Fukuoka

The name Fukuoka (福岡) combines the characters fuku (福), meaning “good fortune” or “blessing,” and oka (岡), meaning “hill.” The designation was introduced in 1600 by daimyō Kuroda Nagamasa, who named his new castle town after the Fukuoka district of Bizen Province, the ancestral home of the Kuroda clan.

Exchanges from the continent and the Northern Kyushu area date as far back as Old Stone Age. It has been thought that waves of immigrants arrived in Northern Kyushu from mainland Asia. Among Jomon period sites, early Jomon pit dwellings have been found in the eastern Itoshima Peninsula, while early to late Jomon pottery and stone-collecting hearths have been found at Kashiwara Site (South Ward). Among middle Jomon period sites, clusters of pits for storing yew and other acorns have been found at Nodame Newatari Site (South Ward) and Arita Site (Sawara Ward). Archeological research revealed that the Fukuoka Plain was underwater during the Jomon period, and like the Paleolithic period, only the aforementioned sites at the edge of Hizen Island remain. …

Fukuoka is bordered on three sides by mountains, surrounds Hakata Bay and opens on the north to the Genkai Sea. It is located 1,100 km (684 mi) from Tokyo. The nearest overseas region is Busan Metropolitan City in Gyeongsang-do, South Korea, and the distance from Busan is about 180 km (112 miles). Fukuoka and Busan are sister cities. Fukuoka has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cfa), hot and humid summers, and relatively mild winters. The city also sees on average about 1,600 mm (63 in) 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 sunshine hours. Roughly 40% of the year is cloudy. …

Fukuoka was selected as one of Newsweek'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 is friendly, safe, clean and close to the rest of East Asia. The same survey in 2018 ranked Fukuoka at number 22. ACROS (Asian Cross Road Over the Sea) is a cultural center located at the Tenjin Central Park. Part of it is the Fukuoka Symphony Hall and it hosts several other cultural events in a green building. …

Fukuoka is the economic center of the Kyushu region, with an economy largely focused on the service sector. It is also the largest startup city in Japan, and is the only economic zone for startups. They have various services for startups like startup visas, tax reductions, and free business consultations. Fukuoka has the highest business-opening rate in Japan. Large companies headquartered in the city include Iwataya and Kyushu Electric Power. Fukuoka is also the home of many small firms playing a supportive role in the logistics, IT, and high-tech manufacturing sectors. Most of the region's heavy manufacturing takes place in the nearby city of Kitakyushu. The GDP in Greater Fukuoka, Fukuoka Metropolitan Employment Area, was US$101.6 billion in 2010. Fukuoka is the primary economic center of the Fukuoka-Kitakyushu metropolitan area, which is the 4th largest economy in Japan. …

Fukuoka is served by Fukuoka Airport, the San'yō Shinkansen and the Kyushu 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: the Airport Line, the Hakozaki Line, and the newest one, Subway Nanakuma Line, opened on February 2, 2005. A private railway line, run by Nishitetsu is also heavily used and connects the downtown area of Tenjin to the city of Ōmuta.