Life in Fukuoka "English"

【Eho-Maki】

This Saturday,February 3 is Setsubun, the day before the beginning of spring in the old calendar in Japan.
The name literally means 'seasonal division. On this day, there is a traditional event to drive away evil spirits
and wish for good health and good fortune throughout the year." One thing people do for Setsubun is
"mamemaki" (bean-throwing), which you do while chanting"Oni wa soto - Fuku wa uchi" . This means “Ogre
go out, good fortune come in”. Another thing people do for good luck on this day, a more recent custom, is to
eat "ehoumaki" , so today I'll talk a little bit about this Ehou-maki.
Basically, “Ehoumaki" is a type of sushi roll. There are no rules regarding the ingredients to be used in the roll,
but it is said that egg , shrimp, sea eel, cucumber, shiitake mushroom, dried gourd, and sakuradenbu, a kind
of pink flaked fish egg, should be used as ingredients as they represent seven kinds of lucky charms.
However, you'll see “Ehoumaki” with lots of different fillings.
And although there aren't really rules about the filling, there are some rules about how to eat "ehoumaki".
The first rule is that one person must eat the whole entire roll by himself/herself. Ehoumaki is a sushi that rolls
in good fortune, so it must not be cut so that the karma or the good fortune isn't broken.
The second rule is that you have to eat it facing the direction that is considered auspicious for the year. This
year it is "East Northeast,”, so get your compass out and make sure you are facing the right way!
Finally, it is important that as you are eating it, you make a wish in your mind and continue eating silently until
you finish the roll. Don't let your luck escape by talking while you are eating!
Think you'll celebrate setsubun? You can buy beans for "mamemaki" at supermarkets and you can buy
ehoumaki in supermarkets and convenience stores if you don't want to make one. So give this little bit of
Japanese culture a try at home on February 3 and bring in some extra luck and fortune for the year.

【Fukuoka City Information】

Lifestyle Related Disease Prevention Month

February is Life-style related disease prevention month.
These are diseases that develop due to, as you may have guessed, our life-style. Life-style related diseases
include diabetes, hypertension and heart attacks and are caused by a lack of regular exercise and by
nutritionally imbalanced diets. Smoking, excessive drinking and stress can also cause life-style related
diseases.
To maintain a healthy life-style, balanced and appropriately portioned meals, three times a day at regular
times, is key. Constantly eating nutritionally unbalanced foods, like instant meals or greasy foods, can cause
obesity and diabetes. They also say that chewing your food properly is important in a healthy diet as it will
reduce the burden on your digestive system and strengthen the muscles around the mouth. Taking your time
to eat, spending at least 20 minutes enjoying your meal, is suggested.
Regular exercise is also important as the loss of muscle mass due to a lack of exercise will affect your basal
metabolic rate, which is the number of calories you burn as your body performs basic life-sustaining functions.
If this rate decreases, it's more likely you'll gain weight. So make time to exercise to maintain your muscle
strength and mass. For those who do not have many opportunities to exercise, walk when shopping, use the
stairs instead of the elevator or escalator, or take other short breaks in your daily life to get about 10 minutes
more physical activity than you do now. It will go a long way toward your health.
Sleep is also essential to your health. It plays an important role in our health as it allows us to get rid of mental
and physical fatigue and boosts our immunity. But to maintain our immunity, it's important that we are getting
enough sleep and that our sleep is good quality sleep. Avoid using your smartphone, watching TV, or
consuming caffeine or alcohol before going to bed, as these will reduce the quality of your sleep. Instead, find

another way to relax, perhaps by taking a bath before bed, or doing whatever is it you like to do to relax. It's
important to live a stress-free life. Perhaps this is a chance to take another look at your own daily life-style.

　【interview】

GUEST：Allan Wido from Mexico

work： construction company

favorite place in FUKUOKA：Fukutsu beach

Enjoy：baseball and soccer. an Avispa fan

for listenner,,,

【Amaou Strawberries】

So, are you a fan of strawberries at all? If you are, January 15^th might be the day for you. January 15^th is Strawberry Day in Japan and it comes from a bit of word play as the words いい・いちご"  mean good and strawberry, but can also be understood as one and fifteen, or January 15^th.

Strawberries are eaten all over the world, but it seems Japan is the largest consumer of fresh strawberries, and it is said that more than half of the world's strawberries come from Japan, with about 300 varieties grown.

Actually, here in Fukuoka, strawberries are so famous that the prefecture ranks second in Japan in terms of production. Among the many varieties available in Fukuoka, "Amaou" is a brand-name strawberry grown only in Fukuoka. Named after the initial letters of its characteristics in Japanese which translate to, "red, round, large, and tasty," it is a very popular variety. They are in season this time of year and are extremely tasty, so please find some and try them.

Of course, eating them as they are is delicious, but in Japan, people often recommend eating them with condensed milk or as part of a Japanese-style confectionery called "Strawberry Daifuku," which is only available during this season.

For those who love strawberries and want to eat a lot of them, "strawberry picking" is also available at various locations in Fukuoka Prefecture. There are quite a few ways to enjoy strawberries here, like trying different kinds of strawberries as you pick and compare them, enjoying them as an all-you-can-eat type of picking, making your own strawberry recipes such as jam from ones you've bought, or just enjoying full strawberry dessert menus at a cafe.

It's the season for strawberries, so enjoy them to the fullest. Oh, and strawberries are sweetest at the tip, so start from the leafy end and eat them so that you can enjoy that sweetness at the end!
Please enjoy Fukuoka's strawberries this season.

【Fukuoka City Information】

Special Foreign Student Visit for Setsubun Grand Festival at Tochoji Temple

Setsubun is an annual event to drive away illnesses, disasters, and other bad things, and to wish for a healthy life. The custom of "Mamemaki" has been practiced since ancient times, in which beans are thrown to drive out the ogres which are considered the source of misfortune. The custom at this event is to say, "Fuku wa uchi, Oni wa soto” which means “Luck inside, Ogres Out!” to pray for good luck against misfortune.
 
Tochoji Temple in Hakata Ward holds the Setsubun Dai Matsuri or Grand Setsubun Festival on February 3 every year.

The temple is crowded with visitors every year, and the seven gods of good fortune, the deity Otafuku, and red ogres, and blue ogres make an exciting appearance to throw beans.

To promote this Setsubun festival, on Friday, January 19, international students living in Fukuoka will visit various locations in Fukuoka City dressed as the Seven Deities of Good Luck, and as the red and blue ogres, to throw beans and hopefully bring all of us luck. International students participate in this event every year for the purpose of experiencing Hakata's traditional festival as an opportunity for international exchange. The highlight of the event is the performance by international students dressed as demons at each bean-throwing site, such as at Fukuoka City Hall, and shops and hotels around the city.

Have you ever been to mame-maki, the bean-throwing ceremony? It's a fun and exciting way to experience a little bit of Japanese culture with the added bonus of bringing in good fortune for the year.

【Gen-Katsugi -Keeping a lucky streak】

University entrance examinations are coming up this weekend in Japan.

Students have been furiously studying and are all hoping for good results. Actually, in  Japan, there is a custom called "Gen-Katsugi," which is an action or behavior that one performs in the hope of a good result. We repeat the actions we have done in past that have resulted in success, things like using the same pencil for a test or wearing lucky socks. In Japan, people also eat lucky foods if they have an exam or big competition. Some of it is based on word play like with pork cutlets, tonkatsu because katsu means to win in Japanese. Omusubi, which are rice balls, has the meaning of “to tie”, so people want to tie their efforts to success. Sticky foods are also good luck, it seems.  Other things people do include cleaning and grooming oneself for good luck, and paying a visit to a Buddhist temple. It is also believed that wishes come true when they are spoken aloud, and that power resides in the words that are uttered, an effect known as "kotodama" (the spirit of speech).

Of course, wishes cannot come true without effort, but it might be worth it to make a wish to relieve any test anxiety and calm your mind, or to cheer up your loved ones.

So, to all the students, their families, and supporters for their hard work over the long period of time, I wish you all the best. The time has come to put those study efforts to work. Take care of yourself physically and mentally so that you are ready and good luck on your exams!

【Fukuoka City Information】

Be Careful about the Norovirus

As you may know, winter is the season when it's very easy to get infectious gastroenteritis and food poisoning due to the Norovirus. It's a strong virus and can be transmitted even with very little contact.

The virus enters your body via the food you eat or from your hands from touching something. It causes vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain and fever. You can get the virus through inhalation if someone with the virus in the area has been vomiting or had diarrhea. You can also get it from foods that have been cooked by somebody infected by the virus. It can also be transmitted by eating shellfish, like oysters, that haven't been thoroughly cooked and are carrying the virus.

Severe vomiting and diarrhea can cause dehydration. So if you think you have caught the virus, get checked by a medical professional as soon as possible. You'll recover in a few days but the virus can hang around for a week to a month, even in your stools, and so it is possible to infect others, something we need to be careful about.

We can take measures to prevent the spread of infection, however. Be sure to wash your hands with soap before preparing meals, before eating and after using the toilet. Make sure you wash your utensils and cooking tools thoroughly after each use and disinfect them with bleach or boiling water. Alcohol disinfectants aren't that effective against the Norovirus, but heat is. The Norovirus is killed at temperatures of 85-90 degrees Celsius.

So, make sure that when you cook, things are cooked thoroughly and that you wash any fruits and veggies that you don't cook. And, of course, if you don't feel well, try to stay away from  doing too much in the kitchen.

【Nanakusa-gayu】

Happy New year! Thank you for starting the year off with me. I hope you have a wonderful 2024 filled with good food, fun and friends.

How did you spend your New Year's eve? What's the plan for today?

I hope you have a chance to enjoy the food, customs, and atmosphere around the city that are unique to the New Year.

I don't know if you know this, but on January 7, the last day of the New Year week, people eat "Nanakusa porridge," a traditional food containing seven kinds of seasonal medicinal herbs, for breakfast, to pray for good health and good fortune throughout the year. It is also meant to help the stomach and intestines, which may be tired and overworked from the rich foods and alcohol consumed during the New Year's holiday. The porridge is usually seasoned simply with salt. You can find these seven herbs as a set, sold at supermarkets and other places, so you don't have to worry about trying to gather all of these ingredients together.

Once again, I wish you all a happy and healthy year in 2024!

【Fukuoka City Information】

Japanese Chatting Salon

The first topic is about their Japanese chatting salon which might be useful for any international students who are studying in Fukuoka. Do you know about the monthly Japanese Chatting Salon? Using Zoom, international students and Japanese volunteers meet one on one or in small groups to talk about topics that interest them. If you are looking for a chance to use daily Japanese as well as practice the Japanese you've learned in class, or just want to chat with a native Japanese speaker, then definitely join in! The sessions are free and the next session will be held online on January 31st.  You do need to make a reservation to join this event though.

To learn more about this event or to make a reservation, please visit the Fukuoka City International Foundation's website or their Facebook page. The website for the Fukuoka City International Foundation is www.fcif.or.jp. Again that website is www.fcif.or.jp.  You can also call the Foundation to get details at  (092-262-1799). They're looking forward to hearing from you, so check it out.

Consultations for Immigration, Residency, and Nationality Matters

To continue, is there anything you don't understand about residency status and term of stay regulations? If there is, the Fukuoka City International Foundation provides free consultation on these matters to the international residents of Fukuoka City.

Consultations are held every second Sunday of the month. They are offered from 1:00 to 4:00 PM, but you must register by 3:30 PM.  A gyousei-shoshi, or administrative lawyer will answer your questions and offer consultation.

There are English and Chinese interpreters present, and so, consultation in English, Chinese and Japanese does not require a reservation. For other languages, please consult with the center at least one week in advance.

Your confidentiality is guaranteed, so please feel at ease to use these services.

For more information, please call  (0120-66-1799). Phone calls will be accepted between 9am and 6pm on weekdays.