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Riding a Moped (Gentsuki) in Japan 2026: Licence, Plates, Insurance

To ride a moped (gentsuki) in Japan you need a licence, number plates and jibaiseki insurance. A Japanese car licence already covers mopeds. In Tokyo a moped licence costs 9,200 yen (test 1,600, issue 2,350, moped course 5,250), from age 16, with the written test in English and four other languages. From April 2025, bikes up to 125cc with 4.0 kW or less count as mopeds. Jibaiseki is 7,730 yen for 12 months (outside remote islands and Okinawa) from November 2026; the first year from no licence is 18,930 yen in our example (licence in Tokyo, plate fee from Sagamihara, tax from Sapporo). Plus the 30 km/h limit, no passengers, two-stage right turns and fines. Checked October 2026.

2026.10.25

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Cheap Travel in Japan 2026: Night Bus, Seishun 18 or Student Discount

How to travel cheaply in Japan if you live here: night buses, the Seishun 18 Ticket and gakuwari, the JR student discount. Tokyo to Shin-Osaka one way: Nozomi non-reserved 13,870 yen, 12,080 yen with gakuwari, 9,020 yen on local trains (over 9 hours), and 3,300-12,500 yen by 4-row night bus depending on the day. The Seishun 18 Ticket is 10,000 yen for 3 days in a row, valid 11 December 2026 to 11 January 2027. Used for one day only, it can cost more. Gakuwari needs a school certificate, not just a student ID. Residence card holders cannot use the Japan Rail Pass. Checked October 2026.

2026.10.24

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Send a Package Home from Japan 2026: EMS vs Air vs Sea Mail Costs

To send a package home from Japan, use Japan Post's EMS, international parcels (airmail or sea mail) or the International Air Packet (up to 2 kg). For 10 kg to Asia except China, Korea and Taiwan: EMS 13,350 yen, airmail 13,300 yen, sea mail 6,600 yen, so EMS costs only 50 yen more. SAL is suspended worldwide and sea mail to Nepal and Sri Lanka is suspended (as of 15 October 2026). Labels must be made online on International Mail My Page. Perfume, sprays and power banks are banned. Prices rise on 1 February 2027. Checked October 2026.

2026.10.23

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Installment Phone in Japan for Foreigners 2026: Paidy, Not Carriers

Phone installment plans in Japan are credit contracts. Foreigners can apply, but face a credit check and residence-period rules (au: 26 months or more counting this month). This site does not recommend the device plans of docomo, au and SoftBank (including ahamo): they stay on your CIC file for years, keep running after you cancel the line, and must be cleared before you leave. Pay in full instead, new, used or SIM-free with a cheap SIM. If you must split the cost, use Paidy's Apple-only plan: interest-free by bank debit, up to 36 payments. Checked October 2026.

2026.10.22

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Family Visit Visa Japan 2026: Requirements, Invitation Letter, 90 Days

Parents and relatives visit Japan on a short-term stay: no paid work, 90, 30 or 15 days. Visa-exempt nationalities (74 countries and regions) need no visa; others apply at the Japanese embassy at home (about 15,000 yen for a single entry). You write the invitation letter and itinerary, plus a letter of guarantee, income proof and juminhyo if you pay. Extensions only for reasons like medical treatment, and no National Health Insurance. Checked October 2026.

2026.10.18

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Buying a House in Japan as a Foreigner 2026: Mortgage, PR, 4 Taxes

Yes, foreigners can buy property in Japan (Civil Code, Article 3). Mortgages split on permanent residency: Flat 35, MUFG and Mizuho require PR. On top of the price come four taxes (registration, acquisition, stamp duty, fixed asset tax), and the agent's fee is capped at 1,056,000 yen on a home priced at 30 million yen before tax. The mortgage tax credit has no nationality rule, but a 2026 new build gets nothing below the energy standard. Plus the 5 October 2026 nationality rule for registration, the 2 October proposal, and keep, sell or let if you leave.

2026.10.08

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How to Pay in Japan Without a Credit Card 2026: Konbini, Debit, COD

You can run most of daily life in Japan without a credit card. ahamo and Rakuten Mobile take direct debit, and povo takes Paidy, payable by direct debit or at a konbini. UQ WiMAX and SoftBank Air take direct debit, with the router paid cash on delivery. Debit cards can be refused for phone bills and utilities. Amazon konbini payment is due by 23:59 three days after the number is issued, and the ETC Personal Card costs 1,257 yen a year. Fees and the five-year rule on unpaid bills included.

2026.09.30

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Cheap Furniture in Japan 2026: Second-Hand Appliances, Recycling Fees

Three cheap ways to furnish a flat in Japan: second-hand shops with an antique-dealer licence, your city's reuse furniture, and people giving things away. Sagamihara's reuse furniture costs 350, 650 or 1,300 yen by size (residents of junior-high age or older, one item a month, lottery). Check the PSE mark on used electronics. Fridges, washing machines, TVs and air conditioners cannot go out as oversized rubbish: you pay a recycling fee (Sharp example: fridge over 170 L 4,730 yen, washer 2,530 yen) plus a collection fee. Avoid unlicensed free-pickup trucks.

2026.09.30

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Japanese Wedding and Funeral Money 2026: Amounts, Envelopes, New Bills

No law sets wedding or funeral money in Japan. In surveys by the All Japan Kankonsosai Mutual Aid Association, the most common gift for a coworker's wedding reception was 30,000 yen (average 31,696, FY2023) and koden for a coworker's family funeral was 5,000 yen (average 5,336, FY2021). Avoid 4, 9 and even amounts; use crisp new notes for weddings but not for funerals. How to write the envelopes, hand them over, and post money by cash registered mail.

2026.09.30

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Buying a Car in Japan as a Foreigner 2026: Parking Certificate & Tax

Yes, a foreigner can buy a car in Japan. For a regular car, rent a parking space within 2 km of home, get the police parking certificate (2,400 yen and 3 to 7 days in Tokyo), and register with a seal certificate issued within 3 months; the residence card is used at city hall to register the seal. Jibaiseki covers only injury or death to others. Car tax goes to the 1 April owner in May, and shaken is due after 3 years, then every 2. Kei cars need no parking certificate and accept a juminhyo.

2026.09.30

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Suica and PASMO for Foreigners 2026: Deposit, Refunds, Commuter Passes

Foreigners can buy Suica or PASMO at any station machine; if you live in Japan, register it. Every card holds a 500-yen deposit you get back on return (phone cards have none). Student commuter passes are only for JR-designated schools: a Japanese language school must be a licensed senshu or kakushu gakko with a designated course. Refunds are at the issuer's stations: balance minus 220 yen plus 500. Leaving Japan? Refund Mobile Suica before closing your bank account.

2026.09.29

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PayPay for Foreigners in Japan 2026: Phone Number, ID Check and Limits

Foreigners can use PayPay, but you need a Japanese mobile number; overseas numbers cannot register. For the identity check, use a residence card with at least 90 days left when you apply (age 16 or over) or a My Number card. Residence cards issued on or after 14 June 2026 are not accepted for now. After the check, paying from your balance rises from 500,000 to 1,000,000 yen in any 24 hours and sending from 100,000 to 300,000 yen, and you can link and withdraw to a bank. Cash top-ups at Seven Bank and Lawson Bank ATMs work even before it.

2026.09.29

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Maternity Leave Japan for Foreigners 2026: Pay, Conditions, 80% Rule

Foreigners have the same maternity and childcare leave rights as anyone in Japan: six weeks before the birth and eight after under the Labour Standards Act, and childcare leave until the child turns one (up to two if no nursery place). While off, salary is replaced by benefits: the maternity allowance (two-thirds of pay, employer health-insurance members only) and the childcare leave benefit (67% for 180 days, then 50%). Since April 2025, if both parents take 14 or more days, the first 28 days pay 80%, tax-free with premiums waived. Conditions: 12 months in employment insurance, and for fixed-term contracts no clear end before the child is 18 months; student part-time jobs are excluded. If you go home, go without resigning: the benefit stops the day you quit. Fathers can take up to 28 days of post-birth leave.

2026.09.20

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Japanese New Year 2026-27: What Closes, and What to Eat (Osechi)

City offices close December 29 to January 3 and bank counters December 31 to January 3.

2026.07.29

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