Tobata / 戸畑
Grocery Stores
There are multiple locations to buy your food. We tend to visit "the pacman store", officially known as Marushoku (1), the most. It is a full supermarket about 4 minutes walk up the street. This store has pretty much anything you would need, and the prices are pretty good. If you walk in the other direction you will find "Spina" (2) about 6 minutes up the street. This is also a full supermarket, the food seems a little more fresh, but the prices are slightly more. The other big supermarket is located at Tobata station, a fair ways a way just for some groceries, but if you are there you can find some sales. Another spot to buy food is at the vegetable stands (3). These are found in many places, but the largest one is just up the street, about a 2 minute walk. They sell only fruits and vegetables, but the prices are really good. It is difficult to find western food in these stores, and if it is there it is really expensive. For example, 100g of mustard was ￥171. If there is anything you cannot live without I would recommend bringing it. You can get some of your food fairly cheap, like fish or chicken, but things like vegetables are ridiculously expensive. It is not just Tobata, that is the way it is in Japan.
Transportation
From your area there are a few different methods of transportation. Tobata has a JR train station, located about 25 minutes walk or 12 minutes bike ride from your apartment. At the train station there is a bike parking lot. Tobata station is a very simple station, there are only two tracks, one going towards downtown Kitakyushu, Kokura, and the other going towards Fukuoka City. The directions are labeled in English, making it even easier. From Tobata it is only ￥220 to get downtown, and ￥300 to get all the way to the other side of Kitakyushu. (There is more information about the train on the "City Info" page).
More convenient for local travel is the bus. There is a bus stop just outside your apartment. From this bus stop there are two different buses you can take (actually there is a third, but it rarely comes and we have never rode it). There is the #40 bus, which is a Tobata bus that will take you to the station and other areas within Tobata. This bus also goes past Hibiki should you feel the need. I would guess it takes about 7 or 8 minutes to get to school on this bus, which is the same as by bike, and it cost around ￥200. The other bus that comes to this stop is the #7 bus. This bus also goes past Hibiki, but from there it goes downtown. Taking it in either direction will take you into Kokura, as far as Cha-Cha Town. You can also get to Kokura Castle, Riverwalk, and most importantly Yakyudori. The bus cost about ￥320 to go all the way to the end of the line, but with a bus card you can save 15%. (There is more information about the bus on the "City Info" page).
Our preferred method for local travel is bicycle. You can get anywhere fairly quickly and easily by bike. When you factor in waiting time you can get most places faster by bike than by bus. Actually, you can sometimes get downtown faster by bike if you can figure out the shortest route. Jeanette works in Kokura Minami (see the map), it takes her one hour by train to get to work, but can be there in thirty minutes by bike. Basically a bike cannot only save you some time, but also a lot of money. Basic travel times by bike are; to school, about 7 or 8 minutes, to Tobata Station about 12 minutes, to Kokura about 25 minutes. Of course all these will vary for you.
There of course is the option of walking, which is quite suitable for school (12 - 15 minutes), or to the station (25 - 30 minutes). Also for groceries, or other small shopping needs, walking is fine, and quite relaxing.
Shopping
I have already mentioned grocery shopping, so here are stores that will suit your other needs. There is a pharmacy (1) located about 2 minutes up the street. This has all of your basic medical stuff you may need, as well as toiletries and cleaning supplies. There is a "Wal-mart" type store, Alpha (2), in the same plaza as Spina This store has many different things, from tools to pet fish. Basically this is a good place to walk up and check out so that you know what is there. For clothing and just random shopping your best bet is Saty (3), a department store found at Tobata station. There are three floors of stores, a food court with a McDonald's and several Japanese restaurants, a grocery store, a movie theatre, and a gym (which won't let you join if you have a tattoo, but that is another story). Also found at Tobata Station is a 100 Yen shop (4). For electronics, there is a Best Denki (5), which sells everything you would want, but it is not overly big for an electronics store. Best Denki is located across from the train station. Just past half way to Tobata station (from the apartment) is Nafco (6), which is a mix between a hardware store and a small department store. Another one to just have a look and get a feel for it. On route to the station, just down a side street, you can find Geo (7), which is a video rental place, with a large selection. Basically you can get anything you need within walking distance, but there is a lot more shopping in Kokura.
Alcohol
Really all I will say is that it is Japan, you can't take two steps without finding somewhere to buy alcohol. There are at least half a dozen location within 5 minutes walk, including an alcohol store, a supermarket, a convenience store, a vending machine and a drycleaner's!
Restaurants
We do not eat out a lot, so I do not know a lot about restaurants in the area. I know there are a many, including udon, okonomiyaki, yakiniku, kare, or pretty much any other Japanese specialty you would want. Most of these restaurants are small shops, nothing fancy. As for western food, there is a McDonalds at the station, as well as a Donut shop, but this is about it. I would say pizza, but Japanese pizza is not the same. If you are looking for something a little more fancy, I would guess that it can be found locally, you would just have to ask around at school. One thing I was disappointed not to find is a "tabehoudai" restaurant (all you can eat), but I have not looked too hard, so it may be around.
Green Space
There are two big parks near the apartment. The first, Yomiya Park (1), is very close, about half way to school. The other, which is much larger, is located about 7 minutes away by bike. This park, "Konpira Koen" (2) has some really nice jogging trails or hiking paths. There is also a nice trail that goes around one of the mountains near by (3), which can be found starting at the art museum, and continues through to Konpira.
Entertainment
As I mentioned earlier, there is a movie theatre in Saty. It cost about ￥1200, but there are discount times where you can go cheaper. There is a huge art museum located not too far from the apartment, within walking distance. I have been to the museum, but never inside. Other than that I am stumped as to what there is around us. This will be something you will have to look into when you get here. There are no clubs, or big bars in Tobata, for that you have to go to Kokura. If you have any specific interests, I am sure people at school can help.
There are also a few festivals in the Tobata area. Sometimes it can be difficult to find out about them, and I am sure we have missed a bunch. Just keep your eyes and ears open, and maybe you can see more than we did.