Originally Posted by
AlwaysAisle
CNN Travel's 19 Places to Visit in 2019
Fukuoka was listed as one of the place to visit in 2019. Such mention in media has surprising effect on tourism. I have seen here on FT when somebody post asking about certain location and wondered why this person is interested in such location and later find out the location was mentioned in the media. I think it is entirely possible that Fukuoka will see increase of foreign visitor this year because of mention on media like this. I read that Takayama is one of those places successfully captured foreign visitors by have it mentioned in media, where before that Takayama was pretty much unknown to non-Japanese.
Takayama is a nice place. Been there 3 times. Maybe it has something to do with Shirakawago being given UNESCO status? Not sure. But I read about Takayama in my 2004 Frommers book and made the first visit there around 2006? Nice respite from the big cities. I think at the time, there wasn't even any McD or Starbucks or 7/11 there. When I went there last in 2015, the station was being expanded and yeah, lots of tourists. The minshuku and ryokan there serves great kaiseki dinners for a fraction those in Kyoto would charge and the rooms are a lot more spacious. I enjoy the Hida beef and Hoba Miso. Fukuoka though, I still have no intentions to go there, although I have been to Ibusuki/Kagoshima and Kumamoto when in Kyushu,And I still have no intentions to go there when I visit again in March of this year.