How to Move to Japan in 10 Steps, According to Expats

How to Move to Japan in 10 Steps, According to Expats  

Japan has long cap­ti­vat­ed wan­der­ers with its blend of rich tra­di­tions, ultra-mod­ern cities, and breath­tak­ing land­scapes. Whether you’re drawn to bustling Tokyo, serene Kyoto, or the tech-cen­tric hub of Osa­ka, mov­ing to Japan is an excit­ing adven­ture. But it’s not as sim­ple as buy­ing a plane tick­et. Leap­ing to live in Japan requires care­ful plan­ning, prepa­ra­tion, and a bit of adapt­abil­i­ty.  

This guide breaks it down into 10 action­able steps, fea­tur­ing prac­ti­cal tips, advice from expats, and a clear roadmap to take the guess­work out of your move to Japan.  

Step 1: Research and Prepare  

Start your Japan adventure on the right foot by doing your homework.  

Liv­ing in Japan is vast­ly dif­fer­ent from vis­it­ing it, so it’s impor­tant to get a clear sense of what dai­ly life entails. From its work cul­ture to the norms around apart­ment liv­ing, under­stand­ing Japan’s soci­etal expec­ta­tions will help you set­tle in quick­er.  

Tips for Research:

• Read Blogs and Watch Doc­u­men­taries: Look into per­son­al blogs or vlogs from expats who have made the move to Japan.
• Engage Online Com­mu­ni­ties: Plat­forms like Red­dit (r/japanlife) and Face­book groups are gold­mines for first­hand advice.
• Study Region­al Dif­fer­ences: Each part of Japan offers a dis­tinct expe­ri­ence. Research which pre­fec­ture suits your lifestyle.  

“I under­es­ti­mat­ed how much prep was need­ed, but con­nect­ing with expat groups gave me tips I’d nev­er have found in guide­books,” says Emi­ly, a mar­ket­ing con­sul­tant based in Kyoto.  

Step 2: Understand Visa Requirements  

Japan offers several visa types based on your reason for moving.  

Most expats come on work, stu­dent, or spouse visas. Each has spe­cif­ic eli­gi­bil­i­ty require­ments, so under­stand­ing your options is key.  

Tips for Securing Your Visa:

• Vis­it Offi­cial Web­sites: Check the Japan­ese embassy/consulate site for the most up-to-date infor­ma­tion on visa require­ments.
• Pre­pare Doc­u­ments: Be thor­ough with your appli­ca­tion, ensur­ing all doc­u­ments (like your employ­ment con­tract) meet Japan­ese stan­dards.
• Work with Your Employ­er: If you’re mov­ing for work, your com­pa­ny will often spon­sor your visa and guide you through the process.  

Step 3: Learn the Language  

Your Japanese skills will unlock doors to a smoother transition.  

While many Japan­ese under­stand basic Eng­lish, day-to-day inter­ac­tions often require some lev­el of Japan­ese lan­guage abil­i­ty. Learn­ing the basics can also make job hunt­ing, social­iz­ing, and nav­i­gat­ing bureau­cra­cy far eas­i­er.  

Tips for Learning Japanese:

• Start Small: Apps like Duolin­go, Lin­goDeer, or Anki can help you build foun­da­tion­al vocab­u­lary.  
• Enroll in Class­es: For more struc­tured learn­ing, look for class­es offered by lan­guage schools in Japan.  
• Prac­tice Con­fi­dence: Don’t wor­ry about mis­takes. As Sarah, an Eng­lish teacher in Tokyo, explains, “Learn­ing the lan­guage is more than just gram­mar; it’s about under­stand­ing the cul­ture.”  

Step 4: Explore the Job Market  

The thriving job market offers opportunities in finance, technology, teaching, and more.  

Hav­ing employ­ment lined up before mov­ing saves stress. Use online job boards or recruit­ment agen­cies spe­cial­iz­ing in for­eign work­ers to scout posi­tions.  

Tips for Job Searching:

• Opti­mize Your Resume: Adapt it to align with Japan­ese standards—concise and for­mal, with a clear pho­to on it.  
• Explore Pop­u­lar Sec­tors: Teach­ing Eng­lish remains a go-to for many expats enter­ing the work­force.  
• Be Open to Net­work­ing: Attend job fairs or pro­fes­sion­al events to con­nect with hir­ing man­agers.  

“Don’t be afraid to step out of your com­fort zone and explore new career paths,” advis­es Mark, a soft­ware engi­neer in Osa­ka.  

Step 5: Research Housing Options  

Find­ing an apart­ment in Japan can be tricky, but resources are avail­able.  

Unlike in many coun­tries, rent­ing in Japan involves unique terms like “key mon­ey” and guar­an­tors. Know­ing what to expect will save you from sur­pris­es.  

Tips for Finding Accommodation:

• Use Expat-Friend­ly Resources: Web­sites like Gai­jin­Pot and Suumo cater to for­eign res­i­dents.  
• Be Aware of Unique Costs: Bud­get for “shikikin” (secu­ri­ty deposit) and “reikin” (non-refund­able gra­tu­ity pay­ment to land­lords).  
• Ask for Help When Need­ed: Real estate agents famil­iar with expat needs can sim­pli­fy the process.  

Step 6: Understand the Cost of Living  

Japan’s cost of liv­ing varies wide­ly, depend­ing on your loca­tion.  

Cities like Tokyo tend to be prici­er, while rur­al regions such as Kumamo­to or Nara offer more afford­able liv­ing.  

Tips for Budgeting:

• Fac­tor in Essen­tials: Include rent, food, trans­porta­tion, and leisure in your bud­get.  
• Save for Pub­lic Tran­sit: Month­ly metro pass­es are cost-effi­cient and wide­ly used.  
• Shop Smart: Dai­ly neces­si­ties can be afford­able if pur­chased at dis­count super­mar­kets or 100-yen stores.  

Step 7: Set Up Banking and Finances  

Navigating Japan’s banking system is easier with preparation.  

Open­ing a bank account is essen­tial for salary pay­ments and man­ag­ing expens­es. Major banks like Mizuho or Japan Post Bank are usu­al­ly expat-friend­ly.  

Tips for Managing Finances:

• Bring Doc­u­men­ta­tion: Your res­i­dence card and inkan (per­son­al stamp) may be required.  
• Plan for Pay­ments: Cash is still wide­ly used, so make sure you’re com­fort­able bal­anc­ing cash and card pay­ments.  

Step 8: Navigate Healthcare  

Japan’s healthcare system is among the best, but understanding it is key.  

Expats are required to enrol in Japan’s Nation­al Health Insur­ance pro­gram, which cov­ers most med­ical expens­es.  

Tips for Healthcare Access:

• Find Eng­lish-speak­ing doc­tors: Use direc­to­ries that cater to for­eign­ers.  
• Be Pre­pared for Co-Pay­ments: Patients typ­i­cal­ly pay 30% of the med­ical costs, which is afford­able giv­en the high qual­i­ty of care.  

Step 9: Adapt to the Culture  

Cultural adaptation is key to thriving in Japan.  

From bow­ing to respect­ing per­son­al space, under­stand­ing unspo­ken rules will ease your tran­si­tion.  

Tips for Cultural Integration:

• Learn Social Cus­toms: Always remove shoes before enter­ing someone’s home.  
• Attend Local Events: Fes­ti­vals and cul­tur­al expe­ri­ences help you con­nect with your new com­mu­ni­ty.  
• Seek Local Advice: Maria from Spain shares, “Explor­ing Japan­ese cui­sine helped me under­stand the cul­ture better—and it was deli­cious!”  

Step 10: Build a Support Network  

Connecting with others can turn Japan into home.  

Lone­li­ness is nat­ur­al at first, but build­ing rela­tion­ships can make all the dif­fer­ence.  

Tips for Networking:

• Join Social Groups: Local clubs or expat mee­tups are great start­ing points.  
• Be Proac­tive: Plat­forms like Meet­up or Inter­Na­tions sim­pli­fy find­ing your tribe.  
• “Join­ing a soc­cer club helped me make life­long friends,” says David from Aus­tralia.  

Make Your Dream Move to Japan  

Mov­ing to Japan may seem like a mon­u­men­tal task, but break­ing it into these 10 steps makes it man­age­able and reward­ing. From research­ing visas to join­ing vibrant com­mu­ni­ties, every effort will bring you clos­er to call­ing Japan home.  

Are you ready to take the plunge? Start by down­load­ing our free check­list for mov­ing to Japan, or join our sup­port­ive expat com­mu­ni­ty today.   

Housing Options in Japan  

Find­ing the right place to live is an essen­tial part of set­tling in Japan. Hous­ing options vary great­ly depend­ing on your bud­get, lifestyle, and pre­ferred loca­tion. Here are some com­mon choic­es to con­sid­er:

• Apart­ments: These are the most com­mon hous­ing options in Japan, rang­ing from small stu­dios (often called 1R or 1K) to larg­er, fam­i­ly-friend­ly lay­outs. Apart­ments can be found in high-rise build­ings or small­er com­plex­es, with rent typ­i­cal­ly high­er in urban cen­tres like Tokyo or Osa­ka.  
• Shared Housing/Guesthouses: Ide­al for those look­ing to save mon­ey and meet oth­er peo­ple, shared hous­ing offers pri­vate rooms with com­mu­nal spaces like kitchens and bath­rooms. Com­pa­nies like Saku­ra House or Oak­house spe­cial­ize in such accom­mo­da­tions catered specif­i­cal­ly for expats or short-term stays.  
• Tra­di­tion­al Japan­ese Hous­es: For those seek­ing a unique cul­tur­al expe­ri­ence, rent­ing a tra­di­tion­al-style house, often referred to as a “komin­ka,” may be appeal­ing. These homes fea­ture tata­mi mat rooms, slid­ing doors, and wood­en archi­tec­ture, allow­ing ten­ants to enjoy unique ele­ments of Japan­ese liv­ing.  
• Leopalace Apart­ments: Known for being for­eign­er-friend­ly, Leopalace pro­vides ful­ly fur­nished, short-term rental options. While the spaces are com­pact, they are con­ve­nient for stu­dents and pro­fes­sion­als prepar­ing to set­tle in Japan.  
• Com­pa­ny Hous­ing (Shataku): Some com­pa­nies pro­vide hous­ing for their employ­ees, which is often sub­si­dized. If you’ve secured a job in Japan, it’s worth ask­ing if com­pa­ny-pro­vid­ed hous­ing is an option for you.  

When search­ing for hous­ing, keep in mind the upfront costs like “key mon­ey” (a non-refund­able gra­tu­ity), deposits, agency fees, and rent paid in advance. Plat­forms such as Suumo and Gai­jin­Pot are excel­lent resources for explor­ing hous­ing options tai­lored to your needs.

Rental Application Process  

Apply­ing for a rental prop­er­ty in Japan involves sev­er­al steps, and prepa­ra­tion is key to ensur­ing a smooth process. First, once you have iden­ti­fied a prop­er­ty of inter­est, you will need to con­tact the real estate agency man­ag­ing the list­ing. They will like­ly ask for basic infor­ma­tion about you, includ­ing your employ­ment sta­tus, visa type, and intend­ed dura­tion of stay. Hav­ing a Japan­ese guar­an­tor or using a guar­an­tor com­pa­ny is often required as part of the appli­ca­tion process.  

Next, you’ll sub­mit a for­mal appli­ca­tion, which includes fill­ing out forms and pro­vid­ing doc­u­men­ta­tion such as your res­i­dence card, pass­port, proof of income, and employ­ment or school enroll­ment ver­i­fi­ca­tion. If approved, the land­lord typ­i­cal­ly reviews your appli­ca­tion for final con­sid­er­a­tion, and this step may involve addi­tion­al screen­ing.  

Lastly, before moving in, you’ll need to sign the rental contract, pay any necessary upfront expenses (like deposit, key money, and agency fees), and register your address at the local municipal office. Being aware of these steps and having your paperwork ready will make the process much more efficient.