6 Oct 2026
24: A Creative Hub in Fukuoka - Takehide Nozaki of Nishitetsu
Episode 24 of Where Innovation Happens explores the story behind ONE FUKUOKA BUILDING, the largest building in the central business district--Tenjin--of the largest city in southern Japan--Fukuoka.(A note about the audio: I conducted this interview entirely in Japanese, a first for this podcast. I used ElevenLabs to dub it into English using AI-cloned versions of our own voices. I had been wanting to try this for a long time. It is still a little quirky, particularly early on, but I find it amazing that this is possible. You may enjoy experiencing the technology. I actually delayed the release of this episode about six months to give ElevenLabs some time to mature their technology, which was rocky at first. It is improving fast as you will see.)Back to our main topic: The building was developed by Nishitetsu, the region’s major private railway company. They also operate buses, supermarkets, hotels, and international logistics businesses, and help operate the Fukuoka Airport. They are something of an “everything” company, with a substantial role in shaping the region.A few years ago, they decided to replace their aging headquarters in the very center of the city. They brought in New York architecture firm Kohn Pedersen Fox as part of the design team and created something special. If you get a chance to visit, you will be struck by the care given to the details.On the top floors, they created a hotel with a strong emphasis on art and design. ONE FUKUOKA HOTEL subsequently became the global winner at the 2025 World Luxury Hotel Awards in the Luxury Art Boutique Hotel category. This is sometimes compared to the "Academy Awards" of hotels.They also wanted a creative space for startups. They reached out to my company, CIC, and we undertook to build it with them.The building opened in April 2025. During a recent visit, I sat down with Takehide Nozaki, the Nishitetsu executive who has overseen the project and the broader development of the surrounding community. We recorded inside CIC Fukuoka.Takehide told me that they began by asking what kind of city they wanted to create. Their answer centered on creativity and bringing creative people together. That thinking helped shape a building combining an innovation hub, art, a distinctive hotel, and places for companies to grow.Anyone who travels around Japan will notice that Fukuoka feels especially welcoming to those of us from overseas. You hear lots of foreign language in the streets, the shopkeepers go out of their way to be helpful, etc. The city is also crazy efficient. It takes only 11 (!) minutes to get from the airport's domestic terminal to the center of the city, riding just the regular subway. Takehide pointed out that there is still more to do. For instance the city needs more international school capacity, and he feels the city can do even better making everyday life easier for people who don't speak Japanese.We talked about how Fukuoka could develop new industries in which it can become a leader. One idea was looking at whether Nishitetsu’s logistics operations and agricultural services business could provide a testbed for startups to test AI and robotics solutions.I ask what success for CIC Fukuoka would look like five years from now. Takehide’s answer is straightforward: new companies born here, staying here, and growing into businesses that help move the region forward. That is our goal too.Guest: Takehide Nozaki, Managing Executive Officer, NishitetsuHost: Tim Rowe, Founder and Executive Chair, Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC)Topics: Fukuoka, Japan, Nishitetsu, CIC Fukuoka, ONE FUKUOKA Building, Tenjin redevelopment, innovation hubs, startup ecosystems, urban development, creative communities, international business, AI, logistics, humanoid robotics, agricultural technology, ElevenLabs, AI dubbing.#WhereInnovationHappens #CICNow #Fukuoka #Innovation #Entrepreneurship #Nishitetsu
