{"id":514,"date":"2025-10-16T09:52:26","date_gmt":"2025-10-16T09:52:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/919link.com\/?page_id=514"},"modified":"2025-10-16T09:56:23","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T09:56:23","slug":"useful-information-for-living-in-japan","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/919link.com\/ja\/useful-information-for-living-in-japan\/","title":{"rendered":"Useful Information for Living in Japan"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

Useful Information for Living in Japan\n<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\ud83c\udfe0 Housing
Finding a rental in Japan can be tricky as a foreigner, but it is definitely possible! We summarized the essential information for you below and are happy to answer questions or give advice!
Basic requirements:
A residence card to prove your VISA
Bank account (not necessarily a Japanese one, but it is recommended)
Phone number (ideally a Japanese one)
Emergency contact (anyone who has residency in Japan)
Apartment hunting: Most rentals go through real estate agencies (\u4e0d\u52d5\u7523\u5c4b). Standard contracts last 2 years with the option of renewal in most cases.
English-friendly agencies: Some agencies offer English speaking services (e.g. Minimini), while other specialize in finding apartments specifically for foreigners (e.g. E-Housing).
Initial costs: Expect 3\u20136 months\u2019 rent upfront:
Deposit: 1 month (refundable, cleaning fees will be deducted).
Key money (\u201cThank you\u201d money to the landlord): 1 month (non-refundable).
Agency fee: 0.5\u20131 month.
Guarantor company fee: 0.5\u20131 month (if you don\u2019t have a Japanese guarantor).
Unfurnished: Most apartments come unfurnished. IKEA and Nitori are popular for furniture, while BicCamera or Nojima sell electric appliances. For household appliances, Nitori or 100-yen stores like Daiso are a great option.
Furnished\/short-term: Sharehouses (e.g., Oakhouse, Sakura House) are great for newcomers \u2014 furnished, low initial fees, flexible contracts, move-in with just your luggage. They are generally a bit on the smaller and pricier side though.
Utilities: You will have to setup your own utilities. Sometimes, your real estate agency will help you with that.<\/p>

\ud83c\udfd9\ufe0f Housing Example: Where to Live in Tokyo
Depending on where you live, commute times and convenience definitely differ, but those places usually come with a higher price point. There are many quit and budget-friendly options to explore!
\ud83d\udfe2 Cheaper Wards Examples (Outer Tokyo)
Adachi (\u8db3\u7acb\u533a): From ~\u00a550,000; suburban feel.
Katsushika (\u845b\u98fe\u533a): From ~\u00a550,000; local, community-oriented.
Edogawa (\u6c5f\u6238\u5ddd\u533a): From ~\u00a555,000; family-friendly, parks, near Chiba.
Nerima (\u7df4\u99ac\u533a): From ~\u00a555,000; suburban, popular with families.
Itabashi (\u677f\u6a4b\u533a): From ~\u00a560,000; decent access to central areas.
\u23f1\ufe0f Commute:
Lower rent but expect 30\u201360 min commutes to central areas.<\/p>

\ud83d\udfe0 Middle-Range Wards Examples
Nakano (\u4e2d\u91ce\u533a): From ~\u00a590,000; youthful, affordable.
Suginami (\u6749\u4e26\u533a): From ~\u00a590,000; calm, family-friendly.
Toshima (\u8c4a\u5cf6\u533a): From ~\u00a590,000; lively, Ikebukuro area.
Setagaya (\u4e16\u7530\u8c37\u533a): From ~\u00a590,000; leafy, family-oriented.
Koto (\u6c5f\u6771\u533a): From ~\u00a5100,000; redeveloped bay area.
\u23f1\ufe0f Commute:
Averages at about 20min to central areas.<\/p>

\ud83d\udd34 Expensive Wards Examples (Central Tokyo)
Minato (\u6e2f\u533a): From ~\u00a5120,000; expat hub, embassies, luxury apartments.
Shibuya (\u6e0b\u8c37\u533a): From ~\u00a5110,000; trendy, vibrant.
Chiyoda (\u5343\u4ee3\u7530\u533a): From ~\u00a5130,000; political\/financial core.
Chuo (\u4e2d\u592e\u533a): From ~\u00a5120,000; Ginza, Nihonbashi, Tsukiji area.
\u23f1\ufe0f Commute:
Very short (5-10min) commutes if any, but rents are among the highest in Japan.<\/p>


\ud83d\udcb3 Bank Account
A Japanese bank account is essential for living and working in Japan. Most banks require you to have lived in Japan for 6+ months before you can open an account. The only exception is Japan Post Bank. You can sign up online or go to a branch directly. Accounts generally have no monthly fees.
Requirements: Residence card, phone number, proof of address.
Good first time options:
Japan Post Bank \u2014 no 6+ months residency requirement
Shinsei Bank \u2014 English support
Rakuten Bank \u2014 English support
Other popular options:
MUFG Bank
Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation
Mizuho Bank
SMBC Bank<\/p>

\ud83d\udcf1 SIM Cards & Internet
When you first arrive, you can easily buy a travel, non-phone number SIM Card at the airport to get around. An actual phone number is a must though for life in Japan and can be obtained once you have your residence card and address.
Requirements: Residence card, proof of address.
SIM Cards:
Docomo, au, SoftBank etc.: \u00a56,000\u20139,000\/month,
Usually 2-year contracts, that often come with extra benefits, like availability abroad.
Rakuten, IIJmio, LINEMO, UQ, Y!mobile etc.: \u00a52,000\u20134,000\/month.
Basic plans with no extras.
Home internet: \u00a54,000\u20136,000\/month, usually 1\u20132 years contracts, installation can take 2\u20134 weeks.
Pocket Wi-Fi or Travel SIM: \u00a53,000\u20135,000\/month; useful temporary option.<\/p>

\ud83c\udfe5 Healthcare
Insurance is mandatory for anyone living in Japan for more than 3 months. You have to sign up with either the National Health Insurance or the Employees’ Health Insurance and Pension. Both insurances cover 70% of the medical costs.
Insurance:
National Health Insurance (\u56fd\u6c11\u5065\u5eb7\u4fdd\u967a): For students\/self-employed. \u00a51,500\u201320,000\/month depending on income.
Employees’ Health Insurance and Pension (\u793e\u4f1a\u4fdd\u967a): Through the employer. ~15% of income and split with the employer.
Doctor visits: With insurance ~\u00a51,000\u20133,000.
Medicine: Please check if your medicine is sold in Japan. Bring prescriptions if necessary.
Language: In smaller towns, doctors rarely speak English. Bring symptoms written in Japanese if needed. Be aware that some clinics charge an English speaking fee.<\/p>

\ud83d\ude89 Transportation
To easily get around in Japan, buying a IC card is a must. iPhone users can download the virtual SUICA on their phone, or you can buy a physical copy at a designated machine in a train station.
IC cards (Suica, Pasmo, ICOCA etc.): \u00a5500 deposit, rechargeable, usable on trains, buses, and to pay at convenience stores.
Train fares: \u00a5170\u2013400 per trip; monthly passes are available. Commute costs to work are often reimbursed by the employer.
Bikes: Common, often faster than trains. New \u00a515,000\u201330,000, secondhand \u00a55,000\u201310,000. Registration fee: ~\u00a5500.<\/p>

\ud83d\udcd1 Bureaucracy
Once you arrive in Japan, register yourself at your local Ward Office immediately (within 14 days) for the following:
Residence card (\u5728\u7559\u30ab\u30fc\u30c9): Issued at immigration when staying in Japan for more than 3 months. It must be carried at all times for identification purposes. Also required to sign up for insurance, bank and phone contracts.
City hall registration: After arrival, register your address at the local Ward office within 14 days of coming to Japan or generally, when moving to a different place.
My Number card: Japan\u2019s social security\/tax ID. Increasingly needed for healthcare, banking, and online forms. It is recommended to apply for one.<\/p>

\ud83d\udca1 Budget Summary Example (Single person, Tokyo area)
This is an estimate of the budget per month that a single person will need in Tokyo area.
Rent: ~\u00a580,000
Utilities: ~\u00a515,000
SIM Card: ~\u00a53,000
Internet: ~\u00a55,000
Insurance: ~\u00a510,000
Groceries\/daily life: \u00a530,000\u201350,000
Transport: ~\u00a510,000 (if not reimbursed)<\/p>

\u27a1\ufe0f Total: \u00a5150,000\u2013180,000\/month<\/p>


\ud83c\udf1f We can help you with finding suitable services for housing, banking and other required setups, as well as guide you through initial registrations procedures if necessary!<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Useful Information for Living in Japan \ud83c\udfe0 HousingFinding a rental in Japan can be tricky as a foreigner, but it […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_angie_page":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"no-sidebar","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"full-width-container","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"disabled","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"disabled","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-514","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/919link.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/514","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/919link.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/919link.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/919link.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/919link.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=514"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/919link.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/514\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":522,"href":"https:\/\/919link.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/514\/revisions\/522"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/919link.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=514"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}