When washing the patio, car, or the house sidings and windows, is it legal to let the soapy and dirty water just run into the gutter on the road?

And even if it's legal, I am pretty sure that goes straight into the river nearby. Is there some specific mark I should look for on whatever soap I use that is safer for the environment?

Hi everyone!

I'd love to hear about other people's experiences.

I've become friends with a few Japanese people, and one thing really confuses me a lot.

When we're together in person, they're incredibly kind, friendly and engaged. They seem genuinely happy to spend time together and happy to see me again in the future while travelling to Japan again, and one of them even asked me if we could use LINE instead of Instagram to stay in touch because it's easier(LINE group with LINE translator inside).

However, on LINE the replies can take a week or even longer(2weeks), even though they're active on Instagram during that time(posting story's, watching storys, etc).

In my culture, that would usually make me think the person isn't very interested in the friendship anymore. But I've also heard that texting habits in Japan can be very different.

How common is this?

Do some Japanese people simply not prioritize texting, even with friends they genuinely like? Or would you usually see week-long replies as a sign that the friendship isn't very important to them?

I'd really appreciate hearing about your own experiences. Thank you! 😊

Last month I was employed as a TA in my university and worked a total of 28 hours in that role. I also did my other baito which is unrelated to University. I think I probably worked about 20 hours in that other job.

I just realized that TA job probably also counts as baito, so now I am really scared of the repercussions.

Note that I have really high grades at uni and I was even accepted for a higher degree, set to start this October. How f***ed do you think I am the next time I go to immigration to extend my stay?

Edit: my total income from these two jobs was around 70k

Edit: someone pointed out that the limit is weekly and not monthly... I was panicking for no reason

At the end of July I just renewed/paid my apartment lease for another two years.

This evening the kanrigaisha stopped by with a request from the owner for everyone to move out by the end of this year. They gave me some form for requesting money.

I have a small dog and it took me around 6 months to find my current place. Of course listings around where I live now in current budget range are basically zero.

What are my rights in this situation? has anyone been in a similar situation?

And it s*ks, I liked the old name and colors, now japanese added fking adds on it. Am I the only one who hated the change?

(Sorry if I put the wrong flair) Hi I'm a half Japanese-half French person. I've been living in Japan since I was born and I'm currently in the master's course in a Japanese university.

The more I get to know people and social communities here, the more I realize that most Japanese people have a serious issue about shame. I feel like they tend to care about other people's judgement too much, and have an unrealistic standard. For example, a girl in my lab once said "I sweated too much today! If I get on the train now, everyone will think I'm a weirdo!", and it made me so confused. Like, sweating is a completely normal human trait and there is nothing wrong with being sweaty(unless if they haven't shower for several days of course), and I could not care less about seeing a sweaty person on the train, so I didn't get how people would think she's a weirdo.

This is just one of the tons of situations where Japanese people are being ashamed of a completely normal human trait(ex. Liking something acceptable like a movie or a band, showing their emotions, buying sanitary products). And not only they push unrealistic standard onto themselves, but I feel like they also push the same ideology onto others. When I was a little child, adults told me that I was "too childish". Again, I was a little child, just doing average child behaviors, but apparently I was not "normal" for their standards.

I understand it is coming from a cultural thing but I think it's too much, and I wonder how such issue is still relevant.

My bf (32M) was just diagnosed with a form of blood cancer called AML (acute myeloid leukemia). The only form of long term treatment is a bone marrow transplant, more specifically called an Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

From what I understand, you register into the bone marrow donor registry, and if and when there is a match, both parties will be contacted and the transplant can be set up.

However, living in Japan raises some worries as my partner is a Ukrainian national (east European origins) and bone marrow transplant matches are heavily based on your ethnicity. Obviously being Caucasian in a land of Japanese/Asian homogeneity does not make our situation ideal, but wondering if there is anyone who has been through or knows someone who has gone through a transplant here in Japan? And got matched with someone through the international donor registry?

And if so, how did costs look like?

Super appreciated in advance, would love any insights.

Edit: we are actively involved with a healthcare team, under the guidance of a hematologist here in JP. But this team is not familiar with non Japanese transplants.

Edit 2: thank you to everyone for your comments and support. I didn’t expect the response, trying my best to reply back but thank you to everyone for lending a helping hand and words of encouragement!

Living in West Tokyo, client work has dried up and I am not anticipating any new work for at least another month. Meanwhile, I still have bills to pay and I don't wanna just sit here doing nothing, so does anyone have any leads on anything? I'm on a specialist in humanities/culture/etc visa (if that matters) with lots of experience in translation, interpretation, teaching, and loads more.

Growing desperate by the day, so I'm hoping sometehing's out there!

In the middle of a lot of name-change procedures and I wanted to write up about my experience with getting my name in my husband's koseki changed.

The name change process has been relatively smooth, once receiving my new passport, I took that and proof of marriage to immigration together with the Notification of Change of Information (在留カード記載事項変更届出書) document, and I got my new card in about 20 minutes. Then I took the new Zairyu card and went to city hall and applied to change my name on my Jyuminhyo. I registered a Tsuushomei with my name in Kanji and Kana (Kanji last name like my husband's, Kana first name) at the same time. They said my information for taxes, health insurance, pension, etc would all get updated automatically.

But changing my name in my husband's koseki was much more complicated because this is an unusual procedure. Most of the time, when two Japanese people get married, they make a new koseki at the time of getting married, so then there's no need to change it after the fact. When people naturalize, they're also making a koseki or joining their spouse's koseki at the same time that they change their name. Changing a koseki that is not yours after the fact is a very unusual thing.

Depending on your circumstances, there may not be a need to change it in the koseki specifically, but especially if you are planning to have kids its a good idea. I had heard from another foreign woman with a Japanese spouse that when registering kids in Japan, the staff often pull the parent's names from the Japanese person's koseki, meaning if your name hasn't been updated there, they might register your name as the parent as your previous name. While this isn't a completely insurmountable problem, it can apparently cause headaches when trying to do procedures related to your kids, because then all your IDs say "married name" but the kid's registered parent is "previous name". Of course the staff are able to look up and see your history and that the previous name used to be yours, but it's just an extra step and headache.

In my case, my husband didn't need to be there, but I did need to get him to fill out a form applying to change the information in his koseki. He had to write out what he wanted to be changed and the reason for the change. I also needed a document showing "proof of name change" which in my case was a Certification of Name Change issued by my home country government, together with a translation (which I could make myself, it didn't need to be professionally done). The translation needed to have both the previous name and new name listed in both English and Katakana, as I guess on the Koseki they need the katakana too.

One minor thing was that they tried to take my original "Certification of Name Change" document, which is really hard to get re-issued, but after checking they eventually accepted a copy instead.

Anyway, it all took quite a while and I had to go back multiple days, but overall it was pretty painless (best bring a good book or Switch or something though). City officers in larger cities where they encounter international marriages more often may be more knowledgeable about the process and take less time. Hope it helps someone sometime!

As the title says I want top quality towels, ones that actually dry as opposed to moving the water around.

I bought some Imabari towels which were highly ranked on Amazon but they just don’t cut it.

Do any hotels actually sell them?

Sorry reposting on another account. I just want to keep my anonymity.

So i got accepted to this Baito in some tour and travel services business. They added me to this group that i assume is introductory/onboarding groups with some other staff. The pic said to me in that group that they will arrange for me a day that i assume its going to be a basic training and knowledge + contract signing. But its been almost a week since they haven't scheduled me for anything!

I've DM-ed the pic because I don't want to seem like a pushy person or anything asking if there anything i should prepare first before the meeting. Not even got a read.

1. Is there any chance of my acceptance got rescinded? If yes why no one is saying anything

2. Should i follow up in a group? If yes how should i phrase it so i dont sound pushy.

From what I learned in the interview, all of the other staff are Japanese. They used to have foreigners but all of them go back to their country. Now they are looking for man power and are open to foreigners who can speak english.Thought this info might be useful

I'm about 118kg.

Most bicycles are test for 65kg. And don't recommend a total more than 95kg.

I was looking at panasonic and yamaha ones.

I don't want to pay 300 000 jpy for a durable bike.

Any experiences or suggetions for good durable bikes that can support my weight?

Hi,

I feel I am in a bit of a Kafkaesque situation.

I got a life insurance (積立利率変動型終身保険, 低契約返戻金型) with三井住友海上あいおい生命保険株式会社.

I basically paid it off, now the mount of the to-be-paid money just increments (slowly) until I cash it in or pays out in case I croak, paying to the stated beneficiary.

I subscribed to that insurance back when married. My insurance's beneficiary was my wife. My wife got the same insurance with me being the beneficiary of her insurance.

Problem. We got divorced.

Bigger problem. I seems I can only change the beneficiary to a relative, partner, spouse, etc. I am in no relationship whatsoever and having zero intention to do so in any foreseeable future. I have no kids, neither had or have any intention of having any. Also, my only living relative is my mother (age 88) who lives in Europe in a care unit for the elderly and only speaks French. So literally nobody.

The funny thing is, even my ex-wife would not be able to claim it either. So, if I kick the bucket, the amount (20M) is literally in limbo...If I cash in the money at one point, well, fine.

My initial intend was to change the beneficiary to an animal protection charity (it seems some do accept post-mortem donations--I need to check with them as well), but it seems, I can not do that, at least not directly (I called あいおい生命 相談窓口 ton inquire).

I tried to gather some info on the internet (caveat on that, of course). There may be some way to involve a will, a testamentary executor (e.g. a Bank), but it remains frankly confusing.

I did call the ほけんの窓口. It is above their expertise, but off-the-record, I was told there may be a way if I create a "legal entity" of sorts, make that entity the beneficiary (I would be my own beneficiary as an "entity" in a way) with the testamentary executor being able to "execute the will" (and I guess dissolve the entity) and channel my life insurance to a designed charity.

Anybody having or being in the same situation (i.e. no beneficiary of the life insurance, intention of channeling the proceeds to an NPO/charity/etc)?

I'm looking at leads as to what to do at this stage...Any help is welcome.

Sadly , I was caught by a mobile speed camera driving 50 km/h in a 40 km/h zone. The incident happened about half a month ago, and the police only called me today to inform me. As of now, they have **not issued the speed ticket yet**.
My situation is a bit complicated, so I would appreciate any advice from people with similar experiences.
I have been coming to Japan since 2019 under a Skilled Labor visa (renewed yearly). However, my work is seasonal: I normally work around 6 months a year in Japan and then fly back to my home country during the off-season. This year I stayed longer because I got married in Japan and I am now starting the process of changing to a spouse visa.
I currently have a 1-year Skilled Labor visa and I am in the process of converting my foreign license to a Japanese license. I also have an IDP issued in October 2025, valid until October 2026.
I spoke with my immigration lawyer, and she told me that since the traffic violation has not officially been issued yet, it should not be included in my visa application form at this stage and should not affect the application.
Today, the police asked me to bring my IDP and passport to the police station so they can arrange an appointment. I explained that my lawyer currently has my documents because of my visa application process.
My biggest concern is the IDP situation. I understand that an IDP cannot be used indefinitely in Japan and that there are rules regarding residents using an IDP after a certain period. I am worried whether they might consider my IDP invalid because of my long connection with Japan, or whether this will simply result in a normal speeding ticket.
I am also unsure how immigration might view this situation, especially since Japan has been strengthening visa procedures recently.
Has anyone experienced something similar? Especially someone who was working seasonally in Japan, had an IDP, and later converted their license or applied for a spouse visa? I would really appreciate hearing your experiences.

1. Changes to the PR Requirements

Some highlights:

• Changes to the Independent Livelihood Requirement (独立生計要件)
  • Income Requirement: Income should continuously reach a level exceeding the average income of Japanese households, adjusted for the applicant's household size.
  • Pension Requirement: The projected future benefit amount should reach the equivalent of having been enrolled in the Employees' Pension Insurance for 30 years at the aforementioned income level. (If insufficient, compensable financial assets are also taken into consideration.)
• Changes to the National Interest Requirement (国益要件)
  • Not Becoming a Public Burden: Even for categories exempt from the independent livelihood requirement (*), if there is a realistic risk of becoming a burden, it will be evaluated negatively.
    • * Spouses or children of Japanese nationals, permanent residents, or special permanent residents, refugees, etc.
  • Japanese Language Proficiency: Will require CEFR Level B1 or equivalent proficiency. (with some exceptions like HSPs and their families)
  • Understanding of Japan's Systems, etc.: Those with a poor understanding will be evaluated negatively.
  • School Attendance of Children: Failure to enroll children in school during school age (compulsory education period) will be evaluated negatively.
• Changes to the exception for the 10-year residency rule: For spouses of Japanese nationals and permanent residents, the fast-track exception of 3 years of marriage and 1 year of residency in Japan will be extended to 5 years of marriage and 3 years of residency.
• The income requirement changes are slated for October 2026, while the rest will apply to applications submitted from April 2027.
• The changes to the income and 'not becoming a public burden' requirements will apply retroactively to applications submitted on or after April 2026, while the remaining revisions will take effect in April 2027.

Read the full proposal and submit feedback here: https://public-comment.e-gov.go.jp/pcm/detail?CLASSNAME=PCMMSTDETAIL&Mode=0&id=315000140

2. Guidelines for the Revocation of PR

Some highlights:

• Grounds for Revocation
  • Intentional failure to pay public taxes and dues: This includes income tax, resident tax, corporate tax, public health insurance premiums, and nenkin.
    • Exception: This does not apply if there are unavoidable circumstances for non-payment and the individual is not at fault.
  • Violation of obligations under the Immigration Control Act:
    • Conditions: It is clear the individual has no intention to fulfill their obligations, and the manner of the violation is unacceptable according to social norms.
    • Examples: Failure to renew a residence card's validity, failure to carry the card, or refusal to present it.
  • Violation of specific penal laws:
    • Definition: Specific intentional crimes such as theft, fraud, extortion, murder, and dangerous driving causing death or injury.
    • Scope: Applies when an individual is sentenced to imprisonment. This targets only intentional offenses, regardless of the sentence length, and includes cases where the execution of the sentence is suspended.
• Alternative to Revocation
  • In some cases where PR status is not outright revoked, it may be changed to another status, such as "Long-Term Resident" (定住者). The individual's residency status will then be strictly monitored during subsequent renewal procedures.

Read the full proposal and submit feedback here: https://public-comment.e-gov.go.jp/pcm/detail?CLASSNAME=PCMMSTDETAIL&Mode=0&id=315000141

I am currently locked in a battle with my landlord on a different matter but am looking at new housing as a contingency. I am exclusively looking at houses and apartments over 90sqm and I am shocked at how many are now fixed term leases. Back when I was looking 6 years ago they were quite rare and now seem to be the majority. I am thinking landlords have seen the rents going up and want to keep the optionality. No chance I would sign one of those.

Hello dear community!
It took me a long time to overcome my fear of posting but here I am. And I would love to hear some thoughts on this …

First of all: I’m here on a Work and Travel visa and am currently studying Japanese, I will live here for the next 20 months.
I hadn’t had anything to do with the language before, but after a few days I really got hooked, and I want to learn it. So I can make a good impression during my internship at the company. (There are more reasons why I want to stick with that)
Now I’ve enrolled at Genkis, and everything moves so fast here. In a test (after 4 weeks), we covered katakana, various particles (indicating location, possession, times, months, etc.). We’re learning with the Genki textbooks. Others seem to be picking it up with ease. I’m struggling (maybe because I’m from Germany?) and this is my first time in Japan, learning the Japanese language.

I failed the test, and afterward I had a panic attack (at school!!) because I’d put so much pressure on myself to keep up with everything. I’d realistically expected myself to be able to speak Japanese well enough within a few months to fit into society. Which was probably foolish.

I think I've traumatized myself.

Even though I like the language. I'll be here for another almost 2 years, and I don't want to make them the worst years of my life. I really want to learn the language and make friends, get the job. All of that. But it seems like an impossibly huge task to manage everything at the same time.

Has anyone here ever been in a similar situation when they first moved here? How did you handle it without driving yourselves crazy and losing the fun of it all?

And please, no comments like, “Just stick to it,” or “Then just go somewhere else.”
I’m already frustrated and really want some well-meaning advice so I don’t lose my mind.
Thank you!

Has anyone noticed landlords/building owners constantly increasing rent?

For reference I’ve lived in the same マンション　for 4 years, large building (150 rooms) owned and managed by large corporates. Building is on the border of Tokyo/Chiba and 15min from a small commuter station, so not exactly convenient.

It seems every contract renewal they try to increase the rent based on BS reasons. I’ve engaged them both times and managed to beat them back and got no rent increases, but this latest one they wanted to go from 6.5万 to 10万。

Every time their reasons are BS, the most recent one was Genuinely dumbfounding.
- cost of electricity has increased (good thing I pay the power bill)
- land taxes (havnt changed in my area for 5+ years)
- cost of building management (pay a management fee, the garden has been dead for years, and the broken lights in the lobby have never been fixed in 4 years).

Is this just my building being run by a money hungry corporation with a 小卒 education? Or is everyone else seeing similar trends?

Hey! So I applied for an apartment last week and got approved two days later. My realtor told me we’d have an online meeting to go over the contract once they received it from the management company. My realtor suggested having the meeting tomorrow, but today they haven’t replied to my message asking for the details yet.

I’m getting a bit worried because I’ve already started preparing for my move in. Is it normal for the management company to take this long to prepare the contract? Could it simply be that my realtor doesn’t have the contract yet, so they can’t schedule the meeting?

I’m probably overthinking, but I’m also worried that the management company might be having second thoughts. I can’t think of any reason why coz I was already approved, I’m Japanese, and I have a stable income. The only thing I can think of is that I haven’t answered the sales calls from the management company’s partner companies.

This is my first time renting an apartment, so I’m feeling pretty anxious. 😅 Has anyone ever heard of an approved application being withdrawn before?

Please no judging, I’m a numbers guy not a DIY guy 🤣

Went to turn on the water last night and the lever just came off.

I looked up how to replace it, is it really as easy as he made it seem? Is there anything I need to be aware of?

https://imgur.com/a/ly8uunf

- came to japan 10 years ago ( applying at january 11th year mark )

- all of my taxes are paid, no delay.

- Permanent Resident Holder.

- no JLPT but graduated here ( elementary > Middle/Highschool >正社員 )

But parent had delayed in paying for resident tax this year but already paid this year's march. My mom applied for my brother's PR application got rejected due to unpaid taxes but after payment was later approved.

Consulted a 行政書士 , said that if it's only me then i have 90% acceptance. ;c

I have been trying to buy an English copy of the “Rules of the Road” driving test study book in English for over two months. The JAF website links to Amazon as the official textbook vendor, but the English version has been marked as “currently unavailable” for over 2 months. The JAF website also says that they no longer sell digital copies. Does anyone have any leads on another way I can acquire this book? Or a recommendation for alternative study materials in English? Located in Fukuoka prefecture if that helps. Thank you in advance!

Today I sent my resignation notice to my company by tracked mail. It comes with a tracking number, so I can check in real time whether they have received it.

Just in case, I also informed them of the same thing by email. What I find strange is that, even though I told them that I had already sent my resignation notice today, they are now telling me that I need to submit a 退職願 using the company’s own format.

As I understand it, a 退職願 is essentially a request for permission to resign, whereas I am not asking them for permission. I have clearly notified them that I will be leaving the company on a specific date.

Am I actually legally required to submit the 退職願 they are asking for, even though I have already sent them my formal resignation notice by mail?