Fukuoka is the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, south-west of Japan, situated on the northern shore of the Japanese island of Kyushu. It is the largest metropolitan area west of Japan, and with population of 1.6 Million people it is the fifth largest city in the country. In the "19 best places to visit in 2019" published by the U.S. CNN, Fukuoka Prefecture was chosen as the only destination in Japan. The article featured Dazaifu Tenmangu, Kokura Castle, Yanagawa renowned for river cruising, Nagahama Fresh Fish Market, Tonkotsu Ramen.
Fukuoka city is the economic center of the Kyushu region. It is also the largest startup city in Japan, and is the only economic zone for startup. The city has the No.1 opening business rate in Japan. Just last year it welcomed 2,800 new companies. In a country where most areas have an aging and shrinking population, Fukuoka is experiencing the opposite. It is the Japan’s youngest major city and has Japan’s fastest growing population. Just in the last five years, the city has seen a 19.5% growth rate for young residents between the ages of 15 and 29 and is aimed to be the country's Silicon Valley. It has 22 Universities and is the home of many firms in the logistics, IT and high-tech. E.g. Sony, NEC, Toshiba, Fujitsu-Xerox, Kyoei Electronics, etc. Fukuoka prefecture also has emerged as a major hub of automobile related industries, with the principal focus on complete vehicle manufacturers Nissan Motor, Toyota Motor Kyushu and Daihatsu Kyushu. The GDP in Fukuoka Metropolitan Employment Area exceeds 154 billion US dollars, comparable to that of a medium-sized country.
Food prices in Fukuoka are the cheapest among 20 major cities in Japan. The city’s general consumer prices excluding house rent are the second cheapest among the cities. Such cost effectiveness is one of Fukuoka’s charms. According to a survey conducted by the Nikkei Research Institute of Industry and Regional Economy on 1,000 business people across Japan, Fukuoka ranked top in the list of best places to live among other cities in the country. Fukuoka was also ranked 7th in the world by British magazine “MONOCLE” in 2016. It was chosen for excellent shopping, outstanding food, good transport links, good museums, "a feeling of openness in its sea air", green spaces and because it's friendly, safe, clean and close to the rest of East Asia.
ACCESS TO FUKUOKA
Fukuoka City is the closest metropolitan in Japan to other Asian major cities (ex: Fukuoka-Seoul 1 Hour, Fukuoka-Shanghai 1 Hour 40 min., Taipei 2 Hours). This is certainly an advantage for convention participants from Asia and for organizers to increase the participation. Access from Europe, Americas and Oceania is also swift and easy via major Asian hub airports. For instance, Incheon Korea has abundant direct inter-continental flights which allow you straight through check-in. Conference participants from abroad can access Fukuoka via airports in Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, which have many direct flights to Fukuoka per day: Tokyo-Narita (8 flights), Tokyo-Haneda (92 flights), Kansai (14 flights), Nagoya (28 flights), etc.
To help MWSCAS 2022 participants with transportation from the airport to hotels and access to the venue the organizers will arrange a MWSCAS2022 information desk at Fukuoka Airport.
Climate
Fukuoka has a humid subtropical climate that is mild with no dry seasons. An average temperature in August is 27.6 degrees Celsius (81.68 degrees Fahrenheit) with the highest average of 31.6°C (88.9°F) and the lowest average of 24.5°C (76.1°F) and humidity of 74%.