福岡市 Greeting　from　the　Mayor

Ｇｒｅｅｔｉｎｇ　ｆｒｏｍ　ｔｈｅ　Ｍａｙｏｒ

Welcome to Fukuoka City

Thanks to its geographical location near the Korean Peninsula and China, Fukuoka City has functioned since ancient times as a gateway for culture from throughout the Asian continent. Countless artifacts have been unearthed here demonstrating active trade and exchange with the continent since before the Christian era. The Korokan guest house, built to welcome foreign guests from other Asian lands from the 7th to the 11th centuries, stood here, and in the 16th century Fukuoka City was an international trading port with many foreign residents. Then, it was known as the port of Hakata, a name that is still synonymous with Fukuoka City in many ways.

Hakata served as a hub port for East Asia, and was the route by which much culture entered Japan from the continent. Some of the items introduced thus include tea, udon and soba noodles, and manju cakes, all so important in Japanese food culture, as well as the Chinese weaving techniques that evolved into our Hakata-ori textiles. For Japan in the Middle Ages, the emergence of a self-governing city created and run by the merchants and the residents was an epoch-making development.
Today, Fukuoka City has set itself a target of becoming a hub for exchange in the “New Era for Kyushu and Asia.” The residents continue to tap the wellsprings of Asian vitality as they have for centuries, growing and developing as a compact city open to the sea and surrounded by a lush natural environment. The people are friendly, and the food delicious: Come and see for yourself!

Hiroshi Yoshida, Mayor, Fukuoka City