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.
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
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.