Nintendo's New Fukuoka Store Faces Local Opposition

Nintendo has exciting news for fans in Japan: plans are set to open a new official store in Fukuoka at the end of 2025. Named Nintendo Fukuoka, this will mark the company's fourth official store in Japan, joining the ranks of Nintendo Tokyo, Nintendo Osaka, and Nintendo Kyoto. Notably, this new store is unique as it's the first to be situated outside Honshu, Japan's largest main island. Instead, Nintendo Fukuoka will be located in Fukuoka City on the southernmost main island of Kyushu.

Reactions on X to the announcement of Nintendo Fukuoka were overwhelmingly positive, with many fans sending congratulatory messages and expressing hopes that official Nintendo stores will eventually spread throughout the country. Some commenters suggested that Sapporo, the largest city on Japan's northernmost island of Hokkaido, might be the next ideal location for a Nintendo store.

However, the announcement wasn't met with universal joy. A significant number of commenters expressed disappointment over Nintendo seemingly bypassing Nagoya. As the capital of Aichi prefecture and a major manufacturing hub, Nagoya is the fourth largest city in Japan. Yet, it suffers from a reputation of being "boring," a sentiment that gained attention in 2016 when a survey conducted by Nagoya's own government showed residents ranking their city third in attractiveness, behind Tokyo and Kyoto. Nagoya's location between Tokyo and Osaka further exacerbates its plight, as many events and tours often skip over it—a phenomenon known as the "Nagoya Skip." This issue was recently highlighted in the anime "Yatogame-chan Kansatsu Nikki." Concerns about "Nagoya skipping" were intensified by the news that Nintendo chose Fukuoka over Nagoya, despite the latter's new 17,000-person arena set to open in July, which city officials hope will boost its appeal (source: Chukyo TV).

Nintendo Fukuoka will be strategically placed within a shopping mall at Hakata Station, Kyushu's largest railway hub. This location is ideal as it's connected by bullet train to Honshu and by plane to Fukuoka Airport, making 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, with expectations of further growth (source: Fukuoka Prefectural Government).

Nintendo's official stores are more than just retail spaces; they are hubs for events and hands-on previews of new titles. Nintendo Fukuoka is likely to play a significant role in promoting the upcoming Switch 2, bringing the latest in gaming technology closer to fans.

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