Nintendo's New Store in Fukuoka Sparks Mixed Reactions

Nintendo has exciting news for fans in Japan, as they've announced 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 makes Nintendo Fukuoka stand out is its location on Kyushu, Japan's southernmost main island, making it the first Nintendo store not situated on Honshu, the country's biggest island. It will be nestled in Fukuoka City.

The announcement on X sparked a flurry of reactions from Japanese fans. Many expressed their congratulations and hopes for more official Nintendo stores to spread across Japan. Some even suggested Sapporo, the largest city on Hokkaido, as the next ideal location for a Nintendo store.

However, the news wasn't met with universal joy. A significant number of commenters were disappointed that Nintendo seemed to have overlooked Nagoya, a major city in central Japan. Nagoya, the capital of Aichi prefecture and a key manufacturing hub, is the fourth largest city in Japan but suffers from a reputation of being "boring." This perception was highlighted in a 2016 survey conducted by Nagoya's own government, where residents ranked their city third in attractiveness, trailing behind Tokyo and Kyoto. Nagoya's unfortunate location between Tokyo and Osaka often results in it being skipped over by events and tours, a phenomenon known as "Nagoya skipping." This trend was amusingly explained in a clip from the anime Yatogame-chan Kansatsu Nikki. The recent news of a new 17,000-person arena set to open in Nagoya in July has city officials and local media hoping it will help combat the "Nagoya skipping" trend (source: Chukyo TV).

Nintendo Fukuoka will be conveniently located in a shopping mall within Hakata Station, Kyushu's largest railway hub. This prime location is connected by bullet train to Honshu and by plane to Fukuoka Airport, making it easily accessible for residents of surrounding prefectures and inbound tourists, particularly from South Korea, whose numbers are on the rise since the lifting of pandemic restrictions (source: Fukuoka Prefectural Government).

Nintendo's official stores are more than just retail spaces; they're vibrant hubs where fans can purchase Switch consoles, games, accessories, and various Nintendo merchandise. They also host events and hands-on previews of new titles. With the upcoming Switch 2 on the horizon, Nintendo Fukuoka is poised to play a significant role in promoting and getting the new console into the hands of eager customers.

In related news, Nintendo recently expanded its footprint in the U.S. by opening its first West Coast store, Nintendo San Francisco. IGN had the opportunity to tour the store and interview Nintendo of America's president, Doug Bowser, for more insights.