Nintendo's New Fukuoka Store Sparks Mixed Reactions

Nintendo has exciting news for fans in Japan: they're set to open a new official store, Nintendo Fukuoka, by the end of 2025. This will mark the company’s fourth official store in Japan, following the successful openings of Nintendo Tokyo, Nintendo Osaka, and Nintendo Kyoto. What makes Nintendo Fukuoka particularly noteworthy is its location; it will be the first Nintendo store not situated on Honshu, Japan's largest main island. Instead, it will be in Fukuoka City on the southernmost main island of Kyushu.

Reactions on X to the announcement have been overwhelmingly positive, with many expressing congratulations and hopes for more Nintendo stores to spread across Japan. Several commenters suggested that Sapporo, the largest city on the northernmost island of Hokkaido, would be a prime candidate for the next store. However, not everyone shared the excitement. Some expressed disappointment that Nintendo seemed to have overlooked Nagoya, the fourth-largest city in Japan, located in central Japan. Nagoya, the capital of Aichi prefecture and a significant manufacturing hub, has often been bypassed, a phenomenon locals call the "Nagoya Skip." This was highlighted in a 2016 survey by Nagoya's government, where residents ranked their city third in attractiveness, behind Tokyo and Kyoto, fueling the perception of Nagoya as "boring."

Nagoya's central location between Tokyo and Osaka often results in it being skipped over by events and tours, as amusingly depicted in the anime "Yatogame-chan Kansatsu Nikki." The recent announcement of a new 17,000-person arena opening in Nagoya in July has sparked hopes among city officials and local media that this will help combat the "Nagoya skipping" trend, as reported by Chukyo TV.

Nintendo Fukuoka will be strategically located in a shopping mall within Hakata Station, Kyushu's largest railway hub. This prime location, connected by bullet train to Honshu and by plane to Fukuoka Airport, will make it easily accessible for residents of surrounding prefectures and the growing number of inbound tourists, especially from South Korea, as noted by the Fukuoka Prefectural Government.

Nintendo's official stores are more than just retail spaces; they are vibrant hubs for gaming enthusiasts, offering not only Switch consoles, games, accessories, and merchandise, but also hosting events and hands-on previews of new titles. Nintendo Fukuoka is expected to play a significant role in promoting the upcoming Switch 2, helping to get it into the hands of more customers.

In related news, Nintendo has also expanded its presence in the U.S., with the recent opening of its first West Coast store, Nintendo San Francisco. IGN had the opportunity to tour the store and even conducted an interview with Nintendo of America's president, Doug Bowser, to learn more about this exciting development.