Practical guides for foreigners living in Japan: paperwork, costs, telecom and everyday life.
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For a wait of only a few days, start with phone tethering or a data eSIM. If installation may take weeks and you need a laptop or several devices, compare a high-data SIM, Pocket Wi-Fi, and Home Wi-Fi before signing up.
After moving within Japan, tax certificates normally come from the municipality where you were registered on January 1 of the relevant fiscal year. Identify the certificate, fiscal year, and application method before applying.
Voice SIM and data SIM describe what the service includes; physical SIM and eSIM describe where your subscriber details live on the device. The two choices are independent, so an eSIM can be a voice line and a physical SIM can be data-only. This guide compares all four, covers what to check before you switch phones, and explains dual SIM for keeping your home-country number alongside a Japanese one.
Do not pick a plan by instinct. Open your phone's data usage screen, take the heaviest of your last three months, then add what changes in Japan: maps, translation, video calls home, and tethering a laptop. That number tells you whether you sit in the 5GB, 30GB, 50GB, or 100GB group, long before you start comparing carriers.
No Japanese guarantor does not mean no apartment. Most contracts now use a rent guarantee company instead — here is how guarantor companies, joint guarantors and emergency contacts differ, and what each one costs you.
Not having enough payslips does not guarantee rejection. An employment contract, 労働条件通知書, offer letter, employment certificate, projected-income certificate, and bank balance may support the application.
Moving into a Japanese apartment costs far more than the first month's rent. This guide breaks down shikikin, reikin, agency fees, guarantor fees, insurance and the charges that are easy to miss before you sign.
A document checklist for foreign residents renting in Japan: residence card, passport, proof of employment, proof of income, emergency contact and paperwork for everyone living with you.
A 15-point checklist to read before you sign a Japanese lease: contract type, rent, renewal fees, early termination, co-residents, pets and move-out costs.
A rental application in Japan can be turned down without any reason given. This guide walks foreign residents through 10 points that commonly cause trouble, and how to rebuild the application in the right direction.
A Japanese rent guarantor company may decline an application when payment capacity cannot be verified, information conflicts, documents are missing, or verification calls fail. The exact reason is usually not disclosed, but applicants can still review the facts and prepare a stronger next application.
If your current period of stay is six months or longer, you can usually apply for an extension from three months before it expires. Start checking your documents around four months ahead and aim to submit at least 45 days before expiry to leave time for corrections and processing.
