GUIDEAI NETWORK JPPractical country guides · Independently published

THE COMPLETE STARTER LIBRARY

Japan guides

Clear starting points for travel and everyday life. Read the guidance, follow the source links, and verify rules that apply to your nationality and situation.

Entry & residency

11

Hands passing a blister pack of medicine, illustrating the need to check medication ingredients and quantities before travel to Japan

Healthcare and insuranceBringing prescription medicine to Japan: quantities, controlled drugs and permits

Check your medicine by ingredient, separate ordinary import confirmation from controlled-drug permission, and prepare for entry and any medicine you take home.

Person browsing packaged foods in a real Japanese grocery store, illustrating shopping for everyday rolling-stock items rather than a verified emergency product display

Safety & emergenciesEmergency Food Storage in Japan: A 3–7 Day Plan for Small Apartments

Japan MAFF recommends at least 3 days and preferably a week of food. One adult needs about 9 L of water for 3 days or 21 L for 7 days including drinking and cooking; use rolling stock and a no-heat first-day menu.

Actual N700 series Shinkansen high-speed train with conductor at Tokyo Station, Japan; illustrative of the reserved rail service, not a current cancellation or delay

TransportJapan bullet train refunds after a cancellation or a two-hour delay

Smart EX is Japan’s online bullet-train booking service: cancelled trains may be refunded in full, but arriving two hours late means a specified amount. Paper tickets need a station counter.

Two people checking and signing paperwork at a desk, illustrating a job transition and employment reporting

Long staysChanging or Losing a Job in Japan? Your Residence Status Explained

What foreign residents in Japan must check after resigning, layoffs or a new job: 14-day immigration notifications, permitted work, unemployment and health insurance.

Travelers checking in at Tokyo Haneda Airport, illustrating departure travel; not actual pension or municipal service applicants

Work & long staysLeaving Japan Permanently: Pension Refund, Taxes and an Exit Timeline

Before leaving Japan, close municipal registration and insurance, settle resident tax, preserve pension records and decide whether a two-year lump-sum claim forfeits valuable future pension credit.

Person completing paperwork at a desk in Japan, illustrating preparation of permanent-residence evidence rather than a real immigration approval

Work & long staysJapan Permanent Residence: Years Required and Skilled-Worker Points (HSP)

Japan changed its permanent residence guidelines in October 2026. Compare the ten-year route, 70/80-point skilled routes, spouse exceptions and pension/tax evidence before applying.

Couple reviewing legal paperwork with an adviser, illustrating preparation for a family residence application; not a Japanese immigration office or official form

Long staysJapan Visas for Spouses and Children: Japanese Citizens vs Foreign Residents

Choose the right Japan residence route for a spouse or child, understand work permission, and prepare the COE, visa or in-country application.

Real shopping scene in a Japanese grocery store, illustrative of retail purchases rather than a tax-free checkout or airport customs inspection

Cost of living & moneyJapan’s Tax-Free Shopping Refund from November 2026

Japan now charges consumption tax at checkout and refunds eligible visitors after airport customs. Learn the 90-day rule, ¥5,000 threshold and checked-bag timing.

Real residential apartment buildings among trees in Tokyo, illustrating a tenant moving out; not a rubbish collection site or a booked pickup

Renting & housingGetting Rid of Large Furniture Before Moving Out in Tokyo's Shinjuku

Leaving a Shinjuku apartment with a desk, mattress or bicycle? Learn how to book large-item rubbish collection, buy the right disposal sticker, and handle a pickup date after moving out.

Green commuter train in Tokyo, Japan, illustrating an actual local rail journey rather than a claim about Suica card vending machines

TransportTrain Cards for Families in Japan: Adults and Children

Suica is a prepaid card used for local trains and buses in Japan. See which cards adults and children need, how to load money, and what to do if a phone fails.

Travelers at ANA check-in counters in Haneda Airport in Tokyo, Japan

Visa & entryEntering Japan in 2026: visa exemption, eVISA or a long-stay visa?

Choose the right Japanese entry route for your passport, residence country and purpose; understand COE, eVISA proof, Visit Japan Web and the actual permitted stay.

Getting around

02

Courier moving parcels on a delivery cart outside a Japanese shop, illustrating luggage-forwarding logistics

TransportSending Luggage Between Hotels in Japan: Delivery Times and Hotel Rules

Decide when to forward, store or carry a suitcase in Japan, with hotel acceptance checks, delivery buffers and current Shinkansen baggage distinctions.

Green commuter train crossing above a Tokyo street with pedestrians and city buildings, Japan

TransportJapan Rail Pass vs Train Tickets: Which Is Cheaper?

Tokyo–Kyoto return: a dated Kodama offer totals ¥21,920, against ¥50,000 for a seven-day JR Pass. See which option fits four common itineraries.

Homes & property

01

Residential apartment buildings seen through trees in Tokyo, Japan

Renting & housingRenting in Japan: What Will You Pay Before Moving In?

A clear yen-by-yen example comparing two apartments, deposits, key money, guarantor fees, twelve-month cost and contract traps.

Money & costs

01

Real residential apartment buildings seen through trees in Tokyo, Japan, illustrating the housing component of moving costs

Cost of living & moneyJapan’s public rental apartments: real rent and move-in costs in 2026

Japan’s public rental operator (UR) lists compact apartments: Tokyo ¥143,000, Osaka ¥56,000, Fukuoka ¥49,000 a month. The usual deposit is two months’ rent.

Health & insurance

02

Bright hospital waiting area with green seats and Japanese signage in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan

Healthcare & insuranceHealthcare in Japan: visitor insurance, resident enrollment and clinic visits

Know whether travel, employee or municipal health coverage applies, which 2026 proof to show at a Japanese clinic and how to prepare medicines safely.

Hands filling in a Japanese form at a desk in Osaka, Japan, illustrating early resident paperwork

Long staysFirst Month in Japan: Address, Health Insurance and Pension (My Number)

A step-by-step first-month checklist for new residents in Japan: the 14-day address deadline, My Number versus My Number Card, health coverage and pension enrollment.

Work & daily life

03

Chef in a Tokyo restaurant, illustrating ordinary work rather than an approved Student or Dependant applicant

Work & long staysPart-Time Work in Japan: Rules for Students and Dependants

Student and Dependant status do not grant work rights by themselves. Get permission before working: most ordinary jobs share 28 hours a week; Students have a school-holiday exception, while certain Dependant amusement jobs now need individual permission.

Person completing a form at a desk in Japan, illustrating first-month identity and phone registration paperwork rather than a specific carrier counter

First month in JapanGetting a Japanese Phone Number Without a Bank Account

Before opening a Japanese bank account, get a real voice/SMS number—not a data-only SIM. Mobal Voice Lite is ¥990/month plus a separate eSIM purchase fee; verify the checkout and ID rules.

Professional chef preparing food with a colleague in a restaurant kitchen in Tokyo, Japan

Work & long staysWorking or staying long-term in Japan: choose your status and plan the move

Use a practical Japan work, student or family residence checklist: COE, employer role, right to work, written conditions and municipal obligations.