This contains all the vital guides from our blogs in an easier-to-reference list.





  1. Your Real Visa: Difference Between 査証 and 上陸許可
  2. Example of a Japan Visa
  3. Example of a Landing Permission
  4. Getting a Re-Entry Permit (Going on Holiday)
  5. Alternatives to Working Visas
  6. Visa Extension to be Tied to Language Ability?





  1. Moving In
  2. Deposits
  3. More on Deposits
  4. Save on Rent and Deposits
  5. Apartment Layouts
  6. Apartment Criteria (Outside)
  7. Apartment Criteria (Inside)
  8. Living as a Couple in Japan
  9. Buying a House
    1. Foreclosed Property





  1. Cost of Living
  2. Rice Cooker Buttons
  3. Japanese Cooking Measurements
  4. Mending/Replacing the Paper in Shouji Screens
  5. Japanese Electronics - Voltage, Wattage and Plugs 
  6. Insulating a Japanese House for the Winter 
    1. Why are Japanese Houses SO COLD?
  7. Importing/Exporting Your Pet to/from Japan
  8. Recycling in Japan: A Guide





    1. Contraception
    2. The Cost of Giving Birth in Japan
    3. Onsen
    4. Ear Cleaning - The Horrible Truth
    5. Hangover Cures/Preventatives
    6. How to Take a Crap in Japan
    7. How to Take a Poop in Japan (Kids' Version)
    8. The Japanese Straight-Perm
    9. Health Insurance Guide
      1. The Fundamentals [part 1] [part 2]
      2. National Health Insurance NHI
      3. Employee Health Insurance EHI
      4. Optional Insurance
      5. Do I Need Insurance At All?
    Fitness
    1. Training with Kettlebells in Japan
      1. High Quality Kettlebells Now Available
    2. Running Tokyo Marathon [part 1] [part 2]
    3. Distance Running in Japan
    4. ZMA Suppliments in Japan





    1. Getting a Japanese Driving Licence
    2. English-Speaking Driving Schools
    3. Foreign Licence Conversion
    4. Do You Need to Take the Test to Convert Your Licence?
    5. International Permits
    6. Changing the Address on your Driving Licence
    7. Chuuanshin Driving License Center, Nagano (Shiojiri) Map
    8. Driving Test Tips: Checklist on Entering and Exiting the Vehicle
    9. Driving Test Tips: Manual Cars
    10. Driving Test Tips: Position in the Lane





    1. Getting an ETC Card Reader
    2. Getting an ETC Card (without a credit card)
    3. Calculating Highway Tolls
    4. Highway Tolls Cheaper for 2011
      1. Post-Earthquake Changes to Tolls
    5. Registering Your Parking Space
    6. Registering Your Hanko/Inkan (needed for buying a house or car)
    7. Buying a Car in Japan
    8. 5 Japanese Cars For Tall People
    9. Getting gas/petrol
    10. Renting a Car in Japan
    11. Differences Between Driving in the US and Japan
    12. Anti-Theft Licence Plates
    13. Vehicle Registration and Licence Plates





    1. Cellphones
      1. Mobile Number Portability
      2. Requesting an MNP Reservation Number 
    2. Mobile phone guide
      1. The Basics
      2. Important Paperwork
      3. Pre-Paid Phones
      4. Contract Phones
      5. Paying Bills
      6. Mobile email
      7. Multi-Lingual Phones
      8. Renting and Roaming





    1. Second-Hand Stores
    2. Buying a Used Bike
    3. Getting ID for Buying Cigarettes (Taspo)
    4. Credit Cards
      1. The Basics
      2. Application Pointers
      3. Filling Out an Application
      4. Do You Really Need a Japanese Card?
    5. Get Your Japan Grocery Fix in the UK
    6. Potatoes!
    7. Clothes and Shoes
    8. International Supermarkets and Other Home Comforts





    1. Transferring Money Abroad: The Easy Way
    2. Abbreviations in Furikomi
    3. Net-Print Miracle - Printing Personal Documents at 7/11
    4. The Wonders of 7-11 Copy Machines
    5. Sending Flowers and Gifts
    6. Japanese Face-Masks
    7. Compensated Dating
    8. Japan and Marijuana
    9. Japanese Fruit Picking Seasons
    10. How to not Sweat like a Beast in the Summer
    11. Make Your Own (Legal) Japanese Postal Stamps
    12. How Japanese Addresses Work

    Also see the Travel and Study pages for more useful guides.