"Nintendo's New Fukuoka Store Sparks Mixed Reactions"

Nintendo has exciting news for fans in Japan, announcing plans to open a new official store, Nintendo Fukuoka, at the end of 2025. This will mark the company's fourth official store in Japan, joining the ranks of Nintendo Tokyo, Nintendo Osaka, and Nintendo Kyoto. What sets Nintendo Fukuoka apart is its unique location on the southernmost main island of Kyushu, in Fukuoka City, making it the first Nintendo store not situated on Honshu, Japan's largest island.

The announcement sparked a flurry of reactions on X, with many users expressing congratulations and hopes for future Nintendo stores across Japan. Some even suggested that Sapporo, the largest city on Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost island, might be a prime candidate for the next store location.

However, the news wasn't met with universal enthusiasm. A significant number of commenters expressed disappointment over Nintendo seemingly bypassing Nagoya. As the capital of Aichi prefecture and Japan's fourth-largest city, Nagoya is a major manufacturing hub, yet it suffers from a reputation of being "boring." This perception was highlighted in a 2016 survey conducted by Nagoya's government, where residents ranked their city third in attractiveness, behind Tokyo and Kyoto. Nagoya's central location between Tokyo and Osaka often leads to it being overlooked by events and tours, a phenomenon humorously referred to as the "Nagoya Skip" in the anime Yatogame-chan Kansatsu Nikki. The city has recently been in the spotlight with the upcoming opening of a new 17,000-person arena in July, which officials hope will counteract the "Nagoya skipping" trend (source: Chukyo TV).

Nintendo Fukuoka will be strategically located in a shopping mall within Hakata Station, Kyushu's largest railway hub. Connected by bullet train to Honshu and by plane to Fukuoka Airport, the store's location will make it easily accessible for residents of surrounding prefectures and inbound tourists. Since the lifting of pandemic restrictions, Fukuoka has seen an increase in visitors, particularly from South Korea, and this trend is expected to continue (source: Fukuoka Prefectural Government).

Nintendo's official stores are more than just retail spaces; they offer a variety of experiences, including events and hands-on previews of new titles. With the upcoming release of the Switch 2, Nintendo Fukuoka is poised to play a significant role in promoting and introducing the new console to a broader audience.

In related news, Nintendo recently opened its first West Coast store in the U.S., Nintendo San Francisco. IGN had the opportunity to tour the store and interview Nintendo of America's president, Doug Bowser, to learn more about this exciting development.