Before you come to Japan
The things that cost you money or your visa if you find out too late.
Browse by skill
ProtectVisa, contracts, health11 guidesSaveLower your costs8 guidesEarnWork and language7 guidesGrowPensions and investing1 guideSpend WellFamily and culture2 guides
Every guide below is written for people living in Japan on a visa. Each one also has a simple-Japanese version, so you can read the English first and then practise the Japanese.
Latest guides
Social Media for Foreigners in Japan 2026: X, Instagram and LinkedIn (You Don’t Have to Monetise)7 August 2026
Claiming Overseas Family as Dependents on Your Japanese Tax 20266 August 2026
NISA and Brokerage Accounts for Foreigners in Japan 2026: How to Open One, and What Happens When You Leave5 August 2026
Permanent Residency in Japan 2026: Requirements and the Two Changes Coming in April 20274 August 2026
Learn Kanji With Japanese School Drills 2026: 1,026 Characters, Free to Print3 August 2026
Work in Japan Without a Degree 2026: The Three Visa Routes2 August 2026
Protect Visa, contracts, health
- National Health Insurance in Japan: How to Join and What It Costs
- Renting an Apartment in Japan: Costs, Documents and Guarantors
- Move-Out Costs in Japan: What You Really Owe (and What You Don’t)
- Protect — visa, contracts and health in Japan (Skill 1)
- Seeing a Doctor in Japan: Clinics, Hospitals and Emergencies
- Leaving Japan for Good: The Checklist That Saves You Money
- Rent Increase in Japan: Why You Can Say No (Tenant Rights 2026)
- Income Tax in Japan for Foreigners 2026: Get Your Refund
- Converting Your Foreign Driving Licence in Japan (2026)
- Medicine in Japan 2026: What You Cannot Bring, and the New Rules
- Japanese Language School Cost 2026: The Real 2 Million Yen Breakdown
Save Lower your costs
- Sending Money Home from Japan: Wise vs Banks vs IME
- Home Internet in Japan for Foreigners: Fibre vs Home Router vs Pocket Wi-Fi
- Best SIM in Japan for Foreigners 2026: No Credit Card Needed
- Credit Cards for Foreigners in Japan 2026: How to Get Approved the First Time
- Save — cut your costs in Japan (Skill 2)
- Opening a Bank Account in Japan as a Foreigner: The Fastest Route
- Share House in Japan 2026: No Guarantor, Under 100,000 Yen
- Buying a Laptop in Japan 2026: Keyboards, Tax and Where to Buy
- Moving House in Japan: Why March Costs Twice as Much
Earn Work and language
- How to Make Money in Japan as a Foreigner: What Your Visa Allows
- Student Visa to Work Visa in Japan: Why 1 in 5 Get Rejected
- Part-Time Jobs in Japan for Students 2026: The 28-Hour Rule
- Keigo vs Casual Japanese 2026: What to Say at Work
- Start a Blog in Japan: Practice Japanese, Build a Portfolio
- Getting a Driving Licence in Japan as a Foreigner (2026)
- Work in Japan Without a Degree 2026: The Three Visa Routes
Grow Pensions and investing
Spend Well Family and culture
- Residence Registration (Juminhyo) in Japan: A Guide for Foreigners
- Japanese New Year: What Closes and What to Eat (Osechi)
New here?
Start with registering your address, then health insurance and a bank account. Those three unlock almost everything else.
About this site and who writes it →
What this site is really trying to hand you
Rules change with the country and the decade. So these guides also set out the principles underneath them — the part that still works after you leave Japan. Who writes this, and why, is spelled out honestly.