Local News

A joint questionnaire survey conducted by the Kyushu University School of Engineering and the Kyushu Economic Research Center shows that the residents of Fukuoka City increasingly see the city’s street stalls as tourism resources rather than eating or drinking places. The survey was conducted from December 2008 to January 2009, and the results were compared with a similar survey in 1996. Those respondents who said they go to stalls several times a year fell by 12.6 percentage points from the previous survey to 28.8%. The primary reasons cited for not going were (1) not having the chance to go, and (2) no particular reason. In contrast, 73% said that keeping the stalls were a good idea because they were part of the city’s identity and contributed to tourism.