Tips for new residents of Japan

Living in Japan can be hard work. Here's some tips to make your life easier.

General

1. Get a seal. Seals ("hanko", referring to the physical seal, or "inkan", referring to the impression it leaves on paper) are used very frequently. Get one early.
2. Get a MyNumber card. It makes several bureaucratic tasks easier.
3. You can get government certificates from 7-eleven. Certain certificates, like the oft-needed residence certificate (jūminhyō), can be printed from 7-eleven printers (available certicates varies by prefecture). You just need to bring your MyNumber card.
4. Start studying for the JLPT. You won't passively pick up the Japanese language — you have to work at it. One easy way to get on track with your Japanese studies is to take the JLPT N5.
5. Get a live interpreter app. These are basically "video-call a bilingual person" apps, and you pay per minute. An example is Jeenie. Much easier than trying to use an translation app to get through an interaction.
6. Open a good bank account. My favourite is Prestia, which was formerly Citibank Japan. Their website is in English, and is easy to use.
7. International currency transfers are easy with wise.com. They make it a breeze, with low fees.
8. Open an Amazon account. Amazon really helps foreigners in Japan. If you need to return something, see Returning products bought on Amazon in Japan
9. ChatGPT is a big help. AI tools like ChatGPT are great for translations between Japanese and English. They also give good info about Japan, because they're trained on Japanese websites too.
10. Stay on top of your paperwork and payment obligations. Always pay your taxes, your national health insurance, and pension, on time (unless these are all handled by your employer). The authorities are not lenient, and don't let you off the hook. Immigration checks you've paid these obligations when you apply for visas or renewals. Note also that if you work for a foreign employer while you're living in Japan, the salary is taxable in Japan — not in the employer's country (don't expect a good result if you ask to renew your visa when your tax certificates say 0 yen).

Long-termers

If you're planning to stay in Japan long term:

1. Buy a printer-scanner. This will save you countless trips to the 7-eleven printers. You can get a small one on Amazon for a reasonable price.