What does Futsukaichi mean?

二日市 or Futsukaichi to the Romans, is pronounced "footsakaichee" going by the train drivers, so it's safe to say thats the best way to say it!  However, what does it mean?  

Well, if we break it up into parts, i.e. 二 = ni, 日 = day ...but 二 and 日together = futsuka, which means "second-day".  市 usually means city however in this instance it means "market."  

Therefore, as Sherlock Holmes would say, "London, that great cesspool into which all the loungers and idlers of the Empire are irresistibly drained."  when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth, so... Futsukaichi means "Second-day Market."  Riveting stuff, I know!! *dusts off pulitzer-prize speech*   

However, there is a tangible element to it.  Hakata is the Sea Port of Fukuoka, and as such, much trade would be conducted there.  In time, market towns began to spring up, to capitalise on their location between Sea Ports and the more remote villages.  They would often take the name from which day of the month they would open.  For example, if as in Toyama Prefecture, Mikkaichi was so named because it was the third day of the month they opened.  Mie Prefecture has Yokkaichi, and so on.  Futsukaichi is just the same, a market town that opens on the second-day of the month.


Nowadays, little of this tradition remains, except... Aeon Mall is  definitely the market of choice for the Futsukaichi public and  people from all the smaller villages come to Aeon's massive market.  It is open everyday but if you can imagine what it would be like if it was open just for a short period, on the second day of the month - I wonder if that is what it would have been like long ago in Futsukaichi?