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Japan Resources

Japanese Transportation

Japan has built much of its international reputation on its motor industry. For the majority of car owners in Japan, however, a car is more of a luxury item or convenience than an essential tool for getting to work. Because of crowded roads and limited parking, few people in urban areas commute by car...More

Culture Shock

Culture shock is a term used to describe the discomfort and disorientation that accompanies a transition from a familiar culture or environment to an unfamiliar one. Living in a foreign country is often an exciting and educational experience, but there are inevitably bumps in the road. Several factors affect your ability to cope...More

Travel in and around Japan

Japan's misfortune of sitting atop one of the most seismically active areas of the world does come with an upside: the thousands of natural hot springs (onsen) scattered across the country. Some of the best hot spring resorts are in areas of incredible natural beauty, making them prime travel destinations...More

Japanese Language

Even if you aren't studying the language formally, you're bound to pick up a few words and phrases starting from your first week in Japan. A question facing most foreigners, however, is how much time and effort to put into the pursuit of fluency...More

Finances in Japan

All banking institutions offer electronic transfer services (furikomi) that make it very easy to pay your rent, utilities, and other bills such as cell phone, sports club membership, Internet provider and more. You will probably have your monthly salary deposited into your bank account, after which you can arrange to either pay automatically from your account every month or create a special card (furikomi-ken) to use when making payments...More

Food in Japan

More so than in many other countries, Japanese restaurants quite often specialize in one particular dish or type of cooking. The food can range from simple to sumptuous, as can the atmosphere and the prices. At places serving high-end fare, you are unlikely to find plastic replicas in the window or pictures on the menu...More

Settling in

Most foreigners flinch at the idea of paying hundreds of thousands of yen to a landlord just to move in. As mentioned, the monies required, a combination of present or key money (reikin), security deposit (shikikin) and guarantee money (hoshokin) can total about eight months rent - and that's before you're paid the agent a commission...More