Jay's Juicy Japan Junk

That's right folks, Fukuoka has been rated the #1 city in Asia several years in a row by Asiaweek magazine, and rightfully so. It first earned this rating while I was living there, and I was actually a bit surprised to find it at the top of the list above more popular and lively cities like Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Singapore. After reading the article on Fukuoka and browsing over the competitors, however, I realized I probably was in the best city in Asia. First of all, Fukuoka is a very clean place, even more so than other parts of Japan. Also, it has a small city feel while offering all the amenities of a big one. With about 1.5 million residents, it ranks as the seventh largest city in Japan. Another great thing about Fukuoka is the nice weather and the beautiful surroundings. Being at the top of the southernmost major island in Japan, Fukuoka maintains a rather mild climate year-round. It is surrounded by the ocean to the west and mountains to the east, and the entire city is covered in green for most the year. Also, there is very little heavy industry in the city, keeping pollution levels to a minimum and allowing for a beautiful blue sky most days.

There is one thing in particular I really liked about Fukuoka: the people. The people in Fukuoka tended to be much nicer and more cordial than the people I encountered in other cities, namely Tokyo and Osaka. Fukuoka people also seemed to be much more laid-back than their fellow Japanese, and they also seemed more open to foreigners. People in Tokyo may be more accustomed to foreigners, due to the great influx of Westerners and Asians drawn to the big city's money and bright lights in recent years, but I didn't find them necessarily friendly to us outsiders. Fukuoka, despite its much smaller international community, seemed to have a much more embracing attitude towards us. This may be due to the fact that historically Fukuoka has always been a place very open to trade and interaction with the outside world, partly because of its near proximity to Korea and China. I've written plenty of other stuff on Fukuoka people and the rest of the city in general here in my JJJJ e-mails, in case you want to learn more about the best city in Asia.

I'm sure you are tired of listening to me talk (even though you aren't really listening, now are you?) and you just want to see some pictures of this fabulous city. I actually don't have that many pictures of Fukuoka, despite the fact I lived there for just shy of a year. I've rounded up as many pictures as I could, however, and I hope they will give you some idea of what a great city Fukuoka really is. Just click below on the pictures link to begin your journey!