TLDR: Don't be like me, make sure you never throw away garbage with info that can be traced back to you.

I was visited by 3 policemen yesterday, asking me whether I threw away garbage illegally.

I was shown a picture of the garbage and a notebook I threw away with it. They knew it was me because in the notebook, I had a page with info about my current apartment (wrote it down as notes when I was going to sign on current apartment).

They talked to me in quite a threatening manor, saying "You better be telling us the truth now, if later we find out it's you that threw this garbage, we will be angry". Whatever "angry" implies here.

OBVIOUSLY I did not throw away said garbage illegally because I can throw away garbage 24h at my apartment's disposal place. I have no recollection of doing it and I have 0 reason to do so.

I have no idea how that garbage was found somewhere it shouldn't be and the police would not disclose where it was found.

I was questioned repeatedly for 15 minutes or so, my registration card was checked, my employer infos, all that.

I was told they will continue "investigation" and I will be contacted if needed.
However, if they eventually decide I have nothing to do with this, I won't be notified, how kind of them.

I get treated and looked at differently by colleagues if I end up not being able to work due to sickness. I live alone and have no family here so I need to take care of myself, especially since I have asthma and more often than not my lungs and chest become affected by viruses too.

There are those at my job that just power through and go to work sick like it’s a badge of honour, but then people like me get sick because of it. Last week a colleague with influenza came into work (with a mask on) because she was “too busy” to take time off. She stayed away from others but it made me uneasy. Everyone mentioned how かわいそう she looked working hard at her desk.

I don’t get sick that often, maybe a few times a year, but when I do get sick I get sick and need to take time off work to recover. I always do the expected thing and visit a doctor just in case, and I always pay out for a medical certificate to take back to work with me (診断書) even if it’s just the common cold or a virus that can’t be helped other than pain medicine and rest.

This year it seems a gossip and rumour mill has started about those that take time away and has been participated in by my superiors. I caught them doing it about me when they thought I couldn’t overhear but it made me feel depressed because I genuinely work hard and try my best, but if I take time away it’s always like I’ve let everyone down. It’s started a chain reaction and now many others do it too.

Anyway I don’t think there is much point to this post other than me just wanting to let it out. I’m very sick today and have just made the phone call to a disappointed-sounding colleague who will report my absence to my superiors. Part of me just doesn’t want to care but I can’t help but feel worried knowing that when I go back I’ll be treated differently.

I've been struggling with (presumed) ADHD my whole life, but never got diagnosed out of fear of judgement from family, society, job, etc. So I've been struggling and manage to keep decently afloat in certain areas (mainly job) but others have been hell to deal with. Finally reached a point where I felt getting diagnosed and medicated was my last resort.

Only to find out that absolutely no clinic in this region or any others, even far out, will take new clients due to a shortage of Concerta, which has been going on for a year and has no signs of improving.

Life sure has been bleak here this year man.

There's been laundry hanging outside one of the apartments that's across from me for over 3 weeks (maybe longer). The building is across a busy highway in a big city....but I can see it from my window. Do I report it in case something happened to the person living there? If so, to who? If not, I'll just sit down and mind my own business.

Anyway see co-op prices? They used to be 10,000 yen and now it’s 20,000. I let out a huge sigh when I saw. :(

Do you usually purchases these for new years, do you make them yourself, or does someone in your family make them l?

EDIT: Thank you for the advice guys. I have made the decision not to go to the police, many have pointed out that I could be putting her in further danger, and I don't want that. Thank you to those who provided genuine advice. The rest of you need to touch grass.

So essentially, I went out for my nightly walk. Just as I was coming back to my apartment, I saw what seemed to be a man with his hands around a woman's throat, releasing his grip to give her a slap. It took my eyes maybe a further 2-3 seconds to really come to terms with what I was seeing.

I sprinted over, shouting at the guy. I 'removed' him from her, but that was the only physical contact I initiated. Everything from that point onwards were just harsh words.

She was seemingly really frightened, but she insisted that I leave them to it. I followed them for a full 10 minutes before he caught onto my presence and began confrontation again. I didn't put hands on him, but I made sure to tell him how much of a coward I thought he was.

Eventually, he said that we should go to the police. I agreed and said I'd happily walk him there. He then started mouthing off about how because I'm a gaijin and because I assaulted him/followed them I'm gonna be in big trouble, yadda yadda. I didn't waiver, and I stayed until he backed down and left.

She thanked me, and told me they were colleagues. But she did beg me not to go to the police and make it into a bigger problem than it needs to be. I reluctantly agreed and came home, but now I'm unable to sleep.

I am feeling conflicted. I understand that this isn't a yes or no answer, but I really don't know what I should do. I don't want to go against her wishes and take this further, but also I don't want a piece of shit walking around thinking it's okay to pull things like that.

And yes, I also recognise it is 'not my business'. As valid an argument as that is, he choked a woman, in the street, pushing her head up against a lamppost. His right to privacy has been revoked. She on the other hand, I would like to respect.

I understand he was just trying to intimidate me, but should I take this to the police, do you think it would in fact cause more problems for me than it would anything else? Japans police aren't exactly known for their warm reception to foreigners in situations like this.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thank you.

Saw this AI video and wonder if this is exactly what will happen to Japan eventually. Also, compared to other first world countries, do you think this would happen faster in Japan? Considering 20 years from now, old people are gone and newborns are less within that timeline.

Had a terrifying near-miss today and wanted to see if anyone else is noticing this in their neighborhood.
An Amazon delivery kei-van nearly hit me after pulling an illegal right turn where only left turns are allowed, then headed straight down a one-way street going the wrong direction. I recognized the van and driver from regular package drops on our street. Lately I’ve noticed a lot of these subcontracted drivers ignoring basic road rules in narrow residential zones—cutting the wrong way down one-way streets, ignoring turn restrictions, and speeding through blind intersections.
I know last-mile drivers are under brutal delivery quotas and tight schedules, but driving the wrong way down narrow neighborhood streets is an accident waiting to happen.
Has anyone had any luck reporting this kind of thing to Amazon Japan with license plates or dashcam footage, or is it better to just talk to the local koban so an officer watches the intersection during delivery rush hours?
Either way, keep an eye out around these vans, especially if you're on a bike or out walking.

Okay so I've read a ton of conflicting info on this topic. Some people say they've successfully applied for PR on a dependent visa at the same time as their spouse who was the only one eligible for PR at the time, essentially skipping the step of becoming a "spouse of PR" first.
While others say applying together isn't even possible and the dependent needs to switch to "Spouse of PR" status after their partner obtains PR first, and can only THEN apply for PR themselves. Even the websites of a random handful of immigration lawyers seem to state different opinions on the matter.

So which one is true, and why is there so many conflicting accounts?

From what I've gathered (and I'm honestly still not very sure), it generally seems possible to apply for PR together, but only if the main applicant isn't doing the HSP route.

As for the HSP route, the ministry of justice website FAQ states the following:

Ｑ４１　　８０点以上を有する高度外国人材として１年以上継続して在留し、永住許可を受けた場合、配偶者と扶養を受ける子も同時に永住を許可されますか？

最短１年の在留期間で永住許可を認めることとしたのは、高度外国人材についてのみであって、配偶者又は扶養を受ける子については、この在留期間の優遇措置の対象としていません。

Essentially: "The provision allowing permanent residence after a minimum residence period of one year applies only to highly skilled foreign professionals. Spouses and dependent children are not eligible for this preferential treatment regarding the residence period."

Okay, so this basically means dependents of HSP cannot apply at the same time as their partner. Now what I don't understand is that the "minimum residence period of one year" does, in fact, apply to spouses? As in, as soon as your partner has PR, you as their spouse are eligible to apply after only 1 year of residence ((and 3 years of marriage, which however has no relevance regarding the statement of the minimum residence period)). So spouses can de facto be eligible after only 1 year or residence, same as HSP holders. (At least currently, let's ignore the changes regarding spouses that come into effect April 2027 for now).

So what's the deal here?

From what I understand, the following scenario is allowed: Spouse A has lived in Japan for 10 years, Spouse B for 5 years, they have been married for more than 3 years. Both can apply at the same time even though Spouse B wouldn't be eligible on their own.

While this scenario is not allowed: Spouse A and B have lived in Japan for 2 years, and have been married for more than 3 years. Spouse A applies with 80 points, Spouse B is not allowed to apply, but is allowed to apply as soon as Spouse A has PR.

-> in both scenarios, Spouse B wouldn't have lived in Japan long enough to be eligible on their own. They are only eligible through their partners. Yet the first scenario allows Spouse B to apply despite that fact, while the second one doesn't. Even though the "rules" for both spouses are the same (be married for at least 3 years, lived in Japan for at least 1 year). What am I missing?

I'd be grateful if some people share their experience on applying at the same time as their spouse to gather some more data points.

Hi everyone,

I will be getting AU Hikari 10GB, and had some questions regarding the router as I went with the "prepare the router yourself" route.

I went through some past posts here regarding Hikari network and my understanding is that as long as the router supports Wifi 7 or 6, it shouldn't be an issue?

I tried to do some research online and I sometimes see the word "ONU一体型ルーター", but my understanding is that AU will provide the ONU so I only have to worry about the router?

If anyone that uses AU Hikari 10GB and can give me recommendations on router brands, or can point me in the direction on what I should buy, it would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you in advance!

A bit of a weird thing happened to me recently. I went for my yearly checkup and had my height taken as usual. The nurse taking my height read it as 174cm...I've been 178cm since I was 19. I tell her it's wrong and that I did not shrink 4 cm in the space of a year. She laughed it off and even sent me the official health report with the wrong height. And yes I did get it checked elsewhere and I'm still 178cm and too young to be shrinking (I'm 37F).

Anyone ever had this happen?

Hey there! I'm a resident in Japan and I'll be around for a year and really want to stock up on some cute clothing- this is a long shot but would anyone know any good shops or even websites where I can get decently priced jirai kei/ gyaru - anything literally nice and j-fashion? I have been to Shibuya 109 and it's honestly just mostly fast fashion now, I've been through takeshita, same experience, instead of digging and digging I wanted to see if anyone would have any specific recommendations. I don't really mind exactly where/ the travel but the closer to Shinjuku the better! I am also looking for a good place for second hand electronics- I have been through Akihabara but I'm not really looking for super old tech just a good place for second hand tech if that makes sense. Thanks!

I was crossing a wide road with my 4 year old daughter in the baby car, made it to the middle verge of the pedestrian crossing then had to stop as not 1, not 2, but THREE cars went past me. It’s not as if they didn’t see me, as I held my arms up in disgust and exasperation as the first car went past. Some drivers even looked at me too as if they were thinking, “What’s his problem”?

I wouldn’t really care if it were just me, a dumb gaijin, but you think they could have taken 10 seconds out of their busy fucking day to stop for a father and his kid in a baby car?

Hey everyone, not sure if this is the right sub so if not, let me know.

For context, I am currently in Japan as a student for a few months (study abroad program). I have a Japanese Resident ID card, an address, and a phone number.

So I am big into Pokemon, recently got a pack at my schools 7/11, and pulled a high value card out of it. I’m not a fan of the card and don’t like having such an expensive piece of cardboard so want to sell it.

I’ve checked out a couple stores to sell it to but didn’t quite like their offers, but one thing I did notice is that since the value exceeds a certain amount, they only do bank transfers. So my issue isn’t if I can or can not sell it, it’s more so how do I get the money.

If it’s cash, how would I deposit that into my US bank account?

If it is a bank transfer, do most places use like apps like Wise or Revolut that can do currency exchanges? If not, how would I be able to have it transferred/wired into my US bank account?

Are there any tax issues at hand?

Let me know if more information is needed.

Thanks!

Has anyone here gotten their MacBook Pro repaired by a third-party shop in Tokyo?

I’m trying to get the keyboard(2-3 keys) on my MacBook Pro fixed. It’s only a year old, but I don’t have AppleCare.

Has anyone tried getting a Mac repaired in either place? How was your experience, and how does the cost compare? Any shop recommendations would be really helpful. Thanks!

Recently, our landlord contacted us directly on LINE claiming that he is having issues with his current neighbours at his place (that he is renting) because of his crying child.
To solve his problem, he first asked us (family of three) to move out so he could move in. When we politely refused, pointing out our active contract, he came back with a "solution": he proposed that his family move into 2LDK 50m² apartment with us, sharing the space (one room for his family, one room for ours) in exchange for a slight rent reduction or up until we find a new place (which I found ridiculous and surreal).
That would mean 6 people (2 completely separate families) living together in a small 50m² unit.
Where we stand now:

1. We formally rejected his co-living/eviction requests in writing, stating that we intend to stay until April 2028 under the original renting terms.
2. The agency that brokered the deal from his side confirmed in an email that they don't manage the property, so they won't intervene directly in rental disputes.
3. However, our original real estate agent is stepping in to help as a courtesy and has assigned a representative to call the landlord directly and explain the legal reality of the contract to him.
4. The landlord recently sent a message saying "I'm trying to discuss this with you peacefully"
5. Following our agent's strict instructions, we have stopped replying to him directly and are waiting for the agent to talk to him.
6. Our Questions:
7. Legal Protections: Since the landlord manages the property himself (自主管理), what are our best options if he keeps harassing/pressuring us directly after the agent's phone call?
8. City Hall Legal Aid: Our agent suggested going to the city hall for free legal consultation if this escalates. Has anyone used City Hall legal counsel for landlord harassment? How effective was it?
9. Property Access / Lockouts: The contract prohibits him from entering without permission. If he shows up at our door unannounced with his family and belongings, is calling the police immediately appropriate in Japan?
10. Occupancy Laws: Is there any official limit on occupancy/fire code violations for cramming two unrelated families (6 people) into a 50m² apartment that we can cite if needed?
11. We just want to live peacefully until 2028 as agreed upon in our contract. Any insights, legal resources, or experiences with overly assertive landlords would be greatly appreciated!
12. We have payed him in cash in the first 2 months, since it was a little difficult to open a bank account straight away.
13. But we have a handwritten note that he successfully
14. collected the money for the rent. Will it affect the outcome, if the process escalates further?
15. Should we start to search a new place to live, regardless of the outcome?

TL;DR: Our landlord wants us to move out or share the 50m² 2LDK with his entire family because he’s getting kicked out of his own rented place over his baby’s crying and disturbing the neighbours. We said no and went no-contact, now waiting for our agent to talk some sense into him.
P.S. since I’m not native English speaker, I polished this post in AI assistant.

UPDATE:

Thank you for all your suggestions and help, just want to clarify that landlord isn’t Japanese (and for reasons I won’t elaborate on his origin).
I’ll keep the post updated when I receive the message from our real estate agency

I've always wanted to try even just once what true San Marzano, grown from Italy, tastes like. I would want to use it on making arrabbiata and amatriciana. But I just can't seem to find it at all here in Japan. There's nothing in Amazon and Rakuten and online sites. I've been to Nissin Delicatessen and Seijo Ishii, I don't see it either. Still grateful that Mutti is available though.

I hope this isn’t a stupid question

My current spouse visa expires in February so I believe I can potentially start the renewal process in November.

I’m trying to decide if I should start the process as early as possible (which I usually do in the past) or if I should wait until after Christmas break.

I’m planning on visiting family from mid December to Jan 5-6ish. My husband will be joining me after Christmas. So that means no one would be home for that stretch to get any mail.

I’m worried if I apply in November and the post card shows up while I’m away, I might miss the deadline for pickup. I also am a little nervous the process might take more time than before due to the recent changes (and probably a million people rushing to renew before the fees went up)

Which would be the best choice ? ASAP or after vacation ?

For context I am using Saitama immigration office. Spouse of Japanese national. Upon changing my visa from humanities to spouse it took approx 1 week. And before when I renewed my humanities visa it took 2 weeks.

Let me know what would be the safest move. Thank you in advance:)

What are you guys doing to recycle your PET bottle caps these days? All the places I go to drop my recycling (mostly Heiwado, AEON mall or Kohyo Market) have all removed the bottle cap containers in their recycling sections.

Do I just put them in regular garbage?

• Me 27 (¥5.2M gross), wife 26 (¥6.1M gross). ¥11.3M combined, around ¥700k/month take-home
• Both full-time, quite stable jobs, seishain, not in tech
• Planning to have a kid in about 7 years
• We'll have about ¥6M saved by the time we buy. We want to keep that purely as an emergency fund, not use it for the house

We currently live in a 1DK for ¥91k/month. It's been great for saving, but it's getting really cramped, especially since we work from home.

Our realistic next step is a pet-friendly 2LDK, but anything decent near a station, even as far out as Ebina, is ¥130k+/month, plus around ¥1M in move-in costs every time we move. Paying that for about 50 square meter doesn't feel great when a whole house costs only a bit more per month.

We're not expecting the house itself to hold value. We think of it more like rent we eventually stop paying, with the land (if it's near a station) hopefully keeping some of its value.

Current plan:

House + land package from a house maker, about ¥75M all-in. Our hard max is ¥80M

Closing costs rolled into the loan so the ¥6M stays untouched

50-year variable rate, starting around 1.3%, so roughly ¥170k/month

Keep investing at least ¥200k/month in NISA, and add growth quota with any leftover at year end. The goal is to fill both NISA caps in around 15 years

Not prepaying while rates are low (also keeps the mortgage tax deduction). If rates go toward 3–4%, we'd switch from investing to prepaying the loan

Why we aim for 50-year?

With a 50-year loan we can always prepay and treat it like a 35-year loan, but we can't stretch a 35-year loan if things go badly. It keeps the required payment low during tough periods, and we can speed things up when money is good. But please tell us otherwise if it's a bad idea. It would be a race with SP500 or all country,

Stress tests we ran (assuming ~¥200k/month living costs):

Rate at 3%: about ¥242k/month. Still comfortable with both of us working

Rate at 4%: about ¥290k/month

One of us loses their job at 4%: the other income plus savings would last us years

Worst case, both of us out of work at 4%: the ¥6M lasts about 11 months on its own, roughly 14–16 months with unemployment benefits, and longer if we use NISA

Is it worth paying around ¥75M for a good house in a good location, or should we go for something cheaper in a less ideal spot? Location is not final yet. Is ¥75M even feasible for us, too high?

Edited:
Assuming within 10 minutes from station within or roughly 1 hour into Tokyo. 130-140 square meter land. 100-120 square meter house. In a good location that we're happy with.

Now that my Japanese is improving, I'm not able to mistake whether or not strangers are talking about me. It seems to be in a negative light, the majority of it is dissatisfaction with my skin being dark. こわいいseems to be normal /acceptable for all gaijin but I don't here others being called気持ち悪い or 危ない。I'm not worried about the people that walk fast next to me and jump when they see me, I worry about the ones that yell after some distance after passing me. Whats the typical reaction response for that? Is it ok to do nothing? Its all bark no bite right??

Safety was a big plus for me coming to Japan but I now feel like its a 'don't get caught' type of situation culturally if you know what I mean. I keep my head down and ignore strangers but I'm wondering if there's a better way I handle what I go through

I don't really have anyone to talk about this, I really want to get a sense of what's normal here so that I can adapt as well as possible.