; and the first and earliest of these was at Usa in the early 8th century...
.
Mongol invasions (1274–1281)
Kublai KhanKublai Khan
Kublai Khan , born Kublai and also known by the temple name Shizu , was the fifth Great Khan of the Mongol Empire from 1260 to 1294 and the founder of the Yuan Dynasty in China...
of the Mongol Empire
Mongol Empire
The Mongol Empire , initially named as Greater Mongol State was a great empire during the 13th and 14th centuries...
turned his attention towards Japan starting in 1268, exerting a new external pressure on Japan with which it had no experience. Kublai Khan first sent an envoy to Japan to make the Shogunate acknowledge Khan's suzerainty
Suzerainty
Suzerainty occurs where a region or people is a tributary to a more powerful entity which controls its foreign affairs while allowing the tributary vassal state some limited domestic autonomy. The dominant entity in the suzerainty relationship, or the more powerful entity itself, is called a...
. The Kamakura shogunate
Kamakura shogunate
The Kamakura shogunate was a military dictatorship in Japan headed by the shoguns from 1185 to 1333. It was based in Kamakura. The Kamakura period draws its name from the capital of the shogunate...
refused. Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
repeatedly sent envoys thereafter, each time urging the Shogunate to accept their proposal, but to no avail.
In 1274 Kublai Khan mounted an invasion of the northern part of Kyūshū with a fleet of 900 ships and 33,000 troops, which included troops from Goryeo
Goryeo
The Goryeo Dynasty or Koryŏ was a Korean dynasty established in 918 by Emperor Taejo. Korea gets its name from this kingdom which came to be pronounced Korea. It united the Later Three Kingdoms in 936 and ruled most of the Korean peninsula until it was removed by the Joseon dynasty in 1392...
on the Korean peninsula
Korean Peninsula
The Korean Peninsula is a peninsula in East Asia. It extends southwards for about 684 miles from continental Asia into the Pacific Ocean and is surrounded by the Sea of Japan to the south, and the Yellow Sea to the west, the Korea Strait connecting the first two bodies of water.Until the end of...
. This first invasion was compromised by a combination of incompetence and storms. After the first invasion of 1274, Japanese samurai
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
built a stone barrier 20 kilometers in length bordering the coast of Hakata Bay
Hakata Bay
Hakata Bay is a bay in the northwestern part of Fukuoka city, on the Japanese island of Kyūshū. It faces the Tsushima Strait, and features beaches and a port, though parts of the bay have been reclaimed in the expansion of the city of Fukuoka...
in what is now Fukuoka city. The wall, between 2–3 metres in height and having a base width of 3 metres, was constructed between 1276 and 1277 and was excavated again in the 1930s.
Kublai sent another envoy to Japan in 1279. At that time, Hōjō Tokimune
Hojo Tokimune
of the Hōjō clan was the eighth shikken of the Kamakura shogunate , known for leading the Japanese forces against the invasion of the Mongols and for spreading Zen Buddhism and by extension Bushido among the warrior class.- Life :Born as the eldest son of the regent and Tokuso Tokiyori of the...
of the Hōjō clan
Hojo clan
See the late Hōjō clan for the Hōjō clan of the Sengoku Period.The in the history of Japan was a family who controlled the hereditary title of shikken of the Kamakura Shogunate. In practice, the family had actual governmental power, many times dictatorial, rather than Kamakura shoguns, or the...
(1251–1284) was the Eighth Regent. Not only did he decline the offer, but he beheaded the five Mongolian emissaries after summoning them to Kamakura
Kamakura, Kanagawa
is a city located in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, about south-south-west of Tokyo. It used to be also called .Although Kamakura proper is today rather small, it is often described in history books as a former de facto capital of Japan as the seat of the Shogunate and of the Regency during the...
. Infuriated, Kublai made another attack on Fukuoka Prefecture in 1281, mobilizing 140,000 soldiers and 4,000 ships. The Japanese defenders, numbering around 40,000, were no match for the Mongols and the invasion force made it as far as Dazaifu
Dazaifu, Fukuoka
is a city located in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. Nearby cities include Ōnojō and Chikushino. Although mostly urban, it does have arable land used for paddy fields and market gardening....
, 15 kilometers south of the city of Fukuoka. However, the Japanese were aided by another typhoon which struck a crushing blow to the Mongolian troops, and the invasion was thwarted.
It was this typhoon that came to be called the Kamikaze
Kamikaze (typhoon)
The Kamikaze , were two winds or storms that are said to have saved Japan from two Mongol fleets under Kublai Khan. These fleets attacked Japan in 1274 and again in 1281...
(Divine Wind).
Formation of the modern city (1889)
Daimyo
is a generic term referring to the powerful territorial lords in pre-modern Japan who ruled most of the country from their vast, hereditary land holdings...
of Chikuzen Province
Chikuzen Province
was an old province of Japan in the area that is today part of Fukuoka Prefecture in Kyūshū. It was sometimes called , with Chikugo Province. Chikuzen bordered Buzen, Bungo, Chikugo, and Hizen Provinces....
, and played an important part in the medieval history of Japan. The renowned temple of Tokugawa Ieyasu
Tokugawa Ieyasu
was the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan , which ruled from the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Ieyasu seized power in 1600, received appointment as shogun in 1603, abdicated from office in 1605, but...
in the district was destroyed by fire during the Boshin war
Boshin War
The was a civil war in Japan, fought from 1868 to 1869 between forces of the ruling Tokugawa shogunate and those seeking to return political power to the imperial court....
of 1868.
The modern city was formed on April 1, 1889, with the merger of the former cities of Hakata
Hakata-ku, Fukuoka
is one of the seven wards of Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. It is best known as the location of Fukuoka's main train station, Hakata Station.-Geography:...
and Fukuoka. Historically, Hakata was the port and merchant district, and was more associated with the area's culture and remains the main commercial area today. On the other hand, the Fukuoka area was home to many samurai, and its name has been used since Kuroda Nagamasa
Kuroda Nagamasa
was a daimyo of Japan. He was the son of Kuroda Kanbei.In 1577, When Nagamasa was a small child, his father was condemned as a spy by Oda Nobunaga. Nagamasa was kidnapped and nearly killed as a hostage. Takenaka Hanbei ended up rescuing him....
, the first daimyo
Daimyo
is a generic term referring to the powerful territorial lords in pre-modern Japan who ruled most of the country from their vast, hereditary land holdings...
of Chikuzen Province, named it after his birthplace in Okayama Prefecture
Okayama Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Okayama.- History :During the Meiji Restoration, the area of Okayama Prefecture was known as Bitchū Province, Bizen Province and Mimasaka Province.- Geography :...
and the “old Fukuoka” is the main shopping area and now called Tenjin.
When Hakata and Fukuoka decided to merge, a meeting was held to decide the name for the new city. Hakata was initially chosen, but a group of samurai crashed the meeting and forced those present to choose Fukuoka as the name for the merged city. However, Hakata is still used to reference to the Hakata area of the city and, most famously, to refer to the city's train station, Hakata Station
Hakata Station
Hakata Station , located in Hakata-ku, is the main railway terminal of the city of Fukuoka, Japan. It is the largest and busiest station on Kyūshū, and is a gateway to other cities in Kyūshū for travellers from Honshū. The Sanyō Shinkansen from Osaka ends at this station...
, and dialect
Dialect
The term dialect is used in two distinct ways, even by linguists. One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors,...
, Hakata-ben.
20th century
- 1903: Fukuoka Medical College, a campus associated with Kyoto Imperial University, is founded. In 1911, the college is renamed to Kyūshū Imperial UniversityKyushu UniversityKyushu University is one of the most prestigious universities in Japan. It can be seen in the several rankings such as shown below.-General Rankings:The university has been ranked 8th in 2010 and 2009 in the ranking "Truly Strong Universities" by Toyo Keizai...
and established as a separate entity. - 1910: Fukuoka streetcar service begins. (The service ran until 1979.)
- 1929: Flights commence along the Fukuoka-OsakaOsakais a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
-TokyoTokyo, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
route. - 1945: Saturation bombing of Japanese cities commences on HonshūHonshuis the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait...
with Fukuoka one of the targets. VivisectionVivisectionVivisection is defined as surgery conducted for experimental purposes on a living organism, typically animals with a central nervous system, to view living internal structure...
s of American POWs are performed at Kyūshū Imperial University Hospital. - 1947: First Fukuoka MarathonFukuoka MarathonThe , held in Fukuoka, Japan, is an international men's marathon race established in 1947. It is usually held on the first Sunday in December.The course record is held by Tsegaye Kebede of Ethiopia, running 2:05:18 in 2009 to best his own record from the previous year.-Men's winners:Winners of the...
. - 1951: Fukuoka airport opens.
- 1953: Fukuoka ZooFukuoka Municipal Zoo and Botanical GardenThe , also known as the Fukuoka City Zoological Garden, is a zoo and botanical garden established in 1953 and located within Minami-koen park at 1-1, Minami-Koen, Chūō-ku, Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Japan....
opens. - 1975: The city absorbed the town of SawaraSawara, Fukuokawas a town located in Sawara District, Fukuoka Prefecture. On March 1, 1975, the town merged with the expanded city of Fukuoka.-History:*On August 1, 1956, the villages of Irube, Wakiyama and Uchino were merged to form the town of Sawara....
. - 1981: Subway commences service.
- 1988: Osaka's pro baseball team, the Nankai Hawks, are moved to Fukuoka and renamed the Fukuoka DaieiDaiei, based in Kobe, is one of the largest supermarket chains in Japan. In 1957, Isao Nakauchi founded the chain in Osaka near Sembayashi Station on the Keihan train line. Daiei is now under a restructuring process supported by Marubeni Corporation and ÆON Co., Ltd., another Japanese supermarket chain....
Hawks. (Renamed the Fukuoka SoftBank HawksFukuoka SoftBank HawksThe are a Japanese baseball team based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture. The team was bought on January 28, 2005 by the SoftBank Corporation.The team was formerly known as the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks. In 1988, Daiei bought the team from Osaka's Nankai Electric Railway Co., and its headquarters were...
in 2004).
Geography
Fukuoka is bordered on three sides by mountains and opens, on the north, to the Sea of Genkai. Much of the city is now built on reclaimed land, with ongoing developments in Higashi-ku building more artificial islands.It is located 1,100 km from Tokyo.
Climate
Fukouka has a humid subtropical climate and it has hot humid summers and relatively mild winters. The city also sees on average about 1600 mm of precipitation per year, with a stretch of more intense precipitation between the months of June and September. Along with much of the prefecture, Fukuoka City has a moderate climate with an annual average temperature of 16.3 °C (61 °F), average humidity of 70% and 1,811 annual daylight hours. Roughly 40% of the year is cloudy.Winter temperatures rarely drop below 0 °C (32 °F) and it rarely snows, though light rain does fall on most days if not as consistently as on the Sea of Japan
Sea of Japan
The Sea of Japan is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, between the Asian mainland, the Japanese archipelago and Sakhalin. It is bordered by Japan, North Korea, Russia and South Korea. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it has almost no tides due to its nearly complete enclosure from the Pacific...
side of Honshu
Honshu
is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait...
. Spring is warm and sunnier, with cherry blossoms appearing in late March or early April. The rainy season (tsuyu) lasts for approximately six weeks through June and July, during which time the humidity is very high and temperatures hover between 25 °C (77 °F) and 30 °C (86 °F). Summers are humid and hot, with temperatures peaking around 37 °C (99 °F). Autumn, often considered to be Fukuoka's best season, is mild and dry, though the typhoon season runs between August and September.
Earthquakes
Fukuoka is not as seismically active as many other parts of Japan, but does experience occasional earthquakeEarthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
s. The most powerful recent earthquake registered a lower 6 of maximum 7 of the Japanese intensity scale
Japan Meteorological Agency seismic intensity scale
The Japan Meteorological Agency seismic intensity scale is a seismic scale used in Japan and Taiwan to measure the intensity of earthquakes. It is measured in units of...
and hit at 10:53 am local time on March 20, 2005, killing one person and injuring more than 400. The epicentre of the earthquake was in the Sea of Genkai, along a yet-undiscovered extension of the Kego fault that runs through the centre of Fukuoka. Genkai island, a part of Nishi-ku
Nishi-ku, Fukuoka
is one of the seven wards of Fukuoka City, Japan. Meaning literally "west ward," it is bordered to the east by Sawara-ku, and to the west by Maebaru and Shima. As of 2003, it has a population of 173,813 people and an area of 83.81 km2...
, was the most severely damaged by the earthquake and almost all island residents were forced to evacuate. Aftershock
Aftershock
An aftershock is a smaller earthquake that occurs after a previous large earthquake, in the same area of the main shock. If an aftershock is larger than the main shock, the aftershock is redesignated as the main shock and the original main shock is redesignated as a foreshock...
s continued intermittently throughout the following weeks as construction crews worked to rebuild damaged buildings throughout the city. Traditional Japanese houses, particularly in the areas of Daimyo and Imaizumi, were the most heavily damaged and many were marked for demolition, along with several apartment buildings. Insurance payments for damages were estimated at approximately 15.8 billion yen.
A similar quake, with an intensity of 5+, also occurred one month later on April 20, 2005.
Fukuoka's major Kego fault, runs northwest to southeast, roughly parallel to Nishitetsu's
Nishi-Nippon Railroad
The , also called or NNR, is one of Japan's "Big 16" private railroad companies. With headquarters in Fukuoka, it operates local and highway buses, supermarkets, real-estate and travel agencies, as well as railways in Fukuoka Prefecture. In addition, from 1950 to 1972, the company owned the Lions...
Ōmuta
Tenjin Omuta Line
The is a heavy rail line in Fukuoka Prefecture in Kyūshū, Japan, being the main line of a Japanese private railway company Nishi-Nippon Railroad . The line is from Nishitetsu Fukuoka Station in Chūō-ku, Fukuoka, stretching south to Ōmuta Station in Ōmuta...
train line, and was previously thought to be 22 km long. It is estimated to produce earthquakes as strong as magnitude
Richter magnitude scale
The expression Richter magnitude scale refers to a number of ways to assign a single number to quantify the energy contained in an earthquake....
7 at the focus approximately once every 15,000 years. If the focus were located at a depth of 10 km, this would translate to an earthquake of a lower-6 magnitude (similar to the March 20, 2005 earthquake) in downtown Fukuoka if it were the epicenter. The probability
Probability
Probability is ordinarily used to describe an attitude of mind towards some proposition of whose truth we arenot certain. The proposition of interest is usually of the form "Will a specific event occur?" The attitude of mind is of the form "How certain are we that the event will occur?" The...
of an earthquake along the known length of the Kego fault occurring within 30 years was estimated at 0.4% prior to the March 20, 2005 earthquake, but this probability has been revised upwards since. Including the new extension out into the Sea of Genkai, the Kego fault is now thought to be 40 km long.
Following reports that the city has only prepared for earthquakes up to a magnitude of 6.5, several strong aftershock renewed fears that the quakes might cause the portion of the Kego fault that lies under the city to become active again, leading to an earthquake as big as, or bigger than, the March 20 quake.
Wards
| Fukuoka has 7 wards Wards of Japan A is a subdivision of one of the cities of Japan that is large enough to have been designated by government ordinance. Wards are used to subdivide each city designated by government ordinance... (ku): |
Ward | Population | Land area | Pop. density |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
as of August 1, 2010 | km² | per km² | |
 Higashi-kuHigashi-ku, Fukuoka is one of the seven wards of Fukuoka City, Japan. As of 2004, it has a population of 275,652 people and an area of 66.68 sq. km. Its name literally means "east ward".Kashii is in this ward. It is south of neighbouring Shingū, Fukuoka.... |
291 749 | 66.68 | 4 375.36 | |
 Hakata-kuHakata-ku, Fukuoka is one of the seven wards of Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. It is best known as the location of Fukuoka's main train station, Hakata Station.-Geography:... |
212 108 | 31.47 | 6 740.01 | |
 Chūō-kuChuo-ku, Fukuoka is one of the seven wards of Fukuoka city in Japan. The ward is located in the center of the city.It includes Tenjin and Daimyō which are among the largest downtown areas in Kyūshū, Nagahama, which is known for its fish market, and Ōhori Park.-Main facilities:... (administrative center) |
176 739 | 15.16 | 11,658.24 | |
 Minami-kuMinami-ku, Fukuoka is one of the seven wards of Fukuoka City, Japan. As of 2004, it had a population of 247,913 people and an area of 30.98 km2. Its name literally means "south ward." It is bordered by the central, Hakata, Jonan, and Sawara wards of Fukuoka city, and also by the cities of Nakagawa and Kasuga.... |
248 901 | 30.98 | 8 034.25 | |
 Jonan-kuJonan-ku, Fukuoka is one of the seven wards of Fukuoka City, Japan. As of November 1, 2004, it had a population of 128,057 people, making up 9.2% of Fukuoka City, with an area of 16.02 km2. At the time of Fukuoka City's official designation as a City in 1972, the area now known as Jōnan-ku was part of the... |
128 883 | 16.02 | 8 045.13 | |
 Sawara-kuSawara-ku, Fukuoka is one of the seven wards of Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan.-Data:*Population: 211,851 people *Area: 95.88 square kilometers -Profile:... |
211 889 | 95.88 | 2 209.42 | |
 Nishi-kuNishi-ku, Fukuoka is one of the seven wards of Fukuoka City, Japan. Meaning literally "west ward," it is bordered to the east by Sawara-ku, and to the west by Maebaru and Shima. As of 2003, it has a population of 173,813 people and an area of 83.81 km2... |
190 288 | 83.81 | 2 270.47 |
Demographics
, the city had an estimated population of 1,422,836 and a densityPopulation density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
of 4,184.07 persons per km². The total area is 340.60 km². With an average age of 38.6 years, Fukuoka is Japan's second youngest major city and with a growth rate of 4.4%, is also Japan's second-fastest growing city .
According to local magazine Fukuoka Now, a recent government survey found Fukuoka has over 1200 homeless, the 4th highest number for any city in Japan
Homelessness in Japan
In Japan homelessness increased sharply due to the rise in unemployment in the 1990s.-History:At the beginning of the 1990s, the homeless in Japan were viewed as a nuisance. The government tried to get rid of the street people "because the environment there needed beautification"...
.
Economy
Fukuoka is the economic center of the Kyushu region, with an economy largely focused on the service sector. Large companies headquartered in the city include IwatayaIwataya
is a Japanese department store chain in Fukuoka Prefecture and owned by , a group company of Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings, Ltd. Two stores are in Tenjin and Kurume .- Former stores :*Tobata*Yame*Nishijin*Hita*Kumamoto-External links:...
and Kyushu Electric Power. Fukuoka is also the home of many smaller firms in the logistics, IT and high-tech manufacturing sectors. Most of the region's heavy manufacturing takes place in the nearby city of Kitakyushu.
Several regional broadcasters are based in the city, including Fukuoka Broadcasting System, Kyushu Asahi Broadcasting
Kyushu Asahi Broadcasting
is a broadcasting station in Fukuoka, Japan, and it is affiliated with National Radio Network , All-Nippon News Network , and TV Asahi Network.- Programs :*Asadesu*Super J Channel Kyushu/Okinawa*KBC News Pia*Kyushu Kaido Story...
, Love FM
Love FM (Japan)
-History:*1997: On April 1 opens as the third multi-lingual radio station in Japan.*1999: On December 1 joins MegaNet.*2002: On February 11 Fukuoka Tower transmission begins....
, RKB Mainichi Broadcasting
RKB Mainichi Broadcasting
RKB Mainichi Broadcasting Corporationis a broadcasting station in Fukuoka, Japan, and it is affiliated with Japan Radio Network , Japan News Network and TBS Network.-Radio:*Fukuoka: 1278 kHz JOFR 50 kW...
and Television Nishinippon Corporation
Television Nishinippon Corporation
is a Japanese TV station affiliated with Fuji News Network and Fuji Network System in Fukuoka. This station covers Fukuoka Prefecture and western Yamaguchi Prefecture including Yamaguchi City.-History:...
.
The port of Hakata and Fukuoka Airport
Fukuoka Airport
, formerly known as Itazuke Air Base, is an international and domestic airport located east of Hakata Station in Fukuoka, Japan. It is officially designated a second class airport. It is operating at full capacity, and cannot be further expanded. Flights stop at 10 p.m...
also make the city a key regional transportation hub. Fukuoka houses the headquarters of Kyushu Railway Company
Kyushu Railway Company
The , also referred to as , is one of the constituent companies of Japan Railways Group . It operates intercity rail services in Kyushu, Japan and the JR Kyushu Jet Ferry Beetle hydrofoil service across the Tsushima Strait between Fukuoka and Busan, South Korea.When Japan Railways was divided in...
(JR Kyushu) and Nishi-Nippon Railroad
Nishi-Nippon Railroad
The , also called or NNR, is one of Japan's "Big 16" private railroad companies. With headquarters in Fukuoka, it operates local and highway buses, supermarkets, real-estate and travel agencies, as well as railways in Fukuoka Prefecture. In addition, from 1950 to 1972, the company owned the Lions...
. Air Next
Air Next
was a low-cost airline based on the grounds of Fukuoka Airport in Hakata-ku, Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan and a wholly owned subsidiary of All Nippon Airways . It operated domestic services from its main base at Fukuoka Airport...
, a subsidiary of All Nippon Airways
All Nippon Airways
, also known as or ANA, is one of the largest airlines in Japan. It is headquartered at the Shiodome City Center in the Shiodome area in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. It operates services to 49 destinations in Japan and 35 international routes and employed over 14,000 employees as of May 2009...
, is headquartered in Hakata-ku
Hakata-ku, Fukuoka
is one of the seven wards of Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. It is best known as the location of Fukuoka's main train station, Hakata Station.-Geography:...
; prior to its dissolution, Harlequin Air
Harlequin Air
was an airline with its headquarters on the grounds of Fukuoka Airport in Hakata-ku, Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. It was owned by Japan Airlines Domestic and operated domestic passenger services...
was also headquartered in Hakata-ku.
Fukuoka has its own stock exchange
Stock exchange
A stock exchange is an entity that provides services for stock brokers and traders to trade stocks, bonds, and other securities. Stock exchanges also provide facilities for issue and redemption of securities and other financial instruments, and capital events including the payment of income and...
, founded in 1949. It is one of 6 in Japan.
Culture
Fukuoka was selected as one of NewsweekNewsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
's 10 "Most Dynamic Cities" in its July 2006 issue. It was chosen for its central Asian location, increasing tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
and trade
Trade
Trade is the transfer of ownership of goods and services from one person or entity to another. Trade is sometimes loosely called commerce or financial transaction or barter. A network that allows trade is called a market. The original form of trade was barter, the direct exchange of goods and...
, and a large increase in volume at its sea and airport. Fukuoka has a diverse culture and a wide range of cultural attractions.
In its July/August 2008 issue, Monocle
Monocle (2007 magazine)
Monocle is a lifestyle magazine and website founded by Tyler Brûlé, a Canadian journalist and entrepreneur. Described by CBC News reporter Harry Forestell as a "meeting between Foreign Policy and Vanity Fair", the magazine provides a globalist perspective on issues as fashion, international...
selected Fukuoka as number 17 of the "Top 25 liveable cities". It was chosen for excellent shopping, outstanding food, good transport links, good museums, "a feeling of openness in its sea air", green spaces and because it's friendly, safe, clean and close to the rest of East Asia.
Tourism
Sky Dream FukuokaSky Dream Fukuoka
The is a giant Ferris wheel at Evergreen Marinoa in the city of Fukuoka, Japan. It stands high.The gondolas are all air conditioned and accessible for wheelchair-using patrons...
, located in Fukuoka City's western ward, is one of the world's largest ferris wheel
Ferris wheel
A Ferris wheel is a nonbuilding structure consisting of a rotating upright wheel with passenger cars attached to the rim in such a way that as the wheel turns, the cars are kept upright, usually by gravity.Some of the largest and most modern Ferris wheels have cars mounted on...
s at a height of 120 meters.
Fukuoka Castle located adjacent to Ohori Park features the remaining stone walls and ramparts left after a devastating fire during the upheaval of the Meiji Restoration
Meiji Restoration
The , also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution, Reform or Renewal, was a chain of events that restored imperial rule to Japan in 1868...
. It has now been preserved along with some reconstructed prefabricate concrete towers constructed during the 1950s and 1960s, when there was a trend across Japan to rebuild damaged castles as tourist attractions. Ohori Park
Ōhori Park
is a park in Chūō-ku, Fukuoka, Japan.The name Ōhori means a trench and it derives from the fact that Kuroda Nagamasa, the old lord of Fukuoka, reclaimed the land called Kusagae which was facing Hakata Bay and made a trench for the Fukuoka Castle....
is also the location of one of Fukuoka City's major art galleries
Fukuoka Art Museum
Fukuoka Art Museum is an encyclopedic art museum in Fukuoka, Japan. It contains a notable collection of Asian art and exhibits various temporary exhibitions - in November 2010 it hosted a large exhibition of Marc Chagall's work.-External links:*...
. There is a newly opened Kyushu National Museum
Kyushu National Museum
The opened on October 16, 2005 in Dazaifu near Fukuoka -- the first new national museum in Japan in over 100 years, and the first to elevate the focus on history over art. The distinct modern impression created by the architectural facade is mirrored in the Museum's use of technological...
in nearby Dazaifu
Dazaifu, Fukuoka
is a city located in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. Nearby cities include Ōnojō and Chikushino. Although mostly urban, it does have arable land used for paddy fields and market gardening....
.
For tourists from other parts of Japan, local foods such as mentaiko
Mentaiko
is the marinated roe of pollock, and is a common ingredient in Japanese cuisine. Mentaiko originated from myeongran jeot of Korean cuisine and was introduced to Japan after the Russo-Japanese War. , a Busan-born Japanese, adapted Korean mentaiko to Japanese tastes in Fukuoka in the 1950s. The name...
, Hakata ramen
Ramen
is a Japanese noodle dish. It consists of Chinese-style wheat noodles served in a meat- or fish-based broth, often flavored with soy sauce or miso, and uses toppings such as , , kamaboko, green onions, and occasionally corn...
and motsunabe
Motsunabe
is a type of nabemono in Japanese cuisine, which is made from beef or pork offal. A hot pot is filled with soup, prepared beef or pork offal and boiled for a while; cabbage and garlic chives are added. The base soup is usually soy sauce with garlic and chili pepper, or miso...
are associated with Fukuoka. Yatai (street stalls) serving ramen can be found in Tenjin and Nakasu
Nakasu
is the red-light district which exists between the sandbank of the and the in Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. It is named after a popular, but very short-lived, entertainment quarter of Edo, which existed in the late 18th century...
most evenings.
Fukuoka Tower
Fukuoka Tower
is a 234 metre tall tower located in the Momochihama area of Fukuoka, Japan. It is the tallest seaside tower in Japan. Fukuoka Tower was finished in 1989, taking a total of 14 months to build at a cost of ¥6,000,000,000. It was designed by Nikken Sekkei...
is near the beach in Momochi.
Museums
- Fukuoka Art MuseumFukuoka Art MuseumFukuoka Art Museum is an encyclopedic art museum in Fukuoka, Japan. It contains a notable collection of Asian art and exhibits various temporary exhibitions - in November 2010 it hosted a large exhibition of Marc Chagall's work.-External links:*...
- In Ohori Park; contains a wide selection of contemporary and other art from around the world, including works by Mark RothkoMark RothkoMark Rothko, born Marcus Rothkowitz , was a Russian-born American painter. He is classified as an abstract expressionist, although he himself rejected this label, and even resisted classification as an "abstract painter".- Childhood :Mark Rothko was born in Dvinsk, Vitebsk Province, Russian...
, Roy LichtensteinRoy LichtensteinRoy Lichtenstein was a prominent American pop artist. During the 1960s his paintings were exhibited at the Leo Castelli Gallery in New York City and along with Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, James Rosenquist and others he became a leading figure in the new art movement...
, and Salvador DaliSalvador DalíSalvador Domènec Felip Jacint Dalí i Domènech, Marquis de Púbol , commonly known as Salvador Dalí , was a prominent Spanish Catalan surrealist painter born in Figueres,Spain.... - Fukuoka Asian Art Museum - contains art from various countries of Asia.
- Fukuoka City Museum - displays a broad range of items from the region's history, including a spectacular gold seal.
- Genko Historical Museum (元寇史料館; Museum of the Mongol Invasion) - In Higashi Koen (East Park); displays Japanese and Mongolian arms and armor from the 13th century as well as paintings on historical subjects. Open on weekends.
- Hakata Machiya Folk Museum - Dedicated to displaying the traditional ways of life, speech, and culture of the Fukuoka region.
The Fukuoka Asian Culture Prize
Fukuoka Asian Culture Prize
The is an award established by Fukuoka City and the Yokatopia Foundation to honor the outstanding work of individuals or organizations in preserving or creating Asian culture...
was established to honor the outstanding work of individuals or organizations in Asia.
Festivals
Festival
A festival or gala is an event, usually and ordinarily staged by a local community, which centers on and celebrates some unique aspect of that community and the Festival....
s (matsuri) that are held throughout the year. Of these, the most famous are Hakata Dontaku and Hakata Gion Yamakasa.
Yamakasa (山笠), held for two weeks each July, is Fukuoka's oldest festival with a history of over 700 years. The festival dates back to 1241 when a priest called Shioichu Kokushi saved Hakata from a terrible plague by being carried around the city on a movable shrine and throwing water. Teams of men (no women, except small girls, are allowed), representing different districts in the city, commemorate the priest's route by racing against the clock around a set course carrying on their shoulders floats weighing several thousand pounds. Participants all wear shimekomi (called fundoshi
Fundoshi
is the traditional Japanese undergarment for adult males, made from a length of cotton. Before World War II, the fundoshi was the main form of underwear for Japanese adult males...
in other parts of Japan), which are traditional loincloths. Each day of the two-week festival period is marked by special events and practice runs, culminating in the official race that takes place the last morning before dawn. Tens of thousands line the streets to cheer on the teams. During the festival period, men can be seen walking around many parts Fukuoka in long happi
Happi
Happi is a traditional Japanese straight-sleeved coat usually made of indigo or brown cotton and imprinted with a distinctive mon . They are usually worn only to festivals. Originally, these represented the crest of a family, as happi were worn by house servants. Later, the coats commonly began to...
coats bearing the distinctive mark of their team affiliation and traditional geta
Geta (footwear)
Geta are a form of traditional Japanese footwear that resemble both clogs and flip-flops. They are a kind of sandal with an elevated wooden base held onto the foot with a fabric thong to keep the foot well above the ground. They are worn with traditional Japanese clothing such as kimono or yukata,...
sandals. The costumes are worn with pride and are considered appropriate wear for even formal occasions, such as weddings and cocktail parties, during the festival period.
Hakata Dontaku (博多どんたく) is held in Fukuoka City on May 3 and 4. Boasting over 800 years of history, Dontaku is attended by more than 2 million people, making it the Japanese festival with the highest attendance during Japan's Golden Week holidays. During the festival, stages are erected throughout downtown for traditional performances and a parade of floats is held. The full name is Hakata Dontaku Minato Matsuri.
The festival was stopped for seven years during the Meiji era, and since it was restarted in the 12th year of the Meiji era it has been known as Hakata Dontaku.
Music
Notable musical names in J-popJ-pop
, an abbreviation for Japanese pop, is a musical genre that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the 1990s. Modern J-pop has its roots in 1960s music, such as The Beatles, and replaced kayōkyoku in the Japanese music scene...
include Ayumi Hamasaki
Ayumi Hamasaki
is a Japanese singer-songwriter, record producer, model, lyricist, and actress. Also called "Ayu" by her fans, Hamasaki has been dubbed the "Empress of Pop" because of her popularity and widespread influence in Japan and throughout Asia. Born and raised in Fukuoka, she moved to Tokyo at fourteen to...
(allegedly Japan's richest woman), singer/songwriter Ringo Shiina, hugely popular singer/songwriter duo Chage & Aska
Chage and Aska
or Chage and Asuka are a Japanese popular music duo composed of two singer-songwriters from Fukuoka Prefecture, and . To date they have sold over 31 million albums and singles in Japan....
, singer-songwriter Nobuchika Eri, Misia and Yui
Yui (singer)
, stylized as YUI, is a multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, composer, actress, and radio personality. Born and raised in Fukuoka, she played live at various locations in her home town before being noticed by Sony Music Japan when she was 17 and released her debut single months later...
. During the 1970s, local musicians prided themselves on their origins and dubbed their sound, Mentai Rock
Mentai Rock
Mentai Rock is the name given to the collection of Japanese artists who gained national popularity during the late 1970s. Continuing through the early 1980s, the collective had little in common other than their origin - the Hakata ward of Fukuoka City. The phrase, Mentai Rock, was derived from the...
.
Morning Musume
Morning Musume
, sometimes referred to as is a Japanese idol girl group, whose act generally revolves around singing and dancing to upbeat melodies. They are the lead group of Hello! Project, which is managed and produced by Tsunku, who composes nearly all the lyrics and melodies of their songs...
6th generation member Reina Tanaka
Reina Tanaka
is one of the sixth generation members of the J-pop group Morning Musume. Her professional first name is spelled in hiragana to distinguish her from the Japanese actress Rena Tanaka, whose name is spelled using the same kanji , who is similarly from Fukuoka Prefecture.- Biography :Tanaka auditioned...
was also born here in 1989 along with 9th generation member Erina Ikuta in 1997.
Dominican
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
songwriter and singer Juan Luis Guerra
Juan Luis Guerra
Juan Luis Guerra is a singer, songwriter and producer from the Dominican Republic who has sold over 30 million records, and won numerous awards including 12 Latin Grammy Awards, two Grammy Awards, and two Latin Billboard Music Awards...
pays homage to the city in his bachata song Bachata en Fukuoka
Bachata en Fukuoka
"Bachata en Fukuoka" is the first single released by Juan Luis Guerra for his album A Son de Guerra. It reached number 1 in 2010, the second bachata song in the year to do so.-Background:...
(2010).
Transport
Fukuoka is served by Fukuoka AirportFukuoka Airport
, formerly known as Itazuke Air Base, is an international and domestic airport located east of Hakata Station in Fukuoka, Japan. It is officially designated a second class airport. It is operating at full capacity, and cannot be further expanded. Flights stop at 10 p.m...
, the Sanyō Shinkansen
Sanyō Shinkansen
The is a line of the Japanese Shinkansen high-speed rail network, connecting Shin-Ōsaka in Osaka with Hakata Station in Fukuoka, the two largest cities in western Japan...
and the Kyūshū Shinkansen
Kyushu Shinkansen
The ' is a Japanese high-speed railway line between the Japanese cities of Fukuoka and Kagoshima in Kyushu, running parallel to the existing Kagoshima Main Line and operated by the Kyushu Railway Company . The southern 127 km opened on 13 March 2004...
high speed rail line and other JR Kyushu
Kyushu Railway Company
The , also referred to as , is one of the constituent companies of Japan Railways Group . It operates intercity rail services in Kyushu, Japan and the JR Kyushu Jet Ferry Beetle hydrofoil service across the Tsushima Strait between Fukuoka and Busan, South Korea.When Japan Railways was divided in...
trains at Hakata Station
Hakata Station
Hakata Station , located in Hakata-ku, is the main railway terminal of the city of Fukuoka, Japan. It is the largest and busiest station on Kyūshū, and is a gateway to other cities in Kyūshū for travellers from Honshū. The Sanyō Shinkansen from Osaka ends at this station...
and by ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
. JR Kyushu and a Korean company operate hydrofoil
Hydrofoil
A hydrofoil is a foil which operates in water. They are similar in appearance and purpose to airfoils.Hydrofoils can be artificial, such as the rudder or keel on a boat, the diving planes on a submarine, a surfboard fin, or occur naturally, as with fish fins, the flippers of aquatic mammals, the...
ferries (named Beetle
Beetle (JR Kyushu)
is a hydrofoil ferry service operated by JR Kyushu Jet Ferry, a division of Kyushu Railway Company.The ferry travels between Fukuoka, Japan and Busan, South Korea.-External links:* *...
and Kobee
Kobee
Kobee is a South Korean jet hydrofoil ferry line that operates services between Busan, South Korea and Fukuoka, Japan. Miraejet operates the ferry line.-See also:...
) between Hakata and Busan
Busan
Busan , formerly spelled Pusan is South Korea's second largest metropolis after Seoul, with a population of around 3.6 million. The Metropolitan area population is 4,399,515 as of 2010. It is the largest port city in South Korea and the fifth largest port in the world...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
. The city has three subway
Fukuoka City Subway
The serves Fukuoka, Japan. It consists of three subway lines, the Kūkō, or Airport Line, the Hakozaki Line and the Nanakuma Line).The lines are operated by the . Unlike most other public operators in Japan, the company only operates subways without any bus lines....
lines, and the newest one, Subway Nanakuma Line, opened on February 2, 2005.
Sports
Fukuoka is the home of the Fukuoka Softbank HawksFukuoka SoftBank Hawks
The are a Japanese baseball team based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture. The team was bought on January 28, 2005 by the SoftBank Corporation.The team was formerly known as the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks. In 1988, Daiei bought the team from Osaka's Nankai Electric Railway Co., and its headquarters were...
, one of Japan's top professional baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
teams. Threatened with bankruptcy and forced by its creditors to restructure, in 2004 former owner Daiei sold the Hawks to Softbank Capital
Softbank Capital
SoftBank Capital is a venture capital group in the United States, focusing on technology and telecom early stage businesses. The firm is established and led by four partners: Ron Fisher, Eric Hippeau, Steve Murray, and Michael Perlis...
.
Avispa Fukuoka
For the record label, see Avispa. is a Japanese professional football club, currently playing in the J. League Division 1 having been promoted from J. League Division 2 in the 2010 season. The team is located in Hakata, Fukuoka. "Avispa" means "wasp" in Spanish.-In Fujieda:The club was founded as...
.
Annual sporting events include:
- The All Japan Judo Category Championships is held in early April.
- The Kyūshū Ekiden, beginning in Nagasaki and ending in Fukuoka, the world's longest relay raceRelay raceDuring a relay race, members of a team take turns running, orienteering, swimming, cross-country skiing, biathlon, or ice skating parts of a circuit or performing a certain action. Relay races take the form of professional races and amateur games...
, held in October. - The November tournamentHonbashoA is an official professional sumo tournament. There are six held each year, a system established in 1958. Only honbasho results matter in determining promotion and relegation for rikishi ....
of professional SumoSumois a competitive full-contact sport where a wrestler attempts to force another wrestler out of a circular ring or to touch the ground with anything other than the soles of the feet. The sport originated in Japan, the only country where it is practiced professionally...
is held at the Fukuoka Kokusai Center - Fukuoka International Open Marathon ChampionshipsFukuoka MarathonThe , held in Fukuoka, Japan, is an international men's marathon race established in 1947. It is usually held on the first Sunday in December.The course record is held by Tsegaye Kebede of Ethiopia, running 2:05:18 in 2009 to best his own record from the previous year.-Men's winners:Winners of the...
, with start/finish at Heiwadai Athletic Stadium, held on the 1st Sunday of December.
Fukuoka has hosted the following sporting events.
- 1995 Summer Universiade1995 Summer UniversiadeThe 1995 Summer Universiade, also known as the XVIII Summer Universiade, took place in Fukuoka, Japan.-Emblem:The symbol mark is a motif of "U", expressing passion and energy in the flickering flames of a burning torch...
- 2001 World Aquatics Championships2001 World Aquatics ChampionshipsrightThe 2001 World Aquatics Championships or the 9th FINA World Swimming Championships were held in Fukuoka, Japan between 16 July and 29 July 2001....
. - 2006 IAAF World Cross Country Championships2006 IAAF World Cross Country ChampionshipsThe 34th IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held 1-2 April 2006 in Fukuoka, Japan.The event was once again dominated by Ethiopian and Kenyan runners and also Eritrean runners...
. - Fukuoka International Women’s JudoJudois a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...
Championships from 1983 to 2006.
Sports teams and facilities
| Club | Sports | League | Venue | Established |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kyuden Voltex Kyuden Voltex Kyuden Voltex is a Japanese rugby team owned by Kyushu Electric Power Co. . The nickname "Voltex" is a conflation of "Voltage" and "Techniques" and was decided after the team won promotion to the Top League. The team is based in Kashii, Fukuoka and from the 2007-8 season is playing in the... |
Rugby Rugby union Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand... |
Top League Top League The Top League is a professional rugby union league created by the Japan Rugby Football Union to drive up the overall standard and popularity of the sport in the country and improve the results of the Japan national rugby union team. The first season was 2003-04 and featured 12 teams... |
Level-5 Stadium | 1951 |
| West Red Sparks Coca Cola West Red Sparks Coca Cola West Red Sparks RFC is a Japanese company-owned rugby union team based in Fukuoka city, Kyūshū... |
Rugby Rugby union Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand... |
Top League Top League The Top League is a professional rugby union league created by the Japan Rugby Football Union to drive up the overall standard and popularity of the sport in the country and improve the results of the Japan national rugby union team. The first season was 2003-04 and featured 12 teams... |
Sawayaka Sports Park | 1966 |
| Fukuoka Softbank Hawks Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks The are a Japanese baseball team based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture. The team was bought on January 28, 2005 by the SoftBank Corporation.The team was formerly known as the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks. In 1988, Daiei bought the team from Osaka's Nankai Electric Railway Co., and its headquarters were... |
Baseball Baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond... |
Pacific League Pacific League The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues constituting Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship competes against the winner in the Central League for the annual Japan Series... |
Fukuoka Yahoo! Japan Dome | 1989 (year of relocation from Ōsaka Osaka is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe... as Daiei Hawks, changed to current name from 2005) |
| Avispa Fukuoka Avispa Fukuoka For the record label, see Avispa. is a Japanese professional football club, currently playing in the J. League Division 1 having been promoted from J. League Division 2 in the 2010 season. The team is located in Hakata, Fukuoka. "Avispa" means "wasp" in Spanish.-In Fujieda:The club was founded as... |
Association football | J. League J. League The or is the top division of and is the top professional association football league in Japan. It is one of the most successful leagues in Asian club football and the only league given top class 'A' ranking by the AFC. Currently, J. League Division 1 is the first level of the Japanese... Division 2 |
Level-5 Stadium | 1995 (year of relocation from Fujieda, Shizuoka Fujieda, Shizuoka is a city located in Shizuoka, Japan. The modern city was founded on March 31, 1954. As of February 2009, the town has an estimated population of 142,023 and a density of 732 persons per km². The total area is 194.03 km².-Geography:... as Fukuoka Blux, changed to current name from 1996) |
| Fukuoka J-Anclas | Association football | Nadeshiko League L. League The L. League is the top flight of women's association football in Japan. It is the women's equivalent of the J. League, but not professional. However, some individual players are professional.The league conssists of two divisions: division 1 has the nickname and division 2... |
Level-5 Stadium | 1986 (as Fukuoka Jogakuin High School football club, changed to a senior club team and participated Nadeshiko League Div. 2 from 2006) |
| Rizing Fukuoka Rizing Fukuoka The Rizing Fukuoka are a Japanese basketball team, playing in the Western Conference of the bj league. They are based in Fukuoka Prefecture.-Reference:* at asia-basket.com*... |
Basketball Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules... |
bj league Bj league The bj league is a professional basketball league in Japan that began on November 5, 2005. The ten team league is divided into two conferences, the Eastern Conference, and the Western Conference. It had its inaugural All-Star game in 2006. One of its major sponsors is Spalding.The bj league... |
Accion Fukuoka | 2007 |
Education
Fukuoka City operates all public elementary and junior high schools, while the prefecture operates the high schools.National Universities
} - merged with Kyushu University on October 2003
Prefectural University
Private Universities
Colleges
- Fukuoka Institute of Technology, Junior CollegeJunior collegeThe term junior college refers to different educational institutions in different countries.-India:In India, most states provide schooling through 12th grade...
(福岡工業大学短期大学部|Fukuoka Kōgyō Daigaku Tanki Daigakubu)
International relations
Fukuoka has several sister cities:Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, United States Auckland
Auckland City
Auckland City was the city and local authority covering the Auckland isthmus and most of the islands of the Hauraki Gulf, in the North Island of New Zealand. On 1 November 2010 it was amalgamated into the wider Auckland Region under the authority of the new Auckland Council...
, New Zealand Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
, France (1982) Busan
Busan
Busan , formerly spelled Pusan is South Korea's second largest metropolis after Seoul, with a population of around 3.6 million. The Metropolitan area population is 4,399,515 as of 2010. It is the largest port city in South Korea and the fifth largest port in the world...
, South Korea Guangzhou
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
, China (1979) Ipoh
Ipoh
Ipoh is the capital city of Perak state, Malaysia. It is approximately 200 km north of Kuala Lumpur on the North-South Expressway....
, Malaysia Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
, United States
Fukuoka City established the Asian Pacific City Summit in 1994. It consists of 26 Asian-Pacific Cities.
Notable people from Fukuoka
- Jirō AkagawaJiro Akagawais a Japanese novelist born in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan.- Biography :Best known for his humorous mysteries, Akagawa's first novel, Ghost Train, was published in 1976 and went on to win the annually granted All Yomimono New Mystery Writers' Prize by Bungeishunjū, a Japanese literary...
(novelist) - Aska (singer) (Chage & Aska)
- Sonny ChibaSonny Chiba, also known as Sonny Chiba, is a Japanese actor, singer, film producer, film director and martial artist.Chiba was one of the first actors to achieve stardom through his skills in martial arts, initially in Japan and later before an international audience.- Early life :Born in Fukuoka, Fukuoka,...
(actor) - Dan TakumaDan Takumawas a Japanese businessman who was Director-General of Mitsui, one of the leading Japanese zaibatsu . He was a graduate of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and was married to the younger sister of statesman Kaneko Kentarō....
(businessman) - Ayumi HamasakiAyumi Hamasakiis a Japanese singer-songwriter, record producer, model, lyricist, and actress. Also called "Ayu" by her fans, Hamasaki has been dubbed the "Empress of Pop" because of her popularity and widespread influence in Japan and throughout Asia. Born and raised in Fukuoka, she moved to Tokyo at fourteen to...
(J-pop singer) - Machiko HasegawaMachiko Hasegawa, January 30, 1920 – May 27, 1992, in Taku, Saga Prefecture) was one of the first female manga artists.She started her own comic strip, Sazae-san, in 1946. It reached national circulation via the Asahi Shimbun in 1949, and ran daily until Hasegawa decided to retire in February 1974...
(manga artistMangakais the Japanese word for a comic artist or cartoonist. Outside of Japan, manga usually refers to a Japanese comic book and mangaka refers to the author of the manga, who is usually Japanese...
) - Kiyoshi HikawaKiyoshi Hikawais a Japanese enka singer who was born on September 6, 1977 in Minami-ku, Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. His real name is and he is known as "The Prince of Enka" due to his young age and popularity...
(enka singer) - Kōki HirotaKoki Hirotawas a Japanese diplomat, politician and the 32nd Prime Minister of Japan from March 9, 1936 to February 2, 1937.-Early life:Hirota was born in what is now part of Chūō-ku, Fukuoka city, Fukuoka Prefecture. His father was a stonemason, and he was adopted into the Hirota family. After attending...
(politician: 32nd Prime minister of JapanPrime Minister of JapanThe is the head of government of Japan. He is appointed by the Emperor of Japan after being designated by the Diet from among its members, and must enjoy the confidence of the House of Representatives to remain in office...
) - Sōgo IshiiSogo Ishii', formerly is a Japanese filmmaker known for his striking visuals and sometimes outlandish subject matter.Ishii was born in Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture, and is a graduate of Fukuoka Prefectural Fukuoka High School and Nihon University College of Art....
(film director) - Kaibara EkkenKaibara Ekkenor Ekiken, also known as Atsunobu was a Japanese Neo-Confucianist philosopher and botanist.Kaibara was born into a family of advisors to the daimyo of Fukuoka Domain in Chikuzen Province . He accompanied his father to Edo in 1648, and was sent in 1649 to Nagasaki to study Western science...
(Neo-ConfucianistNeo-ConfucianismNeo-Confucianism is an ethical and metaphysical Chinese philosophy influenced by Confucianism, that was primarily developed during the Song Dynasty and Ming Dynasty, but which can be traced back to Han Yu and Li Ao in the Tang Dynasty....
philosopher) - Ai KawashimaAi Kawashima, born February 21, 1986 in Sawara-ku, Fukuoka, is a Japanese singer-songwriter and pianist.- Profile :Kawashima dreamed of becoming a singer from a young age. Her father vanished before she was born, and she was raised by her mother. She first began learning to play the piano at the age of 3....
(singer-songwriter) - Erina IkutaErina Ikutais a ninth generation member of the Japanese pop group Morning Musume. She joined Morning Musume in 2011 along with Riho Sayashi, Kanon Suzuki and Mizuki Fukumura.- Biography :...
(J-pop singer and member of Morning MusumeMorning Musume, sometimes referred to as is a Japanese idol girl group, whose act generally revolves around singing and dancing to upbeat melodies. They are the lead group of Hello! Project, which is managed and produced by Tsunku, who composes nearly all the lyrics and melodies of their songs...
) - Yoshinori KobayashiYoshinori KobayashiYoshinori Kobayashi is a bestselling Japanese author and manga artist...
(manga artist) - Rikudō KōshiRikdo Koshi, is a Japanese manga artist, his most notable work being Excel Saga. Rikdo is a graduate of Kyushu Sangyo University and lives in Dazaifu, Fukuoka.-Works:...
(manga artist) - Masamune Kusano (singer and member of SpitzSpitz (band)is a Japanese rock band formed in 1987. They gained remarkable commercial success in the mid and late 1990s, and are known for their abstract and eccentric songs penned by primary singer-songwriter and guitarist Masamune Kusano....
) - Misia (J-pop singer)
- Kenzo NakamuraKenzo Nakamurais a retired judoka who won a gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics. He is the younger brother of 1993 World Judo Championships gold medalist Yoshio Nakamura and 1996 Olympic silver medalist Yukimasa Nakamura.-Biography:...
(judo athlete) - Ai NonakaAi Nonakais a Japanese voice actress. She currently works for Aoni Production and was formerly a member of the voice actor unit DROPS, which included fellow voice actor Akemi Kanda, Tomoko Kaneda, Mariko Kōda, and Ryōko Shiraishi...
(voice actor) - Yoshito ŌkuboYoshito Okubois a Japanese football player, he is a forward and currently plays for Vissel Kobe.- Career :On January 3, 2009, Vissel announced his transfer to VfL Wolfsburg of the 1. Bundesliga...
(footballer) - Noriko SakaiNoriko Sakaiis a Japanese pop singer and actress. She was born in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. She married in 1998, and divorced on July 31, 2010. She and Yūichi have one son, born in 1999. She is particularly popular in Hong Kong and Taiwan...
(singer and actress) - Kensuke SasakiKensuke Sasakiis a Japanese professional wrestler who currently wrestles for various promotions through his own agency, Kensuke Office. He is the first of two men ever to hold all 3 of puroresu's major heavyweight titles , the other being Yoshihiro Takayama.-Early years :Kensuke Sasaki...
(professional wrestler) - Kōji SetoKoji Setois a Japanese actor and singer. His major works include lead roles as Wataru Kurenai in Kamen Rider Kiva and Hiro in Koizora; and supporting roles as Satoru Okura in Atashinchi no Danshi, Ariake Yamato in Otomen, and Eiji Kikumaru in Tenimyu...
(actor) - Ringo Shiina (J-pop singer born in Saitama prefectureSaitama Prefectureis a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Saitama.This prefecture is part of the Greater Tokyo Area, and most of Saitama's cities can be described as suburbs of Tokyo, to which a large amount of residents commute each day.- History...
and raised in Fukuoka) - Tsuyoshi ShinjoTsuyoshi Shinjois a former Japanese professional baseball outfielder.-Career:Born in Tsushima, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan and raised in Minami-ku, Fukuoka, he played for the Hanshin Tigers in Japan from until , then for Major League Baseball's New York Mets and San Francisco Giants...
(former Major League BaseballMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player) - Keita TachibanaKeita Tachibanais a Japanese musician. He is the lead singer and main choreographer of the pop boy band w-inds.- Career :Tachibana came to national attention as the only male finalist in the 2000 Kyushu-Okinawa Starlight Audition. After that experience he joined forces with two dancers from Sapporo, Ryuichi...
(J-pop singer and member of W-inds) - TamoriTamoriis a Japanese celebrity. His real name is and the screenname Tamori is an anagram of his surname. He was born on 22 August 1945 in Fukuoka City in Fukuoka Prefecture....
(TV presenter) - Reina TanakaReina Tanakais one of the sixth generation members of the J-pop group Morning Musume. Her professional first name is spelled in hiragana to distinguish her from the Japanese actress Rena Tanaka, whose name is spelled using the same kanji , who is similarly from Fukuoka Prefecture.- Biography :Tanaka auditioned...
(J-pop singer and member of Morning MusumeMorning Musume, sometimes referred to as is a Japanese idol girl group, whose act generally revolves around singing and dancing to upbeat melodies. They are the lead group of Hello! Project, which is managed and produced by Tsunku, who composes nearly all the lyrics and melodies of their songs...
) - Ryoko TaniRyoko Taniis one of the world's most famous and successful judoka. She was born in Fukuoka, Fukuoka. She was an employee at Toyota Motor Corporation, but is now entering politics.-Career:...
(judo athlete) - YuiYui (singer), stylized as YUI, is a multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, composer, actress, and radio personality. Born and raised in Fukuoka, she played live at various locations in her home town before being noticed by Sony Music Japan when she was 17 and released her debut single months later...
(singer) - Yu~ki (bassist of Malice MizerMalice MizerMalice Mizer was a visual kei rock band from Japan. They were active from August 1992 to December 2001. Formed by Mana and Közi, the band's name stands for "malice and misery", extracted from "nothing but a being of malice and misery" — their reply to the question "what is human?"...
) - Kazuhiko YamashitaKazuhiko YamashitaKazuhiko Yamashita has been a general authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints since April 2011. He is a member of the First Quorum of the SeventyYamashita converted to the LDS Church in 1971...
(religious leader in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) - Yumeno KyūsakuYumeno Kyusakuwas the pen name of the early Shōwa period Japanese author Sugiyama Taidō. The pen name literally means "a person who always dreams." He wrote detective novels and is known for his avant-gardism and his surrealistic, wildly imaginative and fantastic, even bizarre narratives...
(novelist)