Life in Fukuoka "English"

【Cool Share Fukuoka】

This summer, Fukuoka City has launched “Cool Share Fukuoka,” a program that provides places around the city where people can take a break and cool down, to help people stay cool during the hot summer months, . The initiative aims to prevent heatstroke and promote energy conservation by offering designated cooling spots throughout the city. A total of 890 locations, including public facilities such as community centers and gymnasiums, as well as local pharmacies and commercial facilities, are participating. These locations display stickers or banners that say ”気軽に休憩を” or “Feel Free to Take a Break,” welcoming visitors to rest and cool off.

Participating locations include commercial facilities such as Fukuoka City Hall, the Tenjin Underground Shopping Mall, department stores, and all Seven-Eleven convenience stores within Fukuoka City. Participating facilities can be identified by stickers or banners marked “Cool Share Fukuoka.”

In addition, 44 locations throughout the city, including ward offices, gymnasiums, and parks, offer free water refill stations where residents can fill their own bottles with Fukuoka’s safe and delicious chilled tap water at any time.

As the summer heat continues, make use of these cooling spots and water refill stations when you are out and about, and take steps to prevent heatstroke while staying comfortable.

【Information from the Fukuoka City International Foundation】

School Enrollment and Educational Path Consultation Session For Children with Foreign Backgrounds

The Fukuoka City International Foundation, together with the Fukuoka Tomoni Ikiru Machi Association (NPO), Fukuoka YWCA, and the Fukuoka International Citizens Association, will hold a School Enrollment and Educational Path Consultation Session for children with foreign backgrounds.

At this consultation session, parents and children can receive advice on education and future schooling options for children with foreign backgrounds, from preschool age through high school.

Immigration and residency consultations will also be available with representatives from the Immigration Services Agency of Japan and certified administrative scriveners.

The service is free of charge.

Consultations are available in Japanese, English, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Nepali.

The event will be held on Saturday, July 11, starting at 1:00 p.m and will be held at the Fukuoka City International Center in Tenyamachi, Hakata Ward.

For reservations and inquiries, please visit the website of the Fukuoka Tomoni Ikiru Machi Association (NPO).

Legal Consultation and Personal Counseling

The Fukuoka City International Center offers free legal consultation and personal counseling for the international residents of Fukuoka City. 

Legal consultations are available from 10:30 AM to 1:30 PM on the first Saturday of every month, and from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM on the third Wednesday of the month. Each session runs for 45 minutes and is completely free.

However, you do need to make a reservation to consult with the lawyer. Free English interpretation services are also available so if you will need an interpreter, please mention that when you make your reservation. 

Personal counseling services are available every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday with a Japanese clinical psychologist in English or Japanese. Reservations are necessary, so please make one if you are interested.

Both types of consultations ensure strict confidentiality, so you can feel at ease when you come these consultations. Reservations will be taken from 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM on weekdays. For detailed inquiries, please contact (0120-66-1799).

【Guest Interview】

➖Steve➖

from Canada

https://www.wespeak.jp/
https://www.instagram.com/wespeak.jp/

【Blueberries】

Blueberries, which come into season from early summer and stay in season through the summer, are a popular fruit known for their sweet-tart flavor and rich nutritional value. From June through September, blueberry-picking farms begin opening across Fukuoka Prefecture, offering a fun seasonal activity.

In the nature-rich Wakiyama area of Sawara Ward, Fukuoka City, you’ll find Country Farm Kiichigoya, a blueberry farm where the berries are carefully grown without the use of pesticides or herbicides. The farm now has around 400 blueberry bushes, all full of fruit. Visitors can also enjoy a variety of original products made with freshly harvested blueberries, including blueberry jam, blueberry vinegar, and ice pops. In addition, blackberry picking is available until around mid-July. Part of the farm is covered with rain shelters, so you can enjoy berry picking even on rainy days without getting wet.

There’s something special about walking among the trees and picking perfectly ripe blueberries with your own hands, so why not refresh yourself in nature with family and friends while enjoying the flavors of the season?

【Fukuoka City Information】

Information about the National Health Insuranc

In Japan, to ensure that everyone can receive medical care at a low cost and with peace of mind when they are sick or injured, it is mandatory for all residents to join a public health insurance system. People who are allowed to stay in Japan for more than three months and are not covered by their company's health insurance must join the National Health Insurance. This requires procedures at the ward office of the district where you live.

Those enrolled in the Fukuoka City National Health Insurance must pay insurance premiums. These premiums are an important source of funding used for medical expenses. The insurance premiums for the period from April 2026 to March 2027 were determined in June based on the previous year's income and other factors.

For those enrolled in the National Health Insurance, payment notices have been sent out today June 15th  in a blue envelope. When you receive your envelope, please check the amount of the insurance premium listed in the documents inside the envelope and pay the premium within the payment deadline. Failure to pay the insurance premium may result in an investigation of your assets and the seizure of your savings or salary, so please be aware.

If you have any questions, you can receive consultations over the phone in 24 different languages. The phone number is (092-753-6113). That phone number is for a interpretation center, so after speaking to a representative you will be connected to your local ward office. Make sure you tell them which ward you live in and that you want help with the National Health Insurance. 

【Food Education Day】

In Fukuoka Prefecture, efforts are being made to promote food education and local production for local consumption as a prefecture-wide movement. As part of this initiative, on the 19th of every month, known as “Food Education Day,” a special farmers market corner is set up at the Fukuoka Prefectural Government Office in Hakata Ward, where fresh seasonal agricultural, forestry, and marine products, as well as processed goods, are sold.

The market is held every month on the 19th from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., and ends once items are sold out. If the 19th falls on a government office closing day, it is held on the nearest preceding business day instead. This month, it will be held over two days, Thursday the 18th and Friday the 19th. The location is the first-floor lobby of the Fukuoka Prefectural Government Office.

Why not support Fukuoka-produced agricultural, forestry, and marine products by buying them—and by enjoying them too?

【Fukuoka City Information】

Rainy Season and Heavy Rain

In Japan, the period from June to July is known as the “rainy season,” when there is a lot of rainfall.
Please be careful, as this is a time when disasters caused by heavy rain are more likely to occur.

In recent years, record-breaking rainfall during the rainy season has caused major damage in Fukuoka Prefecture as well.
When there is heavy rain, do not go near dangerous places such as rivers, coastlines, or steep slopes near mountains. Please take action to protect your life.

On the Fukuoka City website, you can check hazard maps and disaster prevention information.
Please check in advance what kinds of dangers exist in the area where you live and how to evacuate if necessary.
For details, search for “Fukuoka City Multilingual Portal” and visit the “Disaster” page.

Important information from Fukuoka City is also shared in multiple languages through the official Fukuoka City Facebook page “Global Community Fukuoka” and the Fukuoka City International Foundation Facebook page “Fukuoka City International Center / Attaka Fukuoka.”
Please follow these pages to receive important information regularly.

Taxes

People who were living in Fukuoka City on January 1 and whose income from the previous year exceeded 1.1 million yen may need to pay municipal and prefectural resident taxes.

A tax payment notice will arrive around June 15, so please make sure to check it carefully.
It will show the payment amount and payment deadline.
You can pay at convenience stores, banks, or post offices.
Payment by smartphone apps and credit card is also available.

If you work for a company, the tax may be deducted directly from your salary.
If you do not pay your municipal taxes, your property may be seized, and it could negatively affect future residency status renewal procedures.

If you do not understand something or have difficulty making payments, please consult your local ward office.
Consultations are available by phone in 23 languages.

The phone number is (092-753-6113).
After contacting the interpretation center, you will be connected to your ward office.
Please tell them the language you speak, the ward where you live, and that your inquiry is about taxes.

【Fireflies】

Fireflies drifting through the air with their soft, magical glow are a beautiful sight to see. Although many people associate fireflies with summer, they actually only appear for a short period from late May to mid-June.

It is said that fireflies are most active on warm, humid nights with temperatures above 20 degrees Celsius, especially on cloudy and windless evenings. Nights after rain or just before rainfall, when the air feels muggy, are considered the best time to see them. Their activity usually peaks about two hours after sunset, so visiting around that time is recommended.

Fireflies prefer areas with rich nature and clean water. In Fukuoka City, there are many famous viewing spots where you can see fireflies, including the rooftop of JR Hakata City at Hakata Station, Myohoji Temple in Chuo Ward, and the upper stream area of the Muromi River in Sawara Ward. Firefly viewing is a wonderful outing for an early summer evening.

However, fireflies are very delicate creatures. Touching them can quickly weaken them, so please do not catch them, and simply enjoy watching them quietly. Strong lights such as car headlights, flashlights, and camera flashes are also strictly prohibited. Please follow proper manners while enjoying the fireflies.

【Fukuoka City Information】

Easy Japanese Radio Course

Have you ever listened to the “Easy Japanese Radio Course”?
This program speaks slowly in “easy Japanese” for foreign residents who may not yet fully understand Japanese.
It shares useful information that foreign residents should know while living in Japan.

The program airs every Friday from 9:54 a.m.
Even if there is something you don’t understand or you miss the broadcast, don’t worry!
You can listen again anytime on the podcast while following along with the script posted on the Love FM website.
Please give it a listen.

HIV Testing Awareness Week

The week from June 1 to June 7 is HIV Testing Awareness Week.
In 2025, medical institutions in Fukuoka City newly reported 10 HIV cases and 11 AIDS patients.

Prevention, early detection, and early treatment are very important for HIV infection.
Since HIV infection usually causes very few symptoms at first, testing is necessary to know whether or not you have been infected.

Each ward Health and Welfare Center distributes free HIV self-testing kits that can be used at home.
You can also take tests for syphilis and genital chlamydia, which have been increasing in recent years, at the same time.

Testing is simple. You collect blood and urine samples at home and mail them to a testing center. The results can then be checked online.
Distribution dates for the testing kits are scheduled in advance, so please check the Fukuoka City website beforehand.

By detecting HIV early and receiving proper health management and treatment, it is possible to delay the onset of AIDS.
If you are concerned, please get tested for early detection.