Arriving Japan

Quick Answer First 30 days in Japan: register your address at city hall within 14 days (required by law) → get a SIM card → open a bank account → enroll in health insurance → get a My Number Card. Do them in this order — the bank account and insurance enrollment both require your residence card and address registration certificate. You just landed in Japan. You’re jet-lagged, everything around you is in a language you may not read, and somewhere in the next few weeks you need to figure out your address registration, your phone, your bank account, your health insurance — and ideally not in the wrong order. It’s a lot. ...

Arriving in Japan goes smoothly when you know what to expect at customs and immigration. It goes badly when you don’t. Here’s a clear walkthrough of the entire arrival process so there are no surprises. One gap to plan for before you even land: Japan’s national health insurance (NHI) doesn’t start the moment you land — enrollment happens after you register your address at city hall, which can take a few weeks. If anything happens in that window, or if you’re still shuttling between countries while your visa paperwork finalizes, you’re not covered. ...