mori

Garbage disposal in Japan follows the rules of your city or ward, not the country. Compare Shinjuku, Osaka and Yokohama and the category names, the size that makes something oversized (30 cm or 50 cm) and the sticker prices all differ. Shinjuku has a sorting flyer in 10 languages, Osaka a guide in 5, Yokohama a leaflet in 10. Oversized rubbish (sodai gomi) is booked and paid for with stickers, and takes about two weeks in Yokohama. Fridges, TVs, washing machines and air conditioners go back through a shop, computers to the maker (free for home PCs sold from October 2003). Illegal dumping carries up to five years in prison or a 10 million yen fine.

How to see a doctor in Japan: clinic or hospital, the 5 steps of a visit, Japanese phrases that work.

How foreigners register their address (juminhyo) in Japan. The 14-day rule, what to bring, why you need it for a bank, SIM, insurance and jobs.

Japan has two public health insurances and you are in exactly one. Company employees are enrolled by their employer in Employee Health Insurance (about 10% of salary, half paid by the employer, dependants free). Everyone else - students, the self-employed, people between jobs - joins National Health Insurance at the city office within 14 days and pays the whole premium. Both leave you paying 30% at the clinic. Private insurance is a top-up, not a substitute. This guide tells you which one you are in, then explains kokuho in full: joining, premiums, reductions, what happens if you fall behind, and the high-cost ceiling from August 2026.