Life in Fukuoka "English"

【Dive into the printed page with Book Week】

Autumn is the perfect time for curling up with a book as the days get cooler and more comfortable. Speaking of books, Book Week is coming up. It started in 1974 in Japan, based on the Book Week events seen in the US. It was readily accepted and the very next year, it turned into a two week event with Bunka No Hi, or Culture Day on November 3^rd, at its center with an owl as a symbol of the event. Actually, the owl, in ancient Greek myths, was the messenger of Athena, the goddess of beauty who also governed scholarship, arts and wisdom. It's said that she held the owl in esteem as a symbol of wisdom with it's round eyes and face. If you're looking for a good book to read but don't have time to go to the bookstore, why not try the Fukuoka City Digital Library. Just register for it online and read your favorite books on your computer, smartphone or tablet.  Definitely handy to have when the books you want to read are hundreds of pages thick. I really love the Diana Gabaldon Outlander series, but as the series has gone on the books have gotten thicker. The last one was over 800 pages. Just a bit cumbersome to carry around, on a tablet is so much easier!

【Bicycle Manners】

Now, I have some information from Fukuoka City.

I don't know if you are a regular bicycle rider, I certainly am, but I do know that there are a lot of people on bicycles in the city. And did you know that there are some rules and other things you should know about cycling in the city? I guess quite a few more people have started riding bicycles in an effort to avoid the 3 C's as a result of Covid-19 which is why it's important to know what these rules are.

In Japan, bicycles are supposed to pass on the left side of the road and pedestrians have priority while on the sidewalk. So, when you are on the sidewalk, please pass slowly along the side closest to the road. Also, remember to turn on your headlight at night.

If you leave your bicycle parked on the road not in a designated area, it will be taken away, so always park in a designated area. Another thing to be aware of is that riding side by side is not allowed. Of course, cycling while drunk is definitely prohibited and you must not use umbrellas, mobile phones or earphones while cycling as it is dangerous.

From October, people who cycle in Fukuoka City are required to have bicycle insurance. If you have an accident involving another person,while on your bicycle, you may be be required to pay them quite a bit of money. If you have insurance and do happen to get into an accident, causing injury to another person and requiring treatment, insurance will cover those costs instead of you having to pay out of pocket.

So, make sure you sign up for that insurance, just in case there is an accident and of course, make sure you follow traffic rules when cycling. Take your time and be careful when cycling.

【Bicycle Share Charichari】

Speaking of cycling, in Fukuoka City, there is a bicycle sharing service called Charichari. There are over 370 bicycle ports throughout the city and the service area is growing all the time. You need the Charichari app on your phone, but once you have it you can easily rent one of these bicycles. When you're done with the rental, just return it to your nearest port. It costs 6 yen per minute to borrow a bike so, for example, cycling from Tenjin to Hakata, it would take about 10 minutes costing you about 60 yen. It's cheap, easy and convenient so try it out when you have a chance.