Life in Fukuoka "English"

【Hydrangea Season】

From June to July, during Japan's rainy season, you can enjoy the sight of one of Japan's native plants, Ajisai, or Hydrangea in English.

These blooms, which look like flowers are not considered true flowers. Sepals, or modified leaves, make up most of the bloom and can be seen in colors from white to shades of blue. 

In Fukuoka city, you can easily enjoy hydrangeas in various places such as the Fukuoka City Botanical Garden and Maizuru Park located in the ruins of Fukuoka Castle. You can also see approximately 10,000 hydrangea plants of about 70 varieties blooming at Uminonakamichi Seaside Park and at Nokonoshima Island Park along the Hydrangea Path that they have there.

Another must-see location is Hakozaki Shrine, known as one of the three great Hachimangu shrines in Japan, which features 100 species and 3,500 hydrangea plants in its Hydrangea Garden.

Although the rainy season can be a bit gloomy, going to see these vibrant hydrangea blooms is sure to bring some cheer to your day!

【Fukuoka City Information】

The World Aquatics Championships

Now, I have some information from Fukuoka City.

The upcoming Fukuoka 2023 FINA World Championships is just a month away. On July 14th, Fukuoka will host the World Aquatics Championships for the first time in 22 years.

This event, which includes swimming, artistic swimming, diving, high diving, water polo, and open water swimming, features 6 disciplines and 75 events, comparable to the Olympics. Approximately 2,400 athletes from over 200 countries are expected to participate. You will be able to experience the excitement and inspiration of top athletes from around the world competing in Fukuoka.

The Japanese national team will include notable athletes such as Tomoru Honda, silver medalist in the butterfly event at TOKYO 2020, Yui Ohashi, double champion in individual medley, Rikako Ikee, who achieved four titles in butterfly and freestyle at Japan Swim 2023, and Yukiko Inui, gold medalist in artistic swimming at the Budapest 2022 World Championships.

For the schedule of events and ticket information, please search for "Fukuoka 2023 FINA World Championships Tickets" .

Let's enjoy the festive atmosphere of the event together at the venue and on television, where the citizens of Fukuoka and spectators from around the world come together in excitement for this event.

To continue, I'd like to share a little bit of information from the Fukuoka City International Foundation.

Through the Foundation's official LINE account, you can can get advice on daily life in Japan or make an appointment for free professional consultation using the LINE call feature. Telephone interpretation is available in 22 languages, so please feel free to contact them. In addition, you can get information on the Foundation's events and announcements for international residents. Please add the Foundation's official LINE account to your friends' list from the Fukuoka City International Foundation website. The foundation will not accept consultations via the LINE talk chat function, but you can use the inquiry form on the foundation's website if you want to send a message about anything.