{"id":27007,"date":"2022-03-22T15:27:53","date_gmt":"2022-03-22T15:27:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/?p=27007"},"modified":"2026-03-26T16:33:22","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T07:33:22","slug":"upon-arriving-in-japan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/blog\/upon-arriving-in-japan\/","title":{"rendered":"What you need to do after arriving in Japan"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Updated March 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moving to Japan for the first time will probably be one of the most exciting moments of your life. It might also be stressful and overwhelming, especially if you\u2019re unfamiliar with all the things you need to do upon arriving in Japan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s true that there is a bit of a to-do list, but we have outlined the most important<\/strong> things here, along with our own tips to hopefully make the start to your new life in Japan a little bit easier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Entrance<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Residence card<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

All foreigners residing in Japan long-term (this includes those on a student visa) must have a residence, or zairyu <\/i><\/a>\u5728\u7559, card. You\u2019re expected to carry this on you at all times and you need to show it in order to do things like sign up for a mobile plan, open a bank account, or get a Japanese driver\u2019s license<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The good thing is obtaining your residence card is super simple: it\u2019ll be issued to you when you arrive at the airport. By law, you will need to have it on you at all times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Person<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Find somewhere to live<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ideally, you\u2019ll have found accommodation before arriving in Japan. Go! Go! Nihon can help you do that with our network of accommodation providers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, if you haven\u2019t yet found permanent accommodation, then this should be one of your next priorities. Read our article<\/a> to familiarize yourself with the accommodation options available and determine what would work best for you based on your budget and living preferences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Often entry requirements to rent a place in Japan can be expensive and difficult to navigate due to the language barrier. Go! Go! Nihon can help you find accommodation after you arrive in Japan as well, so make sure to get in touch with us if you need assistance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Register at the ward office<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

After you find a place to live, you need to register your address at the local ward office within 14 days<\/b>. Take your passport and residence card with you and fill in a jumin ido todoke<\/i> \u4f4f\u6c11\u7570\u52d5\u5c4a form \u2014 read more about how to do that here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your new address will be entered into your local ward office database and printed on the back of your residence card.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Note that you cannot register temporary addresses, such as a hostel or Airbnb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Register for health insurance<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

After you register your address, you should visit the health insurance department (kokumin kenk\u014d hoken <\/i>\u56fd\u6c11\u5065\u5eb7\u4fdd\u967a) of your ward office. It\u2019s compulsory<\/strong> for all residents of Japan to be covered under either the National Health Insurance scheme or the Employee Health Insurance scheme. The latter will apply if you\u2019re working for an employer that offers the health insurance benefit and your company will help you apply for that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Registering for National Health Insurance is straightforward. You will need to fill in a form similar to the one you fill in for registering your address and hand it to the ward office staff. Your health insurance premiums are based on your previous year\u2019s income, so as a student, you will pay less.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You will receive a health insurance card in the mail, which you should keep on you at all times, as you\u2019ll need it whenever you visit the doctor, hospital, or pharmacy. You will also receive your health insurance payment invoices in the mail. You need to pay for these monthly and you can do this at your local convenience store<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read about the Japanese Health Insurance system in our article<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Enroll for pension<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

All residents of Japan, including students, must also register for the pension scheme. How much you pay depends on what your earnings are in Japan. Since the premiums depend on your prior year\u2019s earnings, you normally have nothing to pay in the first year. If you are a student who is not working or you have low income, you can apply for an exemption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are working, your company should help you sign up for a pension program. If not, you can apply at the pension department of your ward office. However, we highly recommend that you ask a Japanese speaker, such as one of your school\u2019s staff, to accompany or help you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read all about the National Pension requirements for students in Japan here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Bank<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Open a bank account<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We highly recommend opening a local Japanese bank account<\/strong> if you plan on studying and working part time in Japan for the long term. Japanese bank accounts are necessary to receive payment for any jobs and income you may receive while living and working here. <\/span>However, it is important to know that most banks (excluding Japan Post) now require six months of residence before you can open an account.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before arriving in Japan, we recommend that you open an account with Wise<\/strong> so that you can make all of your payments (tuition, accommodation, etc) before your arrival. You will also have quick and easy access to your funds as soon as you land.<\/span> And, while living in Japan, if you want to send money to your bank account back home, Wise is the best way to do that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wise, previously known as TransferWise, helps individuals and organizations around the world manage their money, irrespective of physical borders. It offers easy money transfer, the ability to hold money in various currencies, and allows you to spend money abroad through one simple-to-use debit card.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the best things about using Wise is their low fees and ability to hold Japanese yen in your Wise account. With their debit card, you\u2019ll be able to hit the ground running without having to worry about accessing your money. Your money will always be converted at the real exchange rate i.e. the one you see in Google so you can be sure that you\u2019re getting the best rate possible and won\u2019t be paying hidden markups typical through traditional banks.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ll also be able to use Wise to transfer any funds you need for rent, tuition fees, or living expenses from your home currency into Japanese yen.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apply for your account here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can read more about how to open a bank account in our article<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Get a phone plan<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Finding a mobile phone plan as a foreigner can be a challenge since major carriers tend to offer long binding contracts and charge a fee if you try to terminate early. The plans also tend to be quite complicated and have expensive calling options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A more accessible and popular option is to get a SIM card from a provider like Mobal<\/a>. You can get a voice and data plan that doesn\u2019t require you to sign a complicated multi-year contract or pay high fees if you want to exit your plan early. You can also get English support, which is helpful if you\u2019re not yet confident with your Japanese language skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Want to know more about your mobile options in Japan? Read more here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Person<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Get your commuter pass<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Save money<\/strong> on your train fares by buying a commuter pass. The pass will be for a fixed journey, usually between your home and your school or work. You pay to travel between those two stations, plus you can get on and off at any station on the line between those two stations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read all about train commuter passes and how to buy them here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Secure your part-time work permit<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You can work up to 28 hours a week<\/strong> on a student visa while you\u2019re in Japan, but to do so you need to get a permit first. You can apply for the part-time work permit at any of the main airports after arriving in Japan. Go! Go! Nihon students will receive a form that they can fill out and hand over to immigration upon arrival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you plan to work part time while studying, make sure to read our blog article on getting a part-time work permit in Japan<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t worry if it all seems a bit overwhelming<\/strong> \u2014 that\u2019s why Go! Go! Nihon is here! We\u2019re happy to help so don\u2019t hesitate to contact us<\/a> with your questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you like to read more about life in Japan, make sure to follow our blog<\/a>, where we cover everything you need to know!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Updated March 2026 Moving to Japan for the first time will probably be one of the most exciting moments of your life. It might also be stressful and overwhelming, especially if you\u2019re unfamiliar with all the things you need to do upon arriving in Japan. It\u2019s true that there is a bit of a to-do […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":117,"featured_media":26255,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[401,402],"tags":[690,684],"class_list":["post-27007","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-life-in-japan","category-how-to","tag-living-abroad","tag-moving"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27007","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/117"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27007"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27007\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":212718,"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27007\/revisions\/212718"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26255"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27007"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27007"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27007"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}