Fukuoka, capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, is located on the northern shore of the island of Kyushu in Japan, across the Korea Strait from South Korea's Busan.
Fukuoka City has a moderate climate with an annual average temperature of 16.3°C.
Because of its closeness to the Asian mainland, Fukuoka has been a very important harbour city for many centuries.
Rice was first cultivated in Japan here in the 3rd century B.C.
From 1268 to 1281, the great Mongol Kublai Khan of the Mongol Empire attacked and invaded the area. However, during the last invasion the Japanese were aided by a typhoon which struck a crushing blow to the Mongolian troops and stopped them. It was this typhoon that was original called the Kamikaze (Divine Wind).
From the 12th to the 16th centuries, the single merchant town of "Hakata" prospered as a trading city. In 1601 construction began on Fukuoka Castle, marking the beginning of the castle town of "Fukuoka."
Until 1889, when the port city of Hakata and the former castle town of Fukuoka were united into one city called Fukuoka and the modern city was born, the two towns existed side by side.
The Fukuoka City of our days still plays an important role as one of the progressive cosmopolitan cities in Japan. Since it is the largest city in Kyushu, many people from surrounding prefectures visit it on weekends for shopping and sightseeing.
Sometimes known as The Liverpool of Japan, Fukuoka has produced a great number of successful music artists than any other city in Japan.

Hakone, in Kanagawa Prefecture, is a town in Japan. Located on the eastern side of Hakone Pass

Hiroshima is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture and the largest city of the Chugoku Region, the most western region on Honshu: Japan's main island. About one million people live there.
...