is a prefecture of

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

located on the island of

Kyūshū is the third-largest island of Japan's five main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands ( i.e. excluding Okinawa). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional name referred to Kyushu and its surround ...

. Fukuoka Prefecture has a population of 5,109,323 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,986 km² (1,925 sq mi). Fukuoka Prefecture borders

Saga Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu. Saga Prefecture has a population of 809,248 (1 August 2020) and has a geographic area of 2,440 km2 (942 sq mi). Saga Prefecture borders Fukuoka Prefecture to the northeast and Nagas ...

to the southwest,

Kumamoto Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Kumamoto Prefecture has a population of 1,748,134 () and has a geographic area of . Kumamoto Prefecture borders Fukuoka Prefecture to the north, Ōita Prefecture to the northeast, M ...

to the south, and Ōita Prefecture to the southeast.

Fukuoka is the sixth-largest city in Japan, the second-largest port city after Yokohama, and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since anc ...

is the capital and largest city of Fukuoka Prefecture, and the largest city on Kyūshū, with other major cities including

Kitakyushu is a city located in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. As of June 1, 2019, Kitakyushu has an estimated population of 940,978, making it the second-largest city in both Fukuoka Prefecture and the island of Kyushu after the city of Fukuoka. It is one o ...

Kurume is a city in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. As of June 1, 2019, the city has an estimated population of 303,579 and a population density of 1,320 persons per km². The total area is 229.96 km². On February 5, 2005, the town of Kitano (fr ...

, and Ōmuta. Fukuoka Prefecture is located at the northernmost point of Kyūshū on the

Kanmon Straits The or the Straits of Shimonoseki is the stretch of water separating Honshu and Kyushu, two of Japan's four main islands. On the Honshu side of the strait is Shimonoseki (, which contributed "Kan" () to the name of the strait) and on the Kyushu ...

, connecting the Tsushima Strait and Seto Inland Sea across from

Yamaguchi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Yamaguchi Prefecture has a population of 1,377,631 (1 February 2018) and has a geographic area of 6,112 km2 (2,359 sq mi). Yamaguchi Prefecture borders Shimane Prefecture t ...

on the island of

Honshu , historically called , is the largest and most populous island of Japan. It is located south of Hokkaidō across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyūshū across the Kanmon Straits. The island s ...

, and extends south towards the Ariake Sea.

History

Fukuoka Prefecture includes the former provinces of Chikugo, Chikuzen, and Buzen.

Shrines and temples

Kōra taisha,

Sumiyoshi-jinja is the Japanese Shinto shrine at Hakata in Fukuoka Prefecture on the island of Kyushu.Kotodamaya.com"Sumiyoshi Jinja" retrieved 2012-10-28. History ''Sumiyoshi'' was one of the chief Shinto shrines (''ichinomiya'') of the old Chikuzen Provinc ...

, and Hakozaki-gū are the chief Shinto shrines (''

ichinomiya is a Japanese historical term referring to the Shinto shrines with the highest rank in a province. Shrines of lower rank were designated , , , and so forth. ''Encyclopedia of Shinto'' ''Ichi no miya'' retrieved 2013-5-14. The term gave rise ...

'') in the prefecture.

Geography

Fukuoka Prefecture faces the sea on three sides, bordering Saga, Ōita, and Kumamoto prefectures and facing

across the

. As of 1 April 2012, 18% of the land area of the prefecture was designated as natural parks:

Setonaikai National Park is a Japanese national park, comprising areas of Japan's Seto Inland Sea, and of ten bordering prefectures. Designated a national park in 1934, it has since been expanded several times. It contains about 3,000 islands, known as the Setouchi ...

, Genkai,

Kitakyūshū is a city located in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. As of June 1, 2019, Kitakyushu has an estimated population of 940,978, making it the second-largest city in both Fukuoka Prefecture and the island of Kyushu after the city of Fukuoka. It is one o ...

, and Yaba-Hita-Hikosan quasi-national parks, and Chikugogawa, Chikuhō, Dazaifu, Sefuri Raizan, and Yabegawa Prefectural Natural Parks. Fukuoka includes the two largest cities on

and

, and much of Kyūshū's industry. It also includes a number of small islands near the north coast of Kyūshū.

Cities

Twenty-nine cities are in Fukuoka Prefecture: * Asakura * Buzen * Chikugo *

Chikushino is a city in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. Bordering Dazaifu, Onojo, Nakagawa, Saga Prefecture, Ogori, Yasu, and Chikuho, Fukuoka, Chikushino is essentially a southern suburb of Fukuoka City. It was founded on April 1, 1972. As of September ...

* Dazaifu *

(capital) * Fukutsu * Iizuka * Itoshima * Kama * Kasuga *

* Koga *

* Miyama * Miyawaka * Munakata * Nakagawa * Nakama * Nōgata * Ogōri * Ōkawa * Ōmuta * Ōnojō *

Tagawa is a city located in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city was founded on November 3, 1943. As of October 1, 2018, the city has an estimated population of 48,241, with 24,537 households. Its total area is 54.52 km². Tagawa was historicall ...

* Ukiha *

Yame is a city located in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city was founded on April 1, 1954. As of 2003, the city had an estimated population of 39,372 and a population density of 1,000.81 persons per km². The total area was 39.34 km². On O ...

* Yanagawa * Yukuhashi File:Fukuoka City from Fukuoka Tower 2.jpg, Fukuoka City File:Cityscape of Tobata,Kitakyushu.JPG, Tobata, Kitakyushu File:View of Kurume City.JPG, Kurume File:Omuta and unzen.jpg, Omuta

Towns and villages

These are the towns and villages in each

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivision ...

: * Asakura District ** Chikuzen ** Tōhō * Chikujō District ** Chikujō ** Kōge ** Yoshitomi * Kaho District ** Keisen * Kasuya District ** Hisayama ** Kasuya ** Sasaguri ** Shime ** Shingū ** Sue ** Umi * Kurate District ** Kotake ** Kurate * Mii District ** Tachiarai * Miyako District ** Kanda ** Miyako *

Mizuma District is a district located in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. As of 2003 statistics and counting the decrease in size and population due to the Kurume merger, the district has an estimated population of 14,305 and a density of 776 persons per km2. Th ...

** Ōki * Onga District ** Ashiya ** Mizumaki ** Okagaki ** Onga * Tagawa District **

Aka Aka, AKA or a.k.a. may refer to: * "Also known as", used to introduce an alternative name Languages * Aka language (Sudan) * Aka language, in the Central African Republic * Hruso language, in India, also referred to as Aka * a prefix in the n ...

** Fukuchi ** Itoda ** Kawara ** Kawasaki ** Ōtō ** Soeda * Yame District ** Hirokawa

Mergers

Economy

Fukuoka prefecture's main cities form one of Japan's main industrial centers, accounting for nearly 40% of the economy of Kyūshū. Major industries include automobiles, semiconductors, and steel. Fukuoka prefecture is where tire manufacturer

Bridgestone is a Japanese multinational tire manufacturer founded in 1931 by Shojiro Ishibashi (1889–1976) in the city of Kurume, Fukuoka, Japan. The name Bridgestone comes from a calque translation and transposition of , meaning 'stone bridge' in Japa ...

and consumer electronics chain

Best Denki is a Japanese electronics retailer with outlets across Japan, Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia. It operated in Hong Kong and Taiwan from the late 1980s until 2011 and 2017 respectively. Best Denki headquarters is located in Fukuoka. Pre ...

were founded.

Universities

One of Japan's top 5 universities, Kyushu University, is located in Fukuoka.

Demographics

According to October 2018 estimates, the population in Fukuoka Prefecture reached 5,111,494 inhabitants, making the prefecture the 9th most populated of Japan's 47 prefectures. It is one of the few prefectures with a steadily increasing population.

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 Asia *Fukuoka City Museum – displays a broad range of items from the region's history, including a spectacular gold seal * (元寇史料館, Museum of the Mongol Invasion) in (East Park) displays Japanese and

Mongolia Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million ...

n arms and armor from the 13th century as well as paintings on historical subjects; open on weekends *Hakata Machiya Folk Museum – Dedicated to displaying the traditional ways of life, speech, and culture of the Fukuoka region *

Fukuoka Castle is a Japanese castle located in Chūō-ku, Fukuoka, Japan. It is also known as Maizuru Castle (舞鶴城 Maizuru-jō) or Seki Castle (石城 Seki-jō). Completed in the early Edo period for ''tozama daimyō'' Kuroda Nagamasa, it has been decreed ...

– a castle in

Chūō-ku, Fukuoka is one of the seven wards of Fukuoka city in Japan. The ward is located in the center of the city. It includes Tenjin and Daimyō which are among the largest downtown areas in Kyūshū, Nagahama, which is known for its fish market, and Ōh ...

Hakata Gion Yamakasa is a Japanese festival celebrated from the 1st until the 15th of July in Hakata, Fukuoka. The festivities are centered on the Kushida Jinja. The festival is famous for the Kakiyama, that weigh around one ton and are carried around the city as ...

– Japanese festival celebrated 1–15 July *

Ōhori Park is a park in Chūō-ku, Fukuoka, Japan and a registered Place of Scenic Beauty. The name Ōhori means a large moat and it derives from the fact that Kuroda Nagamasa, the old lord of Fukuoka, reclaimed the northern half of a cove or an inlet ...

– a registered Place of Scenic Beauty *

Kyushu National Museum The opened on October 16, 2005 in Dazaifu near Fukuoka—the first new national museum in Japan in over 100 years, and the first to elevate the focus on history over art.Japan National Tourist Organization Museum "focuses on history."/ref> The ...

– The collections cover the history of Kyūshū from prehistory to the Meiji era with particular emphasis on the rich history of cultural exchange between Kyūshū and neighboring China and Korea *HKT48 Theater – where the idol group HKT48 performs every day * LinQ – the Kyushu idol group meaning "Love in Kyushu", local theater where the LinQ performs weekly on Saturday and Sunday in Tenjin Best Hall * Bairin-ji – Rinzai temple and garden in

Major events and festivals

*Hakata Dontaku Harbour Festival, Tenjin, Fukuoka on May 3 and 4 *Hakata Gion Yamagasa, Kushida Shrine, Fukuoka in July *Kokura Gion Yamagasa, Kitakyushu in July *Tobata Gion Yamagasa, Kitakyushu in July *Kurosaki Gion Yamagasa, Kitakyushu in July *Kitahara Hakushu Festival, Yanagawa on November 1 to 3

Sports

The sports teams listed below are based in Fukuoka. ;Football (soccer) * Avispa Fukuoka ( Fukuoka City) * Giravanz Kitakyushu ( Kitakyūshū City) * Fukuoka J. Anclas ;Baseball * Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks ( Fukuoka City) ;Basketball *

Rizing Zephyr Fukuoka The Rizing Zephyr Fukuoka are a Japanese basketball team, playing in the second division of the B.League. They are based in Fukuoka Prefecture and were coached by Joe Bryant, the father of Kobe Bryant, in 2015. Roster Notable ...

( Fukuoka City) ;Rugby *

Coca-Cola Red Sparks The Coca-Cola Red Sparks ( ja, コカ・コーラレッドスパークス) was a Japanese company-owned rugby union team based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Fukuoka city, Kyūshū. The team was initially founded as Kitakyushu Coca-Cola and then changed i ...

( Fukuoka City) * Fukuoka Sanix Blues ( Munakata) *

Kyuden Voltex Kyuden Voltex is a Japanese rugby team owned by Kyushu Electric Power Co. (Kyūshū Denryoku). The nickname "Voltex" is a conflation of "Voltage" and "Techniques" and was decided after the team won promotion to the Top League. The team is based ...

Sanix World Rugby Youth Tournament The Sanix World Rugby Youth Invitational Tournament is an international rugby union tournament for 15-a-side youth teams which is held every year during the Golden Week holidays (29 April – 5/6 May) in Fukuoka prefecture, Japan. Participati ...

The prefecture hosts the Fukuoka International Cross Country competition. The prefecture also hosted the Fukuoka Marathon, which was an elite marathon in which marathon world records were established twice during its 75 year existence. Its final race took place in 2021.

Crime and safety

Fukuoka Prefecture has the most designated yakuza groups among all of the prefectures, at five: the Kudo-kai, the Taishu-kai, the Fukuhaku-kai, the Dojin-kai and the Kyushu Seido-kai. Between 2004 and 2009, and in early 2011,"Gunfire, The worst in the nation, None has been solved"
, 23 June 2011, '' Nishinippon Shimbun'' Fukuoka Prefecture led the nation in gun-related incidents. These incidents were mostly related to the local yakuza syndicates, specifically the Kudo-kai, the Dojin-kai, and the Kyushu Seido-kai. Fukuoka Prefecture had the highest frequency of youth crime among the prefectures of Japan from 2003 to 2007. According to statistics from the national police, the crime rate in Fukuoka was the eighth-highest in 2017, lower than in

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.46 ...

, Hyogo, Aichi, Saitama, Chiba and

Ibaraki Ibaraki may refer to any of the following places in Japan: * Ibaraki Prefecture, one of the 47 prefectures of Japan **Ibaraki, Ibaraki, a town in Ibaraki Prefecture **Ibaraki Airport, an airport in Omitama, Ibaraki **Ibaraki dialect, the dialect sp ...

Tourism

The most popular place for tourism is Fukuoka City, especially during the Dontaku festival, which attracts millions of visitors from across Japan during Golden Week. Fukuoka is the main shopping, dining, transportation and entertainment hub in Kyushu. Dazaifu is popular for its many temples and historical sites, as well as the Kyushu National Museum. Yanagawa is sometimes called "the Venice of Japan" for its boat tours on the abundant, calm rivers that wind through the city. Kitakyushu features one of the famous night views of Japan from atop Mt. Sarakura, accessible via cablecar. The Mojiko area features waterfront dining, a market, and several preserved historical buildings. The Kanmon Kaikyo Tunnel which connects Kyushu ( Moji ward, Kitakyushu) and Honshu (

Shimonoseki is a city located in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. With a population of 265,684, it is the largest city in Yamaguchi Prefecture and the fifth-largest city in the Chūgoku region. It is located at the southwestern tip of Honshu facing the Tsush ...

) is free to walk through. The city center in Kokurakita ward contains the Riverwalk and Itsutsuya shopping complexes, Kokura castle, and the Uomachi Gintengai shopping arcade, the oldest shopping arcade in Japan.

Transportation

Sumiyoshi-dori Street in front of Hakata Station 2

Nishi-Nippon Railroad - Series 3000 - 01

Railway services

West Japan Railway Company , also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) companies and operates in western Honshu. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka. It is listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange, is a constituent of the TOPIX Large70 index, and ...

(=JR Nishinihon) ** Sanyō Shinkansen ** Hakata Minami Line *

JR Kyushu The , also referred to as , is one of the seven constituent companies of Japan Railways Group (JR Group). It operates intercity rail services within Kyushu, Japan and the JR Kyushu Jet Ferry Beetle hydrofoil service across the Tsushima Str ...

** Kyūshū Shinkansen,

Kagoshima Main Line The is a major railway line operated by the Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu) between Mojikō in Kitakyushu, and Kagoshima Station in Kagoshima City, at the southern end of Kyushu. Until March 13, 2004, it extended 393 km between its t ...

Chikuhō Main Line The is a railway line in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan, operated by Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). It connects Wakamatsu Station in Kitakyushu with Haruda Station in Chikushino. Between Orio Station and Haruda Station, as well as from Keise ...

, Nippō Main Line, Kyudai Main Line **

Chikuhi Line The is a railway line in Kyushu, Japan, connecting Meinohama Station in Fukuoka, Fukuoka (and via a subway through service, Fukuoka itself) to Karatsu Station in Karatsu, Saga, and from Yamamoto Station in Karatsu to Imari Station in Imari, ...

, Gotōji Line,

Kashii Line The is a railway line in Japan operated by Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). It connects Saitozaki Station in Fukuoka with Umi Station in Umi Umi or UMI may refer to: Geography * Umi, Iran, a village in Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran * Umi ...

, Hitahikosan Line,

Sasaguri Line is a railway line in Japan operated by Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). It connects Keisen Station in Keisen, Fukuoka with Yoshizuka Station in Fukuoka, Fukuoka. Stations History The Kyushu Railway Co. opened the Yoshizuka - Sasaguri ...

* Nishi-Nippon Railroad ** Tenjin Ōmuta Line,

Dazaifu Line is a Japanese rail line Rail terminology is a form of technical terminology. The difference between the American term ''railroad'' and the international term ''railway'' (used by the International Union of Railways and English-speaking countri ...

Nishitetsu Amagi Line The is a Japanese railway line operated by the private railway operator Nishi-Nippon Railroad (Nishitetsu), which connects Kurume and Asakura in Fukuoka Prefecture. Stations History The opened a gauge line electrified at 600 V DC from Mi ...

, Kaizuka Line * Amagi Railway **

Amagi Railway Amagi Line The is a Japanese railway line connecting Kiyama Station (on the Kagoshima Main Line), Kiyama and Amagi Station, Asakura. This is the only railway line operates. The company or the line is also called locally. The line functions as a comm ...

Heisei Chikuhō Railway The is a third-sector operator of four railway lines in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The railway's nickname is ''Heichiku.'' Principal investors Fukuoka Prefecture holds 27.5% of the stock in the railway. The cities of Tagawa, Nōgata, and Yu ...

** Ita Line, Itota Line, Tagawa Line **

Coto Coto Train The Coto Coto Train is a touristic train service in the Fukuoka Prefecture region of Kyushu, southern Japan. The service started in 2019. The train is run by the Heisei Chikuhō Railway Company. It was designed by Eiji Mitooka and is based on t ...

* Fukuoka City Subway ** Kūkō Line, Hakozaki Line,

Nanakuma Line The is a subway line, part of the Fukuoka City Subway system in Fukuoka, Japan. It runs from Hashimoto Station in Nishi Ward to Tenjin-Minami Station in Chūō Ward, all within Fukuoka. The line's color on maps is green. Officially, the lin ...

Kitakyushu Monorail The is a monorail system in the city of Kitakyushu in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan, operated by . The is the only line. It runs the 8.8 km (5.5 mi) between Kokura station and Kikugaoka station in Kokura Minami ward in about 18 minutes. I ...

Airports

* Fukuoka Airport * New Kitakyushu airport

Sister regions

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

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Jiangsu Province Jiangsu (; ; pinyin: Jiāngsū, alternatively romanized as Kiangsu or Chiangsu) is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. It is one of the leading provinces in finance, education, technology, and tourism, with its c ...

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

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Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populati ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

Hanoi Hanoi or Ha Noi ( or ; vi, Hà Nội ) is the capital and second-largest city of Vietnam. It covers an area of . It consists of 12 urban districts, one district-leveled town and 17 rural districts. Located within the Red River Delta, Hanoi i ...

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making ...

Citations

General references

* Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth (2005)
''Japan Encyclopedia''
Cambridge:

Harvard University Press Harvard University Press (HUP) is a publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University, and focused on academic publishing. It is a member of the Association of American University Presses. After the retir ...

. ; .

External links

* * *
Fukuoka map (1891)
– National Archives of Japan {{Authority control Kyushu region Prefectures of Japan