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. |
- Fukuoka Kokusai Center, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture - November 9th (Sun)-23rd (Sun), 2008 Yokozuna Grand Champion Hakuho, winner of the previous two tournaments, will aim for three straight wins. Another Yokozuna, Asashoryu, who dropped out of two consecutive tournaments, will try to recover. Younger wrestlers who are three ranks below Yokozuna have gained power, and many people look forward to seeing exciting contests at this last tournament of the year.  http://www.sumo.or.jp/eng/ |
- Karatsu Shrine, Karatsu City, Saga Prefecture - November 2nd (Sun)-4th (Tue), 2008 Karatsu Kunchi is an annual event held at the Karatsu Shrine every autumn from November 2nd to November 4th. It begins with the “Yoiyama” on the night of the 2nd, and is followed by the “Otabisho Shinko” on the 3rd and the “Machimawari” on the 4th. A dramatic parade of 14 floats, the first of which was made and dedicated in 1819, will be carried and drawn by the Hikiko (float carriers). These unique floats are made by layering hundreds of sheets of Washi Japanese paper and hemp cloth, which is then lacquered to provide both a majestic and gorgeous finish. http://www.karatsu-kankou.jp/english.html |
- Riverside of Kase River, Saga City, Saga Prefecture - October 30th (Thur)-November 3rd (Mon), 2008 Over 100 hot air balloons with participants from around the world come to take part in this, making it Asia's largest hot air balloon competition. As this is a signature autumn event, it attracts a large audience of spectators and participants. The flight plans depend on the weather conditions during the event and if in luck, you can see the intriguing sight of hot air balloons rising up together over the riverside. http://www.sibf.info/ |
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