Top > A Handbook For Foreign Residents > 6.Daily life

6.Daily life

6-1 Residence

[ Folk renting houses ]
Folk renting houses is to rent houses from private or private companies and pay rent. Mainly include rent house, apartment and advanced apartment. One can get the relevant information through real estate brokers, renting information amgazinesm website or newspapers.
Please check the renting agreement when move in the house in case of dispute.
One need to pay rent to the renter, mortgage, and brokerage to the real estate brokers when renting a house.

[ Public residence ]
Expcet for folk houses, there are also public houses available for people to rent, however, one has to accept the examination of staying period, staying limit and incomes etc when rentin gthe public houses.

Consultation tel:
City housing Division: Tel: 30-9086
Resident management office Tel: 30-2660
Fukuoka Prefectural Housing Service Public Corporation Tel: 092(781)8012

6-2 Power

Push the power switch to 「入」and the power can be used. Please fill in the [ power use application ] near the fuss box.
Those who hope to pay the power charge directly from bank account is required to fill in [ power charge account payment application ] and put the application into the attached envelope and mail it.
Please contact the operation office if you push the power switch to 「入」and no power supply. Please contact 4-5 days in advance with th eoperation office ( Monday to Friday ) if you decide to move out of the house.

Consultation tel:
Power Corporation
Tel: 092-761-3031
Power Corporation City Office
Tel: 0120-986-209

6-3 Water

On condition of first use of water or stop using water due to the reaons of moving etc , please contact with Enterprise Bureau two days in advance. And pay water charge to Enterprise Bureau in accordance with the consumption amount of water.

Consultation tel: 30-8512
Water& Gas department of Enterprise Bureau

6-4 Gas

There are two kinds of gas for family use: city gas and liquidfied gas. There are different kinds of gas in different areas. It is very dangerous if you don not follow the use instruction when using gas. Please confirm before using gas.
Please contact with gas company before using gas and they will send someone to open the valve. Please contact the gas company if you stop using gas. Please pay the gas charge to the gas company in accordance with the consumption amount of gas.

Consultation tel: 30-8512(The manager changes in April, 2009. )
Gas Department of Enterprise Bureau
If you wan tto use liquidified gas, please consult the neighboring agency or renter.

6-5 Drainage

There are three ways to treat the waste water from toilet: drainage, purifying tank and pumping.
In places where the public drainage is completed, all waste water from kitchen, bathroom and toilet go to the drainage. Please don’t get the garbage into the drainage after being crashed by using kitchen crusher since it may block the drainage. Please pay drainage charge in accordance with the consumption amount of water.

Consultation tel
Please consult with Drainage Division at 30-9078 fro information about public drainage and purifying tank.
Please consult with Drainage facility Division ( central purifying center ) at 39-1155 for information about pumping.

6-6　Post Office

［Post Office Information］
Please inquire of the nearest post office about the post office service. The mail dissemination in English is served on the following homepage. Street post boxes usually have two slots to insert mail into: one for domestic and the other for international and express mail. When moving, be sure to submit a change of address notice (tenkyo todoke) and the mail addressed to your old address will be forwarded to your new address for one year.
http://www.post.japanpost.jp/index.html

[ Post saving, money mailing ]
Post saving service connects 24,700 post offices all over the country and you can deposit or withdraw money at any post office in Japan and you can pay for charges of public facilities directly from the post office. It is also very convenient for you to mail money to abroad. ( not for some countries or regions )
Please consult with the nearest post office for detailed information.

6-7 Bank

You need to show your ID card ( Foreigner registration dertificate ), chop or autograph ( it is convenient to use chop ) when you want to open an account at a bank. You need a paasing code when applying a cash card.
After the opening of an account, you may use cash card and public facilities charges transfer to pay. The receipt, chop and account book are required when doing transfer.
Business hours of bank counter:
Weekday 9:00- 15:00

6-8 Phone using method

[ Public phone ]
There are several kinds of public phone such as telephone card, telephone card and coin combinationand international long distance etc.
If you want to make an international long distance call, please use public phone with 「国際通話利用可」on the screen.
The charge for using public phone is 10 yuan per minute. You may use coin of 100 yuan but no money will be returned.
You may buy telephone card of 500 yuan or 1000 yuan at consultation counter of trolley and bus station, shops or vending machines built near public phones.
There is no difference of domestc or international use in telephone card. Chargable telephone cards are also available except for telephone card of NTT company.

[ Home telephone ]
If you hope to install a home telephone, please dial 116 or surf (http://www.ntt-west.co.jp/shop/)to apply with phone company. In addition, if you hope to apply with other phone companies except for NTT company, please call the phone company for more information.

[ NTT west Japan Company ]

• The installation of phone
  Dial 116 or surf (http://www.ntt-west.co.jp/shop/)to apply with phone company. A certificate issued by public organ is required to present when applying for phone installation. Telephone equipment is regarded as a part of construction expenses, an equipment burden is required at initial installation which is 36,800 yuan. Or you may join the “ relaxing payment plan” and pay 250 yuan extra on the basis of monthly charge. The telephone can be purchased at NTT.
• Documents requred for joining
  Foreigner’s registration certificate, Japanese driving licence, passport etc. An installation charge is required to pay at installation except for the equipment burden.

[Telephone using method / domestc phone communication ]
Phone number in Japan is composed of three parts

1. Foreign city area code ( You need to dial the area code if you want to call another rcity or area. )
2. The city area code
3. subscriber’s code ( phone number )
   
   When you make a call within the city, please comfirm the area code and the subscriber’s code. The charge differs in accordance with the distance, communication length, communication time and the date etc.

• Dialing method of domestic collection call
  Please dial 106 directly and tell the operator that you want to use collection call and tell the number you want to call.
• Termination of telephone use
  Dial 116 or surf (http://www.ntt-west.co.jp/shop/)to apply with the phone company. Please tell your phone number, your name, address and the final date of termination you wish.
• Telephone charge notice
  NTT telephone charge notice includes monthly charge, and the demostic charge and international charge are listed respectively while the international charge will be presented by the international phone company contracted with you.
• Payment method
  You may choose one of the following three methods to pay the phone charge.
1. Transfer automaticly from your bank account on the payment date.
2. The contracted credit card company pays the phone charge instead and you pay to the credit card company on the stipulated date.
3. Take the phone charge notice sent to you before the payment date to pay in the shop or financial organization window. Different phone companies have different payment stipulations on credit card payment, please consult the phone companies for detailed information.

Consultation telephone about credit card payment

NTT phone charge notice
Tel: 0120-859090 9:00-17:00 everyday except for Saturday, Sunday, Celebrastion Day, holiday at the beginning and end of each year.)
NTT communications phone charge notice
Tel: 0120-506506 9:00—21:00 except for holiday at the beginning and end of each year)

[ International long distance call ]
A lot of enterprises have international long distance call business.

• When you make an international long distance call using home phone,
• If you have join マイライン( my special line ) please dial 010 first, then the country code and the number you want.
• If you haven’t join マイライン( my special line ), please dial the telephone company’s code first, next dial 010, then the country code and the number you want.

6－9　Public transportation facilities

[ By train ]
There are two railways in this city. One is JR railway, the other is West Railway.

• JR
  There are three kinds of train in JR. Ordinary train stops at every train station. Anyone with train ticket can take it. Primary school students can enjoy 50% discount while high school students should pay full amount of the ticket.
  Fast train only stop at main train stations, Anyone with train ticket can take it. If you want to take express train, you need to buy express ticket besides train ticket and it only stop at main train stations. You can buy monthly ticket and round-trip ticket at the service window( green window ).
  The difference between adults and children are as follows:
  Adult: those whose age is above 12 years old ( Those whose age is 12 years old and still in primary school are considered as children. )
  Children: 6-12 years old ( Those whose age is 6 years old while not go to primary school are considered as infants. )
  Infants: 1-6 years old
  Babies: less than 1 year old.
• Train ticket price for children
  All train tickets including ordinary, fast, express, specific seat ticket etc for children are hallf price of adults.
• Train tickets for infants and babies are free of charge except for the following situations
1. Adult or children take more than two infants or babies.
2. When an infant a a baby use specific seat, sofe seat or sleeper.
3. When an infant travel by itself.
Inquiry
JR station comprehensive guiding center tel:
32-2017

Nishitetsu　Railway
Anyone can take ordinary, fast and express train with tickets. Children ticket is half price of adult for children from 6-12years old.
Six years old children before going to school are considered as “ infant”, each adult can take 2 infant ( less than 6 years old ) to take train free of charge. I fthe number of children exceeds 2, you need to buy one children ticket.
In addition, a child less than 6 years old travels by itself should buy a children ticket.

Inquiry:
West Railway Passenger Center TEL:0570-00-1010
http://www.nishitetsu.co.jp/

[ By bus ]

• West Railway Bus and Horikawa Bus
  There are two bus companies in this city.West Railway Bus Company and Horikawa Bus Company.
  Bus taking stops are located at different destination.
  When the bus stops at the bus stop, please stand at the place where the driver can see you.
  Get on the bus at the middle gate and don’t forget to take the small ticket from the ticket machine. If you have bus card, then you needn’t take the ticket.Insert you bus card into the card machine and pull it out from the machine. Then the driver knows where you get on the bus and how much the ticket is. When you are close to your destination, please press the stop button to let the driver know. Then the bus will stop at the next stop. Your ticket price will show on the screen. Your ticket will be put into the ticket machone on the left side of the driver.
  It is convenient for you to prepare small changes. If you don’t have small changes, you may use the changing machine on the left side of the driver. You can use 1000 yuan, 500 yuan ,100 yuan or 50 yuan coin to exchange.
  When you get off the bus, if you use bus card, please insert the card into the card machine near the driver. If you use monthly ticket, please put the ticket into cash box and show the monthly ticket to the driver.
  
  Inquiry
  West Railway passenger Center Tel: 0570-00-1010
  http://www.nishitetsu.co.jp/
  HorikawaBus Company TEL0943(23)6128
  http://www.horikawabus.co.jp/

6－10 Driving licence

[ Kinds of driving licence and the methods of getting a diving licence]
There are driving licences for big vehicles, medium vehicles, ordinary vehicles, two-wheel vehicles and motorcycle of 50cc. You should get relevant driving licence in accordance with the vehicles you drive.
You can get a Japanese driving licence by passing the driving licence examination or you may get it after being trained in a private driving training school.
In addition, if you have a foreign country driving licence, you should follow the procedures to change it into a Japanese driving licence.

[The method of changing a foreign driving licence into a Japanese driving licence]

• target
  Those who have an effective foreign driving licence and will stay in Japan for more than three months (International driving licence not included )
• Handling time
• time: Monday to Friday 13:00- 13:30
• Place: Dring licence examination place
• Address: 1135-2　Oazahisatomi，Tikugo　city
• Tel: 0942-53-5208
The other examination places in the county can also handle the matter.
※ In a special case it may require a certain time to handle this matter.
• Necessary documents
• Effective foreign driving licence
• Translation: JAF or translation presented by Consul
• Passport: if you have renewed your passport, please show both new and old passports.
• handling charge: different charges for different driving licences.
• Foreigner landing original statement certificate
• Two photos ( 30mm×24mm, taken within six months )
※ If you have disease, please explain disease condition.
※ Please come together with a friend who can speak Japanese.
• Examination content
• Adoption examination: sight, hearing, color sense and sport abilities )
• Knowledge: test on driving knowledge ( in Japanese, English, Korean, Thainese, Chinese, Persian Russian etc )

[Vaildity period and renewal of driving licence]
Japanese driving licence is valid from the date of issuing to one month after your third birthdate. The validity limit is stated on the dring licence.please pay attention to it and renew your driving licence at the nearest driving licence examination place two months in advance ( one month before and one month after your birthdate, two months)

[Address change on the driving licence]
If you move to a new address,please take the driving licence and the latest foreigner registration certificate to the nearest police station or driving licence examination place for driving licence renewal.

[International driving licence]
If you have an international driving licence which was obtained in accordance with the stipulations of “ Geneva Agreement” signed by contracting parties, You may drive Japanese vehicles within one year since the date of obtaining the drivin glicence or one year since the date of landing Japan. When the allowance expires, you have to obtain a Japanese driving licence so that you can continue to drive in Japan.
※ If your international driving licence is lost, it is impossible to have a new international driving licence reissued in Japan. If you continue to drive, you will br regarded as driving without driving licence.
For detailed information, please consult with the nearest driving licence examination place.

6－11Broadcasting radio and TV station

[ bradcasting radio ]
You can listen to the following radio broadcasting

• ＮＨＫ1：612
• ＮＨＫ2：1017
• ＲＫＢ：1278
• ＫＢＣ：1413
• ＮＢＣ(Saga)：1458
• ＮＨＫＦＭ：83.4
• ＦＭ　Fukuoka：82.1
• CROSS ＦＭ：86.5
• ＬＯＶＥＦＭ：76.1
• DREAMS FM：76.5

※You can use ＬＯＶＥＦＭto listen toinformation about this city and Kurume　Bureau　of　Tourism　and　International Exchange in Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean langguages.

[ TV station ]
You need to pay for watching NHK programs while you are free to watch folk TV programs.
Satellite TV ( BS, CS) programs are also chargable and requires special receiving equipments.
In some parts of the city you can receive cable TV programs which is chargable. There are 64 channels all together which including NHK, folk TV station and CNN news etc.

Inquiry:
About the charge matters
NHK Fukuoka TV Station Audience Center
Tel: 0570-077077
About cable TV matters

Cable TV station Tel: 37-6411
In addition, you can surf the internet and use IP phone through cable TV.