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Fukui is not a cold region
(Dec.7, 2006)

Fukui might carry a negative image as a dark and cold region. Unfortunately, this negative image is enhanced by the nickname of the larger district where Fukui is located, "Ura Nippon" (the backside of Japan). Moreover, it is often said that it snows a lot in Fukui. Do these negative credits correctly reflect the fact of Fukui? We should reconsider this point.

In fact, the nickname of "Ura-Nippon" is not used as often as it used to be. However, the negative images of Fukui still remains. In order to cast aside them, we should emphasize that Fukui has a long history of international exchanges and was one of the most advanced area in Japan. More recently, Fukui hosted the conference of the countries in the northwest-Pacific region. This shows that Fukui still presents itself on an important diplomatic stage. Fukui should regain its dynamism and self-confidence, and rebuilt its presence in the national arena.

I have had the opportunity to take a look at an interesting map issued by Toyama prefecture, which is next to Fukui. The map is named "Japan seen from China." In this map, Japan is like a hat spread out over Eurasia Continent. I became aware that what has been called "Ura Nippon" must be a key junction of trade between China, Korea, Russia, and the other Southeastern Asian countries and Japan.

It is totally misunderstanding that it snows a lot in Fukui. In recent years in particular, due to the warming temperature trend, we have not had so much snow. The same as in Kanazawa and Toyama. I, as a CEO of a parking-structure company, see and feel the decrease of the amount of snow; parking structure snow removal has been getting easier year by year for these 10 years. In spite of this fact, many people still believe that it snows a lot in Fukui. This is wrong. They simply misunderstand the heavy snow in the mountain-ringed regions of Niigata or Nagano for that in Fukui.

It is also a misunderstanding that it is very cold in Fukui. The annual mean minimum temperature of Fukui is not significantly lower than that of Bou-sou, Izu, and Seto-uchi areas, all of which are generally regarded as warm regions. It is not quite usual in Fukui that the temperatures drop to below zero [below 32F]. Compared to Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, and Kobe, it is not so cold in Fukui during the winter. Rather, due to the radiating cooling, it is colder in those big cities than in Fukui.

Fukui is not a cold region!

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