Tips, guides, and reading on life in Japan — paperwork, taxes, immigration, health insurance, and the daily mechanics of being a foreigner here.
Got a 納税通知書 for resident tax in Japan? Learn what the notice says, how to find the deadline and amount, and when you can usually pay the slip at a convenience store.
How Japan's National Health Insurance (国民健康保険) premium notice works: why it arrives in June, why the amount can jump in your second year, how the payment slips work, and where to look for reductions.
Got a booklet of payment slips or a postcard from the Japan Pension Service (日本年金機構)? What the National Pension letters mean, what you owe in fiscal 2026, and how the exemption and postponement system works.
What Japan's resident tax (住民税, juminzei) is, why the bill arrives in June for last year's income, how the four payment slips work, and what to do before you leave Japan.
The year-end adjustment (年末調整) forms your employer hands out every autumn: what each one is for, what changed for 2026, what to do about dependents overseas, and when you still need to file a tax return.
Struggling with Japanese receipts for US taxes? Here's how American expats in Japan actually handle translating and organizing Japanese business receipts for the IRS.
A plain-English walkthrough of Japan's health insurance system — who needs it, how to sign up, and what to do when the paperwork is all in Japanese.