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Guides
Practical, dated, and specific about what is law and what is only proposed. Written by someone who has stood in these queues.
Daruma is live on the App Store
Eight months of work, one very confusing trip to immigration, and my first app. What Daruma does, why it exists, and what is coming next.
The 14-day city hall run: what to do when you arrive in Japan
You have 14 days to register your address in Japan. What happens at the ward office, what to bring, and what changed now paper insurance cards are gone.
ImmigrationThe specified residence card: one card instead of two
Since June 2026 you can combine your residence card and My Number Card into one. Who can apply, where applications are accepted and how to check the fee.
Daily lifeMy Number Card on iPhone: what it replaces, and what it does not
How to add your My Number Card to Apple Wallet, the two PINs you need before you start, and why you still cannot leave the physical cards at home.
ImmigrationPermanent residency in Japan: what it takes, and the revocation rule starting April 2027
The residence requirements, the faster routes, and the new power to revoke permanent residency for wilful non-payment of tax from April 2027.
ImmigrationRenewing your residence card: the three-month window, and what happens if you miss it
When the window opens, what the application turns on, the special period that keeps you legal while it is processed, and the mistakes that cause refusals.
MoneyOpening a Japanese bank account as a foreigner
Why the six-month rule is a myth, what the counter actually asks for, and the order of steps that keeps a first application from being refused.
HousingRenting an apartment in Japan: why the first month costs five, and who will sign for you
What each upfront fee is for, how guarantor companies work now that personal guarantors are rare, and the questions that reveal a problem before you sign.
MoneyThe pension lump-sum withdrawal: the five-year cap, and the reform that has not started yet
How dattai ichijikin works, the two-year deadline, why the tax agent step is worth 20 per cent of your refund, and the honest status of the 96-month extension.
ArrivingGetting a Japanese phone number when you have just arrived
How to break the loop where the bank wants a phone number and the carrier wants a bank account, and what a voice line gets you that a data plan does not.
MoneyResidence tax and the year-end adjustment: the bill that arrives a year late
Residence tax is billed on last year income from June, so it lands after you change jobs or leave. What the year-end adjustment covers, and when to file.
ImmigrationChanging jobs on a work visa: the 14-day rule, and the certificate that removes the risk
The 14-day notification, when a new job needs a change of status instead, and the certificate of authorised employment that settles it in advance.
LeavingLeaving Japan: the checklist that starts before you book the flight
Moving-out notification, a residence tax bill that outlives your departure, the pension lump sum and its two-year deadline, and what to do before you fly.
HealthHealth insurance in Japan: premiums, the 30% copay, the monthly cap, and what to do at the clinic
How much does health insurance cost in Japan? NHI vs Shakai Hoken premiums by income, the 30% copay, the high-cost medical expense cap (高額療養費), and exactly what to bring to a Japanese clinic in 2026.
Daily lifeConverting your driving licence in Japan after the 2025 rule change
Japan tightened licence conversion on 1 October 2025: residence now required, three months in the issuing country, and a 50-question written test.
FamilyJapan dependent visa 2026: who qualifies, documents needed, the 28-hour work limit, and how long it takes
Complete guide to Japan's Dependent (家族滞在) visa status: sponsor eligibility, required documents by relationship type, processing times in 2026, the 28-hour part-time work permission, school for children, and common refusal reasons.
ImmigrationThe Highly Skilled Professional visa: how the points work, and why 80 changes everything
What scores on the points table, the benefits at 70 and 80 points, the J-Skip and J-Find routes, and why people who would qualify never check.
ImmigrationThe visa renewal document checklist: what to collect, and in what order
Everything a period-of-stay extension needs, which documents expire, what your employer must provide, and the two tax certificates people confuse.
ImmigrationThe Business Manager visa after October 2025: six times the capital, and a language bar
The October 2025 overhaul raised capital from ¥5 million to ¥30 million, made a full-time employee mandatory, and added Japanese language and experience tests.
ImmigrationJapan Digital Nomad Visa: the income bar, the six-month wall, and what you cannot do
The ¥10 million income bar, the insurance rule, and what no residence card costs you: no ward registration, no insurance, no bank account.
ImmigrationLeaving Japan without losing your visa: the Special Re-entry Permit
How the Special Re-entry Permit works, the box to tick at the airport, the one-year limit that cannot be extended, and when you need the paid permit instead.
Daily lifeElectricity, gas and water: getting connected, and the gas appointment you must be home for
What to arrange before you move in, why gas needs someone present and the others do not, the four ways to pay, and the 50/60Hz split that hits appliances.
Daily lifeFurikomi: how to make a bank transfer in Japan without getting the name wrong
Reading the details you are given, the katakana name rule that causes most failures, ATM versus app, and why transfers stop at three in the afternoon.
Daily lifeRubbish in Japan: why your bag came back, and how to read the local calendar
The categories every municipality uses, why the rules differ two streets away, the paid stickers for large items, and what to do about the collection net.
Daily lifeEarthquake preparation for foreign residents: the app, the bag, and the meeting point
What to do in the first ten seconds, the alerts to enable today, what a Japanese emergency bag actually contains, and how to find your designated shelter.
Daily lifeDo you actually need a hanko? Seals, registration, and when a signature will do
The three kinds of seal, which ones you genuinely need, how to register a jitsu-in at the ward office, and the katakana decision that is hard to undo.
WorkResigning in Japan: the document you must not leave without, and the benefit rules that changed in 2025
Why the rishokuhyo sets your unemployment benefit, the one-month restriction that replaced the old three, and the visa deadlines running alongside.
WorkPaid leave in Japan: what you are owed, and the five days your employer must make you take
The entitlement table from ten days to twenty, the two-year expiry, and the legal duty on employers to ensure five days are actually used.
WorkOvertime in Japan: the legal caps, the premium rates, and the fixed-overtime trap
The 45-hour cap and what legally overrides it, the premium rates your payslip should show, and why minashi zangyo does not mean unpaid overtime.
MoneyNISA and iDeCo as a foreign resident: the tax break, and the exit problem nobody mentions
How the two schemes work, what happens to each when you leave Japan, and why iDeCo can lock your money away until you are sixty even after you have gone.
MoneyFurusato nozei: moving tax you already owe, and getting food for it
How the donation scheme works, why your limit depends on income, the one-stop exception that saves filing, and the December deadline that catches everyone.
MoneyThe medical expense deduction: the household total most people never add up
The ¥100,000 threshold, the lower bar if you earn under ¥2 million, the OTC alternative, and why the year-end adjustment will not do this for you.
MoneySending money home from Japan: fees, the ¥1 million report, and the deduction worth claiming
Why bank wires cost what they do, what happens above ¥1 million, and how to document overseas family support so the tax deduction survives scrutiny.
HealthMental health care in Japan: what insurance covers, and the discount nobody tells you about
How psychiatry and counselling differ under Japanese insurance, the 自立支援医療 scheme that cuts your copay to 10 per cent, and ADHD medication rules.
HealthJapan health insurance cost in 2026: monthly premiums, the 30% copay, and how to calculate what you owe
Exact 2026 premium rates for National Health Insurance (NHI) and Shakai Hoken in Japan. Income-based calculation with examples for ¥3M–¥8M annual income, the high-cost medical expense cap, and what changes between Year 1 and Year 2.
HealthJapanese healthcare benefits: co-pays, high-cost caps, and coverage details
What Japanese health insurance actually covers. From the 30% co-payment and High-Cost Medical Care Benefit (高額療養費) to maternity and sick leave allowances.
ArrivingThe moving-out certificate in Japan (転出届): how to move wards or cities
How to file a moving-out notification in Japan when changing municipality or leaving the country: the deadline, online filing, and the ward office steps.
MoneyYour Japanese payslip decoded: why your take-home (手取り / tedori) is 15–25% less than gross, and what each deduction means
Health insurance (~5%), pension (9.15%), employment insurance (0.6%), income tax, and residence tax — all decoded with worked examples for ¥250K–¥500K gross salary. Understand exactly how much you actually keep.
MoneyCan't afford Japan's National Pension? How to apply for a legal exemption (免除) or postponement
Step-by-step: apply for full or partial pension exemption (免除, menjo) at city hall in Japan. Protects your visa and PR record. Covers all 4 income tiers, the resignation special exemption, student exception, and the 10-year repayment window.
ImmigrationThe Japan Certificate of Eligibility (COE): 2026 processing times, tracking, and the 3-month deadline
What the COE is, how long Immigration takes to issue one in 2026, why delays happen, and the 3-month window to turn it into a visa at your embassy.
ArrivingLost your residence card in Japan? The 14-day police and immigration replacement guide
Lost or stolen zairyu card: the police report, the ishitsutodoke receipt, and the free same-day replacement at Immigration inside the 14-day deadline.
Daruma is out
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