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We’re a little behind the times on this one, but Fukuoka was recently selected by Newsweek International Edition as one of the world’s top “boom towns”, which sounds exciting regardless of what it means! We’re in a top-ten list that also includes such backwaters as “London, England”, and “Las Vegas, United States”!
A couple of quick money quotes from the article:
“[M]any big brands from Toyota to Sony, Toshiba and Canon continue to pour money into manufacturing in and around Fukuoka”
“Fukuoka has become [a] key node in the global economy”
“Fukuoka has long been popular among Japanese tourists for its rich cultural heritage. Now the number of foreign tourists is on the rise, too, up 50 percent in the last six years.”
And so on and so forth.
It’s a sad fact that Fukuoka is still relatively unknown outside of Japan, especially to people from non-Asian countries. We’re trying to do our little bit to improve the profile of the city internationally, but it’s going to take more before the name is listed in people’s “must-see” tourist destinations in the same way as Kyoto, Nara, etc. We think this is sad because Fukuoka is a lovely city with bustling day- and nightlife, many attractions, and nicer weather than a lot of the rest of Japan. Your humble correspondent requested to be placed in Tokyo before arriving in Japan, and was at first mightily disappointed to be told he was going to Fukuoka. However, after experiencing both, he would never even consider moving to Tokyo!
If you’re thinking of visiting Fukuoka, and want recommendations on hotels, sightseeing, restaurants and more, feel free to ask us. We’re always happy to help!
