Credit Cards Credit Reports in Japan
IntroductionI have been asked by friends and classmates about credit reporting in Japan, and how it works. For example, ...
Credit Cards 
Expense Reduction Understanding Tax Deductions in Japan
There are three main categories that get deducted from the paycheck of the average worker in Japan: Income tax (所得税)Loca...
Investment Why Insurance and Investment Don’t Mix
This topic isn't specific to Japan, but it does affect Japan more than many other countries for reasons that will become...
Real Estate Property Investment Scams in Japan
Property investment in Japan is very different than in many other countries.Differing ExpectationsOne difference is that...
Budgeting & Expense Management Are people in Japanese Rich? Poor?
This question comes up in online forums fairly often in different forms. One of the more common forms is something like ...
Expense Reduction Furusato Nozei (Hometown Tax)
IntroductionFurosato Nozei (Hometown Tax) is a system that allows you to donate tax money to cities and towns other than...
Bank Accounts Best Japanese bank accounts for Foreigners
IntroductionThis account seems to come up more often than one would think, so I will cover it here for reference. Note t...
Commentary Suica Renaissance Vol.1 2025〉》2028
If you've been around Japan Rail stations in Tokyo this weekend, you may have seen the "Suica Renaissance Vol.1" posters...
Budgeting & Expense Management Why “Free” phones are a scam
IntroductionIt's amazing to me that people still fall for marketing ploys, but it seems that the word "Free" just activa...
Expense Reduction All about Kakuyasu SIM Cards
Most people these days can't live without their mobile phones. More specifically, their smart phones. For the most part,...