By Emily Kitamura
I have been living in Japan for 8 months now and there are many things I have learnt during this time which I hope to share with you if you are considering coming to Japan. I write this post hoping the list becomes a useful tool for you and assists with a smoother transition into life abroad.
Firstly, although the list seems long, I surprised myself when writing it as I had forgotten some of the bothersome things that felt so huge in that moment. Now, they feel like a memory from the distant past as I have so many other great memories from my time in Japan.
This information is based on my experiences and was up to date when I came to Japan in September 2023. I would recommend you undertake your own research as no doubt I will have missed things and some information may change over time. Despite this, I hope this provides you with a brief overview and starting point for your preparations.
General Information
- Registering your address (Jyuminhyo 住民登録)
This is a register where everyone lives within a particular ward or city (in my case Tokyo, Toshima City). Those living in the wards will go to their local office and ‘register’.
You must complete paperwork upon arrival and bring your ID as it will be checked. (This may include your passport and residence card for example). You may get your residence card when you register depending on your visa.
Once registered with the office, you can request a copy of the record (this costs a small fee – I paid around 400 yen) and this acts as proof of your address. I needed proof of my address when opening a bank account and applying for health insurance.
You must notify the office when you move out of the ward or city (even if you are leaving the country to ensure your record is up to date).
- App Store
Many useful apps in Japan may only be available in the Japanese version of the App Store.
I use an Apple phone and it was impossible to change my region for the App Store without a Japanese credit card.
I had a debit card that could be used in Japan from the UK, however it was not accepted. I am unsure if this is the same process for Google users.
Ultimately, I ended up creating a new Apple ID and adding it to my App Store to get the apps I needed.
An example is when I needed the Tokyo Water Company app to pay the water bill for my flat. However, the app was not available in the UK App Store and I was unable to check my account until I changed my region. I ultimately phoned the company to explain the situation and they confirmed the dates the bills were due which was helpful but I still needed to add a payment method via the app. Once I created a new Apple ID for the App Store and switched my region (without needing a payment method to be added – unsure why this was the case), I had no further issues and managed to pay my water bill.
National Holidays Each Month (祝日)
In Japan, they have national holidays every month except June, October and December. I would say it is similar to bank holidays in the UK. These holidays can mean reduced opening hours for some places, however, just because it is a national holiday, it does not mean your university classes are off.
For example, I had university lectures every time there was a national holiday meaning it was essentially another normal day. There is also no guarantee which day of the week the holidays will fall on and if it falls on the weekend, they may use the following Monday as a holiday instead.
- My Number Card (マイナンバーカード)
The magical card takes a while to sort but once you have it, it acts as proof of ID and address at the same time. Often where ID is required (like opening a bank account) you may need your passport and proof of address, but with a My Number card this acts as both so only the card is required.
Further, you can get a copy of your Jyuminhyo (see above) almost instantly from the convenience store if you have this card – normally you would have to go back to the local ward/city office to get this.
- Convenience Stores (what you can do!)
I was very surprised at all the different things you can do at the convenience stores! As well as having an extensive selection of snacks, ready meals and drinks, some places will sell stationary and even have an eat-in section in store (as eating on the streets is not usually considered to be normal practice).
As well as there being a convenience store every few hundred metres in central Tokyo, you can do so many things there making it truly ‘convenient’!
For example, you can pay your rent and utility bills. Some things you can buy include:
- Stamps*
- Tickets to shows (for example, sumo tournaments)
- Tickets to the cinema
- Withdraw cash (although it does usually cost a fee)
*as long as you know the cost of the stamp and they stock it in the convenience store.
They also have printers and scanners where you can use a USB or print documents/photos directly from your phone (using an app). At some Lawsons, you can collect tickets you bought online for things like the Ghibli Museum or concerts.
- Yu-Yu Madoguchi (ゆうゆう窓口)
This is part of the post office and is open longer hours and offers a reduced service. You can collect parcels, send parcels and buy stamps. These are often located in a central part of your local ward – Google Maps is your friend here!
Jimoti (ジモティー)
An app/website where you can search for things people are selling/giving away locally. Sometimes there will be an option for delivery (at an additional cost).
You can also list things (for people to come and collect) which can save you so much money especially where there is not much of a second-hand culture like the UK. No charity shops as many people throw things directly in the bin but if you are only on exchange for a short period, sometimes you don’t want to buy new things or spend lots of money on something you are not going to use for all that long. Further, depending on where you live, it may actually cost you money to put particular things out on bin day – for example, a microwave.
A similar website is called Mercari (メルカリ) which also works in a similar way.
- Bank Accounts
Depending on the time of day, different cash machines will charge you a small fee for withdrawing cash (around 220 yen for me).
If you have a Japanese bank account and go to the bank branch to withdraw money, you are less likely to be charged the withdrawal fee.
If you open a Japanese bank account, I would strongly recommend you open it with one of the big 4 as they will be used to dealing with people from outside of Japan.
(Mitsubishi UFG, Mitsui Sumitomo Bank, Mizuho Bank, Yuucho Bank)
The advantage of using the bigger banks is they will be more used to international payments being made and received.
I had huge issues trying to send money to my Japanese account with a smaller bank for reasons that still remain unclear – I assume it was due to it being a large sum of money being transferred and it being suspicious, but it was rejected 3 times.
Therefore, I would also recommend mentioning you will be making international payments and receiving payments from abroad when you open the account to attempt to avoid it being rejected.
It is my understanding that most of the time foreign nationals are required to reside in Japan for 6 months before they can open a bank account, except for Yuucho Bank. I would recommend checking this before you get to Japan/attempt to open a bank account.
Must-Haves in Japan:
- Mobile Number
You need a Japanese mobile number for many things in Japan. Contracts can be daunting in your native language, never mind putting them into Japanese!
GTN Mobile is a company that has language support and is aimed at foreigners in Japan. They had a store within Haneda Airport (Tokyo) so I went and spoke to them after I got off my flight.
The downside to GTN Mobile is sometimes they can charge extra costs. I personally thought the mobile service was worth it since it was easy to set up in the Airport.
The big providers in Japan are LINE mobile (e-sim available), Y Mobile and Rakuten. Please note you are likely to need your residence card before you apply for a mobile number in Japan.
You can purchase short term SIM cards in convenience stores if needed.
- PASMO, SUICA, ECOCA (or similar depending on where you are)
These are essentially transport/travel cards which you can top up with money allowing you to tap in and out of stations. No need for a paper ticket each time.
As of August 2023, the PASMO card sales have been suspended however I managed to buy one when I bought a 24-Hour Tokyo Metro pass from the ticket machines at a metro station in Tokyo.
*PASMO and SUICA are most common in Kanto region and ECOCA is Kansai region. Other regions will have other cards and I believe there is a tourist travel card (although temporary) which can be purchased online.
Saving Money:
- Ekinetto (駅ネット)
This is a website that sells tickets for trains online. You can buy these tickets in advance and will often be cheaper by 10-30%. The earlier you buy the ticket the cheaper the ticket will be. Like trains in the UK, they do seem to limit the number of tickets sold at the cheaper price therefore once the 30% off ones sell out, the price will go up.
As a student, you are also eligible for Gakuwari – 学割（がくわり) which in essence is student discount. You need to get a slip from your University which is signed by them and you then take this to the Green Window (Midori no Madoguchi) at a large station where you line up to buy your train ticket. You can google `midori no madoguchi` and it should come up with which stations have them.
Please note this student discount is only available for JR trains and trips over 100km.
- Commuter Pass
If you use public transport to get to your university or place of work, you are likely eligible for a commuter pass.
I applied through my university for proof I was a student and they gave me a signed form to take to the station. I was then issued with the commuter pass and I had the option to purchase 1 month or 3 month passes.
Once the pass expires, it is easily renewed at the ticked machines in any station. I found if I was making more than 4 return trips to University then it would work out cheaper to buy the pass.
It is my understanding you need a PASMO, SUICA or ECOCA (or other similar card) to load the ticket on to (see above for suspension of card sales).
- Making Calls (international and within Japan):
I used Skype to make calls (seems odd I know but hear me out!)
As long as you have a Skype account, you can add credit (I added pounds) and you can make calls for relatively cheap.
Through GTN Mobile, I pay 22 yen for every 30 seconds. On Skype, I pay around 1.8p per minute. I have found my caller ID is not shown when I call from Skype which sometimes means people do not answer my calls, but it has been a great help when I had to call my English bank as the fees are not crazy.
Final Thoughts
I hope that through my experience, you will be a little more familiar with concepts when you arrive and if not, it gives you a few indicators as to where to start looking/go if you are unsure.
I hope this is somewhat useful for those preparing to come to Japan and gives you an insight into the administrative tasks you need to undertake and how to save some money on transport!
Despite this seemingly long list, you do adapt quickly and by asking around, someone does usually know the answer – especially if you ask the question in the right way! The first few months of your time abroad are adjusting and inevitably you will face challenges. But you will be able to work through it and it will get easier!
Please do feel free to contact me via TAP if you wanted to discuss anything further. I would be more than happy to help!
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