In the old days it was divided into two sections by the Nakagawa River: the east area called "Hakata" was a town inhabited by Hakata merchants while the west, "Fukuoka," served as a castle town for the feudal Kuroda family. In 1889, the areas were merged and Fukuoka City was born. The name Hakata still remains however, as the name of Fukuoka's main train station. The city fans out from Hakata station in a westward direction and Nakasu, between the Nakagawa and Hakatagawa Rivers, becomes a neon illuminated entertainment district at night. The business district on the opposite side of the Nakagawa River, the area also called Fukuoka, is lined with office buildings and restaurants and slightly further west lie the ruins of Fukuoka Castle. The moat of the castle has long since been redeveloped into a park named Ohori Park. In the past, the port city of Hakata served as one of the nation's few gateways for foreign culture because of its proximity to China and the Korean Peninsula. Further into the past, Yayoi period inhabitants flourished in and around the area - a fact evidenced by numerous historical remains and cultural relics being discovered. Today though Fukuoka is the home of skyscrapers, a "Seaside Area" facing Hakata Bay represents the city's most modern of districts with its artificial beach stretching along the coastline as contemporary office complexes that have appeared along the Hakatagawa River will transform the city's landscape in their own right for at least the next decade. |
- Arita-machi, Nishi Matsuura-gun, Saga Prefecture - April 29th (Thur & holiday)-May 5th (Wed & holiday), 2010 Nearly one million people visit the Arita Ceramic Bazaar during the week it is held here. The 5km long main street, with its 650 or so shops, is routinely filled with crowds of shoppers and sightseers who are out for a bargain, as expensive ceramics normally beyond the reach of the average shopper are reduced to bargain prices. Unique ceramics produced by some younger artists are also shown, and for fans the ceramics of Saga provide a fun-filled day..  http://www.arita-toukiichi.or.jp/ (Japanese version only) |
- On the riverbed of Tsuetate Onsen, Oguni-machi, Aso-gun, Kumamoto Prefecture - April 1st (Thur)-May 6th (Thur), 2010 Many Japanese-style hotels at Tsuetate Onsen line the Tsuetate river valley, and the area is well-known for being the site at which 3,500 carp streamers ‘fly’ above the river. The streamers are illuminated in the evening. Many of the hotels and restaurants also serve various carp dishes, and there are countless side events for all to enjoy during this festival.. http://tsuetate-onsen.com/english.html |
- Yanagawa Shopping District and other places in Yanagawa City, Fukuoka Prefecture - February 11th (Thur & holiday)-April 3rd (Sat), 2010 The Girls' Festival in the castle town of Yanagawa is famous for its hand-made "sagemon" decoration. You can see the beautiful Girls' Day displays along with the sagemon in many places around the city during the festival.On March 14th children wearing costumes to make them look like hina dolls parade on the river in the "Ohinasama Suijo Parade," riding on donko-bune boats. "Ohinasama Sato-oya-sagashi" -- an event in which old dolls are purified and taken in by new families -- takes place on March 28th. Also, the "Nagashibina" event is held on April 3rd; children write their dreams and hopes on strips of paper, and release them from boats on the river. http://www.yanagawa-net.com/eng/ |
City Information
General Information & What's New
To page top
