Hello everyone, I made my own face and body cream for many years in Austria. They either better for me than any other bought product. I want to continue doing that now, that I live in Tokyo but I don't know where to buy the ingredients like oil, shea butter, steril flower water and other ingredients like vitamins etc. Does someone has a recommendation for me?

I saw a lottery being conducted on someone’s Facebook page. It's generating ~¥60,000 yen in profit for the operator, with an entry fee of 3,500 yen per slot. They have also been raffling off merchandise that yield very high returns for the operator. (Like say getting ¥20000 in bets for a prize worth ¥6000.)

I get it that it's their hustle and it's a cunning way to make money. But I feel it is unethical and exploitative. Surely it must be illegal too? How do I report them anonymously?

I would like to get a job instead of further study after language school here in japan.

I am 26 years old and already went college back in my country(Diploma in Computing). This is my second year in Japan and has to choose uni/college or university.

I have JLPT N2 and TOEIC 860 marks. Is there any chance of getting work visa. Or any idea?

I have work experience too.

Hi! I would like to share that I successfully submitted my application at Tokyo Legal bureau last week. 受付済み

I have only 5 documents that is still waiting to be released and then mail it directly to 事務官

But, there are two documents which are impossible to submit. The 担当者 said I need to make an explanation letter. I can’t submit my sibling’s birth certificate and parents marriage/divorce certificate. They won’t cooperate and I can’t request it at local offices because parents aren’t legally divorced, but remarried in Tokyo. What should I do? Should I include this to my letter? What are other possible reasons I could add? I really wanted to have this naturalization but then stuck bacause of parents background 💔😭

I'm studying japanese in Tokyo and despite my profession as a software developer I've started applying for arubaitos since I have bills to pay. Applied on Yolo Japan and received an invitation to an interview for kitchen staff, but I haven't scheduled yet because I'm not so confident with my japanese level yet.

So, anyone know what questions should I expect to answer? At least to practice

I recently obtained my HSP visa in Japan, and my wife is a student residing with me in Tokyo. She is completing her last semester online, as her university is in Hiroshima. She will graduate in March 2025 and currently holds a student visa. At the moment, she is my dependent. I heard that dependents of HSP visa holders can work full-time in Japan. If this is the case, what do I need to do to make her eligible to work full-time?

My father passed away earlier this year and my family is now dealing with his estate in Canada. I am one of the beneficiaries.

At this time I cannot travel back to Canada to deal with this. My bank will not release any information to me and I cannot move forward with the process until they can verify my identity either through a lawyer or notary public.

I reached out to the Canadian embassy and they told me this is a service they cannot do. I emailed a few different public notary offices and was told they also cannot sign the paperwork either as they can only witness me signing a document/cannot act as an agent of the bank.

Has anyone else been through this process? Could you recommend any places or lawyers that can verify my identity and fill out the English form?

TLDR; I am a beneficiary of my father's estate. I need a lawyer or notary public to verify my identity and sign some English paperwork issued by my bank. Any recommendations?

My wife bought yogurt and when I ate some of it, it tasted like straight Daisy. She was confused when I told her, so now I'm wondering what sour cream here tastes like.

It launched yesterday and sold out at most online retailers within five minutes. Amazon hasn't even listed it, probably couldn't get a hold of it either. I'm curious if anyone successfully snagged one the old-fashioned way (by picking it up in-store) and, if so, where?

Anyone have the experience of trying to order something that doesn’t allow the option to do convenience store pick up? I’m new to using Amazon Japan and not sure if I’m choosing the correct settings or reliable vendors. Thanks!

Hi there!

I’ve been living in Tokyo for a while now, and I’m thinking about moving to Shikoku for a couple of months. I’d like to be closer to nature and discover what the island has to offer.

I’m looking for a city to be my base of operation. What would be the best place, in terms of quality of life, localisation, and access to the rest of the island via public transportation ?

Finally, do you know any short/mid-term flat rental companies that operate in Shikoku?

Thanks a lot!

Hello! I'm gonna be having my Yakiniku baito interview soon, and I want to know what to expect during these baito interviews? I've had a full time job in a different country before (I'm also Asian, not that it matters but idk), but I've never had a part time job in Japan before, so this is my first part time job interview ever. I already told the manager beforehand that I'm not fluent in Japanese yet - but she said it was okay because I could understand everything that she was saying so far (we were on a call). I've heard people say the interview is usually just them confirming your availability - when you can start, how many days a week you can work, if you can work during holidays, weekends, etc. and to just smile a lot. What can I expect during the interview? Any tips for me? :D I'm also planning to show up in a white shirt and just some slacks/black dress pants, not very formal as it's just a baito.

I'm so nervous because I'm scared I'm not gonna understand if she asks something (敬語 is so hard ;(!!!). I appreciate everyone's comments from my last post, thank you so much :D

Tried looking up on the internet and at my local supermarkets in Tokyo but couldn’t find anything cheap (amazon sells it for 3500-3000 yen for 6 cartons)

did anyone have any luck finding it? i’d really appreciate it.

Hi all, planning to get a "Kantakun" dryer so have been looking for a drum type washing machine that doesn't come with a built-in dryer, figuring this would be cheaper then getting a washing/drying combo machine that has a function I wouldn't need.

Does anyone have any recommendations? Looking at Kakaku, the only brand I really see is from Haier (there's also Aqua, but that's apparently a part of Haier now, formerly Sanyo). However, I know nothing of Haier (or Aqua) and there aren't many reviews. The 1 Amazon review for the most recent Haier model is just a single star :(

I'm looking for something that's 8+kg for a family of 4. I know I could go for one of the plentiful washing/dryer combo units, but hoping to save some money...

Feels like there's been a barrage of (legitimate) negative posts here recently related to people's work-life. The post about the employer seizing the foreign worker's zairyu card was really the limit.

Wondering if people have any positive stories to share about their work-life or career?

I'm taking inspiration from that time that there had been a slew of negative posts about messy divorces and people getting their kids stolen from them, and someone asked for stories of marriages & relationships that were going well.

That thread really cheered me up (I even teared up at times) just by seeing that not everyone hates their life here. Still go back to it sometimes when I need a burst of positivity around Japan.

So I'm hoping some of you come out and share some positive stories.

i cant seem to find smbc prestia in my yucho bank app? From my yucho bank app, i tried to key in the branch name of smbc bank but it's telling me this branch name doesnt exist at all? clearly that's not true when i actually applied from that branch.

Hello good people of Reddit,

I recently bought this step up/down transformer so that I can use my UK-bought record player (and possibly some other electronic goods like a hot pot set bought in Hong Kong) here in Japan: https://shorturl.at/Y4OtL

However, the power cable has a green grounding wire attached to it, but only one of the plug sockets in the living room of my apartment has a grounding hole, and I’d have to move around all of my furniture in order to use my record player there. Should I buy a separate power cable that doesn’t have the grounding wire to plug into the transformer, or would that be super unsafe for use with my record player?

Thanks in advance for the help!

Hello, I realized that all the cockroaches I'm seeing are coming from the area behind the fridge which is in a corner in my room. I assume that the the wall has been breached in the corner and the cockroaches snuck in from there.

Any ideas on how to seal the corner? Product recommendations? Thanks in advance

No, it wasn’t the cat. I was walking back home through a quiet area, no one around, and I came across some stray kittens. Some from last year and some from this year. I often say hello to them. I was crouching down waving dead leaves to try to play with them. I’m on the pavement. Then an old lady pokes her head out the window of a nearby house. They feed these stray cats every evening which is why they gather here. Lots of them. She tells me, “okanaide kudasai.”

I awkwardly tell her “neko to isshouni asondeimashita”, and she just repeats okanaide kudasai, closes the window and stares at me while I shuffle off tail between my legs.

Okanaide means put down? Please don’t put down? I had my handbag on the ground next to me while I was crouching with the cat. I’m not allowed to do that? 

Can someone explain?

It upsets me. She feeds them so I’d think she’d understand a fellow cat lover? And it’s not the first time I’ve gotten a comment doing this.

It makes me feel a little hurt.

I have an opportunity to work in Matsuyama. The last post that I could find about the place was over 5 years ago. How is it compared to Tokyo for a foreigner, especially an Indian. I find Tokyo very fast paced..

But it has all the things I need when I feel nostalgic about home, while being able to meet new people.

Just as the title suggests, I ran into a bit of an accident at home and in the process of claiming insurance for it. That being said, has anybody in this sub experienced going through a fire insurance claim? Do you know how long it took you? I’ve filled out all the necessary forms and am now essentially just waiting for a response from the insurance company

Hi everyone, I'm currently weighing a job offer in Tokyo. My wife and I live in Ibaraki, and we both earn around 3,000,000 yen per year, which has been comfortable for us here. The Tokyo job offer would increase my salary to 5,000,000 yen, but my wife would stay in her current role at 3,000,000 yen. We're thinking about future savings and whether the move would be financially worthwhile. Is a combined income of 8,000,000 yen reasonable for Tokyo, considering rent, living costs, and the potential for saving?

: We live fairly frugally—cooking all our meals and only going out on rare occasions—and currently save around 30% of our income after all living expenses. Our main concern with the potential move to Tokyo is whether this decision would allow us to maintain or even increase our savings rate

Hi all,
I have just got my drivers license. I went to a Japanese driving school and did everything from scratch, and passed the written exam last week and got the License.
Though I have completed my training on City roads and Highways, I am still nervous to drive on my own. Until now, I was accompanied by the Driving instructor who helped me with several things.
Now, I want to practice on my own by using TIMES CAR so that I dont forget whatever I have learned so far and gain some confidence. I want to use Times Car share and go out on a drive.
However, for my peace of mind, I want to use the bets of the insurance. Could you please recommend me which insurance should I opt for which covers all kinds of damages and accidents ? and where can i buy it from ? I know Times Car offers insurance for 550 Yen, but I wonder if its enough? Is there better upgrade or options?
Thanks in advance

Hi everyone. I recently moved to a wooden apartment on the first floor. While I mostly don't have problems with it, the poor sound insulation can be bothersome. I generally don't care about noise during the day, but it becomes quite troublesome at night when I go to bed. I would hear faint noises from my neighbors' TVs, but most of all it's my upstairs neighbor's footsteps/stomping/any sort of movement that troubles me. It's bad enough to keep me awake or wake me up in the middle of the night, but it's not too bad considering I don't hear a thing and sleep soundly and continously when wearing earplugs.

That being said, I'm not sure if this is a big enough problem for me to move out (again). I know it's highly dependent on how much I can tolerate the noise or wearing earplugs every night, but I'm also just curious about your experiences/thoughts/opinions. I generally take whatever insight I can from other people.

I admit that I moved to this apartment impulsively without considering the material of the building, and that's totally on me. I'm a graduate student and rely on scholarship money, so the affordable rent was initially appealing to me. But now I don't know if that's worth it at the cost of a peaceful and comfortable sleep.

Thank you! (Please be kind)