Fukuoka
Fukuoka is a designated city in the Kyushu region of Japan and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since ancient times. The area has long been considered the gateway to the country, as it is the nearest point among Japan's main islands to the Asian mainland. Because of the cross-cultural exposure, and relatively great distance from the social and political centers of Kyoto, Osaka, and later, Edo (Tokyo), Fukuoka gained a distinctive local culture and dialect that has persisted to the present day.
Typical weather
1981–presentCity Rhythm
measuredOpening hours, by kind of place
median across mapped venuesVital absurdities
measured · the Anti-AwardsSame time system
by rhythmWhat to do each season
4winter
mild; openmeteo mean 3.8-6.0 °C (Wikipedia: winter temperatures rarely drop below 0 °C, snow cover rarely seen, light snow falls on many days); relatively dry (Dec-Feb 1.9-2.9 mm/day)
- the mild winter — the hot-pot and yatai (street-stall) season shifts to warming dishes; ~40% of the year is cloudy
- the November sumo tournament (Fukuoka Kokusai Center) bridges into winter
spring
warm and sunnier; openmeteo mean 8.2-17.7 °C; the cherry-blossom window (late Mar-early Apr); Hakata Dontaku (May 3-4)
- cherry blossoms (late March/early April) and the Hakata Dontaku festival (May 3-4) — 'the festival with the highest attendance during Japan's Golden Week', 2M+ people
summer
hot and very humid; openmeteo mean 21.7-26.2 °C (Wikipedia: summers peak ~37 °C); the tsuyu rainy season ~6 weeks through Jun-Jul (Jun wettest 10.1 mm/day), then oppressive August heat
- the Hakata Gion Yamakasa (July, two weeks) — Fukuoka's 700-year-old festival, culminating in a pre-dawn float race
- life shifts after dark and into the air-conditioned arcades and Canal City
autumn
the 'best season' — mild and dry; openmeteo mean 11.4-22.5 °C; drier (Oct-Nov 2.8-2.9 mm/day); but the typhoon season runs Aug-Sep
- the clear mild autumn that Monocle cited among its liveability reasons; the November sumo tournament
- typhoon-season risk in the early autumn (Aug-Sep)
What it is known for
Important moments in a year
Hakata Gion Yamakasa
- the Hakata Gion Yamakasa — Fukuoka's oldest festival (700+ years, since 1241)
- teams race multi-thousand-pound floats around a set course, culminating in a pre-dawn race
Hakata Dontaku
- Hakata Dontaku — 'the festival with the highest attendance during Japan's Golden Week', 2M+ people
- stages and a float parade throughout downtown
November Sumo
- the November grand sumo tournament at the Fukuoka Kokusai Center
On the record
source-trackedFukuoka has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cfa), hot and humid summers, and relatively mild winters.
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.
Autumn, often considered to be Fukuoka's best season, is mild and dry, though the typhoon season runs between August and September.
The area has long been considered the gateway to the country, as it is the nearest point among Japan's main islands to the Asian mainland.
Fukuoka is Japan's youngest major city and has Japan's fastest growing population.
It is also the largest startup city in Japan, and is the only economic zone for startups.
The local speciality is a version of ramen made from boiled pork bones, known as tonkotsu ramen. It is widely available from a number of street stalls called yatai.
Fukuoka City hosts the largest entertainment district in Western Japan (i.e., west of Osaka), situated on the islet of Nakasu between two rivers.
Fukuoka has had close contact with Japan's Asian neighbors, including the site of two Mongolian invasions in the late 13th century that were unsuccessful (due to typhoons, hence the term kamikaze).
Fukuoka was selected as one of Newsweek's 10 'Most Dynamic Cities' in its July 2006 issue.
JR Kyushu and a Korean company operate hydrofoil ferries (named Beetle and Kobee) between Hakata and Busan, South Korea.
Fukuoka is one of the most affordable cities in Japan.
The method behind this atlas — 196 pp. Not published yet.