Nintendo has exciting news for fans in Japan: they've announced plans to open a new official store in Fukuoka at the end of 2025. Named Nintendo Fukuoka, it will be the company's fourth official store in the country, following Nintendo Tokyo, Nintendo Osaka, and Nintendo Kyoto. What makes Nintendo Fukuoka unique is its location on the southernmost main island of Kyushu, in Fukuoka City, marking the first time a Nintendo store will be situated off Honshu, Japan's biggest main island.
The announcement on X generated a wave of positive reactions from the Japanese community, with many expressing congratulations and hopes for more Nintendo stores across the country. Several commenters suggested that Sapporo, the largest city on Japan's northernmost island of Hokkaido, could be a prime location for Nintendo's next store.
However, not everyone was thrilled with the news. A significant number of commenters expressed disappointment over Nintendo seemingly bypassing Nagoya, the capital of Aichi prefecture and Japan's fourth-largest city. Nagoya's reputation as "boring" was highlighted in a 2016 survey conducted by the city's own government, which amusingly showed that even local residents ranked their city behind Tokyo and Kyoto in attractiveness to travelers. Situated between Tokyo and Osaka, Nagoya often gets skipped over by events and tours, a phenomenon known as the "Nagoya Skip," which was humorously explained in the anime Yatogame-chan Kansatsu Nikki. The recent announcement of a new 17,000-person arena set to open in Nagoya in July has sparked hopes among city officials and local media that it might help combat this trend (source: Chukyo TV).
Nintendo Fukuoka will be strategically located within a shopping mall at Hakata Station, Kyushu's largest railway hub, connected by bullet train to Honshu and by plane to Fukuoka Airport. This prime location will make it easier for residents of surrounding prefectures to visit. Additionally, with the lifting of pandemic restrictions, Fukuoka has seen a rise in inbound tourism, especially from South Korea, and this trend is expected to continue (source: Fukuoka Prefectural Government).
Nintendo's official stores are more than just retail spaces; they offer Switch consoles, games, accessories, and a wide range of Nintendo merchandise, and they also host events and hands-on previews of new titles. Nintendo Fukuoka is poised to play a key role in promoting the upcoming Switch 2, giving more customers a chance to experience it firsthand.
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 new venture.
