1. The bus route map is so complicated that even locals have trouble navigating it.
One of the things that surprises people who come to Fukuoka from other prefectures is the number of buses.
It could even be said that buses (Nishitetsu buses) are more popular than trains as a means of transportation in Fukuoka, with routes stretching to every direction.
Nishitetsu Bus owns a fleet of approximately 2,800 buses, far and away the largest in Japan .
At peak traffic times on streets such as Watanabe-dori Avenue, it is common to see more than 10 buses running at the same time.
Also, the routes are so complicated that there are bus stops with the same name where you board at different places depending on your destination.
Because of this situation, not only people from other prefectures but even locals can get confused about which bus to take to get to their destination .
Buses are a major means of transportation, especially within Fukuoka City . This is said to be because the Fukuoka City metropolitan area is densely populated relative to its population size, and buses are more compact and faster than a developed train network .
2. Local buses run normally on urban expressways
For people in Fukuoka Prefecture, it is a familiar sight to see a non- Expressway Bus entering an urban expressway , but it is quite a shocking sight for people from other prefectures.
It can be a bit scary, especially when you're standing and driving on an urban expressway.
I started to wonder if it was okay not to fasten my seat belt, and whether it was even okay to just stand there, but apparently Nishitetsu Bus route buses are specially permitted to operate on urban expressways thanks to deregulation by the national government .
In addition, safety considerations are also taken into account, as route buses are required to travel at a speed of 60 km/h or less even when entering urban expressways.
By the way, the history of route buses that run on urban expressways is surprisingly long, with the first being the Fukuoka-Akama Line, which was built in 1981 .
*Akama is the name of a town in Munakata City , Fukuoka Prefecture. It is a historically important place, and the old streetscape of Akama-juku remains to this day.
3. Cars in Fukuoka tend to have stickers of Munakata Taisha Shrine on them
Cars with Fukuoka license plates often have Munakata Taisha road safety stickers on them.
Munakata was once a base for exchange with the continent, and Munakata Taisha Shrine has long been worshipped as the god of maritime safety .
For this reason, it is still famous as a shrine where people pray for road safety , and many people who purchase a new car first go to Munakata Taisha Shrine to receive a purification ritual .
Traffic safety charms are sold all over the country, but they actually originated at Munakata Taisha Shrine , where the same design has been used since they were first sold in 1963.
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Fukuoka, a city with a unique culture, also seems to have a somewhat unique transportation system.
Fukuoka City has the highest population growth rate in Japan, and it will be exciting to see how transportation develops as the population increases.
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Fukuoka is a bus powerhouse. Bus stops and their surrounding areas may look ordinary at first glance, but if you change your perspective, you'll find they are Tourism attractions.
Be sure to also check out the article on "Love from the Bus Stop," a new project started with this idea in mind, in which bus route explorer Okihama captures Fukuoka on a bus stop basis!
>>Read the article here
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