Life in Fukuoka "English"

【Koshien】

The "National High School Baseball Championship Tournament," commonly known as "Spring Koshien," will kick off from the 18th of next week. It is a high school baseball tournament held every spring in Japan. The tournament has been nicknamed "Koshien" because it takes place at the Hanshin Koshien Stadium in Hyogo Prefecture. For Japanese people, Koshien has been a special event since it began, eagerly anticipated not only by high school baseball players but also by baseball fans. This year, 32 schools will compete for the championship title. Representing Fukuoka this year is "Tokai University Fukuoka High School" located in Munakata City. Let's hope they do their best to aim for the national title. The tournament will be broadcasted on radio and television for 13 days until March 30th, so tune int to watch the high school baseball players put in their all to win!

【Fukuoka City Information】

Avoiding the Rush When Moving House

March and April are busy months for moving house and as a result, the consultation desks at your local ward offices may be quite crowded. The period between March 21st and April 8th are especially busy with wait times of 2 to 3 hours, so if you can try to avoid that period.
However, that's not always possible,and if you find that you're too busy on weekdays to submit the notification of your move to the ward office, then you'll be glad to know that there are several weekend days when the offices are open for paperwork related to moving in or out of the city.
On Sunday the 31st of March and Sunday the 7th of April, Fukuoka City ward offices and their branches will be temporarily opened from 9am to 1pm to take paperwork in regards to moving in or out of the city.
If you are moving out of Fukuoka City, you do not have to go to the ward office to report your move-out. You can do so by mail or online if you have your My Number Card. However, please note that if you're moving out of the country, you can't submit your notification online, so please be aware of that.
If you are moving within Fukuoka city you do not need the notification of the move out of your previous residence, you just need to submit notification that you have moved into your new residence.
There is now an online service available to make reservations with the ward office to take care of moving procedures. Reservations can even be done via a smartphone but must be made by 8:30 am, 5 business days before your desired date. You just need to send the date you want to go in, and information about your address change. With this system, an appointment can be easily arranged and the process at the consultation desk will take less time.
If you have any questions, you can check with the ward office using a telephone interpreter.
The telephone number is 092-753-6113.
Tell them what ward you are living in and that you would like to discuss moving procedures.
One more process that you should remember when moving is making sure you call to have your water turned on or turned off. You will need to have the notification of your move for this. Please call at least 4 business days before you move to arrange this. The phone number for that is 092-532-1010. Phone calls will be accepted in languages other than Japanese. This process can also be done online.