SKILL 1 ・ PROTECT ・ 守る力
First, protect this. most important
Protect your residence status (visa), your contracts and your health. If this foundation cracks, every other skill loses its meaning. For a foreigner, “protect” means, above all, protect your visa – your right to be in Japan.
Why “Protect” comes first
In money advice, “protect” usually means guarding your savings from scams and high taxes. For a foreigner in Japan, there is something even more basic underneath it: not losing your residence status.
No matter how much you earn or save, if you lose your visa, you lose your whole life in Japan. Getting caught in illegal work and being sent home, losing money to a contract trap, paying full price for medical care because you had no insurance – protecting yourself from these “big losses” is the skill of Protect. That is why it sits first, as the foundation of all five skills.
Protect – the guides
Joining is required if you stay over 3 months. It cuts medical bills to 30%.
Residence registration (juminhyo)
Register your address within 14 days – it unlocks almost every other procedure.
Renting an apartment: costs, documents and guarantors
Move-in costs 4-6 months of rent. You can rent without a Japanese guarantor.
Seeing a doctor: clinics, hospitals and emergencies
Start at a clinic, pay 30 percent, and call 119 free in an emergency.
Move-out costs: what you really owe (and what you don’t)
Normal wear is the landlord’s cost. Don’t overpay when you leave.
More in English: tax for foreign workers, what to do if your rent is increased, and permanent residency and the 2027 changes.
Frequently asked questions
What does Protect mean for a foreigner in Japan?
Protect your residence status, your contracts and your health. If the visa falls, everything built on it falls, so this skill comes before earning or investing.
What should I protect first?
Your visa. Follow the work-hour rules, renew on time and register your address within 14 days of moving (as of 2026).
What are the most common losses for foreigners?
Working over the legal hours and risking the visa, signing rental contracts with hidden costs, and skipping health insurance until sickness hits.
Once the foundation is solid, go to the next skill
When your visa, contracts and health are protected, the next skill is Save – cutting your fixed costs, remittance fees and taxes.
The Five Skills ｜ All English guides ｜ About
