Fukuoka City faces the Genkai-nada Sea in the northern part of Kyushu. It is at the western tip of the crescent-shaped Japanese archipelago and draws near to the Eurasian continent and the Korean peninsula. Our ancestors kept this area rich and lively by coming into contact first with cultures the rest of Japan was unaware of, by developing forms of production and economic activity never experienced before and by overcoming threats not encountered in the past. Subject matter of our permanent exhibitions addresses the history of Fukuoka and the lifestyle of the people of this area, which served as a gateway to foreign interchange.