One of the newest developments of Fukuoka is Hakata City, a large expansion of the Hakata train station into a giant shopping mall, with scenic views from the building roof, as well as lots of restaurants and stores. It opened in March, 2011 and previously was just a humdrum train station that looked like so many others in Japan. But with the bullet train line completed and going all the way to Kagoshima, there needed to be a little more reason to stop by Fukuoka City rather than just go roll right on through. It is giving Tenjin a little more competition as a hot spot of the city and well worth looking through if you have the time.
