Daily Life

Quick Answer Japan’s convenience stores (コンビニ, konbini) are open 24/7 and do far more than sell food. At any 7-Eleven, Lawson, or FamilyMart you can: pay electricity/gas/water bills in cash at the register, withdraw money from an ATM that accepts foreign Visa and Mastercard cards (7-Eleven is most reliable), print or scan documents (¥10–30/page), send a package nationwide, receive online deliveries, buy concert and event tickets, and fax documents. The food — onigiri, hot fried chicken, bento boxes — is genuinely good quality and cheap (¥130–400/item). ...

Quick Answer Japan is one of the most cash-dependent developed countries in the world, though this is changing quickly. Many small restaurants, local shops, temples, and some clinics are cash-only. Always carry ¥5,000–10,000 in cash. Best ATM for foreign cards: 7-Bank (inside 7-Eleven), available 24/7. For residents, a Japan Post Bank or Rakuten Bank account with a Visa debit eliminates most daily cash friction. PayPay (QR code payment app) is increasingly accepted where cards are not. ...

Quick Answer Japan’s rainy season (梅雨, tsuyu) runs approximately June 8 to July 21 in Tokyo (varies by region and year), bringing high humidity (85–95%), frequent rain, and major mold risk. Essentials: a good umbrella (not a travel umbrella — a real one), a dehumidifier or silica gel packs, anti-mold spray for bathroom grout and window frames, and preparation for clothes that won’t dry. Mentally: the grey skies compound expat seasonal mood dips — build outdoor activities for the breaks in rain. ...

Quick Answer Key money (礼金, reikin) is a non-refundable payment of 1–2 months’ rent made directly to the landlord when signing a Japanese lease. It is not a deposit — you get nothing back. Combined with security deposit (敷金), agency fee (仲介手数料), and guarantor insurance, move-in costs in Japan typically reach 4–6 months’ rent before you spend a yen on furniture. Key money has no legal requirement — many apartments, especially newer ones and UR housing, no longer charge it. ...

Quick Answer LINE is Japan’s dominant messaging app with over 96 million active users — effectively the national communication infrastructure. Your employer will use it for team updates, your doctor’s clinic may have a LINE account for appointments, your kids’ school communicates via LINE, and Japanese friends will expect to exchange LINE IDs, not phone numbers. Download it before you arrive, register with your Japanese phone number, and treat it as an essential utility, not a social media app. ...

Quick Answer Culture shock in Japan follows 4 stages: Honeymoon (everything is exciting), Frustration (everything is exhausting), Adjustment (finding coping strategies), and Adaptation (functioning effectively in both cultures). Most foreigners hit frustration at 3–6 months. The key insight: frustration is a sign of engagement — you’re experiencing Japan deeply enough to be affected by it, not just observing from a distance. “I came to Japan because I loved everything about it. Now I find myself irritated by things I used to love. What happened?” ...

Quick Answer Expat burnout in Japan often builds slowly and invisibly: you’re managing a foreign language, decoding cultural rules, working long hours, and doing it without your normal support system. Warning signs include emotional numbness about Japan, dreading social interaction, physical exhaustion that sleep doesn’t fix, and growing resentment toward Japanese people or culture. It’s treatable — but first you have to name it. It doesn’t announce itself. One day you realise you’ve stopped noticing things you used to find interesting. The food that excited you is just fuel. The country that felt like an adventure feels like a sentence. You’re exhausted in a way that sleep doesn’t fix, and you’re not sure why. ...

Quick Answer Japan’s bureaucracy is process-heavy, paper-based, and office-specific — meaning the wrong office can’t help you even if it wanted to. The key: bring your residence card and passport everywhere, bring originals AND photocopies, go to the ward office (区役所) for most daily life registrations, and go in the morning (opens at 8:30–9:00, shorter queues). Google Translate camera mode is your most practical tool. “I went to three different offices and nobody could help me.” Sound familiar? Japan’s administrative system works — it’s actually remarkably efficient by international standards — but only if you’re inside the logic of it. For foreigners, the first few encounters feel like a bureaucratic maze designed to reject you. ...

Quick Answer Japanese landlords can legally refuse foreign tenants — and many do. Your best path: use foreigner-specialist agencies (GaijinPot Apartments, Sakura House, Able), look for UR housing (government-run, zero discrimination by policy), or go for share houses while building rental history. Having a Japanese guarantor or using a corporate guarantor service (e.g. GTN, ORIX) dramatically increases your acceptance rate. You found a great apartment, submitted your documents, waited — and then got the politely worded rejection. Or the agency told you upfront: “The landlord prefers Japanese tenants.” It’s one of the most common frustrations foreigners encounter in Japan, and it’s not something most expat guides prepare you for. ...

Quick Answer Loneliness in Japan as a foreigner is extremely common and rarely talked about. The main drivers: slow friendship formation in Japanese culture, language barrier, long work hours, and distance from your existing support network. What helps most: joining activity-based groups (sports, hobbies), language exchange, and accepting that the expat community is a legitimate part of your social life — not a consolation prize. Japan is one of the loneliest countries in the world by survey data. Japan’s government created a Minister of Loneliness position in 2021 — the second country after the UK to do so. For Japanese residents, isolation is a documented social problem. For foreign residents, these baseline conditions combine with additional factors to make loneliness significantly more acute. ...