The Expat's Guide to Japan
Everything you need to know about living and working in Tokyo & Yokohama
More results...
Blog Archives
Basic Rules of Business in Japan
Working for a Japanese company or doing business in Japan involves a certain degree of ceremony and ritual, so it’s best to know the proper etiquette to avoid potential embarrassment or offense. Continue reading for a basic rundown on approaching…
Fast and convenient online visa application
AIRVISA is an online service that covers the whole process of visa renewal, from application through to getting your residence card. Complete your application error-free and without all the usual hassle. With a specialist on hand to review your application…
Food Allergy Labeling
Expats with food allergies know that they need to be extra careful when dealing with foods in a new country. Besides the obvious language barrier they deal with when trying to decipher the backs of food labels, labeling regulations may…
Tokyo Bay International School
Empowering Students to be Smart and Successful Global Citizens Located in the heart of Tokyo’s eastern “shitamachi” area, Tokyo Bay International School offers families a progressive international education at affordable rates. The school works to ensure an inclusive environment where…
Kotatsu: A Traditional Way to Stay Warm and Save Energy
(original photo by sakura_chihaya+; CC BY-SA 2.0)
Although temperatures rarely fall below 0℃ in Kanto, winters can seem especially cold in Japanese houses with little insulation. Places without central heating, are often heated by kerosene and electric space heaters, or electric wall unit heaters. Along with allowing…
Closing out the year – A winter scene in Ameyoko
There are few places in Tokyo like Ueno’s Ameyoko. A remnant of the from the post-war days when basic food staples like white rice and sugar were in short supply, maintains a tradition of outdoor vendors hawking goods, yelling prices…
Dr. Passport App Out Now
One of the biggest worries for any foreign traveler is getting sick or injured while abroad. Explaining your condition to accommodation staff or health workers to get the attention you require can be a stressful proposition. From explaining your symptoms…
Renting in Japan – A Beginner’s Guide
The system of renting in Japan, while not overly complex, can be daunting due to a lack of foreign language assistance. Employees of international companies dispatched to Japan will usually gain assistance through their employers, who often use large relocation…
Harrow International School Appi Japan
Harrow International School Appi Japan (Harrow Appi), which draws on the 450-year heritage of Harrow School in the UK, opened as a full-boarding international school in August 2022 for students aged 11 to 18 (Year 7 to Year 13). Set…
8 Things You Can’t Do on a Bike in Japan
Cyclists put helmets as much as possible from 1st April, 2023 onwards with the enforcement of the revised Road Traffic Act. Japan is well known for the safety of its streets and low crime rate – helped, no doubt, by…
Tsuyu
Right in between Japan’s multicolored spring and scorching hot summers is a period of about 40-50 days, when the otherwise pleasant summer months become unusually gloomy, wet, and humid. This is tsuyu, Japan’s official monsoon season. (Also called plum rain…
Sakura Spectacles
Cherry Blossom Forecast: 18th March 2023 in Tokyo Tokyo Metropolitan Government announced not for asking to refrain from having “Hanami Parties” at Tokyo Metropolitan Parks this year. Please check the detailed information for each park, since time and venues to…
Japanese Tax Return Season
Application Acceptance Period: by 15th Mar. 2023 February and March in Japan is tax season, when all residents receive a tax return form from their local tax office. The two main forms of tax are income tax and . The…
Back to School Japanese Style
April in Japan not only means cherry blossom viewing and streets flooded with university job hunters, but it also marks the beginning of another school year for Japan’s youngest. Now, most expat families choose to send their kids to international…
Would you like to improve your Japanese language skills as fast as possible?
Tokyo Central Japanese Language School (TCJ) Tokyo Central Japanese Language School (TCJ) in Shinjuku, Tokyo, provides high quality and optimal Japanese language lessons for diplomats, expatriates and other businesspersons, as well as their families and spouses. The reason TCJ says…
Things to Know about Winter Driving in Japan
(original photo by Dave See; CC BY 2.0)
Winter driving can be pretty treacherous, and you can never be too careful. When driving in Japan in the winter, remember to be aware of the road conditions. You might think that December is too early to think about heavy…
Immunotherapy: Advanced cancer care (Tokyo Cancer Clinic)
A cancer diagnosis is a life changing event. Navigating the medical system in Japan and knowing what treatments are best for you can be overwhelming. Without inside knowledge or a specialist to advocate for your care, you wouldn’t know that…
Re-Juvenate Pilates – Bilingual Pilates Studio in Omotesando
Taeko Farthing, owner of Re-Juvenate Pilates, tells us why it was important to her to create a welcoming studio for both expats and locals. What Inspired You to Open a Pilates Studio? About 13 years ago I had my second…
Thinking about your dental health? Check out this clinic
There are likely many foreign residents in Japan who put off going to the dentist out of concerns about methods and treatment differing from those in their home country. With this in mind, we spoke to one Tokyo-based dentist who…
Series : How to prevent, deal with COVID-19
It is no exaggeration to say that 2020 was swayed by COVID-19, and unfortunately it has not gone yet. The Expat’s Guide to Japan is now sharing information on how to prevent, deal with the viruses and so on with…
Ministry of Justice’s human rights bodies offers free counseling services to foreigners
With the aim of giving proper respect to the human rights of foreigners, the The Ministry of Justice’s Human Rights Bodies has set up human rights counseling services accessible by phone (Foreign-language Human Rights Hotline), online (Human rights counseling services…
New style of owning car – Subscription services by Norel
Advantages of owning car in Japan If you decide to live in Japan, you will need to extend your trip around Japan, where the world’s most famous tourist spots are gathered. Many tourist spots in Japan are attractive because they…
Summerhill International School – IB PYP EXHIBITION
Summerhill International School employs an education program based on the IB Primary Years Program. Here you can see moments from an “exhibition” where children present the results of their work within the program. Last year, Summerhill International School received accreditation…
A new method of learning – Manai Institute of Science and Technology
With the coming of an increasingly AI-dependent society, education must adapt to provide the skills young people will require, not to merely be part of an existing framework, but to forge a path into the unknown. It is in that…
Gold Salon Tokyo – The importance of communication
Howard Lee Regner, Artistic Director of Gold Salon Tokyo, tells us about the philosophy behind his business and some of the things expats/visitors should be wary of when looking for a hairdresser in Japan. How did Gold Salon come about?…
Mexican Dining and Catering
Having a party? Tired of the same flavors all the time? Why not try Mexican food? Guzman y Gomez (GYG)caters to and serves easy to eat Mexican food for parties and large group events. GYG’s concept is to share, as…
Free labor advisory services for global corporations and start-up companies
About TECC Tokyo Employment Consultation Center (TECC), is a public service sponsored by the Japanese government (Cabinet Office and Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare). It provides advice regarding employment rules and labor management in Japan to help global companies…
Shinagawa International School – A New IB School for Shinagawa
Originally founded in 2007 as Jingumae International Exchange School, Shinagawa International School (SIS) moved to its current premises in June 2018. An IB World School for children aged 3-12, SIS offers a holistic and student-centered approach in an environment that…
Host Families Wanted for Tokyo Homestay Program
Homestays offer a valuable opportunity for young people to experience everyday life in the context of another culture. However, not everyone who would like do a homestay abroad has the financial background to able to. NPO Chokkura Homestay is an…
Overcoming the Odds: Bilingual Education in Japan
I’m at one of Tokyo’s international preschools, observing the morning session. Two boys around the age of four are playing with toy cars; one is dragging his over a play roadway made of fabric, the other is racing an ambulance…
A Personalized Approach: Tokyo Children’s Garden Preschool
These days, parents in Tokyo have a great deal of choice when it comes to international education. New schools are established each year, keeping pace with a steady increase in both the number of expats in Japan, and in interest…
Asakusa Disaster Prevention Seminar – Report
On Friday 25th November, Expat’s Guide staff attended a disaster prevention seminar at Taito Kumin Kaikan in Asakusa. The seminar included a lecture and a panel discussion, with an aim to increase awareness of both the dangers faced in the…
How to: Karaoke in Japan
Japan is the birthplace of karaoke, and no trip to the country is complete until you’ve thrown your inhibitions aside and stepped up to the mic. Karaoke machines are common staples at “snack” bars, but by far the preferred setting…
5 Tips – Buying a Home in Japan
Tokyo rent might not be as expensive as London or New York… but it’s still pretty high! With interest rates in Japan so low now, however, this could be an excellent time to buy. There are a few things you’ll…
7 Tokyo Rail Hacks
Once you get used to the overcrowding, get to know which lines intersect at which stations, and which lines are operated by which companies, Tokyo’s rail network is not so difficult to navigate. Still, there are a few tips and…
Sending & Receiving Money Overseas
There are a number of options to consider when sending or receiving money from overseas in Japan. International remittance is possible at post offices and banks, though fees can be quite high, especially when the transfer goes through intermediary banks.…
“My number” – What you need to know
If you are resident in Japan, you may have heard talk about a new social security number system that was introduced in 2015. Nicknamed “my number” in Japanese, this Individual Number system identifies each resident by a single 12-digit number…
Five great things about Japanese courier services
It should come as no surprise to anyone who’s visited Japan to learn that the Japanese approach to customer service isn’t found only at shops and restaurants. The care, attention and user-friendliness you find in the hospitality sector extends to…
Edo-Tokyo Museum Reopens
(original photo by Yoshikazu TAKADA; CC BY 2.0)
What is that looming structure, slightly reminiscent of a walker from the Star Wars saga, poised to beam down the Ryogoku Kokugikan (sumo hall)? Yes, it is the Edo-Tokyo Museum, which reopened to the public on March 28 after renovations.…
Rocking Out Without Ropes: Bouldering in Tokyo
Over the past few years the number of bouldering gyms in the heart of Tokyo has increased, along with the number of people discovering a great sport they can do on the way home from work. As you only need…
New Entries into the UNESCO World Heritage List
(original photo by pha pha; CC BY-SA 2.0)
Amidst the seemingly endless string of bad news that has centered around the Tohoku region of Japan, a recent decision by UNESCO manages to bring hope and pride back to the citizens of the disaster stricken area. In June 2011,…
Setsuden – What Can You Do?
With the summer months ahead, the time where being inside with an open window leaves you at just the right temperature will soon be coming to an end. In the past, this meant the beginning of the Cool Biz season,…
Vegan Food in Tokyo
For those of us who are vegetarian or vegan inclined, the prospect of finding anything to eat in Tokyo can be particularly daunting. In a country where is ubiquitous and where the concept of vegetarianism is still relatively unfamiliar, never…
Summerhill International School – An Environment of Beauty and Wonder
Making the decision of where to send your child to school can be a time of stress and uncertainty. There are many options and styles in Tokyo and it is important to choose a school that matches your needs and…
