Proving that Fukuoka is as hungry as ever for more and increasingly novel ways and places to shop, KITTE Hakata is storming into Hakata in Spring 2016. The clue to what make this department store special is in the name, as kitte means stamp; which is a nod to the building it replaces, the former general post office. The name is also, however, a pun on the Japanese word for come, kite, which is derived from the verb ‘to come’. It is the second KITTE shopping building, the first was opened near Tokyo Station in 2013. The Tokyo building is home to upmarket shops like Urban Research and Issey Miyake, as well as beauty salons and gourmet eateries, and the new Fukuoka branch promises more of the same. Source: Nishinippon Shimbun 7/23
