RetireJapan

When looking around regarding this subject, I discovered a website called argentum.com, that contains a nice table of how to calculate your estimated pension. Considering that the Kokumin nenkin/National Pension scheme is always contained within the Kousei Nenkin/Employee Pension scheme (I guess tha...

As someone mentioned, pay a bit more and buy in a “real” bicycle shop nearby (avoid stores like Aeon, that also sell and service e-bikes but have revolving personnel that ist not necessarily good at their jobs). Thus you also get quite a bit of basic maintenance for free. My experience is only with ...

So here is the longer answer and I just added some more things, just in case. :D Of course, this is just my personal view and some firsthand experience. Others may have different experiences and views on this, also some if it applies more to the Greater Tokyo area, if you are in Okinawa, the public ...

Sorry got it wrong again, :D , so you are considering buying the flat which is presently occupied and maybe move in in the future; in that case make yourself familiar about the tenant‘s rights, Japan has (luckily) very strong laws to protect tenants. Maybe not an issue in your case, if rented out to...

I had composed a much longer answer, when I realized that you already live in the apartment :D ….. So this is what is left: How old is the building? Is it older than from 1990 or even older and not built according to the present standards regarding earthquakes (the big change was in June 1981, but p...

No resources, just personal experience ;) Unless your balcony is north facing (then it may be difficult to grow anything besides ivy - but most are south facing) - it is not difficult at all. So far I had good success with money trees (a bit boring, but almost impossible to kill, unless a root eatin...

Hi TokyoSurvivor, very sorry for my late response, I asked my friend who asked a colleague and so on …… :D , unfortunately that office was also overloaded. Finally she sent me a link to another one this morning. Not clear to me if he can converse in English though. Good luck, it may take some time; ...

Our private university cost about 1.4 Mio per year, plus entrance fee (300,000?). For the (privately organized) year abroad, we had to pay around 150,000 to secure the place. I generally agree with the estimate for private. ¥6,000,000 for tuition, plus books, transport and food costs. Add xxx if th...

I know someone who switched - unplanned - jobs about 5 months after the application was handed in. Luckily he had employed an immigration lawyer (administrative scrivener they really are) and they took care of informing immigration/preparation of additional documents required. It altogether took alm...

For public HS there used to be a monthly fee of about 10,000 if you were above a certain income, possibly they abolished it. Otherwise - similar to public MS - besides the school uniform, the sports uniform, the sports club uniform (if applicable) and one school trip (this time abroad), and where ap...