English Do I Have to Carry My Residence Card in Japan? Rules, Fines, Renewal
You must carry your residence card at all times in Japan. Only people under 16 are exempt, and permanent residents are not.
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English Can Permanent Residency Be Revoked in Japan? The 2027 Rules
From April 2027 permanent residence in Japan can be revoked on three grounds: unpaid public dues, Immigration Act breaches, and certain crimes.
English Living Costs in Japan for International Students 2026: 199,000 Yen
International students spend 170,000 yen a month on average and 199,000 yen in Tokyo, according to the JASSO FY2023 survey.
English Japan National Pension for Students: 17,920 Yen and How to Defer It
Residents aged 20 and over must join the National Pension, students included, and the premium is 17,920 yen a month.
English Getting Married in Japan as a Foreigner 2026: Documents, Fees, Visa
To marry in Japan, you file a marriage registration at a city office, and the day it is accepted is your wedding day in law. There is no fee. The foreign partner needs a certificate of legal capacity to marry from their embassy, with a Japanese translation. Each partner's own law decides whether they can marry; Japanese nationals from 18. Your visa does not change by itself: a change to Spouse of Japanese National takes one to two months. The city office does not tell your home country.
English Pregnant in Japan 2026: Boshi Techo Handbook, 14 Checkups, 100,000 Yen
Register the pregnancy at the city office where your resident record is and you get the boshi techo (Maternal and Child Health Handbook) free, on the spot. All 1,741 municipalities fund at least 14 prenatal checkups, averaging 113,647 yen. Since April 2025 the pregnancy support payment adds 100,000 yen for one baby. Nationality and insurance type do not matter. Plus the 10-language handbook, what to bring, and moving mid-pregnancy.
Earn Specified Skilled Worker Visa Japan 2026: Requirements, 1 vs 2, Tests
Specified Skilled Worker (SSW) is a status of residence for working in set fields with labour shortages, using skills proven by a test, with no degree required. Type 1 covers 19 fields, lasts five years in total and basically does not allow family; type 2 covers 11 fields, has no cap and allows a spouse and children. Type 1 needs a field skills test and JFT-Basic or JLPT N4, waived after Technical Intern Training (ii). You can sit the tests inside Japan with any status; JFT-Basic costs 10,000 yen. Food service changes have been refused as a rule since 13 April 2026.
Earn Humanities Visa Japan Jobs 2026: What’s Allowed and What Gets Refused
Japan's Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services visa (gijinkoku) covers work that uses what you studied or a foreign-culture perspective. "No experience needed" jobs are out, and cases where the main work was luggage, cleaning or serving were refused. You need a degree, a senmon-shi diploma or 10 years' experience (3 for translation and PR), pay equal to a Japanese worker, and since 15 April 2026 B2 proof such as N2 for interpreting or front desk work. Plus the 14-day notice and the 2,000-yen certificate.
English Visa Renewal in Japan 2026: Timing, Documents and New Fees by Period
You can file from roughly three months before your period of stay ends. Since 1 October 2026 the fee depends on the period granted: 33,000 yen at the counter or 27,000 yen online for one year.
Earn ESD Visa Japan 2026: Employment for Skill Development From April 2027
Employment for Skill Development (ESD, ikusei shuro) replaces Technical Intern Training on 1 April 2027, a date fixed by Cabinet Order. It trains foreign workers for three years in 17 labour-shortage fields. You can change employer by choice within the same job category after 1 or 2 years depending on the field, once you pass a skills test and a Japanese test. Japanese is A1 before work and A2 (about N4) by year three, and SSW (i) requires passing the tests. Current trainees stay on technical intern training. Sending-organisation fees are capped at two months' pay.
English Renting in Japan Without a Guarantor: 3 Routes That Work in 2026
Two different things are called a guarantor in Japan, and the one on your visa does nothing for a lease.
English Monthly Apartments in Japan for Foreigners 2026: 3-Month Break-Even
Short-term housing is cheap to enter and expensive per month.
English How to Choose a Japanese Language School in 2026: Accreditation First
Before anything else, check whether the school is accredited.
English Finding an Apartment in Japan in English: SUUMO Has None, 3 Ways
SUUMO has no English version (checked August 2026). Three routes remain: Japanese sites, walking into an agency, or foreigner-friendly services.
English Changing Jobs in Japan 2026: The Certificate of Authorized Employment
The Certificate of Authorized Employment is Immigration's confirmation that the work at your new employer fits your current status. It is optional and you can work without it, but at your next renewal the job fitting your status is a requirement, so getting the answer early matters. It costs 2,000 yen at the counter or 1,600 yen online (1,820 yen online from 1 October 2026), you apply at the office for your address, and a review after a job change takes one to three months. The 14-day notification is still required, and Specified Skilled Workers changing company need a change of status instead.
Earn Highly Skilled Professional Visa Japan 2026: 70 Points, PR in 1 Year
The Highly Skilled Professional visa is for people who score 70 points or more on education, career, salary, age and Japanese. You get a 5-year stay, and can apply for permanent residency after 3 years at 70 points or 1 year at 80, instead of 10. Salary points depend on your age and exclude overtime. How to fill in the official points table, what to submit, spouse work and parents, HSP (ii), J-Skip from 20 million yen, and the October 2026 fees.
English Online Visa Renewal Japan 2026: Apply From Home, Save Up to 9,450 Yen
How to renew your visa or change your status in Japan through the Online Residence Application System. You need a My Number card, a smartphone with the Mynaportal app and a computer, and you can file from three months before expiry up to the day before. From 1 October 2026, online costs up to 9,450 yen less than the counter (27,330 yen for one year), paid at a convenience store or by bank, and the payment notice only comes from @service-dgft.com. Keep the acceptance number email that arrives the next day: it proves you are under application in the grace period. Want the card fast? Collect it at the counter.
English Changing Schools on a Student Visa in Japan 2026: Two 14-Day Notices
You can change schools in Japan and keep your Student status. What Immigration asks for is two notifications, each within 14 days: one for leaving the old school and one for joining the new one. You file them yourself, online at any hour, and not filing can mean a fine of up to 200,000 yen. Between schools you are enrolled nowhere, so part-time work is not allowed, and three months without study makes your status liable to cancellation. At the next renewal you also submit the old school's attendance and grade certificates.
Earn Research Student vs Master’s in Japan 2026: No Degree, 2-Year Visa Cap
A research student (kenkyusei) in Japan is a non-degree student: no master's, no credits. The status is the same Student visa, but only two years as a research student, other universities included. Mainly-Japanese study stopped qualifying on 26 April 2024. Work is capped at 28 hours a week. National graduate tuition is 535,800 yen a year as standard, JASSO's 48,000 yen grant can cover research students, and the job-hunting visa does not.
English Medical Expense Deduction Japan 2026: Tax Back Over 100,000 Yen
Foreign residents can use Japan's medical expense deduction just like Japanese residents. Subtract the high-cost medical benefit and insurance payouts from what you paid in the year, then 100,000 yen (or 5% of income under 2 million yen); the rest, up to 2 million yen, is deducted. You get back tax, not the bill. What counts, family abroad, self-medication versus the normal deduction, the statement form, and claiming five years back.
English Certificate of Eligibility Japan 2026: Timeline and Why Some Fail
The COE is Japan's pre-approval before your visa. Your school files it for you, the review takes 1 to 3 months, and it stays valid for 3 months.
English Leaving Japan Tax Representative 2026: Resident Tax and 20.42% Refund
A tax representative (nozei kanrinin) receives your Japanese tax papers, pays, files and collects refunds after you leave. You file two notifications before departure: resident tax with the city where you lived on 1 January (Yokohama wants it 10 days ahead), income tax with the tax office for your last address. A friend or a company with a Japanese address can do it. The 20.42% withheld from the Employees' Pension lump-sum can come back; in the National Tax Agency example, all 59,519 yen does.
English UR Housing and Public Housing in Japan 2026: Can Foreigners Apply?
Foreign residents can apply for public housing. In Tokyo, permanent residents, spouses of Japanese nationals and long-term residents qualify straight away, other statuses after one year, but you must live with family and stay under an income cap of ¥2.276 million for two people. The May 2026 lottery averaged 8.5 to 1, and 99 to 1 in Shibuya. UR housing has no key money, agency fee, renewal fee or guarantor, and needs income of four times the rent, or savings of 100 times the rent, or rent paid upfront.
English Can Foreigners Get Welfare in Japan? Seikatsu Hogo 2026, 6 Visa Types
Welfare (seikatsu hogo) for foreign residents is an administrative measure under a 1954 notice. It covers permanent residents, special permanent residents, long-term residents, spouses of Japanese nationals or permanent residents, and recognised refugees, but not student, work or Dependent statuses. You apply at the welfare office for your card address and hear within 14 days. A family of three in central Tokyo gets 168,020 yen a month for living costs plus rent. Renewal weighs humanitarian reasons. Others can ask about the housing security benefit or an emergency loan of up to 100,000 yen.
English Japan Post Change of Address 2026: Free Mail Forwarding for 1 Year
Japan Post's change-of-address form (tenkyo todoke) forwards mail from your old address to your new one, free, for one year. Foreign residents can file it with a residence card at a post office counter, in a post box or online through e-tenkyo. Registration takes 3 to 7 business days, and the year runs from the day you file, not from the day forwarding starts. Mail marked "do not forward" goes back instead, including My Number letters, which return to the city office. The city office move-in notice is a separate 14-day step, and nothing is forwarded abroad.
English How to Set Up Utilities in Japan 2026: 3 Calls, and Gas Needs You Home
Setting up utilities in Japan means three calls: electricity to a company you choose (free since 2016), gas to the gas company, where someone must be home for a 20-30 minute opening, and water to your city bureau (Tokyo: 3-4 days ahead). On propane you cannot switch company after moving in, so get prices first. Young singles pay about ¥8,291 a month, and unpaid bills bring notices about 15 and 5 days before a cut-off.
English Renters Insurance and Renewal Fees in Japan 2026: What You Really Owe
Leases in Japan ask for fire insurance because a tenant who starts a fire still owes the landlord for the flat, even though the Fire Liability Act usually spares the neighbours. If fire from next door burns your things, only your own contents cover pays. Insurance is not legally compulsory, but a lease can require it. The renewal fee comes from your contract, not the law; the Supreme Court held in 2011 that a clear, non-excessive fee is valid. Fixed-term leases have no renewal.
Earn Free Japanese Classes in Japan 2026: Local Classes and 3 Free Courses
City offices, international associations and volunteer groups run Japanese classes for the foreign residents who live nearby. Toshima City lists five free classes for adults, plus classes at 100 yen a session or 500 yen a month. To find one, search your city's website for 日本語教室, then your international association's list. 38.2% of municipalities have no confirmed class; there, start with the Japan Foundation's free IRODORI, NHK's Easy Japanese or MEXT's Tsunahiro. Also covers the A1–C2 levels and how accredited schools differ.
English Help for Foreigners in Japan 2026: Free Helplines in English and More
Help for foreigners in Japan, by problem. Not sure where to start? Your local consultation desk: 290 local governments, free, 11+ languages. Visa: 0570-013904 (weekdays, 11 languages incl. Sinhala). Work: English 0570-001-701. Legal: Houterasu 0570-078377. Discrimination: 0570-090-911. Contracts: 188. Feeling low: Yorisoi 0120-279-338, press 2.
Earn EJU Exam 2026 in Japan: November Registration Closed, Fees, Scores
The EJU measures the Japanese and academic skills of international students entering Japanese universities, with scores instead of pass or fail. The November 2026 exam is on 8 November and registration closed on 30 July. Your university chooses the subjects; the fee in Japan is 12,000 yen for one or 23,000 yen for two or more. Scores last two years, and ticking the box when you apply can reserve a 48,000 yen monthly JASSO scholarship.
Earn Internship in Japan for International Students: Visa, Paid or Unpaid
A paid internship on a Student visa needs permission to work. Up to 28 hours a week (8 hours a day on long breaks), the standard permit covers it. Over 28 hours, you need an individual permit, mainly for final-year students with about 90% of their credits; review takes two weeks to two months, free. Unpaid internships need no permit. Students from abroad use Designated Activities No. 9, Cultural Activities or Temporary Visitor.
English Long-Term Resident Visa Japan 2026: Requirements, Renewal, Divorce
Long-Term Resident (teijusha) is a status the Minister of Justice grants for special reasons, held by third-generation Nikkei, stepchildren and people who changed status after divorce. There are no work limits. Periods are 5 years, 3 years, 1 year, 6 months or a set period up to 5 years, and 5 years on this status is enough to apply for permanent residency. After divorce there are no published requirements, only 13 published cases. Renewal documents, where to get them, and fees from 1 October 2026 (33,000 yen for 1 year, 75,000 yen for 5 years) are checked against official sources.
English Japan Spouse Visa 2026: Requirements, Documents, Cost, 1–3 Months
The spouse visa is the status Spouse or Child of Japanese National, for a Japanese national's husband or wife, child or special adoptee. From abroad you need a Certificate of Eligibility (1–3 months, no fee); in Japan, a change of status (1–2 months). A change from a tourist stay is not granted as a rule. Spouses submit a family register extract, a home-country marriage certificate, tax certificates, a guarantee letter, an 8-page questionnaire signed by the Japanese spouse and couple photos. From 1 October 2026 a change costs 18,000–75,000 yen. No work limits.
English Spouse of Permanent Resident Visa Japan 2026: Requirements, Work, PR
Spouse or Child of Permanent Resident is the status for people married to a permanent resident or special permanent resident, and their children born in Japan. No work restriction; stays of 5, 3 or 1 years or 6 months. Get it by COE (free, 1-3 months), a change of status, or within 30 days of a birth in Japan. PR after 3 years of marriage plus 1 year in Japan; a draft for 5 plus 3 from April 2027 is undecided. Divorce: notify within 14 days.
Earn Designated Activities 46 Visa Japan 2026: N1, Jobs, vs Humanities Visa
Designated Activities No. 46 lets graduates of Japanese universities with JLPT N1 or BJT 480+ take a wide range of jobs that involve communicating in Japanese, including customer service and factory line work the Humanities visa rarely allows. Since 29 February 2024 it also covers kodo senmonshi from certified vocational courses. Pay must match Japanese graduates, the first period is normally one year, dispatch work is out, and every new employer needs a change-of-status application. Family get No. 47.
English Health Checkup in Japan 2026: Yearly, Employer-Paid, and Who Qualifies
Employers in Japan must give the people they employ a medical checkup on hiring and at least once a year, whatever their nationality, and the employer pays. Part-timers qualify at three quarters of full-time weekly hours with a year or more of work; where full-timers work 40 hours, a student job capped at 28 hours does not reach the 30-hour line. No checkup at work? National Health Insurance members aged 40-74 get a yearly city tokutei kenshin, free in Osaka and Yokohama, and cancer screening is at your city.
Earn Japanese Payslip 2026: How to Read the 5 Deductions and Take-Home Pay
A Japanese payslip has three parts: pay, deductions and take-home pay. The five main deductions follow official tables. In FY2026, health insurance is half of 9.85% in Tokyo, pension half of 18.3% and employment insurance 0.5%, and a 0.23% child support contribution (half each) was added from May pay. Income tax comes from the withholding table: under the kou column it is zero below 105,000 yen a month in 2026, while otsu takes more. On 245,000 yen, take-home pay is 205,379 yen. Students usually pay only income tax, residence tax starts in year two, and employers must give you a payslip by law.
English Gensen Choshu Hyo 2026: Where to Get It and the 4 Boxes to Read
The gensen choshu hyo is the withholding slip your employer must give you, foreign employees included: by 31 January, or within one month of leaving a job (Income Tax Act, article 226). Read four boxes: total pay, employment income, total deductions and tax withheld. If the middle two are blank you had no year-end adjustment, and a refund return within five years may get tax back. Visa renewals ask for city tax certificates instead. If it never comes, notify the tax office.
English English-Speaking Doctor in Japan 2026: Find One and Get an Interpreter
How to find an English-speaking doctor in Japan, or one in your language. Search JNTO's medical institution list by area, language and department, then call ahead. The hospital books the interpreter, not you. Interpreting fees sit outside insurance: a hospital needs your signed consent, and only 70 of 5,745 did charge. Plus the health ministry's 13-language questionnaires, VoiceTra, what to bring, and 119.
Earn Social Media for Foreigners in Japan 2026: X, Instagram and LinkedIn
Social media arrives fast; a blog gets found later by search. Use both.
English How to Call the Police in Japan 2026: 110 in English, #9110 and Koban
110 is free, and you are asked what happened, how long ago and where. If you do not speak Japanese, the police bring an interpreter into the call, so stay on the line. For non-urgent advice there is #9110 (mainly weekdays 8:30 to 17:15, call charge applies). Any koban takes lost-property reports, and if you hand in what you found within 7 days (24 hours inside a shop or station) you can claim 5 to 20% of its value. Plus showing your residence card and filing a crime report.
English Claiming Overseas Family as Dependents on Your Japanese Tax 2026
If you send money home, you can claim those relatives as dependents and pay less tax.
English Unpaid Residence Tax in Japan 2026: Seizure, Instalments and Your Visa
Miss the due date for residence tax in Japan and a demand letter follows within 20 days; ten days after it is sent, the city can seize your wages or savings. Late charges in 2026 are 2.8% a year for the first month and 9.1% after that, even on an instalment plan. A formal deferral for illness or disaster, or when paying at once would wreck your living, waives the charge or cuts it to 1.3%. Visa renewal checks your tax record and permanent residence checks whether you paid on time.
English NISA for Foreigners in Japan 2026: How to Open One, and When You Leave
You can open a Japanese brokerage account whatever your nationality, as long as you live here.
English Permanent Residency in Japan 2026: Rules and the 2027 Changes
Ten years is the standard, but from April 2027 your residence card must show a 5-year period of stay, and permanent residence becomes revocable.
Earn Vocational School in Japan for International Students 2026: N2 & Fees
A vocational school (senmon gakko) in Japan is the specialised course of a specialised training college. To enter on a Student visa you need one year at a Japanese language school, JLPT N2 or an equivalent score, or one year at a Japanese school; six months became one year on 26 April 2024. For a work visa you need the senmonshi or kodo senmonshi title and a job related to your course. First-year fees average about 1.3 million yen.
Earn Learn Kanji With Japanese School Drills 2026: 1,026 Free to Print
Living in Japan but still cannot read the paperwork? Use the drill books Japanese children use, from grade 1.
English Is Healthcare Free for Children in Japan? 2026: Most Cities Pay to 18
Health insurance in Japan leaves you 20% of a child's bill before primary school and 30% after; your city's children's medical subsidy covers some or all of that. 1,576 of 1,741 municipalities cover clinic visits to age 18 (April 2025). Foreign children qualify with a resident record and Japanese insurance. Tokyo charges up to 200 yen a visit, Osaka up to 500 yen a day (cap 2,500 a month), Yokohama nothing. Plus how to apply after a birth or move, and claiming refunds (5 years in Osaka and Yokohama).
Earn Work in Japan Without a Degree 2026: The Three Visa Routes
A degree does not decide whether you can work in Japan, only which route you take. Specified Skilled Worker asks for tests instead of schooling.
English Garbage Disposal in Japan 2026: Sorting, Sodai Gomi, 4 Appliances
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.
English Japanese Language School Cost 2026: The Real 2 Million Yen Breakdown
One year at a Japanese language school costs about 2,000,000 yen once living costs are added.
English Dependent Health Insurance in Japan 2026: 1.3M Yen Limit for Family
Family you support can join your company health insurance in Japan as dependents with no premium, whatever their nationality. They must be registered as living in Japan and earn under 1.3 million yen a year (1.5 million at 19-22 since October 2025, 1.8 million at 60+), and under half your income if you live together. Family in your home country cannot be added since April 2020, unlike the tax dependent. File through your employer within 5 days; a spouse also becomes Category 3 and pays no pension premium. A Dependent-visa spouse working 28 hours a week passes 1.3 million from 893 yen an hour.
Earn Getting a Driving Licence in Japan as a Foreigner (2026)
Converting a licence costs 4,850 yen; starting from zero costs about 231,000 to 382,800 yen at the driving schools we checked.
English Medicine in Japan 2026: What You Cannot Bring, and the New Rules
Cold medicine with pseudoephedrine cannot enter Japan without advance permission, even for your own treatment. Since May 2026 under 18s get one small pack and ID is checked.
English Converting Your Foreign Driving Licence in Japan (2026)
A Nepali licence does not work in Japan even with an IDP. Sri Lankan and Indian ones do, until the three month rule cancels them.
Earn Start a Blog in Japan 2026: Practice Japanese, Build a Portfolio
Japanese practice arrives in weeks, a portfolio in months, income maybe never.
English 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.
English Buying a Laptop in Japan 2026: Keyboards, Tax and Where to Buy
Pick the keyboard layout first, because it is the only part you cannot change later.
Earn Keigo vs Casual Japanese 2026: What to Say at Work
You can work a Japanese part-time job with only desu and masu plus eight set phrases.
English Share House in Japan 2026: No Guarantor, Under 100,000 Yen
A standard Japanese apartment costs 4 to 7 months of rent up front. A share house skips the deposit and guarantor for under 100,000 yen.
English Income Tax in Japan for Foreigners 2026: Get Your Refund
Income tax gets withheld automatically, but most student workers overpay and can get it back.
English Rent Increase in Japan 2026: Your Landlord Cannot Decide Alone
Your landlord cannot raise your rent alone. If you cannot agree, a court decides, and your current rent is enough until then. If a higher rent is later confirmed, you pay the shortfall with 10% annual interest.
Earn Part-Time Jobs in Japan for Students 2026: The 28-Hour Rule
Working part-time as a student needs a free permit and staying under 28 hours a week total across every job.
English Student Visa to Work Visa in Japan: 97% Are Approved, Why Some Are Not
In 2024, 96.7% of applications to change from a student visa to a work visa were approved.
English Spend Well — family, culture and the life you build in Japan (Skill 5)
The last of the five skills, and the reason for the other four. Some things money can replace and some it cannot — your years in Japan are the second kind.
English Leaving Japan for Good: The Checklist That Saves You Money
Leaving Japan permanently? The moving-out notice unlocks your pension refund and stops your bills.
English Bank Account in Japan for Foreigners 2026: Japan Post 3-Month Rule
How foreigners open a bank account in Japan: each bank sets its own residence-period rule, Japan Post Bank accepts you if more than 3 months remain, and online banks need no hanko.
English Lump-Sum Withdrawal Payment Japan 2026: How Much You Get Back
Japan pension lump-sum withdrawal payment explained: who qualifies, the 5-year payout cap, the unconfirmed 8-year reform, claim deadlines.
Earn How to Make Money in Japan as a Foreigner: What Your Visa Allows
What your visa really allows in Japan: side jobs on a work visa, the 28-hour rule for students.
English Seeing a Doctor in Japan 2026: Clinics, Hospitals and What You Pay
How to see a doctor in Japan: clinic or hospital, the 5 steps of a visit, Japanese phrases that work.
English Grow — investing and pensions as a foreigner in Japan (Skill 4)
The fourth of the five skills. NISA only exists while you live in Japan, and part of your pension comes back when you go.
English Save — cut your costs in Japan (Skill 2)
The second of the five skills: keep a part of what you earn.
English Protect — visa, contracts and health in Japan (Skill 1)
The first of the five skills for living in Japan: protect your visa, your contracts and your health. If this foundation cracks, everything else falls.
English The Five Skills — timeless principles of money and life in Japan
Money and life follow principles that do not change with country or century.
English Earn — work, Japanese and your visa in Japan (Skill 3)
The third of the five skills. What you earn is what you can do, times the hours you may work.
English About lazy-lazy — Life in Japan School
Living in Japan is hard when nobody tells you the rules. lazy-lazy is the senpai you don't have yet: honest guides on visa, housing, money and work.
English Moving House in Japan 2026: Why March Costs About Twice as Much
A single person pays about 142,000 yen to move in March and 66,000 to 74,000 from May.
English Move-Out Costs in Japan 2026: What You Really Owe, and What You Don’t
Move-out costs in Japan explained. Normal wear is the landlord responsibility; you pay only for damage you caused.
English Residence Registration Japan 2026: Within 14 Days, and What to Bring
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.
English Credit Cards for Foreigners in Japan 2026: Check This Before You Apply
"They rejected me when I showed my residence card." The screening criteria are not published, so anyone claiming a card is easy to pass is guessing.
English Best SIM in Japan for Foreigners 2026: No Credit Card Needed
Which SIM in Japan can you get without a credit card? Compare Rakuten Mobile, ahamo, povo and Nihon Tsushin by price, data, coverage and eSIM.
English Home Internet in Japan 2026: Fibre, Router or Pocket Wi-Fi, No Wait
Home internet in Japan for foreigners: fibre vs home router vs pocket Wi-Fi.
English Sending Money Home from Japan 2026: Wise vs Banks vs IME
How to send money from Japan to Nepal or Sri Lanka, and how to compare what actually arrives.
English Renting an Apartment in Japan 2026: Costs, Documents and Guarantors
Renting an apartment in Japan: the real move-in cost (4-6 months), the documents you need, and how to rent without a Japanese guarantor using a guarantee company.
English Health Insurance in Japan for Foreigners: Which One You Are In
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.