Nintendo has exciting news for fans in Japan: the company is set to open its fourth official store, Nintendo Fukuoka, in Fukuoka City at the end of 2025. This marks a significant expansion for Nintendo, as Fukuoka will be the first of its stores not located on Japan's largest island, Honshu, but on the southernmost main island of Kyushu. Joining the ranks of Nintendo Tokyo, Nintendo Osaka, and Nintendo Kyoto, Nintendo Fukuoka will be housed in a shopping mall within Hakata Station, Kyushu's biggest railway hub. This prime location is well-connected by bullet train to Honshu and by plane to Fukuoka Airport, making it easily accessible not only for locals but also for visitors from nearby prefectures and tourists, particularly from South Korea, whose numbers have been on the rise since the lifting of pandemic restrictions.
The announcement on X (formerly Twitter) was met with a wave of congratulatory messages from Japanese fans, who expressed their excitement and hope for more Nintendo stores across the country. Many suggested that Sapporo, the largest city on Japan's northernmost island of Hokkaido, would be the next ideal location for a Nintendo store. However, not all reactions were positive; a significant number of comments expressed disappointment over the omission of Nagoya, the fourth largest city in Japan, located in Aichi prefecture. Nagoya, often perceived as "boring" due to its location between Tokyo and Osaka, has been frequently skipped over by events and tours—a phenomenon locals refer to as the "Nagoya Skip." This sentiment was highlighted in a 2016 survey conducted by Nagoya's own government, where even residents ranked their city third in attractiveness after Tokyo and Kyoto. Recent developments, such as the upcoming opening of a 17,000-person arena in July, are seen as efforts to combat this trend and boost the city's appeal.
Nintendo's official stores are more than just retail spaces; they are hubs for community engagement, hosting events and offering hands-on previews of new titles. With the upcoming launch of the Switch 2, Nintendo Fukuoka is poised to play a crucial role in promoting and getting this new console into the hands of eager customers. Meanwhile, in the U.S., Nintendo recently opened its first West Coast store, Nintendo San Francisco, which was toured by IGN and featured an interview with Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser, further highlighting the company's global expansion efforts.
