On March 9, 2026, a field trip for international students was held in Fukuoka City. The group visited Kushida Shrine, the Hakata Machiya Furusato Museum, and the Fukuoka City Disaster Prevention Center, offering participants a wide range of learning experiences from local history and culture to hands-on disaster-prevention training. Despite the morning rain, 37 international students from 16 countries across the three campuses were able to gain many meaningful insights and new discoveries at each site.
The first stop was Kushida Shrine, where international students explored the site freely. Many students took photos in front of the impressive, decorated festival float and observed its intricate details.
The group then moved on to the Hakata Machiya Furusato Museum, where they learned about daily life in Hakata during the Meiji and Taisyo periods. The students showed great interest in the recreated townhouses and household items on display.
In the afternoon, the students participated in hands-on disaster-prevention training at the Fukuoka City Disaster Prevention Center. During the VR disaster simulation, realistic effects such as moving seats and splashing water gave the feeling of being in an actual fire, eliciting reactions of surprise from the students.
In the smoke evacuation experience, the students practiced moving through a space with limited visibility while covering their mouths with clothes and lowering their postures, gaining a real sense of how easily they might inhale smoke without realizing it. They also tried earthquake simulation and a basic fire-extinguisher training session, making the visit a valuable opportunity to learn practical actions necessary in emergencies.
Participants commented that there were “many things you can only understand by experiencing them firsthand” and that the activities offered “valuable experiences unavailable in their home countries.”
Spending the entire day together also encouraged interaction among students from different campuses, providing an opportunity to connect with one another.
This field trip is expected to contribute not only to the students’ safe and secure daily life in Japan, but also to foster continue interaction among international students.
All three campus groups gathered together for a commemorative photo.
A group photo was taken at the tower gate of Kushida Shrine.
International students attentively listening to the Hakata dialect exhibit at the Hakata Machiya Furusato Museum.
International students listening attentively to the instructions before a smoke-evacuation drill.
Participants practicing fire-extinguisher operation during a hands-on training session at the Fukuoka City Disaster Prevention Center.
International students experiencing a simulated seismic intensity of 7, with the screen behind them showing large furniture falling during the earthquake scenario.
