Life in Fukuoka "English"

【FaN Week】

As autumn approaches, throughout Fukuoka City, you'll find an urban art event taking place  again this year.

FaN Week is an art event that turns locations across the city into what organizers describe as “an art playground spreading throughout the city.”

Around 20 venues are taking part, including the main venue, the Fukuoka Art Museum, as well as the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum, Artist Café Fukuoka, ONE FUKUOKA BLDG., and the Fukuoka International Center. Ten galleries will also serve as event venues.

At the Grand Lobby of ONE FUKUOKA BLDG., visitors can see a large-scale installation incorporating playground equipment. Meanwhile, the Grand Studio at Artist Café Fukuoka features an installation that transforms a gymnasium into a huge theatre space.

Through a wide variety of exhibitions and hands-on programs, FaN Week gives visitors the chance to encounter art while walking around the city.

The event will continue until Monday, October 12th, at various locations throughout Fukuoka City. For full details, check the official website and head out to experience some of the art that catches your eye.

【Fukuoka City Information】

Tuberculosis and Respiratory Infection Prevention Week

September 24th through September 30th is Tuberculosis and Respiratory Infection Prevention Week.

Tuberculosis, or TB, is an infectious disease caused by tuberculosis bacteria and mainly affects the lungs. It spreads when a person breathes in TB bacteria released into the air through the coughs or sneezes of someone who has the disease.

In 2025, 145 people in Fukuoka City were newly diagnosed with tuberculosis.

In recent years, there has been a tendency for more cases to occur among foreign-born people in their 20s and 30s. Group infections have also occurred at Japanese language schools and similar institutions.

Symptoms of tuberculosis include coughing, phlegm, fever, chest pain, fatigue, night sweats, and weight loss. Early symptoms can be similar to those of a common cold. If you have symptoms that concern you, such as a cough lasting for more than two weeks, phlegm, persistent tiredness, or sudden weight loss, please visit a medical institution as soon as possible.

Early detection and treatment are important not only for preventing the illness from becoming more serious, but also for helping prevent infection from spreading to family members, friends, coworkers, and others around you.

Not everyone who becomes infected with tuberculosis will develop the disease. However, if the body’s immune system is unable to keep the bacteria under control, they may slowly multiply and cause illness later on. To help prevent infection and the development of tuberculosis, it is important to maintain good general health through enough sleep, a balanced diet, and regular exercise.

And even if you are diagnosed with tuberculosis, it can be cured by taking your medication properly every day according to your doctor’s instructions.

Fukuoka City has a Medical Interpretation Call Center, where you can ask for help finding a hospital. The service can also be used when speaking with a doctor at a hospital, or when receiving medication at a hospital or pharmacy.

It is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The telephone number is (092-733-5429).

Support is available in 20 languages, so please make use of the service if you need help.

➖Guest Interview➖

【Radim】From the Czech Republic, speak Czech, Slovak, German, English and Japanese.

🔎https://www.jpexplained.com/en?utm_source=chatgpt.com

【Hojoya】

One of the highlights of autumn in Fukuoka is Hojoya, one of Hakata’s three major festivals, alongside the Hakata Dontaku festival in spring and the Hakata Gion Yamakasa festival in summer.

Hojoya is held every year from September 12th to 18th at Hakozakigu Shrine in Higashi Ward, Fukuoka City. Around one million people visit during the festival period, and this year it begins this Saturday.

With a history of more than 1,000 years, the festival originally involved releasing fish and birds back into nature as a way of showing respect for life. Today, it is also celebrated as one of Fukuoka’s major autumn festivals, with people praying for a good harvest, prosperity in business, and safety and happiness for their families.

Around 500 stalls line the one-kilometre approach to the shrine. Visitors can enjoy all kinds of festival food, as well as traditional games such as goldfish scooping, water-balloon fishing, and shooting galleries. There is even a retro Showa-era haunted house.

Another familiar sight along the approach is bunches of fresh ginger with the leaves still attached, one of Hojoya’s best-known specialties. In the past, ginger fields spread throughout the area around Hakozakigu Shrine, and visitors would take fresh ginger home as a souvenir after visiting the shrine. That tradition continues to this day.

With plenty to enjoy from morning until night, Hojoya is a wonderful way to give thanks for this season's harvest while experiencing one of Fukuoka’s most distinctive autumn traditions.

【Fukuoka City Information】

Disaster Preparedness Day and Emergency Stockpiling Week

Every year, September 1st is Disaster Preparedness Day in Japan. In Fukuoka City, the week from September 1st through September 7th has been designated Fukuoka City Emergency Stockpiling Week.

“Stockpiling” means keeping food and other essential supplies on hand in case of an emergency. Fukuoka City is encouraging both households and businesses to prepare supplies and to think more carefully about disaster preparedness.

So why is stockpiling so important?

Well, even if you survive an earthquake or typhoon, you still need water and food to stay safe and healthy. If stores are closed, you may not be able to buy food or drinks. If the water supply is cut off, you may not have drinking water, and if electricity or gas is unavailable, you may not be able to cook. Having emergency supplies ready in advance can help you stay safe after a disaster.

So, what should you prepare?

Make sure you have at least three days’ worth of drinking water and food. As a general guide, each person needs around three litres of water per day. For emergency food, prepare items that can be eaten without cooking, such as ready-to-eat rice, including alpha rice, canned food, biscuits, chocolate, and emergency crackers.

Check that your radio and flashlight have working batteries. You should also prepare any medicine you regularly take, as well as first-aid supplies such as bandages. If there is a baby in your family, make sure you have essentials such as diapers.

In addition to drinking water, you will also need water for everyday use, such as flushing the toilet. It is a good idea to keep water stored in containers or to leave some water in the bathtub so that it can be used in an emergency.

Another recommended method is called rolling stock. This means buying a little more of the food you normally eat, using the oldest items first before they expire, and then replacing what you have used. It is an easy and practical way to keep emergency supplies on hand without adding much extra cost or effort to your regular shopping.

Typhoons are common around this time of year, and with the recent major earthquake in Kumamoto, this is a good opportunity to check your emergency supplies and make sure you are prepared for a disaster.