Life in Japan– category –

If you cannot find an apartment to rent in Japan, have no guarantor, or were turned down because you are a foreigner, there are public systems and places to get help. Based on information from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and the Ministry of Justice, this article explains how to find Safety Net Housing that does not refuse tenants, how to consult a Housing Support Corporation, rent guarantee companies, public housing, and the Legal Affairs Bureau's human rights counseling in foreign languages.

Text messages saying a delivery company could not deliver your package, calls from people pretending to be police officers or immigration officials, international calls from numbers starting with "+": based on information from the National Police Agency, the Immigration Services Agency and the National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan, this article explains common scams in Japan and how to spot them. It also covers what to do if you tapped a link or paid money, and where to get help (#9110 and 188).

In Japan, spray cans, portable gas canisters, lithium-ion batteries such as power banks, dry-cell batteries and lighters can cause fires in garbage trucks and waste treatment facilities if they are mixed with other garbage. Based on information from the government and local governments, this article explains what to do before throwing them away, examples of how each city or ward collects them, collection boxes in stores, and what to do with swollen batteries.

Based on national government materials, this article explains how to prepare for disasters such as earthquakes and typhoons in Japan: how much food and water to keep at home (3 liters of water per person per day, for 3 days to 1 week), rolling stock (preparing with the food you normally eat), toilet supplies, what to put in an emergency grab bag, and how to contact your family (Disaster Emergency Message Dial 171).

How to look for your things in Japan when you drop your wallet, smartphone or cards, or leave something on a train: contacting the station or railway company, filing a lost property report with the police, searching lost items online, the storage period (3 months), what you need to collect an item, how to stop your cards and smartphone, and what to do if you lose your residence card.

Where you can see a doctor in Japan when you get sick at night or on a Sunday or public holiday: how holiday emergency clinics, night emergency centers and on-duty doctors work, how to search on the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's "Medical Information Net (Navii)", the #7119 and #8000 phone advice lines, help in foreign languages, and what to bring.

For foreign families raising children in Japan: a guide by situation covering the pregnancy notification and the Maternal and Child Health Handbook, the birth registration and your child's status of residence, the child allowance, children's medical expenses, health checkups and vaccinations for infants and young children, nursery schools, kindergartens and certified centers for early childhood education and care, entering elementary and junior high school, and where to get advice.

Children's vaccinations in Japan: the difference between free "routine vaccinations" and "voluntary vaccinations" you pay for yourself, the types of vaccines and when to start, the pre-vaccination questionnaire sent by your city, ward, town or village, what to bring to the clinic, and what to do when you move here, based on information from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

A guide, by situation, to the manners and rules you should know when living in Japan. Based on the Immigration Services Agency's "Guidebook on Living and Working" and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's "Apartment Search Guidebook", it explains life at home (garbage, noise, shoes and toilets), walking outside (using a smartphone while walking, littering), trains and buses, hot springs and public baths, neighbors and neighborhood associations, crime prevention, alcohol and tobacco, and national holidays and the New Year period.

Based on information from the Cabinet Office, Japanese laws and Japan Post, this article explains Japan's national holidays (list for 2026 and 2027), how substitute holidays work, government office closures from December 29 to January 3, bank holidays, mail delivery on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, and what to keep in mind during Obon and Golden Week.