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is the capital city
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 Prefectures of Japan of Japan located on Kyushu Island. The capital is the city of Fukuoka, Fukuoka....
 and is situated on the northern shore of the island of Kyushu
Kyushu

or Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its Japanese Archipelago. Its alternate ancient names include Kyukoku , Chinzei , and Tsukushi-no-shima ....
 in Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
, across the Korea Strait
Korea Strait

The Korea Strait is a strait between South Korea and Japan, connecting the East China Sea and the Sea of Japan in the northwest Pacific Ocean. The strait is split by the Tsushima Island into the western channel and the Tsushima Strait ....
 from South Korea's
South Korea

South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea , ), often referred to as Korea and the "names of Korea#Revival of the names", is a Semi-presidential system republic in East Asia, located in the southern half of the Korean Peninsula....
 Busan
Busan

Busan Metropolitan City, also known as Pusan is the largest seaport city in South Korea. Busan has a population of 3.65 million and is South Korea's second largest metropolis, after Seoul....
.

It is the most populous city in Kyushu, followed by Kitakyushu. It is the largest city and metropolitan area west of Osaka
Osaka

is a Cities of Japan in Japan, located at the mouth of the Yodo River on Osaka Bay, in the Kansai region of the main island of Honshu.Osaka is a City designated by government ordinance under the Local Autonomy Law and the capital city of Osaka Prefecture....
. The city was designated on April 1, 1972 by government ordinance. Greater Fukuoka with 2.5 million people (2005 Census), is part of the heavily industrialized North Kyushu
Fukuoka-Kitakyushu

is one name given to the area of land that is centered on the cities of Fukuoka, Fukuoka and Kitakyushu in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. Usually these cities are referred to separately,but since they are close, their economic areas sometimes overlap....
 zone.

oka (the area of Kashii, Hakata
Hakata-ku, Fukuoka

File:Fukuoka City hakata-ward.pngFile:KurodaBushi.jpgFile:Hakata dontaku.jpgHakata-ku is one of the wards of Japan of Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan....
, Sawara
Sawara-ku, Fukuoka

Sawara-ku is one of the seven wards of Fukuoka_City , Fukuoka_Prefecture , Kyushu, Japan....
 and Imazu) is said to be the oldest city in Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
, because it is the nearest city to China
China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
 and Korea
Korea

Korea is a geographic area composed of two sovereign countries, a civilization, and a former state situated on the Korean Peninsula in East Asia....
.






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is the capital city
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 Prefectures of Japan of Japan located on Kyushu Island. The capital is the city of Fukuoka, Fukuoka....
 and is situated on the northern shore of the island of Kyushu
Kyushu

or Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its Japanese Archipelago. Its alternate ancient names include Kyukoku , Chinzei , and Tsukushi-no-shima ....
 in Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
, across the Korea Strait
Korea Strait

The Korea Strait is a strait between South Korea and Japan, connecting the East China Sea and the Sea of Japan in the northwest Pacific Ocean. The strait is split by the Tsushima Island into the western channel and the Tsushima Strait ....
 from South Korea's
South Korea

South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea , ), often referred to as Korea and the "names of Korea#Revival of the names", is a Semi-presidential system republic in East Asia, located in the southern half of the Korean Peninsula....
 Busan
Busan

Busan Metropolitan City, also known as Pusan is the largest seaport city in South Korea. Busan has a population of 3.65 million and is South Korea's second largest metropolis, after Seoul....
.

It is the most populous city in Kyushu, followed by Kitakyushu. It is the largest city and metropolitan area west of Osaka
Osaka

is a Cities of Japan in Japan, located at the mouth of the Yodo River on Osaka Bay, in the Kansai region of the main island of Honshu.Osaka is a City designated by government ordinance under the Local Autonomy Law and the capital city of Osaka Prefecture....
. The city was designated on April 1, 1972 by government ordinance. Greater Fukuoka with 2.5 million people (2005 Census), is part of the heavily industrialized North Kyushu
Fukuoka-Kitakyushu

is one name given to the area of land that is centered on the cities of Fukuoka, Fukuoka and Kitakyushu in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. Usually these cities are referred to separately,but since they are close, their economic areas sometimes overlap....
 zone.

History

Fukuoka (the area of Kashii, Hakata
Hakata-ku, Fukuoka

File:Fukuoka City hakata-ward.pngFile:KurodaBushi.jpgFile:Hakata dontaku.jpgHakata-ku is one of the wards of Japan of Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan....
, Sawara
Sawara-ku, Fukuoka

Sawara-ku is one of the seven wards of Fukuoka_City , Fukuoka_Prefecture , Kyushu, Japan....
 and Imazu) is said to be the oldest city in Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
, because it is the nearest city to China
China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
 and Korea
Korea

Korea is a geographic area composed of two sovereign countries, a civilization, and a former state situated on the Korean Peninsula in East Asia....
. The area around Fukuoka is among the oldest non-Jomon settlements in Japan. Dazaifu was an administrative capital in 663 A.D., but some say a prehistoric capital was in the area. Ancient texts such as the Kojiki
Kojiki

, is the oldest surviving book in Japan. The body of the Kojiki is written in Chinese language, but it includes numerous Japanese names and some phrases....
 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 written history of Japan begins with brief references of Twenty-Four Histories, a collection of Chinese historical texts, in the 1st century AD....
. Fukuoka is sometimes still referred to as Hakata
Hakata

Hakata may refer to:*Hakata-ku, Fukuoka, a ward in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan.**Hakata ningyo , traditional Japanese clay dolls, originally from Hakata...
, the central ward of the city.

Mongol invasions (1274–1281)


Fukuoka's Hakata Bay
Hakata Bay

Hakata Bay is a bay in the northwestern part of Fukuoka, Fukuoka city, on the Japanese island of Kyushu. It faces the Tsushima Strait, and features beaches and a port, though parts of the bay have been Land reclamation in the expansion of the city of Fukuoka....
 is Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
's gateway to Korea
Korea

Korea is a geographic area composed of two sovereign countries, a civilization, and a former state situated on the Korean Peninsula in East Asia....
 and China
China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
. Gateways, of course, attract interest; after having conquered and terrorised Asia, the great Mongol Kublai Khan
Kublai Khan

Sorry, no overview for this topic
 of the Mongol Empire
Mongol Empire

The Mongol Empire was the List of largest empires#Contiguous Empires empire and the largest bar none. It emerged from the unification of Mongols and Turkic peoples tribes in modern day Mongolia, and grew through Mongol invasions, after Genghis Khan had been proclaimed ruler of all Mongols in 1206....
 turned his attention to 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
Kamakura shogunate

The Kamakura shogunate was a feudal military dictatorship in Japan headed by the shoguns from 1185 to 1333. It was based in Kamakura, Kanagawa....
 refused. Mongolia
Mongolia

Mongolia is a landlocked country in East Asia and Central Asia. It borders Russia to the north and People's Republic of China to the south, east and west....
 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 Kyushu with a fleet of 900 ships and 33,000 troops, which included troops from Goryeo
Goryeo

The Goryeo Dynasty was a sovereign state established in 918 by Taejo of Goryeo. 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 on the east, the East China Sea to the south, and the Yellow Sea to the west, the Korea Strait connecting the first two bodies of water....
. 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 society Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character ? 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 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, Hojo Tokimune
Hojo Tokimune

Hojo Tokimune of the Hojo clan was the eighth shikken of the Kamakura shogunate , known for leading the Japanese forces against the Mongol invasions of Japan and for spreading Zen Buddhism and by extension Bushido among the warrior class....
 of the Hojo clan
Hojo clan

See the late Hojo clan for the Hojo clan of the Sengoku Period.The in the history of Japan was a family who controlled the hereditary title of shikken, officially just a regent) of the Kamakura Shogunate....
 (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 cities of Japan 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 sometimes considered a former de facto capital of Japan as the seat of the Shogunate and of the Shikken during the Kamakura Period....
. 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 cities of Japan located in Fukuoka prefecture, Japan. Nearby cities include Onojo, Fukuoka and Chikushino, Fukuoka.As of 2005, the city has an estimated population of 67,428 and a population density of 2,277.20 persons per km?....
, 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 a pair or series of typhoons that are said to have saved Japan from Mongol invasions of Japan under Kublai Khan that attacked Japan in 1274 and again in 1281....
 (Divine Wind).

Formation of the modern city (1889)

Fukuokatenjin
Fukuoka was formerly the residence of the powerful daimyo
Daimyo

The were powerful territorial lords who ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. The term derives from a shortening of the title , which literally means "great named land" and originally simply referred to the owner of a large estate....
 of Chikuzen Province
Chikuzen Province

Chikuzen was an Provinces of Japan of Japan in the area that is today part of Fukuoka Prefecture on Kyushu, but without the southern and eastern parts of Fukuoka....
, and played an important part in the medieval history of Japan. The renowned temple of Tokugawa Ieyasu
Tokugawa Ieyasu

Japanese name|Tokugawa}} 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....
 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 Emperor of Japan....
 of 1868.

The modern city was formed on April 1, 1889, with the merger of the former cities of Hakata
Hakata-ku, Fukuoka

File:Fukuoka City hakata-ward.pngFile:KurodaBushi.jpgFile:Hakata dontaku.jpgHakata-ku is one of the wards of Japan of Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan....
 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.When Nagamasa was merely a small child, his father was convicted as a spy by Oda Nobunaga, so his son Nagamasa was taken away and was nearly killed as a hostage....
, the first daimyo
Daimyo

The were powerful territorial lords who ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. The term derives from a shortening of the title , which literally means "great named land" and originally simply referred to the owner of a large estate....
 of Chikuzen Province, named it after his birthplace in Okayama Prefecture
Okayama Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan of Japan located in the Chugoku region on Honshu island. The capital is the city of Okayama....
 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 is the main railway terminal of the city of Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Japan. It is the largest and busiest station on Kyushu, and is a gateway to other cities in Kyushu for travellers from Honshu....
, and dialect
Dialect

A dialect is a variety of a language that is 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, such as social class....
, Hakata-ben.

20th century


  • 1903: Fukuoka Medical College, a campus associated with Kyoto Imperial University, is founded. In 1911, the college is renamed to Kyushu Imperial University
    Kyushu University

    Image:??????????1.jpgDespite the incorporation which has led to increased financial independence and autonomy, Kyushu University is still partly controlled by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology ....
     and established as a separate entity.
  • 1910: Fukuoka streetcar service begins. (The service ran until 1979.)
  • 1929: Flights commence along the Fukuoka-Osaka
    Osaka

    is a Cities of Japan in Japan, located at the mouth of the Yodo River on Osaka Bay, in the Kansai region of the main island of Honshu.Osaka is a City designated by government ordinance under the Local Autonomy Law and the capital city of Osaka Prefecture....
    -Tokyo
    Tokyo

    , officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan of Japan and located on the eastern side of the main island Honshu. The twenty-three special wards of Tokyo, each governed as a city, cover the area that was once the Tokyo City in the eastern part of the prefecture, and total over 8 million people....
     route.
  • 1945: Saturation bombing of Japanese cities commences on Honshu
    Honshu

    or 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....
     with Fukuoka one of the targets. Vivisection
    Vivisection

    File:Frog vivisection.jpgFile:Activist against vivisection.JPGVivisection is surgery conducted upon a living organism, typically animals with a central nervous system....
    s of American
    United States

    The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
     POWs are performed at Kyushu Imperial University Hospital.
  • 1947: First Fukuoka Marathon
    Fukuoka Marathon

    The , held in Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Japan, is a prominent international Marathon race established in 1947. It is usually held on first Sunday in December....
    .
  • 1951: Fukuoka airport opens.
  • 1953: Fukuoka Zoo
    Fukuoka Municipal Zoo and Botanical Garden

    The Fukuoka Municipal Zoo and Botanical Garden , also known as the Fukuoka City Zoological Garden, is a zoo and botanical garden located within Minami-koen park at 1-1, Minami-Koen, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Japan....
     opens.
  • 1981: Subway commences service.
  • 1988: Osaka's pro baseball team, the Nankai Hawks, are moved to Fukuoka and renamed the Fukuoka Daiei
    Daiei

    , based in Kobe, Hyogo, 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....
     Hawks. (Renamed the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
    Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks

    The are a Japanese baseball team based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture. The team was bought on January 28, 2005 by Softbank Corp.It was formerly known as Fukuoka Daiei Hawks....
     in 2004).
  • 1995: ACROS (Asian CrossRoads Over the Sea), a multipurpose convention and cultural center, is founded to encourage increased relations with other Asian countries. It is located downtown in Tenjin, and features a large park, terraced gardens, a library and other facilities for encouraging peaceful relations with other Asian cultures.


21st century

  • 2005: Fukuoka city subway Nanakuma Line started operation.


Geography

Fukuoka Nasa Sts059 97 63aj
Fukuoka Bike
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
Tokyo

, officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan of Japan and located on the eastern side of the main island Honshu. The twenty-three special wards of Tokyo, each governed as a city, cover the area that was once the Tokyo City in the eastern part of the prefecture, and total over 8 million people....
.

Climate

Along with much of the prefecture, Fukuoka City has a moderate climate with an annual average temperature of 16.3 °C, average humidity of 70%, 1,811 annual daylight hours and 205 cm of precipitation. Roughly 40% of the year is cloudy.

Winter temperatures rarely drop below 0 °C and it rarely snows. Spring is warm and more sunny, 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 and 30 °C. Summers are humid and hot, with temperatures peaking around 37 °C. Fall
Autumn

Autumn is one of the four temperate seasons. Autumn marks the transition from summer into winter, usually in late September or late March when the arrival of night becomes noticeably earlier....
, 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 earthquake
Earthquake

An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes are recorded with a seismometer, also known as a seismograph....
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 measure used in Japan and Taiwan to indicate the strength of earthquakes. It is measured in units of ....
 and hit at 10:53 am local time on March 20, Easter Sunday 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

Nishi-ku is one of the seven Wards of Japan of Fukuoka City, Japan. Meaning literally "west ward," it is bordered to the east by Sawara-ku, Fukuoka, and to the west by Maebaru, Fukuoka and Shima, Fukuoka....
, was the most severely damaged by the earthquake and almost all island residents were forced to evacuate. Aftershock
Aftershock

An aftershock is an earthquake that occurs after a previous earthquake . An aftershock is in the same region of the main shock but is always of smaller magnitude strength....
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.

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, Fukuoka, it operates local and highway buses, supermarkets, real-estate and travel agencies, as well as railways in Fukuoka Prefecture....
 Omuta 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 Richter magnitude scale, or more correctly local magnitude ML scale, assigns a single number to quantify the amount of moment magnitude scale#Radiated seismic energy released by 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, or wikt:chance, is a way of expressing knowledge or belief that an Event will occur or has occurred. In mathematics the concept has been given an exact meaning in probability theory, that is used extensively in such areas of study as mathematics, statistics, finance, gambling, science, and philosophy to draw conclusions about t...
 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 faultline 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 ku , conventionally translated as ward is a district in a large Japanese city. Wards are used to subdivide each City designated by government ordinance , as well as Tokyo ....
 (ku):		 WardPopulationLand areaPop. density
  as of 2004 km² per km²
Japan Wardcolour 100x0x0
Higashi-ku
Higashi-ku, Fukuoka

Higashi-ku is one of the seven Wards of Japan of Fukuoka City, Japan. As of 2004, it had a population of 275,652 people and an area of 66.68 sq....
275 65266.684 134
Japan Wardcolour 60x80x0
Hakata-ku
Hakata-ku, Fukuoka

File:Fukuoka City hakata-ward.pngFile:KurodaBushi.jpgFile:Hakata dontaku.jpgHakata-ku is one of the wards of Japan of Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan....
190 17831.476 043
Japan Wardcolour 0x40x100
Chuo-ku
Chuo-ku, Fukuoka

Chuo is a Wards of Japan located in the center of Fukuoka, Fukuoka city in Japan.It includes Tenjin, Fukuoka and Daimyo which are among the largest downtown areas in Kyushu, Nagahama, which is known for its fish market, and Ohori park....
163 97515.1610 816
Japan Wardcolour 100x80x0
Minami-ku
Minami-ku, Fukuoka

Minami-ku is one of the seven Wards of Japan of Fukuoka City, Japan. As of 2004, it had a population of 247,913 people and an area of 30.98 sq. km. Its name literally means "south ward." It is bordered by the Chuo-ku, Fukuoka, Hakata, Jonan, and Sawara-ku, Fukuokas of Fukuoka city, and also by the cities of Nakagawa, Fukuoka and Kasuga, Fukuoka....
247 91330.988 002
Japan Wardcolour 100x40x0
Jonan-ku
Jonan-ku, Fukuoka

Jonan-ku is one of the seven wards of Fukuoka, Fukuoka. 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 sq....
127 95216.027 987
Japan Wardcolour 20x80x40
Sawara-ku
Sawara-ku, Fukuoka

Sawara-ku is one of the seven wards of Fukuoka_City , Fukuoka_Prefecture , Kyushu, Japan....
207 85195.882 168
Japan Wardcolour 100x40x100
Nishi-ku
Nishi-ku, Fukuoka

Nishi-ku is one of the seven Wards of Japan of Fukuoka City, Japan. Meaning literally "west ward," it is bordered to the east by Sawara-ku, Fukuoka, and to the west by Maebaru, Fukuoka and Shima, Fukuoka....
177 62583.812 119


Demographics

, the city had an estimated population of 1,422,836 and a density
Population 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 .

Culture

Fukuoka was selected as one of Newsweek
Newsweek

Newsweek is an United States weekly newsmagazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally....
'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 or leisure purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel to and stay in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes not related to the exercise of an activity remunerated from...
 and trade
Trade

Tradeis the willing exchange of goods, Service , or both. Trade is also called commerce. A mechanism that allows trade is called a market. The original form of trade was barter , the direct exchange of goods and services....
, 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 magazine and Web site founded by Tyler Br?l?, a Canada journalist and entrepreneur. Described by CBC News reporter Harry Forestell as a "meeting between Foreign Policy and Vanity Fair ", the magazine purports to provide a globalist perspective on international affairs, culture and design to wealthy, cosmopolitan reade...
 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 East Asia.

Tourism

Sky Dream Fukuoka
Sky Dream Fukuoka

The is a Ferris wheel at Evergreen Marinoa in the city of Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Japan. It has a diameter of 112 meters, and stands 120 meters high. One revolution takes approximately 20 minutes, and it is possible for couples to reserve a gondola for two entire revolutions....
, 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 an upright wheel with passenger gondolas attached to the rim.The original Ferris wheel was designed by George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr., as a landmark for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago....
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, or Renewal, was a chain of events that led to enormous changes in Japan's political and social structure....
. 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
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
 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
Kyushu National Museum

The opened on October 16, 2005 in Dazaifu, Fukuoka near Fukuoka, Fukuoka -- the first new national museum in Japan in over 100 years, and the first to elevate the focus on history over art....
 in nearby Dazaifu
Dazaifu, Fukuoka

is a cities of Japan located in Fukuoka prefecture, Japan. Nearby cities include Onojo, Fukuoka and Chikushino, Fukuoka.As of 2005, the city has an estimated population of 67,428 and a population density of 2,277.20 persons per km?....
.
Hakatara Men
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
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 World War II....
, Hakata ramen
Ramen

is a Japanese cuisine noodle dish that originated in China. It tends to be served in a meat-based broth, and uses toppings such as , , kamaboko, green onions, and even 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....
 are associated with Fukuoka. Yatai
Yatai

A is a small, mobile food stall in Japan typically selling ramen or other hot food.The stall is set-up in the early evening on pedestrian walkways and removed late at night or in the early morning hours before commuters begin to fill the streets....
 (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, 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.

Museums

  • - In Ohori Park; contains a wide selection of contemporary and other art from around the world, including works by Mark Rothko
    Mark Rothko

    Mark Rothko, born Marcus Rothkowitz , was a Latvian-born United States painter and printmaker. He is classified as an abstract expressionism, although he himself rejected this label, and even resisted the classification as an "abstract painter"....
    , Roy Lichtenstein
    Roy Lichtenstein

    Roy Fox Lichtenstein was a prominent United States pop artist, his work heavily influenced by both popular advertising and the comic book style....
    , and Salvador Dali
    Salvador Dalí

    Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dal? i Dom?nech, 1st Marquis of P?bol was a Spain Catalonia surrealist painter born in Figueres.Dal? was a skilled Technical drawing, best known for the striking and bizarre images in his surrealism work....
  • - contains art from various countries of Asia.
  • - displays a broad range of items from the region's history, including a spectacular gold seal.
  • (Museum of the Mongol Invasion) - In ; displays Japanese and Mongolian arms and armor from the 13th century as well as paintings on historical subjects.
  • - 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 Fukuoka Asian Culture Prizes were established by Fukuoka, Fukuoka and Yokatopia Foundation to honor the outstanding work of individuals or organizations in preserving or creating culture of Asia....
 was established to honor the outstanding work of individuals or organizations in Asia.

Festivals

Fukuoka is home to many festival
Festival

A festival is an event, usually and ordinarily staged by a local community, which centers on some unique aspect of that community.Among many religions, a feast or festival is a set of celebrations in honour of God or Polytheism....
s that are held throughout the year. Of these, the most famous are Hakata Dontaku and Hakata Gion Yamakasa.

Yamakasa, held for two weeks each July, is Fukuoka's oldest festival with a history of over 700 years. Teams of men (no women, except small girls, are allowed), representing different districts in the city, race 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 underwear 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; however it went out of use quickly after the war with the advent of new underwear, such as briefs and boxer briefs, on the Japanese market....
 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 . Originally, these represented the crest of a family, as happi were worn by house servants....
 coats bearing the distinctive mark of their team affiliation and traditional geta
Geta (footwear)

Geta are a form of traditional Japanese footwear that resembles both clogs and flip-flops. They are a kind of sandal with an elevated wooden base held onto the foot with a fabric thong sandal to keep the foot well above the ground....
 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 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
Golden Week (Japan)

, also known as or, is a Japan term applied to the period containing the following public holidays:* April 29**, until 1988**, from 1989 until 2006...
 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-pop
J-pop

J-pop is an abbreviation of Japanese pop, but is also a loosely defined musical genre that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in 1990s....
 include Ayumi Hamasaki
Ayumi Hamasaki

is a Japanese singer-songwriter and former actress. Also called Ayu by her fans, Hamasaki has been dubbed the "Empress of Pop" due to her popularity and widespread influence in Japan....
 (allegedly Japan's richest woman), hugely popular singer/songwriter duo Chage & Aska
Chage and Aska

or Chage and Asuka, are a Japanese people popular music duo composed of two singer-songwriters from Fukuoka Prefecture, Chage and . To date they have sold over 31 million albums and singles in Japan....
, singer-songwriter Nobuchika Eri, Misia and Yui. 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 people artists who gained national popularity during the late 1970's. Continuing through the early 80's, the collective had little in common other than their origin - the Hakata-ku, Fukuoka wards of Japan of Fukuoka City....
.

Transport

Fukuoka is served by Fukuoka Airport
Fukuoka Airport

, formerly known as Itazuke Air Base, is an international and domestic airport in Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Japan. It is officially designated a First class airport#Second class airports....
, the Sanyo Shinkansen
Sanyo Shinkansen

The is a line of the Japan Shinkansen high-speed rail network, connecting Shin-Osaka Station in Osaka with Hakata Station in Fukuoka, Fukuoka, the two largest cities in western Japan....
 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, Fukuoka and Busan, South Korea....
 trains at Hakata Station
Hakata Station

Hakata Station is the main railway terminal of the city of Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Japan. It is the largest and busiest station on Kyushu, and is a gateway to other cities in Kyushu for travellers from Honshu....
 and by ferry
Ferry

A ferry is a form of transport, usually a boat or ship, used to carry passengers and their vehicles across a body of water. Ferries are also used to transport freight and even railroad cars....
. JR Kyushu and a Korean company operate hydrofoil
Hydrofoil

A hydrofoil is a boat with wing-like airfoils mounted on struts below the hull . As the craft increases its speed the hydrofoils develop enough lift for the boat to become foilborne - i.e....
 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, Fukuoka, Japan and Busan, South Korea....
 and Kobee
Kobee

Kobee is a South Korean jet hydrofoil ferry line that operates services between Busan, South Korea and Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Japan. Miraejet operates the ferry line....
) between Hakata and Busan
Busan

Busan Metropolitan City, also known as Pusan is the largest seaport city in South Korea. Busan has a population of 3.65 million and is South Korea's second largest metropolis, after Seoul....
, South Korea
South Korea

South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea , ), often referred to as Korea and the "names of Korea#Revival of the names", is a Semi-presidential system republic in East Asia, located in the southern half of the Korean Peninsula....
. The subway
Fukuoka City Subway

The serves Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Japan. It consists of three rapid transit lines, the Kuko Line , or Airport Line, the Hakozaki Line and the Nanakuma Line)....
 opened a new line, the Nanakuma line, on February 2, 2005.

Sports

Fukuoka is the home of the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks

The are a Japanese baseball team based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture. The team was bought on January 28, 2005 by Softbank Corp.It was formerly known as Fukuoka Daiei Hawks....
, one of Japan's top professional baseball
Baseball

Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport of nine players each. The goal of baseball is to score run by hitting a thrown Baseball with a baseball bat and touching a series of four markers called base arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot square, or diamond. Players on one team take turns hitting against...
 teams. Threatened with bankruptcy and forced by its creditors to restructure, in 2004 former owner Daiei sold the Hawks to Masayoshi Son
Masayoshi Son

Masayoshi Son is a Korean-Japanese businessman - whose grandfather came from Korea to Japan - and the founder and current chief executive officer of Softbank Capital, and the chief executive officer of SoftBank Mobile ....
 of 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....
.

Fukuoka is home to a professional soccer team, Avispa Fukuoka
Avispa Fukuoka

For the record label, see Avispa. is a Japanese professional Association football club, currently playing in the J. League Division 2. The team is located in Hakata-ku, Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Fukuoka....
.

Annual sporting events include:
  • Fukuoka International Open Marathon
    Marathon

    The marathon is a long-distance running with an official distance of 42.195 kilometers that is usually run as a road race. The event is named after the fabled run of the Greek soldier Pheidippides, a messenger from the Battle of Marathon to Athens....
     Championships
  • The Kyushu Ekiden, beginning in Nagasaki and ending in Fukuoka, the world's longest relay race
    Relay race

    During a relay race, members of a team take turns running, orienteering, swimming, cross-country skiing, biathlon, or skating parts of a circuit or performing a certain action....
    .


Fukuoka had hosted
  • 1995 Summer Universiade
    1995 Summer Universiade

    The 1995 Summer Universiade, also known as the XVIII Summer Universiade, took place in Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Japan....
  • 2001 World Aquatics Championships
    2001 World Aquatics Championships

    The 2001 World Aquatics Championships or the 9th FINA World Swimming Championships were held in Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Japan between 16 July and 29 July, 2001....
    .
  • 2006 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
    2006 IAAF World Cross Country Championships

    The 34th IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held 1-2 April 2006 in Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Japan.The event was once again dominated by Ethiopian and Kenyan runners and also Eritrean runners....
    .
  • Fukuoka International Women’s Judo
    Judo

    , meaning "gentle way", is a modern Japanese martial art and combat sport, that originated in Japan in the late nineteenth century. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either Throw one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling manoeuvre, or force an opponent...
     Championships from 1983 to 2006.


Sports teams and facilities

Club Sports League Venue Established
Fukuoka Softbank Hawks
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks

The are a Japanese baseball team based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture. The team was bought on January 28, 2005 by Softbank Corp.It was formerly known as Fukuoka Daiei Hawks....
 Baseball
Baseball

Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport of nine players each. The goal of baseball is to score run by hitting a thrown Baseball with a baseball bat and touching a series of four markers called base arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot square, or diamond. Players on one team take turns hitting against...
 Pacific League
Pacific League

The or is one of Japan's two major professional baseball leagues, the other being the Central League. It was founded as the Taiheiyo Baseball Union in 1949 with seven teams, the name changing to its current form in 1980....
 Fukuoka Yahoo! Japan Dome 1989(year of relocation from Osaka
Osaka

is a Cities of Japan in Japan, located at the mouth of the Yodo River on Osaka Bay, in the Kansai region of the main island of Honshu.Osaka is a City designated by government ordinance under the Local Autonomy Law and the capital city of Osaka Prefecture....
 as Daiei Hawks, changed to current name from 2005)
Avispa Fukuoka
Avispa Fukuoka

For the record label, see Avispa. is a Japanese professional Association football club, currently playing in the J. League Division 2. The team is located in Hakata-ku, Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Fukuoka....
 Football
Football (soccer)

Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players, and is widely considered to be the most popular sport in the world....
 J. League
J. League

The , or , is the top professional football league in Japan and one of the most successful leagues in Asian club football. Currently, J. League Division 1 and 2 are the first and second levels of the Japanese football league system....
 Division 2		 Level-5 Stadium
Hakata no mori stadium

Level-5 stadium , located in the Hakata-ku, Fukuoka wards of Japan of Fukuoka city is the home ground of Avispa Fukuoka football club.The stadium also hosts rugby union matches, including a few international matches, Top League games, Top League#Top League Challenge series and Top Kyushu league games....
 1995(year of relocation from Fujieda, Shizuoka
Fujieda, Shizuoka

is a cities of Japan located in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city was founded on March 31, 1954.On January 1, 2009, Okabe, Shizuoka, Shida District, Shizuoka Merger and dissolution of municipalities of Japan into Fujieda....
 as Fukuoka Blux, changed to current name from 1996)
Rizing Fukuoka Basketball
Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five active players each try to score points against one another by propelling a basketball through a 10 feet  high hoop under organized rules....
 bj league
Bj league

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....
 Accion Fukuoka 2007
Fukuoka Red Warblers
Fukuoka Red Warblers

The are a semi-professional baseball team in the Shikoku-Kyushu Island League of Japan. The team was established as part of the expansion of the league....
 Baseball
Baseball

Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport of nine players each. The goal of baseball is to score run by hitting a thrown Baseball with a baseball bat and touching a series of four markers called base arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot square, or diamond. Players on one team take turns hitting against...
 Shikoku-Kyushu Island League
Shikoku-Kyushu Island League

The is a baseball league on the islands of Shikoku and Kyushu in Japan. Neither the Central League nor the Pacific League has a team based in Shikoku....
 To be announced 2008


Top League
Top League

In an effort to drive up the overall standard and popularity within Japan of Japanese rugby and improve the results of the Japan national rugby union team, the Japan Rugby Football Union created a new semi-professional 12-team league, called the Top League....
 Rugby teams: Coca Cola 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, Fukuoka city, Kyushu. The coach is currently , the former Japan national rugby union team coach during the 2003 Rugby Union World Cup....
, 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....


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****

Sister cities

Fukuoka has several sister cities:
  • Oakland, California
    Oakland, California

    Oakland , founded in 1852, is the eighth-largest city in the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Alameda County, California. Oakland is approximately 8 miles east of San Francisco and the cities are separated by San Francisco Bay....
    , United States
    United States

    The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
  • Guangzhou
    Guangzhou

    'Guangzhou' is the Capital and a sub-provincial city of Guangdong Province of China in the northern and southern China part of the People's Republic of China....
    , China
    China

    China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
     (1979)
  • Bordeaux
    Bordeaux

    is a Port city on the Garonne in southwest France, with one million inhabitants in its aire urbaine at a 2008 estimate. It is the Capital of the Aquitaine regions of France, as well as the Prefectures in France of the Gironde Departments of France....
    , France
    France

    France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
     (1982)
  • Auckland
    Auckland

    The Auckland metropolitan area or Greater Auckland, in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban areas of New Zealand with over 1.3 million residents, percent of the country's population....
    , New Zealand
    New Zealand

    New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous Islands of New Zealand, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands....
  • Ipoh
    Ipoh

    Ipoh is a city in Malaysia and is the capital of the state of Perak. It is approximately 200 km north of Kuala Lumpur via the North-South Expressway, Malaysia....
    , Malaysia
    Malaysia

    Malaysia is a federation that consists of States of Malaysia in Southeast Asia with a total landmass of . The capital city is Kuala Lumpur, while Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government....
  • Busan
    Busan

    Busan Metropolitan City, also known as Pusan is the largest seaport city in South Korea. Busan has a population of 3.65 million and is South Korea's second largest metropolis, after Seoul....
    , South Korea
    South Korea

    South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea , ), often referred to as Korea and the "names of Korea#Revival of the names", is a Semi-presidential system republic in East Asia, located in the southern half of the Korean Peninsula....
  • Atlanta, Georgia
    Atlanta, Georgia

    Atlanta is the Capital and most populous city in Georgia , as well as the 33rd largest city in the United States of America with a population of 519,145....
    , United States
    United States

    The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...


Fukuoka City established the Asian Pacific City Summit in 1994. It consists of 26 Asian-Pacific Cities.

Notable people from Fukuoka

  • Jiro Akagawa
    Jiro Akagawa

    is a novelist born on February 29, 1948 in Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. He is known best for his humorous mysteries. His first novel, Ghost Train, was published in 1976 and went on to win the annually granted All Yomimono New Mystery Writers' Prize by Bungeishunju, a Japanese literary publishing company....
     (Novelist)
  • Yu Aoi
    Yû Aoi

    is a Japanese actress, who was born on August 17, 1985 in Kasuga, Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. She made her debut in Shunji Iwai's 2001 in film Cinema of Japan All About Lily Chou-Chou and subsequently had co-starring roles in Iwai's 2004 film Hana and Alice, the movie adaptations of Honey and Clover and Mushishi, and Sang-i...
     (Actress)
  • Aska (singer-songwriter)
    Aska (singer-songwriter)

    Aska, past stage name; is a Japanese people singer-songwriter.Aska is best known for work as part of the music duo Chage and Aska. As a composer, he wrote most of the principal hit songs for the duo, such as "Morning Moon", "Love Song", "Say Yes ", and "Meguriai"....
     (Chage & Aska)
  • Sonny Chiba
    Sonny Chiba

    , also known as Sonny Chiba, is a Japanese people actor. 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....
     (Actor
    Actor

    An actor or actress is a person who acting in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio programming in that capacity....
    )
  • Dan Takuma
    Dan Takuma

    was 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 Kentaro....
     (Businessman)
  • Ayumi Hamasaki
    Ayumi Hamasaki

    is a Japanese singer-songwriter and former actress. Also called Ayu by her fans, Hamasaki has been dubbed the "Empress of Pop" due to her popularity and widespread influence in Japan....
     (Singer: J-pop
    J-pop

    J-pop is an abbreviation of Japanese pop, but is also a loosely defined musical genre that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in 1990s....
    )
  • Machiko Hasegawa
    Machiko Hasegawa

    Machiko Hasegawa was one of the first female mangaka.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....
     (Mangaka
    Mangaka

    is the Japanese language word for a comic book creator 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 person....
    )
  • Kiyoshi Hikawa
    Kiyoshi Hikawa

    is a Japanese enka singer who was born on September 6, 1977 in Minami-ku, Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. His real name and he is known as "The Prince of Enka" due to his young age and popularity....
     (Singer: Enka
    Enka

    refers to two styles of Japanese music. The first is speeches set to music which were sung and spread by political activists during the Meiji period and the Taisho period as a means to avoid crackdowns by the government on speeches of political dissent....
    )
  • Koki Hirota
    Koki Hirota

    was a Japanese diplomat, politician and the 32nd Prime Minister of Japan from March 9, 1936 to February 2, 1937....
     (politician
    Politician

    A politician is an individual who is involved in influencing public decision making through the influence of politics or a person who influences the way a society is governed....
    : 32nd Prime minister of Japan
    Prime Minister of Japan

    The is the usual English-language term used for the head of government of Japan, although the literal translation of the Japanese name for the office is Prime Minister of the Cabinet....
    )
  • Sogo Ishii
    Sogo Ishii

    is a film film director from Japan known for his striking visuals and sometimes outlandish subject matter....
     (Film director
    Film director

    A film director, or filmmaker, is a person who directs the making of a film. A film director visualizes the Screenplay, controlling a film's artistic and dramatic aspects, while guiding the technical crew and actors in the fulfillment of his or her vision....
    )
  • Kaibara Ekken
    Kaibara Ekken

    Kaibara Ekken or Ekiken was a Japanese Neo-Confucianism philosopher and botanist.Ekken was born into a family of advisors to the daimyo of Fukuoka Domain in Chikuzen Province ....
     (Neo-Confucianist
    Neo-Confucianism

    Neo-Confucianism / is a form of Confucianism that was primarily developed during the Song Dynasty, but which can be traced back to Han Yu and Li Ao in the Tang Dynasty....
     philosopher)
  • Ai Kawashima
    Ai Kawashima

    , born February 21, 1986 in Sawara-ku, Fukuoka, is a Japanese people singer-songwriter....
     (Singer-songwriter
    Singer-songwriter

    File:Joan Baez Bob Dylan crop.jpgSinger-songwriter is a term that refers to performers who Lyricist, composer and singing their own Musical piece including lyrics and melody....
    )
  • Yoshinori Kobayashi
    Yoshinori Kobayashi

    Yoshinori Kobayashi is a bestselling Japanese Neoconservatism in Japan author and mangaka.Kobayashi's publications include more than two hundred books/Manga, but he is most famous for his controversial political commentary comics Gomanism Sengen ....
     (Mangaka)
  • Rikudo Koshi (Mangaka)
  • Masamune Kusano (Singer: Member of Spitz
    Spitz (band)

    is a Japanese people rock music Musical ensemble 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
    MISIA (Japanese singer)

    , born on July 7, 1978, in Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Japan, is a female Japanese person Rhythm and blues singer. Her real name is , not to be mistaken with the actress Misaki Ito ....
     (Singer: J-pop)
  • Kenzo Nakamura
    Kenzo Nakamura

    is 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....
     (Athlete: Judo
    Judo

    , meaning "gentle way", is a modern Japanese martial art and combat sport, that originated in Japan in the late nineteenth century. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either Throw one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling manoeuvre, or force an opponent...
    )
  • Noriko Sakai
    Noriko Sakai

    Noriko Sakai is a J-pop singer and actress. She was born in Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. She is married , and has one son . She is particularly popular in Hong Kong and Taiwan....
     (Singer and actress)
  • Kensuke Sasaki
    Kensuke Sasaki

    is a Japanese people professional wrestler who currently wrestles for various promotions through his own agency, Kensuke Office. He works primarily for Pro Wrestling Noah and All Japan Pro Wrestling....
     (Professional wrestler)
  • Koji Seto
    Koji Seto

    is a Japanese actor, entertainer and singer. He previously starred as the shy young hero Kamen Rider Kiva in Kamen Rider Kiva. Koji is also the vocalist of the J-Rock Band Tetra-Fang....
     (Actor)
  • Ringo Shiina (Singer: J-pop) born in Saitama prefecture
    Saitama Prefecture

    is a Prefectures of Japan of Japan located on the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Saitama, 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 floods of residents commute each day....
    , then raised in Fukuoka
  • Tsuyoshi Shinjo
    Tsuyoshi Shinjo

    , born January 28, 1972 in Tsushima, Nagasaki, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan and raised in Minami-ku, Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Fukuoka, is a former Japanese people professional baseball outfielder....
     (former Major League Baseball
    Major League Baseball

    Major League Baseball is the highest level of play in American professional baseball. Specifically, Major League Baseball refers to the organization that operates the National League and the American League, by means of a joint organizational structure that has developed gradually between them since 1903 ....
     player)
  • Keita Tachibana
    Keita Tachibana

    is a Japanese musician. He is the lead singer of the J-Pop boy band w-inds. and is also very involved with their dance sequences. Tachibana got his big break when he was the only male finalist in the 2000 Kyushu-Okinawa Starlight Audition, beating thousands of contestants, but did not win....
     (Singer: J-pop. Member of W-inds)
  • Tamori
    Tamori

    is a List of Japanese celebrities. His real name is and the screenname Tamori is an anagram of his surname. He was born on 22 August 1945 in Fukuoka, Fukuoka in Fukuoka Prefecture....
     (TV presenter
    Presenter

    A presenter, or host , is a person or organization responsible for running an event. A museum or university, for example, may be the presenter or host of an Collection ....
    )
  • 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 differ her from the Japanese actress Rena Tanaka whose name is the same in kanji because their first names can be pronounced both as "Reina" and "Rena" and who is similarly from Fukuoka Prefecture....
     (Singer: J-pop. Member of Morning Musume.)
  • Ryoko Tani
    Ryoko Tani

    is one of the world's most famous and successful judoka. She was born in Fukuoka, Fukuoka. Also, she is now an employee at Toyota....
     (Athlete: Judo)
  • Yui (Singer)
  • Yu~ki
    Yu~ki

    Yu~ki is the former bassist of the Visual kei band Malice Mizer. He had been with the band from its beginning until they announced they'd be going on an indefinite hiatus in December, 2001....
     (Bassist of Malice Mizer
    Malice Mizer

    Malice Mizer is a visual kei rock band from Japan. They were active from January 1992 to December 2001. Formed by Mana and K?zi, 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?"....
    )
  • Yumeno Kyusaku
    Yumeno Kyusaku

    ; was the pen name of an author in Showa period Japan. The pen name literally means "a person who always dreams." His real name was Sugiyama Taido....
     (Novelist)
Italic indicates deceased.

Fukuoka in fiction

  • The city of Fukuoka features in two Godzilla films, the 1991 film Godzilla vs King Ghidorah and the 1994 film Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla
    Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla

    is a 1994 kaiju film directed by Kensho Yamashita and written by Hiroshi Kashiwabara. It was the twenty-first film released in the Godzilla series as the film....
    .


  • In the 1995 film, Gamera: Guardian Of The Universe, Gamera's first appearance and encounter with the Gyaos after nearly 30 years takes place in Fukuoka with Gamera making landfall in Hakata Bay.


  • Fukuoka is the capital of Japan in the anime Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
    Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex

    is a Japanese anime television series based on Masamune Shirow's manga Ghost in the Shell . It was written and directed by Kenji Kamiyama and produced by Production I.G, airing on Animax from 1 October 2002 to 25 March 2003 with a total of 26 episodes....
     after Tokyo is destroyed in a nuclear attack.


  • Excel Saga
    Excel Saga

    is an absurdist comedy manga series written and illustrated by Rikdo Koshi. It has been serialized in Young King OURs since the April 1996 issue, with individual chapters collected and published in tankobon volumes by Shonen Gahosha....
    , the manga and anime, is set in a slightly fictionalized version of Fukuoka (home of the author, Rikudo Koshi) called "F City in F Prefecture" and it contains many Fukuoka in-jokes. For example, the main antagonist, Dr. Kabapu, is named for (and physically resembles) the mascot of the 1989 Asia-Pacific Expo, held in Fukuoka to commemorate the centennial of its city administration.


External links

  • - Fukuoka-Pusan ferry service owned by JR Kyushu