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Going Cashless in Japan: How to Use Your Smartphone as Your Wallet

- February 18, 2023

Why carry change when you can just use your phone? If you're an English-speaking foreigner living in Japan, you may find it challenging to manage your finances and make payments, especially if you're not familiar with the Japanese language or culture. Despite the fact that Japan is still, by and large, a cash-run economy, eMoney or digital money is starting to take hold. More and more people are starting to open up to the idea of a cashless way of life, and mobile payment apps have become an increasingly popular and convenient way to make transactions, transfer money, and manage expenses. I have been using these cashless payments for over a year now, and surprisingly the number of stores accepting cashless payments has increased exponentially. These cashless payment options vary from NFC (Near Field Communication) to QR Codes. In this article, we'll explore the benefits of going cashless in Japan and provide some tips on how to use your smartphone as your wallet. The B

Moving Apartments Checklist

- May 31, 2021

You've finally landed that job you've been eyeing since last year! Now, it's time to pack up and move to the location of your new job. Moving apartments is never easy. No matter where you are in the world. It can even be difficult back home, but now that you're in Japan, well, it gets a little more complicated. With everything else in life, when things get overwhelming, make a list. Lists help us see what's going on, what our options are, and sometimes, it can even help ease your mind by showing you that things are not as out of control as you imagine them to be. Before you move... If you are planning to move to a new city, you should start looking for a new apartment at least a couple of months before your desired move date. This is to give you enough time for site visits, plus time to decide. Most realtors will hold a property for you for about a month, which gives you ample time to get the other things in order. Move Prep Now that you've decided, and signed w

Tax Refunds - How to File Your Final Tax Return

- March 04, 2021

Jump to Filing your Final Tax Return Albert Einstein once said: "The hardest thing in the world to understand is the Income Tax." Welcome to Adulting 101. As adults and contributing members of society, we all will, eventually, have to deal with taxes. Dealing with taxes even in your native language can be very challenging, imagine doing this in Japan, in Japanese. *cue nosebleed Before we jump into the steps of filing your Final Tax Return, let's go ahead and explain some of the words you will be encountering while you deal with this. 源泉徴収 (Gensen Choshu) - Withholding Tax Gensen Choshu(源泉徴収) is the process where your employer estimates how much income tax you will need to pay and will withhold that amount from your monthly salary. In other words, withholding tax. Your monthly payslip will show how much tax you paid and since this is just an estimated amount, there are instances where you either over or underpay your taxes. Whether you overpaid or underpaid your taxes w

Things to Know Before Going to Japan as a Language Student

- February 24, 2021

Living in Japan, even as an exchange student or as a language student means that you have to know how to conduct yourself in society. Manners are required anywhere in the world and the same is true in Japan. You've probably heard the saying "when in Rome, do as the Romans do", well, "when in Japan, do as the Japanese do." The concept of "Omoiyari" If you go to Google Translate and type this in, you'll get "consideration" as its translation. But the Japanese concept of "omoiyari" is more than just that. The full definition of "omoiyari" is the consideration towards others by imagining oneself in another person's position and act accordingly with their point of view. This is the actual reason why the Japanese people exude an aura of politeness. People will go out of their way to avoid causing inconvenience or discomfort. Building on the concept of "Omoiyari", let's go through a few things to keep in m

How to Send Money Home, International Remittance from Japan

- February 10, 2021

"Will I be able to send money home?" How to send money home as a language student in Japan. Coming from a Filipino background, it's deeply ingrained in our culture to take care of our families back home once we set foot on foreign soil. This is especially true for OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers). But, being a student, is this really feasible? In my previous post, I described in detail how much the initial costs are for studying in Japan . It goes without saying that it gets pretty expensive. I also wrote a post regarding a student's monthly budget to give you an idea of how much you will earn and spend monthly. As a student, you will be earning an average of 80,000 to 100,000 yen a month for working 28 hours a week, Factoring in tuition, rent, and other necessities, you will probably have about 10,000 left depending on how much effort you put into savings. If you live simply, cook your meals at home, and don't spend much on going out, you can save even more.

Japanese Language Student's Monthly Budget

- February 01, 2021

Welcome to Japan! You finally did it! You went through the long process of applying to be a Japanese language student , came up with the funding to pay for the initial payments , and you have finally boarded that plane to study and work in Japan. Now, get ready to face your first challenge. How much will you be earning and spending as a Japanese language student? When you're a student, chances are, you don't have much spending money because you only work part-time. Your main focus is to study and thus, you are only allowed to work 28 hours. But this also means you have to work with a budget to avoid mishaps like having to eat instant ramen for 2 weeks because you blew your money on something trivial. Here's a preview as to how much I earned and spent as a Japanese language student. Part-Time Job Salary Money matters I studied in Oarai, Ibaraki. Much like other countries, the minimum wage will vary from place to place, and since Oarai is a little seaside town, the minimum wa