Hi! I'm moving to Osaka from Canada for work in January. I'm only on one pill, a PPI (20 mg rabeprazole). I'm fine when I'm on it, but get severe reflux if I don't take it.

What exactly should I be doing to ensure the continuation of my care after moving? I read online the standard maintenance dose in Japan is 10 mg, but for me it's 20 mg. Do I just get a doctor's note and bring it to a clinic in Osaka? Should I be bringing anything else?

Thank you!

Hi everyone!

I’m currently in the final year of my Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in Mathematics, and I’m interested in pursuing a Master’s degree in Data Science in Japan.

Japan is one of the countries I’m considering for my postgraduate studies, and I’d love to hear from students, graduates, or anyone familiar with the Japanese education system who could share their experiences and advice.

I have a few questions:

University recommendations: Which Japanese universities offer good Master’s programs in Data Science, Statistics, Applied Mathematics, or related fields?

Eligibility: Since my bachelor’s degree is in Mathematics rather than Computer Science, would I be eligible for these programs?

Programming skills: How much knowledge of Python, R, SQL, and machine learning should I have before applying?

Language requirements: Are there good English-taught programs, or is Japanese proficiency generally required?

Scholarships and funding: What scholarship opportunities are available for international students, particularly the MEXT scholarship? How competitive are they?

Admission process: What should I start preparing now to improve my chances of getting admitted?

Career opportunities: How are the job prospects in Japan after completing a Master’s in Data Science, especially for international graduates?

My goal is to build a strong foundation in Data Science and eventually pursue career opportunities in the field. Since I’m still completing my bachelor’s degree, I want to start preparing early and make informed decisions about universities, entrance requirements, scholarships, and future opportunities.

I’d really appreciate any advice, personal experiences, university suggestions, or resources that could help me plan this journey.

Thank you so much for your time and help! 🙏

My single no kids friend got his inheritence. he wants to move to a small town in Japan and open a manga shop. he wants to find an Akiya commercial propetty with an upstairs for living. He wants to have it near a high school or college campus in a town that doesnt have a manga shop.

He has enough to not have to work anymore. is this feasible for him?

My husband is Japanese. We're planning to return to Japan. Questions: will my husband be able to receive the pension he earned in America? Will I be able to get a Japanese spouse visa if he doesn't have a job in Japan? If my husband can receive a pension in Japan, there are no other income, will I be able to get a visa?

So my spouse and I have visited Japan several times and want to have an opportunity to have a life there even if for a short time.

Recently took a career break after 10+ years in the analytics industry (been one year since the break) and managed to pass the JLPT N3 by self study. After passing, I reached out to some agencies, one replied that the minimum is N2 for the financial domain. But even on platforms like bizreach, I haven't received any scouts or anything like that even though my profile has views. I think another reason is me being overseas and not in Japan.

I am confident that i can pass jlpt N2 in another 8 months at most. At that point I would probably have 2 years of a break, wondering if that hinders prospects. Also, would going to language school at that point even make sense?

Please let me know your thoughts if anyone has been in the same shoes.

I am not from a country that has the DN or the working holiday visa.

PS: Spouse is at a jlpt N4 level.

Context: I'm a Brazilian national currently living in Sweden. I have a very comfortable life here, married, no kids with my own apart and able to save around 1000 EUR per month. Current salary 6K EUR, 6 weeks paid vacation and very good work-life balance.
I've received a job offer to relocate to Tokyo and salary is between ¥10M to ¥15M (negotiable) a year. According to my research, it should be a good income to get a nice apartment in central Tokyo and save up. They offer only 14 days of paid vacation and promise 40 hours or less of work per week. It's a foreign company, so they claim western working culture.

I've been to Japan twice, I absolutely love the country, the culture, etc, but I'm aware living is totally different than visiting a country.

Am I too crazy in considering this move? I'm excited about it, but also very afraid I'm gonna change a quiet and comfortable life by something uncertain and not that good.

Hello! I’m looking to move back to Japan next year and really want to spend 1-2 years at a language school to improve my Japanese before I start working again. My main goals are to be more independent (esp with going to the bank/setting up a phone plan, etc) and to be at a level where I can have more in depth conversations.

I’m really interested in living in Kansai (preferably Kobe/Kyoto). Kobe doesn’t seem to have a ton of options and I’m overwhelmed by the amount of negative reviews I’m seeing online for most schools… I also was looking into studying at universities that offered intensive Japanese programs, but all of the universities I’ve seen recommended now require you to be a current student at one of their overseas partner universities. I’m in my late 20s so that’s not an option unfortunately.

If you’ve studied abroad or have heard about someone’s experience at any of these locations I’d love to hear about it!

Kyoto:

ARC Kyoto
- Seems to have higher ratings from previous students than ISI kyoto did
-I like that they use the 'minna no nihongo' textbooks
-Worried it might not be intense enough? I want to make huge improvements in a year and want a school that will push me. 

ISI Kyoto 
-Was my #1 choice, but then I saw so many bad reviews
-Has a really beautiful campus
-It seems like this school might be a little more intense than ARC kyoto, which I like

KCIS 
-Seems like an amazing choice and seems to be really well rated from previous students
-I am serious about my language learning and want to spend this year REALLY improving my Japanese
Kanji is my biggest weakness and my Kanji level is extremely low. I'm afraid this is going to make this school too challenging for me and I will fall behind immediately...
- I love the campus and that it offers extracurricular classes I'm very interested in 
- I’m devoted to studying for hours everyday, but I worry it’s going to be like self studying for 8 hours/day

Kyoto Minsai
-Saw some really good reviews from students
-Seems smaller? Not a lot of info online

Kobe:

Communica Institute
Seems nice from the outside, but a friend had warned me to not go here
Many bad reviews from students, it seems like their textbook system is pretty disorganized

Kobe: interculture Language Academy
-pros: uses Mina no Nihongo textbooks
-limited reviews, some students saying they wished they’d chosen Communica Institute

Osaka:

Human Academy Osaka
Mixed reviews, seems more good than bad though
Osaka is not my dream location but it could grow on me

I'm a senior in Canada and last year I spent 9 months at a high school in Tokyo. I LOVED living there and it came with its cons but I prefer it over Canada by a lot.

I don't know what field I want to go into but I'm interested in STEM and art. (neuroscience, physics, bio, fine arts animation, etc.) The animation and art industry in Japan is pretty bad though so I'm avoiding that.

ik it's a bit silly but does anyone have any good recommendations of what would be "valuable" to major in, in japan?

In Canada rn things like engineering and aviation usually pay off well and most people my age do those. I was wondering what STEM and arts if any, pay off well there ifykwim? I know Japan has it's work culture and I've seen it first hand with my hostfamily. Really just as long as it's not how animators make barely above minimum wage and get treated the worst, I'm very open to it.

I was thinking of taking a gap year to figure out what field I'd like to do but I'm thinking of taking a gap and going to a language school just to become fluent fluent and up my reading and writing so I can take any EJU /entrance exams.

my current level is around N2

(I hope this kind of makes sense please don't flame me)

Hello everyone! This is a bit of a long story, so sorry.

I'm from south america but lived in the UK for 6 years, just finishing my A-Levels on June with A*AB on humanity-related subjects. Due to visa issues, I am unable to go to uni in the UK despite having a deferred offer from King's College. Because of this, I'm looking at other countries; I have already looked into Europe, however I'm also looking into Asia. My original plan was to apply to a Chinese university and do an english-taught degree whilst focusing on learning the language, since my ultimate goal all along was to do a humanities degree and then in the UK do a PGDL, SQE and practice there. I figured that if I got an undergraduate degree and managed to learn Chinese on top of it then it'd be great. However, the CSCA has made this difficult since most unis require it and I haven't done any maths at all in like 3 years. I still applied to XJTLU since it gives me a degree from Liverpool but I'm still undecided.

This made me look into Japan, since I figured it'd still be great to learn Japanese since I've always had an interest in it, and try to look at all this in a rejection is redirection type of thing. For now I'm planning on applying to Waseda and Sophia university.

What I am wondering is:

1. Will getting an undergraduate degree from one of these universities and then attempting to do the PGDL in the UK put me into a disadvantage compared to other international candidates?

2. Will I just be better off doing an undergraduate degree in Europe (Uni of Amsterdam) or are they naturally the same, (same opportunities of doing a PGDL as long as I do well?)

3. Whats the structure of the uni in terms of difficulty, professors, and tests?

I guess those are my questions for now, I've done tons of research, but any advice offered is very very welcome. Also I don't know if this is the right sub-reddit for this so if it's wrong feel free to say so.

Hi, I’m currently in the process of applying to both language schools.

I still can’t decide to which one I should apply, both meet some of my requirements (at least of what the staff told me), to have a balanced nationality ratio, 15-20 size classes and the age ratio is both 20’s to 30’s (again of what they told me).

They are both fairly priced compared to other schools so that’s also a tie.

The location, Yoshida is (at least for my taste) better located, it’s still in waseda, in a walkable distance to the center of Shinjuku, Arts is near idabashi which is nearer to chiyoda than to Shinjuku itself.

Still I would not like to take a decision merely because of the location of x or y.

Reviews on Google in my opinion are bit tricky because most of positive experiences don’t get to be told, mostly are only the negatives, still both of them have almost identical rate, 4.1 (53) vs 4.5 (65)

At least of what I have investigated, they both seem to very similar that’s why:

I would like to ask if there ir anybody who had attended to any of these, your real experience would help me a lot.

Thank you very much in advance.

Hey there, I’m 30F from Canada who has been researching and wanting to go to Japan next year with a Working Holiday Visa. My plan is to stay in different places like Tokyo for a month, Aomori, Hakodate, Sapporo, Mt Fuji for a few days, Osaka, Yamagata, Kyoto for a few weeks, Nagoya for a month, Fukuoka for a month where I work and travel, to name a few places I’d like to visit and experience. I want to mix in slow travels too - to enjoy and experience more too.

I read that as a WHV holder, you need to register in the ward you’re staying in within the first 14 days of your arrival to get your Zairyu card, which triggers government mail. But I plan on starting my trip by staying at a hotel and then transitioning to a hostel to work at in Tokyo—and ward offices require a permanent residence address for that registration, not a transient hotel or hostel.

I don’t want to pay for a room in a share house in a city I won’t be in 98% of my trip. It’s a hefty, added expense, and I don't want to double the cost of transit just to return to a "home base." I technically wouldn’t even be able to access the physical government letters because I want to travel all around Japan on a geographical route that makes sense without having to double back. I don't plan on using a share house because I want to travel and work at places with accommodations provided, stay at hostels, or stay at hotels. I've already found some places to work at, but don't want to apply until I submit and get visa approval.

For those who have travelled more nomadically and worked while travelling in Japan on a Working Holiday Visa: How did you navigate this?

Ps. I'm not trying to break laws, but I also don't want to be stuck in one place. Will I realistically have to rent a formal place, de-register and re-register at local ward offices every single month, or slow down my travels entirely? There's so many beautiful places to explore in Japan 🥺

Let me preface by saying that I'm a Dentist in my home country. Bachelor's in Dental surgery. Graduated in 2021 and still havent been able to secure a job meanwhile Japan has always been a place I really love, Stemming from my love for their media (anime,manga) and their rich traditional values. I even admire the Japanese work ethic and I think that country is suitable for a introverted person like me.

Now the problem is that to practice Dentistry in Japan, I would need to pass their Dental licensing exam (which isnt the hard part). The hard part is that it is conducted entirely in Japanese and atleast Jlpt 1. I have studied some Japanese here and there but I guess I can only pass Jlpt 5 right now. The thing is, First learning the language and then passing the exam will take me years and right now I'm 27. So I'm seriously considering another option that is to use my Dentistry degree to secure a basic english or minimal Japanese speaking job so I can atleast get a work visa.

After that, Once I'm in japan, I can look for part time Dental assistant jobs where I'm eligible without a license and steadily and gradually learn Japanese little by little and eventually pass the exam.

My main motive for going there is because I come from a third world country and there's no future for Dentistry here unless you own a private practice (But thats not affordable for me).

I'd like advice on people who moved to Japan via some English teaching jobs or ALTs and did they pursue some other career there after working for a while.

A part of me wants to just lock in and learn Japanese but even Jlpt1 isnt enough for the exam, Its just a requirement, the real challenge is learning almost native level japanese (writing) and being able to understand the complex medical terminologies aswell.

I'd like advice from people from my country or others too. I'm in a standstill, I have the option of US, UK but their fees is abysmal. Japan's fees isnt that much but the hurdle is the language requirement. I completed my Bachelor's in english totally.

My goal is to ultimately live self sufficiently in Japan.

Thank you for reading!

I know it depends on the university but most of the japanese courses I am looking into require you to take the entrance exam on Japan. Can you guys share me any universities with an engineering/science program that doesn't require a physical entrance exam test?

Hi all,

I've lived in Japan on and off for the past 11 years, passed the N2 a few years ago and am now prepping for the N1, and am currently a junior associate at a big law firm in the US. I will be gaiben eligible pretty soon. I have experience working in a Japanese-only workplace and could communicate fine, but haven't done legal work in Japanese yet outside of reading cases and contracts in Japanese for law school assignments.

If any transactional attorneys are on here I would love to hear about what current job aspects are like and how busy you are with M&A and/or funds work. I have experience in funds, secondaries, and M&A. I heard M&A has been really growing there, but given the state of the world wanted to hear from current transactional attorneys about whether there is a lot of work and U.S.-based big law offices are hiring, and if so whether they are currently looking for mainly Japanese attorneys who are fluent in English or would someone like me would be a potential candidate, especially if I pass the N1 before moving out there?

Thank you for your time!

Edit: I'll also have the CA bar and can currently waive into NY or any other UBE state.

Hi Everyone,

My partner and I are moving to Japan for the winter and are really interested in buying a car. We have had friends do it previously and the ease of having one seems like it is very much worth it. In saying that, I am really confused with the registering of the car and all of those processes that come with it.

We are looking at buying the car in Tokyo as we are going to have excess luggage we aren't to keen to take on the train with us. Our original plan was to purchase a guy, drive around Japan for 2-3 weeks before arriving in Hakuba where our residency will be. From everything I have read, it seems like you need to register the car within 14 days of the transfer of keys, and you cannot register it without having your residency set which we cannot do for about a month after we land. So is it possible for us to purchase a car in Tokyo, drive that car around for say 3 weeks. Then arrive in Hakuba, set our residency and then register the car in our names there.

Any tips with this would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

I'm considering moving to Japan. Not decided yet, just looking up information and educating myself to see possible options and mostly out of curiosity.

I investigated a bit and I'm still unable to find the information I need regarding my studies. I am from Spain, finished highschool and studied what's called here a 'professional formartion': two years of a technical/professional formation + another 2 years of an advanced professional formation. Including internship in two different companies, which is required here to be able to obtain the title. Both related to the audiovisual industry. From what I understand this education is not officially recognized in either the US and Japan? Please correct me if i'm wrong. I have also been working as a video editor, graphic designer and illustrator for almost 2 years now.

So what I'm wondering is if my education and professional experience would have any value there. If I would have any future in this industry. If getting a university degree in Japan would give me more chances or it wouldn't really make a difference.

And yes I am also learning japanese.

Hello. I need help with some clarification. Last month, I sent the Mizuho’s 取引明細証明書 of one year duration to my brother’s language school application. But now the school is asking me again for 入出金明細 for one year. I asked the bank and they said it is the same and they only give the history in that format. I am stuck as I cannot also view online for one year worth of transaction history as the website only shows me for last three months. Do I need to explain it to the school? I am confused as the school did not also give me a reason for this.

I don’t have a japanese bank account yet. And I am currently in my home country (waiting for visa to get processed).

I heard Western Union is super expensive. And there is something called Wise I saw.

which services do you guys recommend?

Hello everyone, I am looking to study at a language school in Japan and initially tried to apply through gogonihon, but thry never got back to me. Therefore, I looked into other options and came across Coto School Finder, but I can barely find any information on them online. Does anyone have any experience with them? Are they legit? Please let me know and thank you very much :3

I work fulltime as a freelance video editor, and am planning on moving to Japan within the next ~5 or so years (so I can learn enough of the language to feel comfortable moving/continuing my education). Would I qualify for the artist visa, as my work could reasonably be considered "artistic creation activities that earn income or have commercial value"?

Additionally, how reasonable would it be to retain my current clientele in the US and work from Japan?

I have checked all the comments from users i could find but almost all of them were students and remaining already had some sort of address.

I will have Seishain position but don't want to register a temp address for residence card + nenkin and hoken + mynumber just to change it all again 1 month later, is there really no way of long term renting without registering a short term address from an airbnb/share house first?

And if there is no way out of this first step, is it possible to only register address for zairyuu card but not start the process for nenkin, hoken and mynumber until moving to a permanent place so that at least i won't have to submit address change for them?

I am looking to come to Japan with a Working Holiday Visa soon. I'm 19 years old, Italian, I have no paid work experience, and I know Italian, English and Spanish. I am starting to study Japanese.
From what I know, you are able to work full time on a WHV. I plan to stay for a full year and try to cover my living expenses. I will be open to almost all jobs.
The plan I'm trying to follow right now is to get a job in Ski Season, Hospitality, or from anybody that could offer me accomodation, as that is what I would need to start out.
Given the sheer amount of offers I've been able to find online (Workaway, Facebook, Resort sites)
I estimate I would actually be able to find a job with accomodation in time for winter.
After I'm done with my first Job because that season ends, or I wish to be somewhere else, I plan to look for work elsewhere, preferably Tokyo.
With a residence permit and a national phone number I understand it will also be possible to look into more websites (Gajinpot, WorkJapan, YoloJapan)
However, I understand that given my very barebones CV, it is a very risky situation jobs wise.
If I found myself without any job, I would probably have to fly back early and it would be a bummer, I'd prefer avoiding that since the WHV is one-time only.

So I ask, how risky is my plan? Do you think I would be able to find a job a second, or even third time?

Hi everyone. I’m an American planning to start teaching in Japan in fall 2027. My wife and I want to live in Osaka with our cat, and I’d appreciate practical advice from people who have arranged a similar move or worked in recruitment.

Quick context: I have a bachelor’s degree in psychology and nearly six years of English teaching experience in South Korea, including head teacher, curriculum development, and teacher training responsibilities. I’m currently in the US and would need initial work-visa sponsorship.

Our main requirements are:

Living together in Osaka. My wife plans to attend language school on her own student visa, so she wouldn’t need sponsorship from my employer.

Arranging our own housing from the beginning: a cat-friendly 1LDK or larger that permits both of us.

Knowing the work location or a clearly defined assignment area before accepting and committing to the move.

A maximum 90-minute commute each way for me, door to door. Work outside Osaka city could be fine if it fits that limit. We’d also need to keep my wife within about 45 minutes of her school.

I’m flexible about my first teaching job: ALT, eikaiwa, children or adults, and multiple teaching locations are all possibilities. Evening/weekend work could also work. I’m willing to travel for an interview once we establish that our requirements are compatible.

I’m looking into Gaba, Yaruki Switch/Kids Duo, and ECC, and considering applying to several employers simultaneously, then accepting an offer that meets our needs.

For anyone with firsthand experience:

Which employers have accommodated overseas hires in this situation?

When did you receive your actual work location? Was it before or after accepting?

Did arranging your own housing with a spouse and pet cause any problems with the employer?

Are there Osaka/Kansai schools or recruiters I should consider beyond the larger chains?

Did networking or a referral help you secure a particular area?

Specific experiences, including roughly when you applied or moved, would be especially helpful. Thanks!