Considering the move to Fukuoka

Hi everyone,

For some context: I'm Spanish (34M) and my wife is Japanese. We've been living in Barcelona for the past 3 years, but we're growing increasingly concerned about the current situation here. Between rising insecurity, unrealistic housing prices (€300k-€400k+ for an old 60sqm apartment in inconvenient areas), declining civility (noise, dirty streets), and a serious issue with squatters (we even have friends who have had to deal with squatters in their own buildings), we are seriously considering a change.

Because of all this, we're exploring the idea of moving to Japan. I currently work as a culinary instructor and have several years of experience working in 1 and 3-Michelin-star restaurants, as well as 5-star hotels. If we make the move, my goal would be to open a small cafe business.

I would love some feedback on Fukuoka first of all. Which areas or neighborhoods would you recommend we start looking into?

Financially, I have around €120k in savings to cover my part of a potential mortgage and the initial startup costs for the business. Our target is to buy a house in the 40M–45M JPY range. I've been browsing Suumo and At Home and found some stunningly good prices, but I'm quite lost when it comes to evaluating neighborhoods.

Any advice on family-friendly/business-friendly areas, the housing market, or starting a small food business in Japan would be hugely appreciated.

Thank you!