Kyushu's largest city still evokes memories of Japan's early exchanges with neighboring nations Map of the Kyushu region Facing the Genkainada Sea and sitting in the middle of the semicircular Fukuoka Plain, Fukuoka is Kyushu's foremost city - the core of its political, economic and cultural activities. 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.

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Nagasaki Lantern Festival - Minato Park (Nagasaki Shinchi Chinatown), Chuo Park and other areas, Nagasaki City, Nagasaki Prefecture - January 23 (Mon)-February 6 (Mon), 2012 The Nagasaki Lantern Festival is an event related to the Chinese New Year and is held in the Shinchi Chinatown area and other downtown areas of Nagasaki City. The festival features approximately 15,000 Chinese lanterns and Oriental Zodiac-shaped exhibits transforming Nagasaki into an almost real, highly authentic Chinese town for the period these amazing illuminated pieces of art are on display. http://www.nagasaki-lantern.com/ (Japanese version only)

Unzen Akari no Hanaboro - Unzen Hot Spring Town, Unzen City, Nagasaki Prefecture - January 28 (Sat)-February 18 (Sat), 2012 Unsen, a town well-known for hot springs, is also famous for the frozen fog deposits (hanaboro in Japanese) in winter. The town is decorated in the motif of fog deposits and many trees are illuminated. The walkway is fantastically lit with candles. Take a guided tour in the morning to see the frozen fog deposits when they are most dramatic. Fireworks are launched on weekends. http://www.unzen.org/japanese/hanabouro/2012index.html (Japanese version only) http://www.unzen.org/e_ver/index.html

Whale Watching Festa 2012 - Zamami Village/Kerama Islands and the sea around the islands, Okinawa Prefecture - January 12 (Thu)-March 31 (Sat), 2012 As winter comes, humpback whales come back to the sea around the Kerama Islands from the far, thousands-of-km-away northern sea including the Bering Sea and the sea around Alaska and the Aleutian Islands. They stay in the sea that is rich in food in summer and come to the moderate and warm sea around the Kerama Islands in winter for childbearing and child-raising. You can see humpback whales from the boat. Their appearance near the boat is dynamic and very exciting to see. http://www.vill.zamami.okinawa.jp/whale/english.html

All information is subject to change without notice.

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