Daily Life

Quick Answer A guarantor company (保証会社, hoshogaisha) guarantees your rent to the landlord so you don’t need a personal guarantor. Cost: 50–100% of one month’s rent upfront, plus ¥10,000–20,000/year renewal. Nearly all foreigners renting in Japan use one — landlords choose the company, you pay the fee, and screening takes 1–3 days. The apartment listing looks perfect. Then the agent explains you need a guarantor — a person in Japan who legally promises to pay your rent if you can’t. You’ve been in the country three weeks. You don’t know anyone who would sign that, and honestly, you wouldn’t ask them to. ...

Quick Answer Beyond rent, deposit, and key money, Japanese rental contracts commonly add: guarantor fee (50–100% of rent), lock exchange (¥15,000–25,000), fire insurance (¥15,000–20,000/2yr), “24-hour support” (¥15,000–20,000/2yr — often refusable), disinfection fee (¥10,000–20,000 — usually refusable), renewal fee every 2 years (1 month’s rent), and a move-out cleaning fee. Ask for the full 見積もり (itemized quote) before applying and challenge the optional lines. The listing said ¥80,000 a month. The agent’s quote says your move-in total is ¥427,350, and half the line items are things you’ve never heard of — 安心サポート? 消毒施工料? You don’t know which numbers are real, which are padding, and which you’re allowed to question. ...

What you'll learn in this guide How to set up and use Amazon Japan (Amazon.co.jp) as a foreigner Navigating the Japanese interface with and without Japanese skills Amazon Prime Japan benefits vs US/UK Prime What you can and can’t ship internationally from Amazon Japan Best deals, Prime Day, and sale strategies How Amazon Japan compares to Rakuten Ichiba and Yahoo Shopping Amazon Japan (Amazon.co.jp) is one of the most useful tools for foreigners in Japan — it delivers almost anything the next day, accepts foreign credit cards, and has a surprisingly usable English interface. Here’s everything you need to know to use it effectively. ...

Quick Answer In a May 2026 Japanese government survey, 47% of foreign residents reported experiencing discrimination in daily life. The most common forms: service refusals (restaurants, onsens), apartment rejections, and persistent “outsider” treatment regardless of how long you’ve lived here. Overt hostility is rare — systemic and ambient discrimination is common. Japan has no comprehensive anti-discrimination law. Knowing what to expect, and what your options are, makes it significantly easier to navigate. ...

Living in Japan without the right apps means guessing your way through train changes, menus you can’t read, and services that assume you speak Japanese. The right tools make daily life dramatically easier. Here are the apps that actually earn their place on your phone. Navigation & Transport Google Maps Still the best for general navigation in Japan. Walking, cycling, driving, and public transit directions are accurate. Download offline maps for areas with poor signal. ...

What you'll learn in this guide The best apps for learning Japanese in 2025 — honestly reviewed Which app is best for different goals (survival Japanese vs JLPT vs fluency) Free vs paid: where the paid tools are actually worth it How to build a Japanese study routine that fits around work What actually works for foreigners living in Japan vs studying from abroad Learning Japanese while living in Japan is both easier (immersion everywhere) and harder (work takes priority, brain is exhausted by 8pm) than studying at home. The right app makes a real difference. Here’s an honest look at what’s available in 2025. ...

What you'll learn in this guide The best neighborhoods in Fukuoka for foreigners — with honest pros and cons Real 2025 rent prices by area Why Fukuoka is Japan’s most recommended city for expats on a budget Best areas for digital nomads, families, singles, and English teachers How to find foreigner-friendly housing in Fukuoka Fukuoka has a well-earned reputation as Japan’s most liveable city for foreigners. It’s Japan’s fastest-growing major city, it’s compact enough to navigate easily, rents are 40–50% lower than Tokyo, and the food scene (ramen, mentaiko, hakata udon) is arguably Japan’s best. Here’s where to live. ...

What you'll learn in this guide The best neighborhoods in Osaka for foreigners — ranked by lifestyle and budget Real 2025 rent prices by area Which neighborhoods have the biggest expat communities Best areas for families, singles, students, and working professionals How Osaka neighborhoods compare to each other (and to Tokyo) Osaka is Japan’s most affordable major city after Fukuoka — and its most underrated for expats. The food culture is legendary, the locals are famously friendly, and rents are 30–40% lower than Tokyo for comparable apartments. But Osaka’s neighborhoods vary enormously. Here’s where to look. ...

Choosing the wrong city is a mistake that takes a year to undo. Japan’s major cities are more different from each other than most people expect — in cost, pace, foreigner infrastructure, and job market. Here’s a clear-eyed comparison to help you decide where to actually land. 1. Tokyo — Best for Career and International Community Population: 14 million (metro: 37 million) Why foreigners choose it: Largest English-speaking expat community in Japan Most job opportunities, especially in finance, tech, and international business World-class food, entertainment, and transport Easiest city to live in without Japanese Downsides: ...

Learning Japanese is hard. Choosing the wrong resources makes it much harder. After years of living in Japan and watching what actually works, some patterns become clear. Here’s a practical guide to the resources worth your time. Start Here: Learn Hiragana and Katakana First Before anything else, learn the two phonetic alphabets: Hiragana (ひらがな) — 46 characters, used for Japanese words Katakana (カタカナ) — 46 characters, used for foreign words Both can be learned in 1–2 weeks with daily practice. Once you can read these, everything opens up — menus, signs, apps. ...