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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Yatsushiro Myokensai Festival - Yatsushiro Shrine (Myokengu), Yatsushiro City, Kumamoto Prefecture - November 22nd (Sun), 23rd (Mon & holiday), 2009 The Yatsushiro Myokensai is one of Kyushu’s three major festivals. It was started in the middle of the Edo period (1603-1867), originating in the legend that the God of Myoken came from China to Yatsushiro, sitting atop Kida, an imaginary creature consisting of a turtle's body and snake's neck about 1,300 years ago. The dance performance of Kida is an unmissable event. http://www.myouken.com/ (Japanese version only)

City of Light at Huis Ten Bosch - Huis Ten Bosch, Sasebo City, Nagasaki Prefecture - November 21st (Sat), 2009-February 26th (Fri), 2010 Here you can enjoy basking in the glow of the Huis Ten Bosch illuminations, admiring their beauty and radiance. The whole "city" will be glimmering like jewelry, including the "Light Palace" where the Jewel Lighting Show takes place. Visitors can meet Santa Claus at Santa Square until December 25th, while the skating rink is open until January 11th. http://www.huistenbosch.co.jp/

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