Just moved into a new place. A recent build and all doors and windows are closed.

Woke up at 8 am to drumming that has been going on now for over 12 hours on and off!

I know it is from the nearby school. I get that different classes need practicing.

Why are schools not soundproof?

But seriously why are schools allowed to make musical noise while housing rentals can not?

Hi,

So apparently the department where I'm working is shifting to AI based solution and the corporates want to reduce the payroll of our department.

I'm kinda fearing for my employment status. It's a very big company (one of the biggest in the electronics / telecom industry) and seems kinda white, but still.

I've been told that "優秀な" workers won't be laid off, and that I'm considered as such by the upper management, but I'm sure that if they lay off people, I'm going to be part of collateral damage. I have useful skills and experience that others don't have but I'm foreigner and it's been only 2 years I'm working here, so I'm very not confident.

There is apparently a possibility to be moved to another department, and depending on the department I might prefer this solution rather than being laid off.

I'm looking for information and advices (for instance, should I have a direct talk to my n+1 ? He is always open to one - one discussions. Or should I wait and see ? How much would be the bonus for being laid off ? Etc.)

I am a foreigner who recently moved to Japan and I have realised that the combined washing machine / dryer I bought can only wash with cold water.

The model I have is NA-LX113BL-W from Panasonic.

Are there any washing machines (preferably with dryer) that I can buy in Japan that can wash in with warm water (at least 60 degrees)?

Or is there another solution to kill bacteria?

I'm moving and I need to dispose my big ass sofa and a couple of furnitures.

Is there a service that I can use, ask them to come to my apartment and take all my stuff, no questions asked?

Tokyo/Kanagawa area

Recently I found that my local super markets started selling these noodles with 15 calories and 10g of fibre for 180g of noodles. I've eaten like 10 bags so far and they're the closest to real spaghettis that "low-carb" alternatives can get. Some of the ones I've eaten in 2019-2023 doesn't come close to this one in terms of taste. The biggest bonus is it doesn't have that weird こんにゃく smell.

Is there a catch? It's genuinely insane diet food. Fat person's dream basically.

I think the ingredients are こんにゃく powder, but I'm not sure if there are downsides to this. It is a lot of dietary fiber in 1 meal so I do feel slightly bloated afterwards lol.

Does anyone have any recs for a place to listen to christmas music on 24/12?

My vision is cosy jazz club with classic christmas tunes.

despite the media trying harder than ever for the clicks, things are pretty damn good crime wise.

remember, see something, say something and as much as possible call the cops to take care of trouble, they aren't overworked and they don't get arrested when things turn to custard.

https://www.tokyodev.com/articles/home-burglary-rates-in-japan

https://preview.redd.it/58480wiazcyd1.jpg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=790be41e19233cf8713e9f93ba772732c5b81999

A bit of a newbie question, I am one day past the payment deadline on my rent bill. This is the first time it happens for me. Can I still go and pay it at the conbini or is there a special procedure?

Hi everyone,

Is anyone in a similar situation or has experience with this? I received a postcard from the Shinagawa Immigration Office, and I’m a bit confused about what it means. Here’s my situation:

•	Application: Spouse visa renewal
•	Applied: June 19th
•	Requested more documents: October 17th
•	Postcard received: November 1st

The postcard says to go to the “P desk” (permanent visa counter) because there are documents to fill out, and they’re requesting a 4,000 yen revenue stamp. Does this mean my visa is approved?

Context:

•	I was asked to submit a letter, which I stamped but didn’t sign—could this be the issue?
•	My husband had to resubmit the guarantor form since we initially sent the wrong format.
•	In the letter, I mentioned my current employment, but I didn’t notify immigration about it earlier since they say it’s not necessary.

They didn’t ask for my husband to come along, but I’m wondering 🤷🏻‍♀️

I tried applying to rakuten saikyou esim plan online. It said it needs rakuten membership account which needs a japanese phone number which don’t have.

My coworkers already have rakuten accounts so I don’t think I could use their phone number.

Is there a way to apply for a rakuten esim without visiting a store? My japanese is rather limited and the nearest store is around 10km away.

Does rakuten work well in isehara and kanagawa prefecture? Any other cheap/affordable mobile operators should I consider? My current phone is an old iphone 13 that i bought back in my country. I checked the imei and it says it should works. Can i buy the esim plan and if my phone is not compatible can i get a physical sim?

I plan to go home tonight and pick up my sister from the airport at 6:00 in the morning. This means I need to leave Hirakata around 4:00. Is it possible to get a cab at this hour in Hirakata, Osaka, Japan?

Eternal debate. I personally prefer Asahi, but I end having my fridge full of Sapporo when inviting people

Website is totally crashing right now though. Wonder why.. lol! 🤣

Just curious of the overall fluency of the sub

View Poll

I was wanting to try my hand at making some New York cheese cake. However, I am missing the graham crackers and wanted to know if there is a cookie or the like that I could use that is ready and available here in Japan?

My 5 year old daughter really cried hard this morning. She saw her former Japanese teacher from the local hoikuen (where she practically grew up for 4 years). The teacher greeted her and said "Konnichiwa <name>-chan,. Ohayou Gozaimasu". My kid hurriedly ran away from the teacher (ran towards me) and cried. I asked her why she ran away from her former Japanese teacher and then asked why she cried. She said "I don't know how to speak in Japanese anymore. I don't know what to say".

Background: She went to the local hoikuen for 4 years (2019-2023) and learned some Japanese sentences there and grew up with Japanese kids. Then she moved to an international school Q4 of 2023. In the int'l school they don't really encourage speaking Japanese and prefer that students speak in English. So it's been 1 year plus that she kind of hasn't used Nihongo in he new school. The Japanese kids there in the int'l school use English.

My fear is she'll grow isolated, anxious etc etc if she can't practice her Japanese skills. I think her cries this morning could be just the start of something not good.

Myself and my spouse don't speak Japanese. I only know some Japanese words and can only do basic conversation like a child. It's not at all conversationaI. I can only make reservations in restaurants. That's it. It's N10 or N9 if there was a level like that. I never really had the need to learn the language because of my work, all the Japanese people at work speak in perfect English. I am dependent on Google Translate and Deepl for translation purposes for every day life. Spouse works for the international school.

About my child going to the international school (that doesn't prefer Japanese language communication), what are the best ways for my non-Japanese child to practice speaking and continue to learn Japanese? This weekend I will look for some japanese language schools for children. Kid will likely have less play time, sports time, relax time, family time as a result. But assessing the situation now, and looking at the the future, it's for her own good.

Also I enrolled in Japanese online lessons. This route will take some (or a lot of) time for me to be fluent. So I won't be able to teach my child any Japanese. If this is not the best way, what's the best way to learn the Japanese language? I barely have friends in Japan. All the Japanese people I know are living in Tokyo. I am 1 hour away from Tokyo.

Stupid question - Is there a school that lets both parent and child learn the Japanese language at the same time ? .

No use in blaming myself for not thinking about these things earlier. It's not too late. But I will do anything to prevent my child from becoming isolated in Japanese society because of lack of Japanese conversational skills. Help!

Please delete but don't block me if this is not allowed.

I'd like to sell my personal items that I bought online/offline (Rakuten, Bic Camera, Yodobashi and local stores)

Mostly, running/trail/hiking goods. Personal belongings.

Can I advertise it here? I don't want to be rude to anyone and I'd like to ask permission before showing it.

Hello! It's me again, the rental kart enthusiast. I'm thinking about getting a tracksuit and I want to avoid ordering online. I'm also interested in shoes if the price is right.

Anyone know any motorsport clothing stores? I live in west Tokyo but I don't mind traveling a little. Thanks in advance!

Can you please tell us:

Application Office: Tokyo, Osaka, etc

Application Date:

Result postcard received on:

Type of PR (spouse, business owner, HSP, etc):

Request for further documents: Yes/N

I am very afraid of waking up during surgery, so I want to know if it is safe for me here in case I need surgery. I have been living in Japan for 2 months and wanted to know, will I likely stay asleep like I would in the United States?

Someone advised me to post this here.

Hi all, I (32, male) just got offered a job in Okinawa.

My current job pays me ±57.000euros (NL-based) at full time, although I comfortably work 4 days a week (making it 46.000euros). The job offer in Okinawa is 6.5M yen (equal to 40.000euros), where 5-9M was stated on the vacancy. This would mean I would earn a chunk less for a day of extra work. Furthermore, I am rather overqualified for this position, as my current job is in the same field, but broader and more in-depth. 

Things to consider:

• I would love to work abroad for a 1-2 year period, Japan draws me, and a Tropical Island would be best of both worlds, especially as I would envision myself getting diving certificates.
• I do want sufficient free time for exploring the surroundings such as Taipei, Hong Kong, Seoul and Tokyo, and to learn diving of course.
• The job includes health insurance, pension, commute allowance, housing allowance (40k max), and schooling for e.g. Japanese (I started learning last year and have passed N4 in July).
• Vacation days are 10 in a year, 7 extra in the summer months, 29th of Dec until the 3rd of Jan, and the national holidays and way worse than the lenient unlimited sick days in the Netherlands: just 7 a year. 
• I have a mortgage in the Netherlands which I need to keep paying.

How do these terms sound to you, with an eye to my future career back in Europe?

I would love some feedback as it feels as if my brain is just so clouded with thoughts at the moment.

Where do y'all get NICE lights and ornaments from ? Especially the lights none of that blue or pure white nonsense.

Guys I said Nice, meaning I'm looking for more niche shops especially for the ornaments, I don't have much hope for the lights since everything is made in China anyways.

This was given to me by a police officer today.

Does anyone know, if one has to do this or what the legal background or implications are?

Any experience or explanations welcome! Thank you!

Hi guys,

This Tuesday on Instagram group i randomly got dm from girl living in Tokyo to connect on LINE so we can be friends. She said she is 32 divorced living with father. She is sharing her problem with, shared her photos with me. We are just talking causally, I just moved to japan, i don't have any friends here so I thought let's continue to talk. When I asked about her instagram, she said she doesn't use becoz of negativity. She send me a song she were singing.

Questions, complaints, and brags are all welcome!

Hi everyone,

I posted this in Japanlife as well, but fully expecting a troll attack there (downvoted in the first 5 minutes already)... My husband and I are looking for recommendations for a knowledgeable immigration specialist who is gay friendly and ideally experienced with same-sex couples. Here’s a bit of context about our situation:

We got married in the U.S. in 2017.

Moved to Japan in 2020 for my Japanese husband’s (spectacular) job, leaving my dreadfully boring but lucrative job.

I have a useless master’s degree from a "top world university", and a JD, but it hasn’t helped much here, and my current part-time salary is pretty low.

To improve my "points" for residency, my husband (a high earner) is considering “hiring” me on paper.

If anyone knows of a specialist familiar with cases like ours who could advise us on our best options for permanent residency, we’d be grateful for the help. Feel free to PM if you’d rather share info privately. Thanks so much!

Hi guys, anyone know where I can watch game of thrones in Japanese dub? I just finished rewatching breaking bad and I really really love game of thrones so I want to watch in dub for listening practice. I can’t seem to find it anywhere without needing a VPN :’)

Hello, I would like to know the current status of postcard arrival for visa extension processed in Kawasaki branch. How's the waiting?

Me at 13days now