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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Nago Sakura Festival - Nago Central Park, Nago City, Okinawa Prefecture - January 31st (Sat)-February 1st (Sun), 2009 This is the earliest cherry tree (sakura) related festival in Japan. Beautiful Sakura blossoms lining many of the streets of Nago City welcome visitors with open arms / branches with events including competitive costume parades or minyo (traditional Japanese folk songs) held beneath the blossoms to entertain passers by. http://hizakura.sakura.ne.jp/ (Japanese version only) http://www.ocvb.or.jp/

Nagasaki Lantern Festival - Minato Park, Central Park etc, Nagasaki City, Nagasaki Prefecture - January 26th (Mon)-February 9th (Mon), 2009 Nagasaki Lantern Festival is an event related to the Chinese New Year and will be held in the Shinchi Chinatown area and other downtown areas in late January and early February. About 12,000 lanterns and symbols of the Chinese zodiac will decorate the city as Nagasaki turns itself into a mini-China by utilizing a unique form of lighting developed over centuries by "The Middle Kingdom." http://www.nagasaki-lantern.com/ (Japanese version only) http://www.at-nagasaki.jp/foreign/english/

City of Light at Huis Ten Bosch - Huis Ten Bosch, Sasebo City, Nagasaki Prefecture - November 1st (Sat), 2008-February 27th (Fri), 2009 Here you can enjoy basking in the glow of the Huis Ten Bosch illuminations, admiring their beauty and radiance. The renovated "Light Palace" will be twinkling like jewelry. Come and enjoy the romantic atmosphere of Huis Ten Bosch surrounded by countless illuminations. http://english.huistenbosch.co.jp/

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