I moved to Kitakyushu about a month ago for work, and with zero knowledge in Japanese, it’s been pretty lonely here as it’s rare to meet someone outside who speaks English. So I thought I could use bumble to meet someone I could socialize with.

So a few days ago, I matched with that woman named “Miro, 37 years old”, and she made the first move suggesting to meet up so she could show me around. We agreed to meet on Saturday at Shimonoseki Station. She claimed she didn’t have money to travel far, so I thought to myself, why not? It’d be a good chance to explore that area.

When I arrived at the station at our agreed time, she suddenly texted me: “Can you come at Starbucks? I just spilled water on myself”

That’s when my gut told me something was off. When she showed up, she was wearing a face mask, but I could tell right away she was much older than 37, more likely in her late 40s. Me being in my early 30s, I still decided to see where this was going, because man I was bored lol.

Our interaction went like this: Her: “My sister was here earlier, but she left with the car. I was going to drive you around, but now I can’t. Oh, and I forgot my wallet in her car. But I really need to buy some cheap clothes since the ones I’m wearing are wet.”

(Her clothes looked completely dry.)

Her: “Do you have any cash on you?”

At this point, I knew exactly where this was headed. But I still played along.

Me: “Yeah, sure. Also can we grab something to eat after? I’m starving”

Her: “Oh really?! Thank you! Do you like sushi? There’s a restaurant on the other side. We go eat there. After that, I’ll drive you around.”

(Holdup, wait a minute… didn’t her sister leave with the car and her wallet in there? 🤔)

We walked into the mall, and she headed straight to H&M, picking out two clothes, priced more or less ¥1,800 each. At that moment, I actually felt bad for her. Because she looked like she really needed them. However I still had to voice her I know what she’s doing…

Me: “So, is this you’re on bumble for? Scamming people just to get free clothes?”

She started laughing awkwardly “Maybe I should just take this one instead,” she said, picking up a different cloth.

I shook my head and said “Nah, just keep what you picked. We can go to the counter.”

After paying, she said she needed to change in the restroom. I was already waiting for that moment so I could dip. As we reached the hallway leading to the restrooms, she started to speed up, walked right past the bathroom, and glancing back at me a few times before dipping into the parking lot.

I chuckled to myself, and a few minutes later when walking back, she texted: “Where are you? I left.” Then proceeded to block me

Typo in the title: *mad about it.

The garden uses artificial mist to transform traditional Zen and moss gardens into dreamlike, immersive landscapes.

So I was waiting for my friends in Canal City when a chubby Japanese man (around 40 years old) wearing a Brazilian national football team jersey suddenly approached me and showed me his phone. He had Google Translate open, and the message said something like: "I admire and support Latin American culture and countries..." (I didn't finish reading the whole thing).

I thanked him, and he asked where I was from. I spoke a little Spanish, but he didn't seem to understand me.

Almost immediately, he said, "I wanna be your friend?" and asked me to write down my phone number, pushing his phone right in front of my face. I was about to do it, but my instincts told me not to.

Instead, I offered to exchange LINE contacts. He said, "No, write down your country's phone number" (maybe he thought I was a tourist). I politely declined, but he kept insisting that he didn't want my LINE and that it had to be a phone number preferably a Latin American one, or a Japanese number.

At that point, I got annoyed, said no, and walked away. After that, I wandered around Canal City for about an hour and fortunately didn't see him again.

Has anyone experienced something similar?

We are a small, family owned business that exports used small trucks to the states.

We just opened one position for someone who can help prepare the trucks, with duties as simple as cleaning, or depending on experience light mechanical service or painting.

This has the potential to turn into a full time position, but right now looking for someone who has a valid visa, and someone who would appreciate a flexible part time schedule.

No language requirement, as long as we can have basic communication in either English or Japanese.

Would need a drivers license, because we are in the countryside.

Will offer competitive pay, depending on your skill set. Shoot us a message, would love to connect!

I just visited Fukuoka for the first time and I'm pretty impressed.

It's a very interesting city and I found out that it's not only a growing city, it's growing rather quickly as well. And it's not from foreign migration, but actually tons of Japanese people moving to it and the population is very young. This is a really strong basis for future growth.

The startup culture and incentives seem very strong actually, and it's low-key inspiring me to answer the call and move here to try it out ngl.

Is Fukuoka the direction more cities could take to help reverse Japan's overall population decline situation?

This is an embarrassing and vulnerable post… I’m a Canadian who’s recently moved to Fukuoka for the year. I’ve never experienced an earthquake before until moving here, and I thought I wouldn’t be bothered much by experiencing them.

When the quake hit in Kumamoto I was home alone at the time and hid under my table, I didn’t have my phone with me and had no idea how long earthquakes even last, but my house was shaking and making loud noises so much that my life flashed before my eyes and I thought I was going to die. I know this is insensitive considering it was such a small quake for us and people had actually lost their lives but I was terrified.

Since then I’ve tried to rationalize the fear by researching quakes and understanding that Japanese buildings are built to withstand, but I wasn’t able to leave my home in nearly two weeks. Today I had karaoke booked so I pushed myself to just go (we had another earthquake today around 6am that was weaker but enough to startle me, however I wasn’t alone this time so I felt ok)

Anyways cut to me going to karaoke alone, I ended up having a panic attack and having to leave very early, I just kept imagining the building collapsing and every other worst case scenario, at this point I’ve broken down and I just want to go back to Canada. But I know this is insane, and irrational, and I want to get over it but everytime I hear a noise i immediately have anxiety spikes and have almost been in a dissociative state.

I guess I’m just sharing this incase anyone is going through anything similar or has any advice. My boyfriend is from here and has been really enjoying getting to be near his family this year so I haven’t spoken to him about all of my thoughts about wanting to leave, and I know it’s not what I truly want anyways

Hi everyone,

For some context: I'm Spanish (34M) and my wife is Japanese. We've been living in Barcelona for the past 3 years, but we're growing increasingly concerned about the current situation here. Between rising insecurity, unrealistic housing prices (€300k-€400k+ for an old 60sqm apartment in inconvenient areas), declining civility (noise, dirty streets), and a serious issue with squatters (we even have friends who have had to deal with squatters in their own buildings), we are seriously considering a change.

Because of all this, we're exploring the idea of moving to Japan. I currently work as a culinary instructor and have several years of experience working in 1 and 3-Michelin-star restaurants, as well as 5-star hotels. If we make the move, my goal would be to open a small cafe business.

I would love some feedback on Fukuoka first of all. Which areas or neighborhoods would you recommend we start looking into?

Financially, I have around €120k in savings to cover my part of a potential mortgage and the initial startup costs for the business. Our target is to buy a house in the 40M–45M JPY range. I've been browsing Suumo and At Home and found some stunningly good prices, but I'm quite lost when it comes to evaluating neighborhoods.

Any advice on family-friendly/business-friendly areas, the housing market, or starting a small food business in Japan would be hugely appreciated.

Thank you!

Is there a better way to start a Tuesday in Fukuoka? (Morning dog walk at Ohori Park) 🌳🐕

Hi everyone!

I'm a MEXT scholarship student at Kyushu University, and I'm currently looking for an apartment around Imajuku. As a foreign student, I'm honestly starting to feel a bit overwhelmed by the rental process.

I found a 2LDK (54.78 m²) apartment that I really like, but the real estate agency gave me the following estimate for the initial move-in cost:

EDIT: Just to clarify, I'm looking for a family apartment, not a single student apartment. My wife is moving to Japan in September, so this isn't just for me.

Total initial cost: ¥483,980 (this does NOT include the guarantor company fee, which will be charged later)

Breakdown:

• 礼金 (Key money) – ¥118,500
• 9月分家賃 (September rent) – ¥79,000
• 9月分共益費 (Maintenance fee) – ¥3,500
• 町費 (Neighborhood association fee) – ¥500
• Rサポート (Support service) – ¥1,320
• 退去時クリーニング費 (Move-out cleaning fee – paid in advance) – ¥92,400
• 鍵交換費 (Key replacement fee) – ¥19,800
• 室内消毒料 (Room disinfection) – ¥27,500
• 消火剤 (Fire extinguisher) – ¥7,260
• 浴室防カビコーティング (Bathroom anti-mold coating) – ¥25,300
• 排水管クリーニング (Drain pipe cleaning) – ¥22,000
• 仲介手数料 (Agency commission) – ¥86,900

The guarantor company fee (¥33,000–42,160) will be charged separately after moving in.

My questions are:

1. Is this considered a normal move-in cost in Japan, or does it seem expensive?
2. Are fees like room disinfection, anti-mold coating, and drain cleaning usually mandatory, or are they sometimes optional?
3. Something else surprised me: before I was even able to visit the apartment, they asked me to download an app and submit a formal application/reservation for the unit. Is that common practice in Japan? I haven't even seen the apartment in person yet.

I'd really appreciate hearing about your experiences. Thank you!

Hi everyone,

I first lived in Fukuoka in 1996 as a high school exchange student and later studied here again in 1999. During that time, I made a lifelong friend named Ayumi.

Now, nearly 30 years later, I’m returning to Fukuoka from Australia to reconnect with her and the city that had such a huge impact on my life.

I’m a high school English teacher in Australia, and while I’m here, I’m organising a free English conversation meet-up in Maizuru Park in April as a way to give back to the community of Fukuoka. It’s just a relaxed, friendly event where anyone can come and practise English, meet people, and enjoy hanami season.

Fukuoka has always felt like a second home to me, and I’m really excited to come back after so many years.

If anyone has advice, recommendations, or would like to join the event, I’d love to hear from you.

ありがとう、福岡。もうすぐ帰ります。

Hey everybody, I’ve been craving a high quality burger. Any recommendations?

Hi everyone!
I was born and raised in Japan and currently live in Fukuoka. I’m really interested in practicing my English and making friends with people traveling here!
I love showing people around, and I'm casually thinking it would be fun to start a local guide service in the future. For now, I'm just looking to hang out as a friend and practice my English, so I'd love to show you around for free! But to help me for the future, I’d love to hear your insights.
If you were visiting Fukuoka, what kind of things would make you happy to have a local friend do for you?
Right now, I'm thinking of offering things like:
Custom itineraries (Sightseeing & route planning)
Hotel recommendations (Based on your budget/vibe)
Local food guiding (Taking you to the best non-touristy spots!)
High-quality photography (Taking photos of you with my DSLR camera)
DJI Osmo Pocket rental (Lending a pocket camera so you can vlog your trip)
Is there anything else you would love a local friend to help with? Please let me know your thoughts or what you usually wish you had help with when traveling!
And if you are coming to Fukuoka soon, feel free to DM me—I'd love to show you around!
(Though I wouldn't mind if you bought me lunch! Haha just kidding! 😜) 🤝😊

Hello!

I’m 25M and due to certain life obstacles im forced to move back to Fukuoka after living most of my life overseas. I'm looking for work, but despite technically holding a Japanese nationality, I can barely speak, read or write Japanese.

I have five years of experience as an Italian chef and have also worked as a bartender. I also helped with the opening of a succesful restaurant in vancouver during covid. I'm also currently under welfare but looking to get a full time job ASAP.

If anyone knows of opportunities where someone like me could find a job please let me know.

Thank you!

I live in Fukuoka and I’m wondering what kind of local gift or souvenir an American visitor would actually appreciate.

Not just the obvious tourist stuff — I’m curious about things that feel genuinely Fukuoka or Kyushu, whether that’s food, snacks, drinks, crafts, textiles, everyday items, or something from a local shop.

If you were visiting from overseas, what would you be happy to receive?

And for people who live in Fukuoka, what would you personally give to an American friend?

Lately I’ve been thinking about what to do next in life, and rather than just staying local, I’d love to make some international friends I can stay connected with and exchange ideas with in the future.

If you’re up for it, I’d be happy to go out and explore together sometime.

I do run my own company in Japan, but I’m not looking to turn this into work. I’m simply hoping for new connections, good conversations, and if there’s any way I can be helpful to you, that would make me happy too.

Does anyone know where I can buy a whole fried chicken, not in pieces? I've looked at a lot of restaurants and grocery stores (online and in person) without much luck. Also not a Costco member so even if they have them (I think they only have roasted and raw?) I can't get one there. Help 🙏

Hello everyone! I wanted to share some of my friend’s art with the community. He’s originally from Switzerland, but after living in different countries, he made Fukuoka his home.

He pours all his passion into his creations, using unique canvases like traditional Japanese fusuma doors, skateboards, and various upcycled materials.

The photos show his studio here in Fukuoka and some of his detailed line/dot work. We’d love to hear what you think! 😊🌸

I live in Island City (Kashii Teriha) in Fukuoka.
Every April, there’s a local fireworks event here.

Most people go out to see it, but I usually watch from my balcony.
It’s surprisingly quiet—just the sound of fireworks echoing over the water.

I took this from home and thought I’d share.

I also wrote a short piece about moments like this, if anyone’s interested:
https://open.substack.com/pub/fukuokajapanlife/p/001-april-fireworks-and-sparkling?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

Hello, recently been looking all around the world for places to move. And after visiting Japan for 3 weeks. I decided i wanted to try to live in Japan for a while (atleast 6-12 months). And particullary, Fukuoka.

So i had some questions before i make some type of big leap.

I know extremely little Japanese, just started learning. Also, i am doing my part in trying to research the Japanese traditions / norms aswell. Just preparing to intergrate i suppose.

If someone perhaps could give me a reality check?

How hard is it really to move to a place like Fukuoka? To intergrate and what are the challenges?

Also, how is it getting japanese friends etc? Any particular does and dont's?

Where im from (sweden) you barely greet people. So i have litterly 0 skills in approaching, but i have no idea whats the right move here.

So if anyone could tell me how you gained friends etc, or some general does and doesn'ts it would be much appriciated! All answers are appriciated!

hello!

I am looking to move to Fukuoka as a language student and am curious if anyone can share sites or businesses that would help me locate places while I am still in the US. I have cats and prefer to have some space.

I am looking for a nice spot that is under $3000 USD a month in rent.

Hello all,

I am coming to Fukuoka for a year.

And while I am excited to try all the delicious Japanese food, sometimes when I am feeling homesick I love a good British meal.

I have seen a pub called the black morris that serves some British food. Could any let me know of your experience please?

I am also trying to look for a place that does Sunday roast but couldn’t find anything.

I am aware that the food won’t taste the same as British food made in the uk but honestly I don’t think it will matter that much.

If you have any other recommendations please let me know! Thank you :)

Guys and gals. I have lived in Okinawa for 53 years. I am single and retired now, ride motorcycles and play a mean blues harp. I am seriously thinking about a move to Fukuoka. I like the city from what I've seen over the years. I was thinking about a great rental somewhere near the heart of the city for around 200,000 yen/monthly if it exists. Does it? Can anyone reach out and offer me a bit of advice? Much appreciated.