Sharing the recipe because it’s too easy. Requires either an instant pot, yogurt maker, or an oven that can be set to 40C. Digital thermometer also helps. Stovetop might not be viable unless you’re using a double boiler.

Heat the milk, just to about 82C, stirring occasionally. Let sit until it the temp drops go 40C-42C. Without ice this should take 30 minutes or so.

Add 50g of Parteno Greek yogurt per 1L of milk. Mix well and keep it warm for about 3-3.5 hours covered. I set my Instant Pot to 39C, 40C seemed to be a bit too hot.

I assume you can use any yogurt, but this worked the first time with no issues.

Chill after and you should have some yogurt. Strain it if you wish, but it’s pretty silky on its own.

You don’t need to save the whey, but it’s great for making ricotta cheese.

Similar to an older thread, please share:

Application office: Tokyo, Osaka, etc.

Application Date:

Results postcard received on:

Type of PR:

Request for further documents:

I’m currently enrolled as a student in a university in Tokyo and im on a student visa for a year and a half. We have two month or so of vacations (from the end of January to the middle of March). I have a French passport and I would like to work in Hong Kong, either remotely or face-to-face, while working on my thesis. I’m staying in Hong Kong to work on my thesis, but working part time or full time would be nice. From what I understand it’s not so difficult to get a working holiday visa in Hong Kong, but I’m not sure if it’s legal regarding my student visa in Japan.

Is it legal for me to have a student visa in Japan and a working holiday visa in hk at the same time ? Can I work in hk while being on a student visa in Japan ? Thanks all again for sharing your knowledge and experiences!

Hello, I have a very similar question to the last time I posted here, so excuse that if youve already seen my earlier post from a month or two back.
I was wondering anyone has ever tried it before does anyone have any recommendations on where to get cosplay commissions in Japan and if so where online is the easiest place to do so. I have already looked online for options but I always like to also ask from people who have experience just to be safe. I know there are other options available as well like ordering from Taobao, but since this would be a worst case when I cant make them myself, quality would be my preference (if Im gonna go this route I might as well get something good). At the moment its in question when I will have access to a sewing machine so Im just looking for options in the meanwhile. Worst case scenario I will order from the states and ship it here but if I can order something directly from Japan, even Tokyo, I feel like that'd be the best case scenario. I appreciate any advice or insight anyone can offer!

I was diagnosed with an igernial herina about a year ago. My doctor told me that it didn't need any admit surgeroy at that time. I am going to go back this week hopefully for anthoer diagnoses. I was wondering if anyone has had experience getting hernia surgery here in Japan? I know that it is a very common surgery, but was wondering how hard it was to get and hopefully and esitmated cost. Thank you.

Tell us about a cool place you went to, a nice restaurant, maybe a nice meal at home, or maybe a good product you found in a supermarket that you never thought you'd be able to buy in Japan.

There are no bad recommendations, please share!

Good day. Specific question I guess but after 10 years here and always feeling like my glasses are to weak, I need to ask someone for help.

I have pretty strong astigmatism and I feel that every new pair of glasses I bought here hasn’t lived up to the quality of the ones I had from my home country. I had 4 different ones and this time I went to JINS(heard good things) and bought two new ones. I don’t feel any different from my previous ones and tbh im disappointed.

It’s very tiring to have glasses thats not optimal. Im gonna go back to JINS when I have time but I have the feeling the problem is the glass itself. Like the quality of the glass isn’t good enough but I don’t know.

Anyone got any suggestions on where to go? Or have you experienced the same problem?

I live in Osaka but can go Tokyo if needed. Prize of the glasses is not an issue when it comes to this.

Why do some Japanese think that foreigners working in Japan don’t pay tax, residential tax, pension, etc. Every time I tell people that I pay pensions they become surprised.

It's Saturday night, wife and kids are asleep, and I have a rare night where there is not much to do.

A bit about me, I moved to Japan in 2017 to join my wife. At that time, I had a worthless humanity degree, and spoke almost no Japanese, so low skill baito jobs are the only thing I could find. I planned to eventually find an office job, but many things happened, and now I spend most of my day taking care of the kids.

Does anyone here have Otegal? I'm applying and my Japanese isn't great but good enough to do uncomplicated utility things by phone. Seems they primarily deal with customers by email, but they want to call me to arrange the installation dates, which I suspect is something they do for people with foreign sounding names (to check they speak Japanese). Does anyone know the types of questions they ask? Basic stuff, confirmation of address, dates and such, or a full on Business Japanese test, checking consent to the full terms and conditions they could just send in an email (unsuccessfully applied for Tcom in the past where they wanted to run through the terms, then told me to get a Japanese friend to call back, who they then told after a 30 minute convo talking about barely anything that I needed to speak Japanese)?

Japan is increasing visa fees for all major immigration processes starting April 1st. Get ready for paying more for your visa

• Residence Status Changes/Renewals: Soaring from ¥4,000 to ¥6,000 (in-person, 50% increase!) or ¥5,500 online.

• Permanent Residency: Jumping from ¥8,000 to ¥10,000 (25% increase!).

• Re-entry Permits: One-time permits now ¥4,000 (in-person) or ¥3,500 (online), up from ¥3,000. Multiple re-entry permits will cost ¥7,000 (in-person) or ¥6,500 (online).

• Certificate of Authorized Employment: From ¥1,200 to ¥2,000 (in-person) or ¥1,600 (online).

• Registered User Card: Issuance doubles to ¥4,000, reissuance to ¥2,000.

The Immigration Services Agency (ISA) blames rising costs, but can't promise any improvement in notoriously slow processing times, now visa renewal takes between 1 and 2 months and changes of status of residence between 2 and 3 months on average.

Immigration spoke person also commented that "it is unclear whether the price hikes would lead to shorter processing times, but would continue its efforts to improve efficiency to minimize any inconvenience to applicants.”

Are these fee hikes justified?

link from new: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/01/31/japan/immigration-fee-rise/

Hey guys I’m currently working in a ski resort in Niigata, and want to go to Tokyo asap.

I’m looking for apartments or share houses but everything seems very expensive.

What do you think is the best for a single guy to go ?

I’m applying for a job in Shibuya rn

I just changed over my Australian (VIC) drivers licence in Tokyo (Kōtō Driving License Centre) and thought I would pass on information about the process. You can follow most of the advice here from the Tokyo Police. But I thought I would clarify a few things.

I’m Australian, with full open driving licence for car and motorcycle, issued in Victoria. I moved to Japan within the last month on a spousal visa. 

Japan and Australia have a reciprocal agreement where you can exchange drivers licence directly without doing any extra tests, but you will need:

- Your Australian passport.

- Your Australian drivers licence.

- Your Japan Residence Card (Zairyu Card).

- A printed translation of your drivers licence from JAF (Japan Automotive Federation). Cost ¥4000

- An original copy of your jūminhyō, it’s only valid for 3 months, and they will keep the copy you give them. 

- If your licence does not have a date of issuing (QLD does, VIC doesn’t) you need a printed copy of your drivers history report from your state. I got mine from VicRoads, you don't need to get this translated. Cost ~$21AUD

- A printed copy of proof you have lived in Australia for at least 3 months. You can get a copy of your international movement report from Australian immigration, this can take a few weeks or more (mine came in 2 weeks). You don't need to get this translated.

- photo (3cm × 2.4cm) taken within the last 6 months (you can use the photo-booth at the centre for ¥1000). This is for the application, not your drivers licence photo, they take that later.

- Someone to translate for you if your Japanese is not up to snuff (enter my Japanese wife)

On the day, we arrived just after 09:00. There was no line and we walked straight up to the counter and handed in printed/original copies of everything listed above. The guys at the counter were really friendly and helpful, first they clarified all the documents were in order and the katakana spelling of my name. They asked if I wanted to convert the motorcycle licence as well but said it would take much longer, so I opted for Car only. After waiting for a bit they called me back and returned my passport, Aus drivers licence, and Zairyu card. Then asked some health questions, confirmed the spelling of everything, and then sent me on a quest to several different sections around the centre to: pay ¥4600, and get an eyesight check. After returning from my quest they got me to enter a 4 digit pin. The pin is to access personal information stored on the chip in the card thats not printed directly on the card itself. I was then sent off to get a proper photo taken, before being sent upstairs to wait for them to print the card. Once we got the licence we checked the information stored on the licence at the little machines next to the waiting area using the aforementioned 4 digit pin, then went on our merry way.

Whole thing took about ~2 hours. 

I’m a 24-year-old IT engineer currently working in Tokyo, and I’ve started job hunting. I’d like to get some advice on what salary I should expect based on my experience and skills. Here’s a bit about my background:

• Experience: 3 years in IT.
• Skills:
  • PHP and Laravel (2 years of experience).
  • Node.js and JavaScript (1 year of experience).
  • AWS (hands-on experience with EC2, S3, RDS, Lambda, etc.).
  • AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner (CCP) and currently preparing for the AWS Solutions Architect - Associate (SAA) exam.
• Language Skills:
  • Japanese: JLPT N2 level and can speak business level
  • English: Conversational.
• Current Salary: Around 3.6M JPY annually.

I’m looking to change jobs and would like to know what salary range I should aim for. Based on my skills and experience, is it reasonable to expect around 5M JPY annually? Or should I aim higher/lower? Thanks in advance for your help!

Hey guys! I'm planning on studying 6 months in Japan in September, but I really need some input from people who know a bit of Japan. I have to provide my school with a top 3. I'm fairly certain that number 1 will be Ryuokoku University, based on the fact that I'm in love with Japanse culture and love a calm, more nature focused area. Ryuokoku also has an exchange program where you will learn about all kind of things from Japan (Language, culture, technology, media, arts, pop culture). So I do know my first choice, but my 2nd and 3rd are so hard. The other choices I have are: Otemon Gakuin, Osaka Gakuin, Kindai, Reitaku, Musashi, Toyo, Chuo and Kanagawa. I would love to follow an exchange program instead of picking courses from faculties, and with the information I could find online with a quick look, It seems to me that only Otemon Gakuin, Osaka Gakuin, Kindai and ofcourse Ryuokoku have that option, but I could definitely wrong.

To recap, I told you guys I would like an exchange program instead of following regular courses from faculties (this is to standard and I would love to know more about Japan in general). I also like a nature oriented spot to stay, so maybe the ones around Tokyo aren't the best, but if you guys tell me otherwise I can definitely switch, I also adore Tokyo. Which area and which University would you guys recommend for me. Thank you so much and any help would be nice, its so hard to decide!

Unfortunately, we will not make it to the concert next week., I tried researching but I cant even list the ticket for resale in the ticket app of lawson. There is suppose to be an option in the app for resale listing, but mine is blank.

We have 2 tickets.

I have an interview with a recruiter from Bizreach tomorrow to look at a few corporate jobs, mainly smaller companies seeking international experience. It's my first time talking to a recruiter and I just wanna know what to look out for/bring up/talk about, I suppose. I'm hoping to get my foot in the door in a corporate position and get out of eikaiwa.

I've got N2 and 2 years here at an eikaiwa/juku, some freelance copywriting experience, and a few years experience back home as a teacher, linguistics researcher, and customer service/hospitality.

UPDATE: Thanks everyone for the feedback! It was a wash, immediately they said N2 wasn't enough for any of the jobs their agency was recruiting for. It was on my profile so not sure why he even bothered but oh well

https://www.jrhokkaido.co.jp/CM/Info/news_en/pdf/pass_revised_202501_en.pdf

These passes will also now be purchasable by all non-Japanese passport holders (i.e. including foreign residents), not only those on a tourist visa.

Beginning April 1, 2025.

Damn the rice price keep rising.

Im currently living just south of Tokyo on a gap semester, but am returning late spring and need a dress for a formal and my graduation dress. I was originally planning on buying one in the states but the timeline doesn't seem to be working in my favor. Does anyone know a good place to find formal dresses (Im looking for something that's reminiscent of LaceMade, Selkie, etc. just really princessy or anything that just has a lot of details not really something simple and ik japan is the place for accessorizing) anything is helpful! I'm 5'3 but its to my understanding thats around an average height here and I'm a size medium in japan (size small in us)

Hi everyone! Does anyone have experience with entering Japan with expired residence card? Mine end at the end of April and I have to leave the country mid April and return at the beginning of May. I am applying for renewal/extension now, however, what happens if I don't get the renewal untill I leave Japan? Can I enter with expired residence card (as far as I know, they stap your card at immigration office after submission of application)? Or can I get some confirmation or document from immigration for such case?

As the title says I have some basic (stupid) questions about NISA. I've been introduced to it by my bank and while I understood the overall concept I wanted to ask for some explanations/advices.

1. the basic idea is that the investment done through NISA are tax free, but if I sign up for a basic tsumitate, are the investment chosen by the bank or myself? Is there some flexibility?

2. if you opened a NISA, concretely was it really worth it?

3. Are the benefits the same in all banks or does it vary depending on institutions? If so, how did you check the best ones?

Thanks for any advice!

Questions, complaints, and brags are all welcome!

I paid Seven Eleven a visit this morning for breakfast and had completely forgotten about the rise in rice prices. Got to the onigiri section, saw the price of my go-to Kelp in Soy Sauce (162円入込), thought "fuck that", and turned right around to the bread section, and then realized that bread is not worth the price of admission anymore either. I eventually walked out with nothing.

My latest food shopping bill was a shock to the system. When my wife showed me the receipt, I swear I almost had a heart attack. I know it was one of our bigger shops in recent memory, but it was by far the most we had ever spent on a weekly shop, and it broke my fragile heart.

I know there are means of survival, and we're more than willing to adapt moving forward, but I'm saddened and disappointed that I'll most likely never experience Japan the same way ever again because my wife and I will be forced to change the way we shop, write our shopping lists, cook certain foods, and change our eating habits.

I know that everyone has a different budget to work from and lifestyles vary. For us, since the end of last year, we've been constantly thinking about our wants and needs, and making critical decisions based on what we can afford. This is something we've been forced to consider since the fifty-trillionth time products have inflated since COVID. I know this won't be the last time something gets inflated, but I wish it didn't have to be this way.

My salary won't ever increase, so I just really hope I can get a lucky break whilst job hunting this year. I've never been lucky when it comes to money or careers, but I really hope something good comes from all the hard work I've put in these last few years.

Thank for your time. I look forward to reading your rants, or your direct burns! Either way, I'll meet you down in the comments.

I'm currently in the process of switching from an Engineer/Humanities/Int'l Services visa to a Spouse visa (I submitted my documents to the Shinagawa Immigration Bureau in Tokyo). Has anyone recently done so and have an idea of how long it's currently taking?

I've read some people mention it only took them a week or two, but it's already been a few weeks for me. Normally I wouldn't be that concerned, but I also just moved right before submitting. I had already registered at the post office for all mail to be forwarded to my new address, so I assume I have nothing to worry about. But if it really does usually take as fast as people are saying, I hope changing addresses hasn't somehow caused me not to receive a notification. There's probably no way I can check the status of my application without showing up in person, right?

I feel compelled to write. This morning was stunning. After three cold, rainy winter days, we woke up to a glorious blue sky, and on my way home from work, I was drawn to drive up to the top of a well-known hill with a magnificent view of Fukiagehama.

But when I arrived, my jaw dropped. Someone had felled and slashed many beautiful trees, leaving only a skeletal remnant of what once stood. I was stunned and saddened. Two elderly people were also out for a walk, muttering to themselves—perhaps feeling something similar.

Questions flooded my mind. Who had the audacity to strip this hill so bare? Was there any community consultation before such a drastic change? What was the purpose? If the goal was to improve the view, why, when there are already multiple established viewpoints along this walking track?

And then there’s the financial cost. At a time when Japan is facing serious economic and social challenges, why is money being spent on destruction rather than preservation? Childcare, elderly care, education, sustainable infrastructure—there are so many areas in desperate need of funding and support. Instead, resources have been poured into an act that benefits no one in the long run.

I’ve lived in Japan for nearly 40 years, and this isn’t the first time I’ve witnessed this kind of environmental destruction. It feels worse than graffiti—at least graffiti can be cleaned up. I know the trees will grow back. I know nature is resilient when given a chance. But I struggle to understand the reasoning behind such a decision.

To top it off, as I was leaving, an elderly man walking ahead of me suddenly tripped and fell. By the time I reached that spot, he had picked himself up and moved on, but I wanted to see what had caused his fall. To my astonishment, I found the stiff, jagged remains of a small bush that had been cut down, its sharp trunks—about 15 to 20 mm in diameter—left protruding dangerously. Concerned for others, I placed a rock on top to make them more visible.

Japan seems to be digging its own grave. The priorities feel out of sync with reality. Who is making these decisions, and why are we not questioning them more? This place belongs to everyone, not just to a few who act without considering the long-term impact. The damage is done, but that doesn’t mean we should stay silent. Let’s start asking the right questions—before more of our shared spaces are lost.

Hi!

I’ve recently had my hair dyed various rainbow shades and am struggling with hair care. Despite using ice cold water, only washing once a week, and using color safe shampoo and conditioner, my beautiful colors are fading quickly. Even the roots (which are dyed just a dark brown) have already faded after only three washes.

Please send any and all product/care options that you’ve used and found success with!

I also use a filter on my shower head to try and mitigate the hard water here. It’s one of the vitamin C/hard water filters since my skin and scalp are sensitive. Could my shower head be playing a role in this?

I wanted to share with everyone our 1 year anniversary of our kid getting rejected from every hoikuen in the area.

Why? who knows, the criteria are a secret. They are full and we are in the densetsu no wAiTiNG LiSt, we just get a rejection letter from time to time. (And yes, we both work)

Will have to continue sending her to the non-subsidized expensive private school. By the time she is accepted, she's probably be paying taxes already.