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. |
- 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/ |
- Suwa Shrine, Nagasaki City, Nagasaki Prefecture - October 7th (Tue)-9th (Thur), 2008 The Nagasaki Kunchi is an annual festival at Suwa Shrine in Nagasaki Prefecture. It was originally held on September 9th according to the now disused lunar calendar which is why the festival is called "kunchi." (The 9th day of the month is sometimes pronounced kunchi in Japanese) The Nagasaki Kunchi is a dedication, made and developed by the townspeople year by year by adding a popular Kabuki essence and other historical manners and feelings of Dejima and nearby Chinese houses and homes. http://www.nagasaki-kunchi.com/ (Japanese version only)
http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/indepth/history/traditionalevents/a52_fes_kunchi.html
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- Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine, Dazaifu City, Fukuoka Prefecture - September 21st (Sun)-25th (Thur), 2008 The Jinkoshiki-taisai, the annual autumn festival of Dazaifu Tenmangu, dates back to 1101AD in Heian-era Japan when a then officer of the Dazaifu Oeno Masafusa founded the festivities to commemorate Sugawarano Michizane, the deity to which the shrine is dedicated - in addition to showing publicly his appreciation of the year's harvest. http://www.dazaifutenmangu.or.jp/ |
- Glover Garden and Kyu-gaikokujin-kyoryuchi (old foreign settlements in Minami Yamate and the Higashi Yamate areas) - September 13th (Wed)-21st (Thur), 2008 The Nagasaki Kyoryuchi Matsuri is a festival commemorating the life of the Scottish trader Thomas Glover (1838-1911) with many events appropriately held on the site of the older foreign settlements in this world famous city. Participants wearing foreign costumes designed as they would have been during the mid 19th and early 20th centuries will march in the festival parade and a walk rally, concerts and other events are also scheduled to be held. The festival is growing in popularity year by year and is more than worth a visit. http://www.at-nagasaki.jp/foreign/english/ |
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