{
  "id": 7446085,
  "title": "News in Easy English: Many foreign visitors go to convenience store on tiny Fukuoka island",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/15/news-in-easy-english-many-foreign-visitors-go-to-convenience-store-on",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-15T02:00:15.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Mainichi",
    "slug": "the-mainichi",
    "url": "https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20260914/p2a/00m/0na/022000c"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "FUKUOKA -- Visitors from at least 48 countries and regions stopped by a convenience store on Nokonoshima island. Nokonoshima is a popular island in Hakata Bay, close to the city of Fukuoka in southwestern Japan. The store, NocoMart, sits near the island's ferry terminal.\n\nStore employees asked overseas visitors about their origins during April to August. The store displays a world map at the counter. As visitors make purchases, employees mark their country or region on the map with red stickers. The island saw visitors from South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Nepal, the United States, France, Germany and four African nations, including Cape Verde, which is also an island.\n\nNocoMart opened in July 2025 as the sole convenience store on the island. On weekdays, about 100 people visit, while the number rises to about 200 on weekends. The store stocks around 700 products, with many international visitors buying original merchandise like magnets, key chains and T-shirts.\n\nThe world map is quickly filling up with red stickers, a popular attraction for many visitors. They often take photos of the map to remember their trip. NocoMart's manager, Yuichi Asaba, 60, enjoys conversing with international visitors, stating, \"The map gives us a chance to talk with international visitors, and the conversations often grow from there.\" Nokonoshima had a population of 579 at the end of July, situated about a 10-minute ferry ride from Fukuoka's Meinohama Ferry Terminal.",
  "summary": "FUKUOKA -- People from at least 48 countries and regions visited a convenience store on Nokonoshima. Nokonoshima is a popular island in Hakata Bay. It",
  "key_points": [
    "Visitors from 48+ countries stopped at NocoMart on Nokonoshima island",
    "Store employees recorded origins of overseas shoppers in April-August",
    "Map of world filled with red stickers, popular attraction for tourists"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}