maynard I know, in fact i must have been an embryo when watching it-I could not be that old. but come on, Greg that WAS a job, ya know, knowing where to cut, and not inadvertly re-pasting something else on your clipboard (unless you have one of those great clipboard add-ons) in fact, I am now going to have to do a "double" clip and paste, as i have a normal clipboard: now this was work.Plus the darn image wouldn't let me link to it! Whew, I am getting warm under the coller <--what no spell check! absurd!
1. greg had to find the right info site
2. greg had to know where to chop (as I didn't)
3. and then I had to remember where to find the graphic AGAIN after doing this cut and paste....and in fact paste it to my site as it turns out., btw dont bother reading all the rest is is a waste of bandwith and I apoligise.
Cheryl

Fukuoka is a city of 1.2 million people, the 7th largest in Japan. It is the most important city on the island of Kyushu, the southernmost of the 4 main islands of the Japanese archipelego. It sees itself as one of the central hubs of this part of East Asia.
Pronounced, roughly, "Fu (as in 'fun') koo wo ka" it is generally acknowleged to have the rudest 3 letter airline tag in Asia with elderly matrons being known to faint in distress on their way to Singapore... That minor detail aside, it is considered "sumiyasui" - an easy place to live, with ready access to the sea, beaches and mountains, excellent seafood, sensible commuting times, a tolerable climate and a cheering absence of serious earthquakes, valcanoes, typoons, tsunami, landslides and assorted other natural disasters that spice up life and death for its neighbours. Cynics have it that bad weather simply finds the place too boring to visit for long, but in truth the city is developing quickly, reasonably tastefully and is far less ugly and far more dynamic than many of its kin. Nakasu, its business entertainment district is nationally famous, its food is outstanding, the cost of living moderate by Japanese standards and Fukuoka women are noted for their beauty and passion. Who could wish for more?
Originally made up of the merchant town of Hakata and the Samurai town of Fukuoka separated by the mutually enjoyed Nakasu the city fathers unnacountably chose Fukuoka as the city's name.
Just down the road from Nagasaki, and the closest point to Korea, Fukuoka was traditionally an important contact point between Japan and the rest of South East Asia and was a gateway for cultural and technological innovation from China and Korea. It is currently driving to make itself the gateway city to East Asia and holds an annual "Asian Month" to introduce its populace to the cultures of other countries in, as it were, the safety of their own home. Gateways of course attract undesirables, and it was in Hakata Bay that the Mongol fleet, poised to invade, was destroyed by the "kamikaze" or "wind of god" in the 14th century. Modern undesirables may well include you - although hell bent on "internationalisation" the city fathers and immigration department sometimes appear to prefer to do it without the unfortunate by-product of actually having too many foreigners living here... Every major international event (designed to bring foreigners into the city) is preceded by an immigration crackdown on the foreigners actually resident. This is a largely beaureacratic attitude, Fukuoka people themselves are very friendly and approachable and generally far more open than, for example, Kyoto... (In fact, at 12,000 non-Japanese residents the city has proportionally a fairly high foreign population) Symptoms of this desire to internationalise the city include hosting the World Student games in 1995, the setting up of a multilingual radio station ("LoveFM") one of only three in Japan, the creation of an Asian Film Archive, the hosting of an annual "Asian Month" festival, a film festival and any other festival, international event or conference the city can reasonably think of / bid for with a straight face, including the recent Annual conference of the Asian Development Bank (April 1997) and a major international athletics event. It hasn't quite steeled itself for an Olympics bid yet, but it can only be a matter of time....
The current spurt in development has not been uncontroversial - particularly the development taking place in Hakata Bay itself that has caused outrage amongst some environmentalists.
Fukuoka is the site of three important shrines and two nationally famous festivals (the Yamakasa and Dontaku). It is on the southernmost terminus of the shinkansen (bullet train) network, has an international airport with regular flights to numerous international destinations, ferry services to Korea and it is linked to the rest of Japan by expressway. It hosts a Sumo "basho" in November, has an endearingly incompetent baseball team in Daiei Hawks and a football team, Avisapa, in the Japan League. Although not terribly successful Daiei Hawks do have a very nice all weather stadium, the "Dome", which doubles as a major concert venue for international rock-stars including Madonna and Michael Jackson. Fukuoka also has several very large hotels, including a Grand Hyatt. It is a major shopping centre and has recently seen the opening of a 13 screen multiplex cinema complex. Noh Theatre and Kabuki are blissfully rare, but available if you want them, there are several art galleries and museums. The city's only major cultural deficiency is an almost complete lack of opera and its only culinary deficiency is of a first rate Indian restauarant. Other than that, there is little you can't find. For those with more corporeal tastes Nakasu ensures there is absolutely nothing you can't find....
Climate.
Hot and damp in summer, (July to September) cold and damp in winter (mid November to March). Spring (April to mid June) and Autumn ( October to mid November) are very pleasant. Bring a sweater unless you come in summer. Rainy season is Early June to end of the month. For more details see our weather page..
Conclusion
Fukuoka is a city just starting to come alive and beginning to hum. Visitors in search of the "real Japan" all to often head for Kyoto and Nara with their temples, or for the buzz of Tokyo. This is on a par with "seeing England" by going to Buck House, or "doing America" by visiting Disneyworld. If you want to see the "real Japan" you could do a great deal worse than coming to Fukuoka.
Nick May