Nintendo has exciting news for fans in Japan, announcing plans to launch a new official store, Nintendo Fukuoka, at the end of 2025. This will mark the company's fourth official store in the country, joining the ranks of Nintendo Tokyo, Nintendo Osaka, and Nintendo Kyoto. Unlike its predecessors, Nintendo Fukuoka will be the first store not situated on Honshu, Japan's largest main island. Instead, it will be located in Fukuoka City, on the southernmost main island of Kyushu.
The announcement on X sparked a wave of congratulatory messages from Japanese fans, who also expressed their hopes for more Nintendo stores across the nation. Several users suggested that Sapporo, the largest city on Japan's northernmost island of Hokkaido, should be the next destination for a Nintendo store.
However, the news wasn't met with universal joy. A significant number of commenters expressed disappointment over Nintendo seemingly bypassing Nagoya. As Japan's fourth-largest city and the capital of Aichi Prefecture, Nagoya is a major manufacturing hub but suffers from a reputation of being "boring." This perception was highlighted in a 2016 survey conducted by the Nagoya 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 skipped over for events and tours, a phenomenon known as the "Nagoya Skip," which was humorously illustrated in the anime Yatogame-chan Kansatsu Nikki. The concern over Nagoya's omission was intensified by recent news of a new 17,000-person arena set to open in July, with hopes that it will help combat the "Nagoya skipping" trend (Chukyo TV).
Nintendo Fukuoka will be strategically located in a shopping mall within Hakata Station, Kyushu's largest railway hub, offering easy access via bullet train to Honshu and by plane to Fukuoka Airport. This prime location will not only serve residents of Fukuoka but also those from surrounding prefectures. With the lifting of pandemic restrictions, Fukuoka has seen a surge in inbound tourists, particularly from South Korea, and these numbers are expected to grow (Fukuoka Prefectural Government).
Nintendo's official stores are more than just retail spaces; they are vibrant hubs for events and hands-on previews of new titles. With the upcoming Switch 2 on the horizon, Nintendo Fukuoka is poised to play a crucial role in promoting and getting this new console into the hands of eager customers.
In related news, Nintendo recently opened its first West Coast store in the U.S., Nintendo San Francisco. IGN provided a tour of the store and an interview with Nintendo of America's president, Doug Bowser, offering insights into the company's latest endeavors.
