Life in Japan
Residence card, insurance, banking and more
Your first weeks
Residence Card
How the Japanese residence card works — when you receive it, address registration, the carry obligation, and what to do when your details change.
Opening a Bank Account
How foreigners actually open bank accounts — the six-month rule, which banks are friendly on day one, what documents you need, and the traps that freeze accounts.
Phone & SIM
How newcomers get a Japanese phone number — airport data SIMs vs real voice contracts, which carriers accept foreign cards, typical monthly prices, and the traps in old-style contracts.
Money & obligations
Health Insurance & Pension
How mandatory health insurance and pension work for foreigners — employee vs national systems, what the 30% copay really means, student exemptions, the lump-sum refund when you leave, and the PR connection.
Taxes
How Japan taxes foreign residents — what payroll already withholds, why residence tax arrives a year late, who actually needs to file a return, and what to settle before leaving the country.
Sending Money Home
How to remit from Japan — why bank wires lose to specialist apps, the real cost hiding in exchange rates, My Number and limits, and why informal carriers are never worth it.
Health, family & mobility
Seeing a Doctor
How the Japanese healthcare system works day to day — walking into specialty clinics directly, why big hospitals charge extra without a referral, emergency numbers, and typical prices with the insurance card.
Childcare & Kids
What the system pays families — monthly child allowance with no income cap, the ¥500,000 birth lump sum, free preschool for ages 3–5, near-free child healthcare — and how the daycare application actually works.
Driver's License
How gaimen kirikae conversion works now — the stricter 50-question test since October 2025, which countries skip the tests, what the practical exam really fails people on, and when driving school is the honest answer.