Fukuoka (福岡市, Fukuoka-shi) - The capital
city of Fukuoka Prefecture and is situated on the northern
shore of the island of Kyūshū in Japan, across the Tsushima
Strait from South Korea's Busan.
It is the most populous city in Kyūshū, followed by
Kitakyūshū. It is the largest city and metropolitan area
west of Osaka. The city was designated on April 1, 1972 by
government ordinance. Greater Fukuoka (福岡都市圏) with 2.5
million people (2005 Census), is part of the heavily
industrialized North Kyūshū zone.
Fukuoka is served by Fukuoka Airport, the Sanyō Shinkansen
high speed rail line at Hakata Station and by ferry. JR
Kyushu operates a hydrofoil between Hakata and Busan, South
Korea. The subway opened a new line, the Nanakuma line, on
February 2, 2005.
Fukuoka has produced a higher number of successful music
artists than any other city in Japan. Big names in J-pop
include Ayumi Hamasaki (allegedly Japan's richest woman),
hugely popular singer/songwriter duo Chage & Aska, Misia and
Yui. During the 1970s, local musicians prided themselves on
their origins and dubbed their sound, Mentai Rock.
Fukuoka is bordered on three sides by mountains and opens,
on the north, to the Sea of Genkai. Much of the city is now
built on reclaimed land, with ongoing developments in
Higashi-ku building more artificial islands.
It is located 1,100 km from Tokyo, 540 km from Seoul and 870
km from Shanghai, 1300 km from Taipei.
Climate
Along with much of the prefecture, Fukuoka City has a
moderate climate with an annual average temperature of 16.3
°C, average humidity of 70%, 1,811 annual daylight hours and
205 cm of precipitation. Roughly 40% of the year is cloudy.
Winter temperatures rarely drop below 0 °C and it rarely
snows. Spring is warm and more sunny, with cherry blossoms
appearing in late March or early April. 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. Fall, often
considered to be Fukuoka's best season, is mild and dry,
though the typhoon season runs between August and September.
Earthquakes
Fukuoka is not as seismically active as many other parts of
Japan, but does experience occasional earthquakes. The most
powerful recent earthquake registered a lower 6 of maximum 7
of the Japanese intensity scale and hit at 10:53 am local
time on March 20, Easter Sunday 2005, killing one person and
injuring more than 400. The epicentre of the earthquake was
in the Sea of Genkai, along a yet-undiscovered extension of
the Kego fault that runs through the centre of Fukuoka.
Genkai island, a part of Nishi-ku, was the most severely
damaged by the earthquake and almost all island residents
were forced to evacuate. Aftershocks continued
intermittently throughout the following weeks as
construction crews worked to rebuild damaged buildings
throughout the city. Traditional Japanese houses,
particularly in the areas of Daimyo and Imaizumi, were the
most heavily damaged and many were marked for demolition,
along with several apartment buildings. Insurance payments
for damages were estimated at approximately 15.8 billion
yen.
Fukuoka's major Kego fault, runs northwest to southeast,
roughly parallel to Nishitetsu's Omuta train line, and was
previously thought to be 22 km long. It is estimated to
produce earthquakes as strong as magnitude 7 at the focus
approximately once every 15,000 years. If the focus were
located at a depth of 10 km, this would translate to an
earthquake of a lower-6 magnitude (similar to the March 20,
2005 earthquake) in downtown Fukuoka if it were the
epicenter. The probability of an earthquake along the known
length of the Kego fault occurring within 30 years was
estimated at 0.4% prior to the March 20, 2005 earthquake,
but this probability has been revised upwards since.
Including the new extension out into the Sea of Genkai, the
Kego fault is now thought to be 40 km long.
Following reports that the city has only prepared for
earthquakes up to a magnitude of 6.5, several strong
aftershock renewed fears that the quakes might cause the
portion of the Kego faultline that lies under the city to
become active again, leading to an earthquake as big as, or
bigger than, the March 20 quake.
Attractions
Sky Dream Fukuoka, located in Fukuoka City's western ward,
is one of the world's largest ferris wheels at a height of
120 meters. Fukuoka Castle located adjacent to Ohori Park
features the remaining stone walls and ramparts left after a
devastating fire during the upheaval of the Meiji
Restoration. It has now been preserved along with some
reconstructed prefabricate concrete towers constructed
during the 1950s and 1960s, when there was a trend across
Japan to rebuild damaged castles as tourist attractions.
Ohori Park is also the location of one of Fukuoka City's
major art galleries. There is a newly opened Kyushu National
Museum in nearby Dazaifu.
The Marine Park Uminonakamichi is located on a narrow cape
on the northern side of the Bay of Hakata. The park has an
amusement park, petting zoo, gardens, beaches, a hotel, and
a large marine aquarium.
Fukuoka was selected as one of Newsweek's 10 "Most Dynamic
Cities" in July 2006. It was chosen for its central Asian
location, increasing tourism and trade, and a large increase
in volume at its sea and airport.
For tourists from other parts of Japan, local foods such as
mentaiko, Hakata ramen and motsunabe are associated with
Fukuoka. Yatai (street stalls) serving ramen can be found in
Tenjin and Nakasu most evenings.
Culture
Fukuoka Art Museum - In Ohori Park; contains a wide
selection of contemporary and other art from around the
world.
Fukuoka Asian Art Museum - contains art from various
countries of Asia.
Fukuoka City Museum - displays a broad range of items from
the region's history, including a spectacular gold seal.
Genko Historical Museum (Museum of the Mongol Invasion) - In
Higashi Koen (East Park); displays Japanese and Mongolian
arms and armor from the 13th century as well as paintings on
historical subjects.
Hakata Machiya Folk Museum - Dedicated to displaying the
traditional ways of life, speech, and culture of the Fukuoka
region.
Festivals
Fukuoka is home to many festivals that are held throughout
the year. Of these, the most famous are Hakata Dontaku and
Hakata Gion Yamakasa.
Yamakasa
Yamakasa (山笠), held for two weeks each July, is Fukuoka's
oldest festival with a history of over 700 years. Teams of
men (no women, except small girls, are allowed),
representing different districts in the city, race against
the clock around a set course carrying on their shoulders
floats weighing several thousand pounds. Participants all
wear shimekomi (called fundoshi in other parts of Japan),
which are traditional loincloths. Each day of the two-week
festival period is marked by special events and practice
runs, culminating in the official race that takes place the
last morning before dawn. Tens of thousands line the streets
to cheer on the teams. During the festival period, men can
be seen walking around many parts Fukuoka in long happi
coats bearing the distinctive mark of their team affiliation
and traditional geta sandals. The costumes are worn with
pride and are considered appropriate wear for even formal
occasions, such as weddings and cocktail parties, during the
festival period.
Hakata Dontaku (博多どんたく) is held in Fukuoka City on May 3 and
4. Boasting over 800 years of history, Dontaku is attended
by more than 2 million people, making it the Japanese
festival with the highest attendance during Japan's Golden
Week holidays. During the festival, stages are erected
throughout downtown for traditional performances and a
parade of floats is held. The full name is Hakata Dontaku
Minato Matsuri .
The festival was stopped for seven years during the Meiji
era, and since it was restarted in the 12th year of the
Meiji era it has been known as Hakata Dontaku.
Fukuoka (the area of Kashii, Hakata, Sawara and Imazu) is
said to be the oldest city in Japan, because it is the
nearest city to China and Korea. The area around Fukuoka is
among the oldest non-Jōmon settlements in Japan. Dazaifu was
an administrative capital in 663 A.D., but some say a
prehistoric capital was in the area. Ancient texts such as
the Kojiki and archaeology confirm this was a very critical
place in the founding of Japan. Some scholars even go
as far as to claim it was the first place outsiders and the
Imperial Family set foot, but like many early Japan origin
theories, it remains contested. See History of Japan.
Fukuoka is sometimes still referred to as Hakata, the
central ward of the city.
Mongol invasions (1274–1281)
Fukuoka's Hakata Bay is Japan's gateway to Korea and China.
Gateways, of course, attract interest; after having
conquered and terrorized Asia, the great Mongol Kublai Khan
of the Mongol Empire turned his attention to Japan starting
in 1268, exerting a new external pressure on Japan with
which it had no experience. Kublai Khan first sent an envoy
to Japan to make the Shogunate acknowledge Khan's
suzerainty. The Kamakura Shogunate refused. Mongolia
repeatedly sent envoys thereafter, each time urging the
Shogunate to accept their proposal, but to no avail.
In 1274 Kublai Khan mounted an invasion of the northern part
of Kyūshū with a fleet of 900 ships 33,000 troops, which
included troops from Goryeo in Korean peninsula. This first
invasion was compromised by a combination of incompetence
and storms.
After the first invasion of 1274, Japanese samurai built a
stone barrier 20 kilometers in length bordering the coast of
Hakata Bay in what is now Fukuoka city. The wall, between
2–3 metres in height and having a base width of 3 metres,
was constructed between 1276 and 1277 and was excavated
again in the 1930s.
Kublai sent another envoy to Japan in 1279. At that time,
Hōjō Tokimune of the Hōjō clan (1251–1284) was the Eighth
Regent. Not only did he decline the offer, but he beheaded
the five Mongolian emissaries after summoning them to
Kamakura. Infuriated, Kublai made another attack on Fukuoka
Prefecture in 1281, mobilizing 140,000 soldiers and 4,000
ships. The Japanese defenders, numbering around 40,000, were
no match for the Mongols and the invasion force made it as
far as Dazaifu, 15 kilometers south of the city of Fukuoka.
However the Japanese were aided by another typhoon which
struck a crushing blow to the Mongolian troops, however, and
the invasion was thwarted.
It was this typhoon that came to be called the Kamikaze
(Divine Wind).
Formation of the modern city (1889)
Fukuoka was formerly the residence of the powerful daimyo of
Chikuzen, and played an important part in the medieval
history of Japan; the renowned temple of Ieyasu in the
district was destroyed by fire during the Boshin war of
1868. (Adapted from 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.)
The modern city was formed on April 1, 1889 with the merger
of the former cities of Hakata and Fukuoka. Historically,
Hakata was the port and merchant district, and was more
associated with the area's culture: it remains the main
commercial area. On the other hand, the Fukuoka area was
home to many samurai, and its name has been used since
Kuroda Nagamasa, the first daimyo of Chikuzen, named it
after his birthplace in Okayama Prefecture and now , the
“old Fukuoka” is the main shopping area, called Tenjin.
When Hakata and Fukuoka decided to merge, a meeting was held
to decide the name for the new city. Hakata was initially
chosen, but a group of samurai crashed the meeting and
forced those present to choose Fukuoka as the name for the
merged cities. However, Hakata is still used to refer to the
Hakata area of the city, and most famously to refer to the
city's train station, Hakata Station, and its dialect,
Hakata-ben.
Fukuoka in the 20th century
1903: Fukuoka Medical College, a campus associated with
Kyoto Imperial University, is founded. In 1911 the college
is renamed to Kyūshū Imperial University and established as
a separate entity.
1910: Fukuoka streetcar service begins. (The service ran
until 1979.)
1929: Flights commence along the Fukuoka-Osaka-Tokyo route.
1945: Saturation bombing of Japanese cities commences on
Honshū with Fukuoka one of the targets. Vivisections of
American POWs are performed at Kyūshū Imperial University
Hospital.
1947: First Fukuoka Marathon.
1951: Fukuoka airport opens.
1953: Fukuoka Zoo opens.
1981: Subway commences service.
1988: Osaka's pro baseball team, the Nankai Hawks, are moved
to Fukuoka and renamed the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks. (Renamed the
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in 2004).
1995: ACROS (Asian CrossRoads Over the Sea), a multipurpose
convention and cultural center, is founded to encourage
increased relations with other Asian countries. It is
located downtown in Tenjin, and features a large park,
terraced gardens, a library and other facilities for
encouraging peaceful relations with other Asian cultures.
Fukuoka in the 21st century
2005: Fukuoka city subway Nanakuma Line started operation.
There was an earthquake, one person was killed, 70 people
were severely injured and 1017 received attention for minor
injuries.
Information source: “Fukuoka, Fukuoka.” wikipedia.org. Article
date: 4 Mar. 2008. Retrieved: Wikipedia. 4 Mar. 2008 <Fukuoka, Fukuoka>. |
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