Travel and life in Japan
Japanese and know-how for trips, restaurants, shops, the doctor and settling in after a move.
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Attending a Japanese Funeral: Etiquette, Kōden and What to Say
What to expect at a Japanese funeral as a foreign guest: the wake and funeral, what to wear, condolence money (kōden), offering incense, condolence phrases and what happens afterwards.
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Buying a Car in Japan as a Foreign Resident: Steps, Documents and Japanese
How to buy a car in Japan as a foreigner: kei car or regular car, the parking certificate, seal certificate, shaken inspections, compulsory and voluntary insurance, car tax, and the Japanese you need at the dealer.
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Japanese at the convenience store
Konbini Japanese made easy: what staff ask at the register, how to answer, paying, and the extra services like bill payment and parcels. Phrases with romaji.
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Driving in Japan: International Driving Permit, Road Rules and Japanese for the Road
How to drive in Japan as a visitor: the International Driving Permit or official translation, road rules that surprise visitors, sign words, rental and petrol station phrases.
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Eating Out in Japan: Restaurant Phrases and Manners
From irasshaimase to paying at the register: the Japanese phrases you need in restaurants, plus ordering tips, why you never tip and chopstick manners.
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Writing Farewell Letters When You Leave Japan
How to say goodbye in writing when you leave Japan: who to thank, customs like sweets for the office, what to write, the right tone for colleagues, teachers and neighbours, and key phrases.
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Filing a Tax Return in Japan: The Japanese You Need for Kakutei Shinkoku
The Japanese words and documents for a tax return in Japan (kakutei shinkoku): who usually files, year-end adjustment, the withholding slip, common deductions, the tax office and e-Tax, and phrases for asking for help. Language help, not tax advice.
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Food Allergies and Dietary Needs in Japan: Phrases, Hidden Ingredients and Allergy Cards
How to eat safely in Japan with food allergies or as a vegetarian, vegan or halal eater: hidden ingredients like dashi, allergen labels, key phrases and a Japanese allergy card.
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Writing a Get-Well Letter in Japanese: What to Say and What to Avoid
How to write a get-well letter (omimai-jō) in Japanese: why it skips the seasonal greeting, what to say, taboo words, why not to say ganbatte, gifts for hospital visits and letters to colleagues.
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Getting a Phone and SIM Card in Japan: What You Need and What to Say
How foreigners get a phone plan or SIM in Japan: tourist eSIMs vs resident contracts, what ID and payment you need, the Japanese words used in the shop and phrases to avoid paying for extras.
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Having a Baby in Japan as a Foreigner: Steps, Japanese Words and Getting Help
A guide for foreign residents having a baby in Japan: registering the pregnancy, the boshi techō, choosing a hospital, words used at check-ups, epidurals, paperwork after the birth and using an interpreter.
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Hosting a Japanese Exchange Student: Tips and Japanese for Host Families
How to host a Japanese exchange student: preparing before arrival, simple Japanese words, communication tips (why yes may not mean yes), food and daily life, gifts, goodbyes and talking with their parents.
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How Much Japanese Do You Need to Live in Japan?
How much Japanese you need to live in Japan, by level, city and job: where it makes the biggest difference, and a realistic plan to prepare before you move.
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How to Address an Envelope to Japan: Address Order, Sama and Onchū
How to address a letter to Japan: the order of a Japanese address, vertical and Western envelopes, choosing sama, sensei or onchū, return envelopes and posting from overseas.
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Hiring a Private English–Japanese Interpreter for Your Trip to Japan
When a private interpreter is worth it on a trip to Japan (workshops, food and farm visits, family and heritage trips), how an interpreter differs from a guide, how to plan, tips on the day and what to expect.
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An English–Japanese Interpreter for Your Wedding: Bringing Both Families Together
How an English–Japanese interpreter helps at a bilingual wedding: the family meeting, speeches, vows and reception, options from key moments to the whole day, translated speeches, online relatives and cultural points.
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Buying Property or an Akiya in Japan: Using an English–Japanese Interpreter
How an English–Japanese interpreter helps when buying a house, apartment or akiya in Japan: agent calls, online viewings, the important-matters explanation, professionals involved and documents.
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An Interpreter for Calls with Japanese Banks, Landlords and Offices
How to use an English–Japanese interpreter for calls with Japanese banks, phone companies, landlords, utilities, insurers and city offices: how it works, what to prepare and what to expect.
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An Interpreter for Family Calls with Japanese Relatives
When and how to use a Japanese–English interpreter for family conversations: meeting your partner’s parents, weddings, elderly relatives, tone and politeness, and how to prepare.
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Need an Interpreter for a Doctor’s Appointment in Japan? Your Options
Your options for language help at medical appointments in Japan: emergencies, hospitals with interpreters, local support, insurance, booking an interpreter, and how to prepare.
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An Interpreter for School Meetings in Japan: Parent–Teacher Meetings and More
How to get an interpreter for parent–teacher meetings at a Japanese school: types of school meetings, where to find help, how to prepare and questions parents often ask.
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Hiring an Interpreter to Meet Your Japanese Relatives
How an English–Japanese interpreter helps when you visit Japanese relatives: first meetings, family meals, grave visits and family history, how to brief the interpreter, dialects, and a few phrases and gift customs to prepare yourself.
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Japanese at the Dentist: Booking, Describing Pain and Insurance
How to book a dentist in Japan, phrases for describing tooth pain, what you’ll hear in the chair, insurance and self-paid treatment, and help for children.
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Japanese for the doctor and pharmacy
Japanese for clinics and pharmacies: describing symptoms, body parts, the insurance card and questionnaire, and pharmacy phrases. In an emergency, call 119.
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Japanese at the Hair Salon: Booking, Explaining Your Cut and What You’ll Hear
How to get a haircut in Japan: salons and barbers, the words to know, booking, explaining the cut you want, the questions you’ll hear during the shampoo and paying.
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Japanese at the Hotel: Check-In, Requests and Checking Out
Hotel Japanese for your trip: checking in with a reservation, why hotels ask for your passport, keeping luggage, polite requests, types of accommodation and checking out.
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Japanese at the Pharmacy: Drugstores, Prescriptions and Medicine Words
The difference between drugstores and dispensing pharmacies in Japan, phrases for buying medicine, filling a prescription, the medicine notebook and allergies.
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Japanese at the Post Office: Sending Parcels, Redelivery and Moving
The Japanese words and phrases you need at a Japanese post office: sending letters and parcels abroad, customs forms, registered mail, missed-delivery slips, redelivery and forwarding mail when you move.
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Japanese at the Vet: Taking Your Pet to an Animal Hospital in Japan
How to take a pet to the vet in Japan: booking, describing symptoms, vaccines and prevention, dog registration, costs and pet insurance, and moving to Japan with a pet.
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Japanese at the City or Ward Office: Registering Your Address and More
What to do at the city or ward office after moving to Japan, the key procedures (tennyū todoke, jūminhyō, health insurance, My Number), phrases for the counter, words on the forms and tips for the visit.
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Writing a Japanese Condolence Letter: Structure, Taboo Words and Etiquette
How to write a condolence letter (okuyami-jō) in Japanese: why it skips the usual openings, words to avoid, religious phrases, a simple structure and sending condolence money by post.
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Japanese for Your Health Check in Japan (Kenkō Shindan and Ningen Dock)
What happens at a Japanese health check (kenkō shindan) or ningen dock, the words on the questionnaire and at each station, fasting and preparation, phrases to use, and how to read your results.
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Japanese for a Homestay: Greetings, House Rules and Living with a Host Family
The Japanese you need for a homestay in Japan: daily greetings, introducing yourself to your host family, asking about house rules, telling them your plans and mentioning allergies.
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Japanese for a Ski Trip to Japan: Lift Passes, Rentals, Safety Signs and Onsen
The Japanese that helps on a ski or snowboard trip to Japan: resort vocabulary, buying lift passes, renting gear in your size, safety signs, emergencies and onsen etiquette.
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Japanese for a Working Holiday in Japan: Jobs, Phrases and How to Prepare
How much Japanese you need for a working holiday in Japan: the language level common jobs expect, phrases for part-time work, job interviews, settling in and a preparation timeline.
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Accessible Travel in Japan: Japanese Phrases for Wheelchair Users and Access Needs
Japanese phrases for travelling in Japan with a disability or access needs: asking for lifts, step-free routes and help boarding trains, hotels and ryokan, sights, medication and a needs card in Japanese.
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Japanese for Digital Nomads and Remote Workers in Japan
The Japanese remote workers need for a stay in Japan: co-working spaces, short-term rentals, SIM cards and etiquette, plus visa basics and a plan before you go.
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Japanese for Emergencies: Earthquakes, Police and Lost Property
Emergency numbers in Japan, phrases for calling an ambulance or the police, what to do in an earthquake or tsunami warning, disaster words and how to report lost property.
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Japanese for Hiking in Japan: Trail Signs, Mountain Huts and Safety
The Japanese words on trail signs, phrases for the trail, mountain huts and buses, and mountain customs to know, from climbing plans and hut bookings to bears, weather warnings and Mount Fuji rules.
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Japanese for Parents in Japan: Nursery, School Letters and the Contact Notebook
Japanese for parents in Japan: hoikuen and yōchien, primary school, the renrakuchō contact notebook, school letters, calling in sick, parent-teacher meetings and PTA.
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Japanese for Accompanying Partners: Moving to Japan for Your Partner’s Job
Why the accompanying partner of an expat needs Japanese most, what to learn first, building a social life, working or volunteering on a dependent visa, and making time to study.
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Japanese for Trains and Getting Around
Station signs, IC cards and tickets, phrases for asking the way, taking a taxi and train etiquette: the Japanese you need to get around Japan with confidence.
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Japanese Seasons and Festivals: Words, Events and Greetings
A season-by-season guide to Japan’s festivals and events, from hanami and summer matsuri to autumn leaves and New Year, with small talk phrases and seasonal greetings.
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Giving a Wedding Speech with Japanese Guests: Structure, Words to Avoid and Translation
How to give a wedding speech when Japanese guests are listening: who speaks, the usual structure, imi-kotoba words to avoid, bilingual options and practising your Japanese lines.
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Joining a Gym in Japan: Japanese for Sign-Up, Rules and Classes
How joining a gym works in Japan: trial visits, joining fees and monthly plans, the ID you need, tattoo and indoor-shoe rules, cancelling, and the Japanese phrases for the front desk and classes.
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Learning Japanese Before a Trip to Japan: How Much You Need and a 4-Week Plan
How much Japanese is worth learning before a trip to Japan, a four-week plan from survival phrases to small talk, whether to learn kana, and why practising with a person helps.
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Learning Japanese for Your Partner: What to Learn and How to Practise Together
Learning Japanese for a Japanese partner: why couples teaching each other stalls, what to learn first, partner-speech vs polite Japanese and how to practise together.
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Leaving Japan Checklist: What to Do Before You Move Out of Japan
A checklist for moving out of Japan: the moving-out notice at the ward office, residence card, apartment notice and deposit, utilities and phone, bank account, large rubbish, resident tax and pension, with the Japanese you’ll need.
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Writing a Letter to Your Partner’s Japanese Parents
How to write to your partner’s parents in Japan: when to write, the right level of politeness, what to include, what to avoid, and why a native writer outside the family helps.
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Living in a Japanese Neighbourhood: Rubbish, Neighbours and Local Life
Everyday life in a Japanese neighbourhood: rubbish sorting, greeting neighbours, noise and shared spaces, notices and the neighbourhood association, with the Japanese you need.
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Writing a Love Letter in Japanese: Words of Affection and Tone
How to write a love letter to a Japanese partner: how Japanese expresses love, suki vs aishiteru, casual or polite, occasions, and why apps make romantic letters sound dramatic.
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Making Friends in Japan: Where to Meet People and What to Say
Where to meet people in Japan, from hobby circles to language exchanges, plus conversation starters, casual speech, and how to invite or decline politely.
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Meeting Your Japanese Partner’s Family: Phrases, Gifts and Manners
How to prepare for meeting your Japanese partner’s family: what to ask your partner, polite phrases with pronunciation, choosing a gift, manners at home, conversation topics and following up.
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Moving to Japan: a first-month checklist
Your first month in Japan: residence card, address registration, health insurance, pension, My Number, bank and phone, plus Japanese for the city office.
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Opening a Bank Account in Japan: What to Bring and the Japanese You’ll Need
What you need to open a bank account in Japan as a foreign resident, key banking words, questions at the counter, everyday banking, and getting help with the Japanese.
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Preparing Your Child for School in Japan: Japanese and Routines
How to prepare a child for a Japanese school: first phrases, school routines like lunch and cleaning time, hiragana and kanji, and support after the move.
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Renting an Apartment in Japan: Terms, Steps and Phrases
How renting a flat in Japan usually works: real estate agents, shikikin, reikin, guarantor companies, floor plans like 1K and 1LDK, the contract and phrases.
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Ryokan and Onsen Etiquette: A Guide for Your Stay
How to stay at a ryokan, from check-in, yukata and meals to the futon, plus onsen bathing etiquette step by step, tattoo policies and useful Japanese phrases.
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Shopping in Japan: Japanese Phrases for Clothes and Gifts
Japanese phrases for clothes shops and department stores: asking for sizes and colours, trying things on, gift wrapping, returns and tax-free shopping.
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Studying Abroad in Japan: How Much Japanese You Need and How to Prepare
How much Japanese you need to study in Japan: exchange programmes, language schools, English- vs Japanese-taught degrees, campus life, part-time work and preparing.
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Writing a Thank-You Letter to a Community Group in Japan
How to thank a Japanese community group, club or circle of local elders in writing: who to address, thanking the sensei first, homemade food and gifts, and making the letter easy to share.
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Writing a Thank-You Letter to Your Host in Japan: Host Families, Residencies and Stays
How to write a thank-you letter in Japanese to a host family, residency host or farm stay: the right warm but polite tone, what to mention, a simple structure, and why a native writer helps.
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Writing a Thank-You Letter to a Japanese Sensei or Master of a Craft
How to thank a Japanese sensei in writing: respectful but warm language, what to thank them for, writing to an elderly master, a gift they made you, and why a native writer gets the tone right.
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Tracing Your Japanese Family Roots: Koseki Records, Letters and Finding Relatives
How to trace Japanese ancestors from abroad: what to gather first, how the koseki family register works, who can request copies, writing to a municipal office, reading old records and contacting relatives.
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Translating Japanese Medical Records for Your Doctor at Home
How to get Japanese medical records translated into English: common documents, getting copies from a clinic, why medical translation is hard, insurance claims and privacy. Not certified translation.
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Understanding and Translating Letters from Your Child’s School in Japan
A parent’s guide to Japanese school letters (otayori): the types of notices you’ll get, the key words for what to bring and when to reply, translation options from apps to a human translator, and how to reply to the teacher.
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Translating Letters To and From Japanese: Family Letters, Cards and Thank-You Notes
How to get personal letters translated between Japanese and English: family and old handwritten letters, host family and thank-you letters, New Year cards, privacy and how to send them.
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Travelling in Japan with Kids: Tips and Japanese Phrases for Families
Is Japan good for a family trip? Very. Practical tips on trains, strollers, restaurants and baby rooms, plus the Japanese phrases parents actually need, including what to say if your child gets lost or ill.
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Visiting Temples and Shrines in Japan: Etiquette, Prayers and Goshuin
The difference between shrines and temples, how to purify and pray at each, words you’ll see like omamori and omikuji, and how to ask for goshuin stamps.
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Volunteering in Japan: Where to Start and the Japanese You Need
Ways to volunteer in Japan (international associations, disaster recovery, farm stays, events), Japanese phrases for your placement, etiquette, visa points to check and how to say thank you afterwards.
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Writing a Formal Thank-You Letter to a Japanese Professor
How to write a formal letter or thank-you note to a Japanese professor: why short and formal is right, a simple structure, keigo to get right, the envelope, and why AI often gets it wrong.
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Writing a Letter to Your Japanese Grandparents
How to write to Japanese grandparents: how polite to be, what to call them, what to write about, making a letter easy for an older reader, dialects, and why apps miss the warmth.
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Japanese phrases for your first trip to Japan
Easy Japanese phrases for greetings, restaurants, shopping, trains and taxis, with pronunciation, so you can get around Japan with confidence.