The Least Useful Guide to Fukuoka

This is the most highly regarded residential area around here, in terms of the property price. I saw on a newspaper that you need 260,000yen (US$2,857, as of 2009/09/19) to buy one square-metre of land in this area. Of course I’m not a dweller here.

This area is well-developed, but with very short history. In the 80s our economy reached its peak (since then it has kept deteriorating). Backed by the bubble economy, Fukuoka City started reclaiming sea shores, calling the tax-guzzling projects “bayside re-development”. As a result, natural beaches turned into urban-looking districts where “bubbly” buildings sprung up.
This area is one of those artificially developed areas to offer a civilized and convenient lifestyle to the residents: In walking distance there are a big hospital, museum, library, ward office, tube station….and a detention centre. Very convenient in many ways.
Walking around this area, I was thinking I have seen something like this….everything is spick and span…newly built… sort of flashy…feeling like I was in a world of plastic models.

I suddenly reminded of the “house park” , and a question arose in my mind: Is it prestigious to live in a ready-made, manufactured house spending a fortune? ….Do I sound like sour grapes? This is the housing exhibition.