Starting electricity, gas and water when you move to Fukuoka or Kumamoto (2026)

When you move into a new home in Japan, the lights, gas and water do not switch on by themselves. In most homes you tell each supplier your move-in date yourself. This guide covers Fukuoka City and the Kumamoto area. It shows who supplies what, how to apply, how far ahead to do it, and where the forms are in Japanese only. For water in Kumamoto City, Kikuyo Town and Ozu Town, we link to a separate guide instead of repeating it here.

In short

Electricity: Kyushu Electric Power takes start-up applications in both areas. You can apply online at any hour, but the form is in Japanese only (section 2).
Gas: someone must be at the new home when the gas is turned on. On the web, the earliest date is the third business day after you apply (section 3).
Water in Fukuoka City: the city’s Customer Center says it takes calls in English and eight other languages (section 4).
Water in Kumamoto City, Kikuyo Town and Ozu Town: see our water guide (section 4).
If your building is rented, first ask the landlord or agent which gas and water you have and who bills you (section 1).

Checked with official pages on October 11, 2026.

Service	Fukuoka City	Kumamoto area	How to apply
Electricity	Kyushu Electric Power	Kyushu Electric Power	Web, LINE chat or phone
City gas	Saibu Gas group	Saibu Gas Kumamoto	Web or phone
LP gas	Your building’s dealer	Your building’s dealer	Ask your agent first
Water	Fukuoka City Waterworks Bureau	Depends on the town	Phone, web or app

1. Before you apply

1.1 Which gas and water does my home use?

Depends on the building

Gas in Japan comes in two kinds: city gas (都市ガス, toshi gasu), delivered by underground pipes, and LP gas (プロパンガス, puropan gasu), delivered in cylinders. You apply to a different company for each. Saibu Gas says that if you do not know which gas the new home has, you should ask the real estate company. At a home you already live in, a white gas hose and a meter without a screen usually mean city gas; an orange hose and a meter with a screen usually mean LP gas. Saibu Gas lists other ways to tell on its page on telling the two apart (in Japanese).

The Consumer Affairs Agency says to ask the real estate agent about LP gas charges before you sign a rental contract. LP gas bills are split into a basic charge, a usage charge and an equipment charge. In rented homes, for LP gas supply contracts signed on or after April 2, 2025, as a rule you do not pay for equipment unless you agreed to it beforehand. If the equipment charge shows an amount, check it. For finding a home, see Renting an apartment in Fukuoka City or Renting an apartment in Kumamoto City.

Water works the same way in some apartment buildings: if one meter covers the whole building, the management company may bill you instead of the city. The Fukuoka City Waterworks Bureau says to tell the owner or management company in that case (section 4.1).

1.2 What do I need to have ready?

Depends on the provider

Kyushu Electric lists these for a move: the contract holder’s name, your old home’s customer number, the addresses where service stops and starts, and payment details such as a bank account or credit card. Payment details are not needed if you pay by transfer slip. You also choose a rate plan, a stop date and a start date. Saibu Gas asks for a phone number that always reaches you, the new address, the type of building (house, apartment, auto-lock or not) and the name of the person who will be there on the day.

To stop service at the old home, you need your customer number. For Saibu Gas it is a 10-digit number starting with 9 (city gas), printed on the monthly usage notice. If you are moving out and in at the same time, the Kyushu Electric form and Saibu Gas pages both cover stopping and starting.

2. Electricity

2.1 How do I start electricity?

Kyushu Electric Power

Kyushu Electric Power says moving procedures can be done online 24 hours a day. The online application form is in Japanese only: it has no language selector and no English version. The English-path pages of the company site explain what to prepare, but much of their text is still in Japanese. The pages do not say how many days ahead to apply, so apply once your move-in date is fixed.

Check your old customer number. Kyushu Electric’s site has a page for looking it up under charges and usage records.
Choose how to apply. Use the online form, the LINE chat or the call center.
Pick "moving" and enter the stop and start details. Choose electricity only, or electricity and gas together.
On moving day, switch on the breaker. Kyushu Electric lists this as the last step at the new home.

Each sales office has its own call-center number, open Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 17:00. The Fukuoka Sales Office is 0120-639-458; the Kumamoto East Sales Office, which covers parts of Kumamoto City, is 0120-761-385. Offices are closed on weekends, public holidays and December 29 to January 3. The company’s page does not say which languages the call center or the chat uses; ask before you rely on it.

Note

The LINE chat is useful if you do not know your customer number or need power urgently. Kyushu Electric says chat runs from 9:00 to 19:00, needs an SMS identity check on a smartphone, and is for the contract holder or a family member.

You pay by direct debit, credit card, SMS payment or a transfer slip. Kyushu Electric is not the only company that sells electricity here: Saibu Gas also sells electricity in Fukuoka, Kumamoto, Nagasaki and Saga prefectures, and its moving page lets you ask for gas and electricity together. Compare rate plans yourself before you choose.

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3. Gas

3.1 How do I start city gas?

Saibu Gas group

Unlike electricity, gas needs a visit. Saibu Gas says the user or a representative must be at the home when the gas is turned on. A staff member opens the meter, tests the stove and bath burner, and checks that your other gas appliances can use the supplied gas. Saibu Gas says it charges nothing for the start-up work, which takes about 30 minutes. Converting an appliance or fitting a new one can cost money.

Find out the gas type. See section 1.1. LP gas has its own contact, listed on the same page.
Apply on the Saibu Gas moving page. The pages are in Japanese. The web form is open from 7:00 to 4:00 the next morning.
Choose a date and a time slot. The earliest web date is the third business day after you apply; Saturdays, Sundays and holidays do not count as business days. Visits happen every day of the year, in slots of 9:00–12:00, 13:00–15:00 or 15:00–17:00. For LP gas on Sundays and holidays, the slots are 9:00–12:00 and 13:00–17:00.
Give the details it asks for. These are listed in section 1.2.
Be at home with your other gas appliances ready for the check. Saibu Gas may not be able to give you the slot you asked for if many people book the same time.

Phone the Customer Service Center on 0570-000-312, daily 9:00 to 17:00. Same-day work must be requested by 12:00. From some internet phones or from abroad, use 092-633-2440. Calls to the 0570 number are charged to the caller. Saibu Gas says smartphone callers who book work three or more business days ahead may be handled by an automated voice system that sends a text-message link; for an earlier date, choose to speak to an operator. The company does not say which languages the operators speak.

Important

Call instead of using the web form if you need work sooner than three business days, if the job involves gas piping work, or if you want to change or cancel a booking. Saibu Gas lists these as cases the web form cannot handle.

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3.2 How do I stop gas at my old home?

Saibu Gas group

Book the stop work on the same moving page. It takes about 10 to 15 minutes and costs nothing. You only need to be present if the building has an auto-lock entrance. Saibu Gas asks for your customer number and your new address.

3.3 What about LP gas?

Depends on your dealer

The Saibu Gas group also sells LP gas in parts of both areas, and its moving page tells LP gas customers to use the contact details given there. If your building uses another dealer, the agent or landlord can give you the dealer’s name and number. For LP gas, the visit includes an inspection of the pipes and gas equipment, which Saibu Gas puts at 20 to 30 minutes depending on the set-up. If you bring appliances from your old home, check that they are made for LP gas.

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4. Water

4.1 How do I start water in Fukuoka City?

Fukuoka City

The Fukuoka City Waterworks Bureau takes move-in and move-out notices at its Customer Center: 092-532-1010, Monday to Friday 8:45 to 17:30 and Saturday 9:00 to 17:00. The Customer Center is closed on Sundays, public holidays and December 29 to January 3. The bureau says the center handles calls in English, Chinese, Korean, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Vietnamese, Thai and Nepali.

Check who reads your meter. If the notice you get is issued by the Waterworks Bureau, you deal with the bureau. In a building where the whole building is metered together and the management company bills you, tell the owner or management company instead.
Call the Customer Center with your address, name and move-in date. Or apply online up to 3 days before moving in, not counting Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.
Wait for the postcard. After you apply, the bureau posts your contract details: name, start date, the planned meter-reading date, and how and when to pay.
Set up payment. The Customer Center takes direct-debit applications by phone. The city’s water app also offers credit card continuing payment and PayPay.

When you move out, tell the bureau at least 4 days before the move, not counting weekends and holidays. You can pay the final bill in cash on site, by payment slip, by direct debit or by card. If you move between two homes in Fukuoka City, one notice by phone, in the app or on the web covers both stopping and starting. The app needs a user registration that takes 1 to 3 business days to become active. The city does not say what language the online forms use; it offers a machine-translated English version of its website.

4.2 What about water in Kumamoto?

Depends on the town

The supplier depends on your town. Kumamoto City, Kikuyo Town and Ozu Town are covered in Start your water service in Kumamoto City, Kikuyo Town and Ozu Town.

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5. Common questions

Can I apply for electricity in English?

Not on the online form. Kyushu Electric’s form is in Japanese only. Its LINE chat and call center do not state a language, so ask them directly.

Do I have to be at home when the gas is turned on?

Yes. Saibu Gas says the user or a representative must be present at the new home.

Do I pay a fee to start gas?

Saibu Gas says there is no charge for the start-up work. Fitting or converting appliances can cost money.

Do I need to cancel service at my old home?

Yes, apply to stop each service. Kyushu Electric’s moving form includes stopping electricity, and Saibu Gas has its own stop procedure. In Fukuoka City, tell the Waterworks Bureau at least 4 days before you leave, not counting weekends and holidays.

My apartment’s water is billed by the management company. What do I do?

The Fukuoka City Waterworks Bureau says residents of buildings billed by the management company should notify the owner or the management company, not the bureau.

Next steps

Sources (checked October 2026)

12 pages we checked

1. Before you apply

1.1 Which gas and water does my home use?

1.2 What do I need to have ready?

2. Electricity

2.1 How do I start electricity?

3. Gas

3.1 How do I start city gas?

3.2 How do I stop gas at my old home?

3.3 What about LP gas?

4. Water

4.1 How do I start water in Fukuoka City?

4.2 What about water in Kumamoto?

5. Common questions

Sources (checked October 2026)

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