Life in Japan |
| Written By Scott Brady Why I came to Japan When I was in junior high school and high school I fell in love with the martial arts and studied it for four years. Because of this, I began to take a greater interest in the asian culture. Once I reached university I refined my taste of the asian culture more strictly to Japan. I took several courses on Japanese culture and history. In my third year of university, I decided to visit the international office and see if I might be interested in studying abroad. As it turned out my school in New York had a sister school right here in Fukuoka, Japan. I jumped at the opportunity to go there. And here I am, three years later, still residing in this wonderous city known as Fukuoka. |
| Why I stayed in Fukuoka I would have to say the people in Fukuoka are among the friendliest that I have known in America or Japan. I have traveled to several other prefectures in Japan and find that the friendliness and hospitality in a fairly large city like Fukuoka to be a rare treat. The people show this in their attitude and manner towards me and other foreigners as well as other japanese. People in Fukuoka of course aren't the only reason I have stayed here. There are a myriad of other reasons which have their hand in keeping me here. There are many things to do, many flavors to taste, many places to go, and much fun to be had. |
| Things to do in Fukuoka As stated above, Fukuoka isn't that small of a place. Actual numbers bring the population to about the 5 million mark, with the city having roughly 1.3 million people. With that amount of people around, you know there has got to be something to do. On any day of the week if you look you will be able to find something to do. There are often festivals in some area in Fukuoka city. With a little help from a friend or the domestic foreigner magizines and information centers you will be able to find out where the festivals are being held. The center of Fukuoka city will have to be Tenjin (though others may argue it to be Hakata). It is the shoppers haven of the prefecture. Feel you need to do a little shopping for some nice named brands from Italy or France? head on over to Tenjin. Want to blow off some steam and hit a bar (including foreigner bars)? Tenjin is the place to be. want to meet some new friends? Rainbow Plaza in... you guessed it, Tenjin, is the place to do just that. Right next door to Tenjin is Nakasu. Nakasu hosts nightlife entertainment but tends to cater to the more affluent individual. However, Nakasu also has a huge shopping complex named Canal City which has so many shops that you couldn't count them all. The complex holds many restaurants, two hotels, a large cinema and in the center of Canal City is an area called Sun Plaza where it is common to find street performers doing their acts. Of course Tenjin and Nakasu aren't the only place you can have fun. I live about 10 minutes away from Tenjin by subway in a town called Nishijin and I can do nearly as many things here as I can in Tenjin. Bowling, swimming, soccer, billiards, game centers, and even a movie theater are just a few of the things Nishijin and the nearby areas have to offer. Fukuoka Dome is located in Momochi which boarders the sea. Fukuoka Dome is home to the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks. The Hawks are a strong baseball team, beloved by the city and its residents. In fact, there are only two teams in Japans professional baseball league who attract more than one million fans to their home games per year, and the Hawks are one of them. When the Hawks don't have a home game you can sometimes find other activities occuring in Fukuoka Dome. Fukuoka Dome hosts various flea markets and concerts throughout the year. And once a year my Japanese university's baseball team (Seinan University) is treated to an annual thrashing by rival Fukuoka University. |
| Food, food, food! As far as I'm concerned, Fukuoka has the best food to offer in all of Japan (though I hear food in Sapporo is quite good). Fukuoka has its own well known dishes and of course the chefs here are well capable of recreating dishes found throughout the world Yatai when night begins to fall on Fukuoka city you may suddenly notice many little street vendors (usually operating out of their vans) popping up all over the sidewalks. These vendors serve a variety of foods ranging from ramen to yakiniku to tempura. Yatais themselves are really a site to see. Hard Rock Cafe Fukuoka On the occasions when i miss American and Mexican food, I always have the option to head on over to Hard Rock Cafe right next door to Fukuoka dome in Momochi. Momochi is adjacent to Nishijin so indeed I am in luck. Hard Rock Cafe Fukuoka boasts the largest restaurant of its kind in Japan. The food is fantastic and of course the atmosphere is like all other Hard Rock Cafes out there. The staff is very friendly and since I frequent their establishment often I am treated extremely well with occasional benefits. Izakaya Though not only found in Fukuoka, Izakaya restaurants deserve a notable mention. Izakayas offer a wide variety of food and more importantly drinks at a low price. University students as well as business men can often be found in these restaurants chatting with colleagues and drinking up a storm. All Izakayas offer a different ambiance, and with some searching you will be able to find one that suits you. Famous Fukuoka food Fukuoka ramen Have you ever had that cup O ramen or that freeze dried packaged ramen? bah! throw that out and try some "Tonkatsu ramen" (pork ramen) famous in Fukuoka and well know throughout all of Japan. First time I tried it I was instantly hooked and to this day try and eat it once every week or two. Mentaiko Another famous food which Fukuoka is renound for is mentaiko (very tiny fish eggs). To some people mentaiko may not seem very appetizing but please don't knock it till you try it. Mentaiko spaghetti, as an example, is a delicious treat around these parts. And there are of course many other recipes which have use for mentaiko. |
| Location Fukuoka is found on the southernmost island of the four main islands in Japan. The name of the island is Kyushu. Fukuoka happens to be closer to Seoul, South Korea than it is to Tokyo. Fukuoka prefecture is located on the northern tip of Kyushu. |
| Transportation Unlike the nickname given to New York, Fukuoka does tend to get a little tired at night but usually not until quite late especially on weekends. One of the reasons for this in my humble opinion is the transportation shutdown at around midnight. Thats right, the subway, train, and bus system all but stops once you hit the AM. Which leaves the weary and, more often than not, drunk to either take a taxi home, walk, or I have even heard the "I will just stay up until the subway starts up again at 6:00 before I go home" line used by those who just aren't finished partying when its time for the transportation system's last call. This isn't just a Fukuoka special, for the shutdown happens throughout the whole of Japan. Though the transportation system does shutdown at perhaps inconvenient times, it is a wonderful system. Perfectly clean trains, buses and subways (which are amazingly quiet) are the consequence of the shutdown for they are all cleaned during the wee hours of the morning. |
| Climate Fukuoka's summers can get quite hot and very humid while the winters tend to be rather mild with little to no snowfall annually. Late summer (mid August to mid September) is typhoon season in Japan. Rainy season is pretty much during the summer with some days being beautifully sunny while others offer nothing but dark clouds and rain. The winter temperature in Fukuoka averages about 40-45 F or 5-7 C. The average summer temperature ranges from 70-85 F or 22-28 C. |
| Fukuoka's symbols Flower: Plum blossom. Tree: Azalea Bird: Japanese bush-warbler |
| Staying in Japan for an extended period of
time does require one to apply for an Alien Registration Card
and a visa. Both processes are fairly painless and should not take up
too much time. View Scott Brady's home page |