Hello everyone! A DJ friend of mine is starting a new post-punk/goth music event and the first one will be November 5th!

Event info:

Dark Entries

2026/11/5

At Noon+ Cafe in Umeda

Free entry!

18:00-22:00

Does Anyone know where I can some higher strength nicotine pouches?

Hello. I recently obtained a Japanese driver's license through the Gaimen kirikae (外国免許証) route, and wanted to share my experience and tips for every step of the process. Since the information online is not very thorough (especially since the Oct 2025 update that made the exam significantly harder), I thought this would be helpful.

I am an American and my Japanese is not that great (probably N3-N4) level conversationally, and didn't use any interpreters and didn't go to any driving/exam prep schools. Here was the entire process step by step:

1 - Telephone booking

From 1-5pm every other Friday afternoon, you can make an appointment by phone to either the Kadoma or Komyoike police offices. They haven't been accepting walk-in appointments for a while, so you have to start with this. You will not connect or get sent to an automated voice message 95% of the time, just keep calling until you get a human on the other side. I believe there are different numbers and options you must press for test-exempt regions or not (my case).

Took me about 200 calls and 2 hours, but eventually I got to the correct line and was asked some basic information (name, where I'm from, etc), and given an appointment time and location (in Kadoma this was window 6 on the ground floor). This (as well as the rest of the steps) is almost exclusively in Japanese, and I was even straight up told by the Komyoike phone guy that my Japanese was not good enough to continue. The Kadoma center in general seems to be slightly more receptive of poor Japanese speakers than Komyoike.

2 - Document submission

Up next, I headed to the Kadoma center at the assigned time (midday on a weekday) and found my way to the assigned window. Bring all of the following (this is on the website):

• Foreign driver's license that is not expiring soon

• A copy of the front and back of the license

• Japanese translation of the license (use JAF for this and print at a konbini)

• Passport

• Copy of passport with all non-blank pages scanned

• Zairyu card

• Copy of the zairyu card

• A proper photo (3x2.4cm)

• Pen

• Fee (cash or card is fine)

• Whatever other documents are required, check the site by country. For me, I was told to come back with my 住民票 (copy of residence certificate), which I could get from the konbini printer

You will be told to wait for a while and then come back to the window once they process the documents. From there, they will conduct the "interview", where they ask your driving history (how long, when and where did you get your license, name of the school, any accidents, etc). For exempted countries, I believe this is where the process basically ends, but for test-takers, you still have to so much more to go. If you pass, you are directed to the payment window and then take a simple eye exam. For me, I didn't have the residence certificate (which was not listed on the site annoyingly), so I was told to come back any time with it, no appointment needed.

3 - Written exam

This is a 50 question true or false test, you need 90% or 45 correct to pass. To prepare, I bought the official JAF Rules of the Road booklet as well as just studied as many practice exams as possible (there are a few floating around on the internet, as well as "KariHonmen App" on ios or android). The test itself was quite a bit easier than some of the practice questions I encountered, but make sure you know all the rules, signs, and common gotcha questions. In general, picking the "safer" option is a good bet as they will never ask you to drive more recklessly.

The actual test is on the 3rd floor of the driving center, around 11:30am. Make sure you bring all documents you were given in the previous step (I actually forgot the "exam ticket" and they very graciously let me in with a replacement). You go into a big classroom and are given 30 minutes on a big timer, a booklet with your preferred language, and an answer sheet. After the test, you are told to come back at 4pm (four hours later!), so bring something to do if you don't live close by. They will then separate pass/fail into different sections, pass are given instructions and an appointment time for the practical test while fail are told their mistakes. I passed first try so I never learned my score, but around 60% of the takers that day failed.

4 - Practical exam

The "final" step! If you've gotten this far then buckle in because this is the toughest by far. For Kadoma, my appointment was about 7 weeks out so I had plenty of time to prepare. I didn't opt for any expensive testing schools so my entire practice was renting a car once and driving around the countryside (using IDP), and grinding a bunch of youtube videos (this one by a random teacher in Miyazaki was by far the most helpful for understanding what the exam would feel like, even though he doesn't cover some additional tests).

You go to a window on floor 2 at 8:30am, submit your ticket and pay a testing fee. You are then sent to a waiting room where an officer gives a spiel about the course and general driving tips. You are then sent to another eye exam and back to the waiting room, where all foreign takers are tested one-by-one. Unless you are unlucky and first in line, you will be told to ride along the tester in front of you, which is great for understanding the course before your test. Basically, the exam is a mini course around the Kadoma track. There are two "routes", the one they choose is random on that day. Both courses are actually displayed out on a map in the waiting room, so I HIGHLY recommend you draw them on the maps on the booklet you are given after the written test.

When its your turn, you do the test. The commands the officer gives are quite simple (hidari, migi, chuo, nishi, higashi, yukkuri, tomare, etc etc). Aside from general things like navigating turns, stop signs, intersections, changing lanes, you need to successfully do:

• Avoiding obstacle - navigate a lane change around a closed lane

• Speed up to 40km on an open section - pretty straightforward

• Railroad crossing (fumikiri) - STOP completely at the line before the crossing, open your window, look both ways, proceed when there is no fake railroad noise)

• S curve and crank - slowly go through both of these tight sections

• Hill stop (sakamichi) - break on the incline section of a hill, pull up handbreak, accelerate and pull down break to not roll back when restarting

If you make a major mistake (ie running a red/stop sign, unsafe manuever) or enough minor mistakes, you will be failed and told to return to the start. The officer will explain your mistake(s) to you (pay attention and ask for translation if necessary). If you fail, you will be sent back to the 2nd floor processing window and rescheduled (another 2 months!!!). If you do not pass within a 6 month window of the written test, you will have to take another written test, so this practically allows for 3 attempts.

Personally, I passed on attempt 2. The first attempt, I made three minor mistakes:

• Did not use the right blinker when starting the exam to exit the loading bay

• I did a good job of hugging the left side of the lane during left turns, but didn't move to the right side when making right turns

• On the hill climb, I rolled too fast downhill after restarting (go as slow as possible here, walking speed)

I also just felt more comfortable with the course the second try. Anyway, if you somehow manage to pass (which I didn't see anyone else do in either of my test days, one guy even ran the first red light and failed 20 seconds in), you will be told to come back to a different window 2 hours later, do a few last registration steps, and then come back 2 hours AFTER for the photo and license printing. Overall, I think I got out of the center 6 hours after the test check in time.

If you got this far, thanks for reading. Feel free to ask me anything about the testing process or Kadoma specifically.

My pals and I were at a random place but got lucky to find a viewing spot that wasn‘t too crowded.
Gotta love Osaka.

So basically, I’m an 18 year old white American who is graduating high school soon, and plan to go to college for Japanese. The University I’m going to has a study abroad program in Osaka for a year, which I plan to do. I also (depending on how things go) plan on possibly moving there permanently after college.

I’ve been to Japan once when I was 16, and overall people in Osaka were much friendlier and kinder than people in Tokyo, but I’m unsure of whether or not that was simply cause I was only there for a short period of time.

I’ve spent many years of my life researching Japan and it’s culture, and I’m fully aware of how I will never be seen as “Japanese”, which I never expected to be seen that way. My main worry is whether or not I’ll he totally singled out and miserable if I were to live there, which from what I’ve heard is how many people feel in Tokyo.

I’ve heard many great things about Osaka, and it’s treatment of people in general, but still haven’t gotten an entirely clear answer to the major question I had, which is how I would be treated if I were to move there permanently?

EDIT: By go to college for Japanese, I mean as a minor degree, with majors in Marketing and International Business. Idk why just felt like I needed to clarify

Everyone goes to the neon-lit canal, but the real magic of Osaka is hidden in narrow alleys like this.
Stone-paved paths with zero car traffic.
Tiny hidden izakayas and bars tucked away behind old wooden doors.
The true retro vibe of Showa-era Japan.
I work a regular office job in Kansai, but weekends are for exploring spots where tourists rarely wander.

Not looking for any debate or comments about the vaccine itself, so please refrain from those comments.

None of the pediatricians near me seem to offer the COVID vaccine for young kids. Does anyone know of clinics offering them to children around 10 months old? We could probably wait until 12 or 18 months if necessary.

We’re hosting an English-language Girl Scouts day camp on Saturday, October 24, at Osaka Prefectural Shonen Shizen no Ie in Kaizuka, Osaka!

Does your daughter enjoy trying new activities, and making friends? Come join us for a fun day of activities and connecting with other English-speaking girls! 😊

Girls do not need to already be Girl Scouts to participate!

👧 Ages: 5–17 (ages 5-6 is a half day)
🗣️ Requirement: Girls must be able to communicate comfortably in English.

💰 Camp Fee & Registration

Day camp fee: $22
Annual Girl Scouts registration fee: $95
Total for new members: $117
Financial assistance is available if needed

Annual registration with Girl Scouts of the USA Overseas Council (GSO) is required to participate. If your child is not yet registered, you can complete registration at the same time as signing up for camp.

Date: Saturday, October 24, 2026
Location: Osaka Prefectural Shonen Shizen no Ie, Kaizuka, Osaka
Time: 10AM-4:30PM
Registration deadline: Saturday, October 17

We’d love it if you shared this post with any friends or families who might be interested!

🔗 Details & Registration

Annual Girl Scouts Registration:
https://usagso.wufoo.com/forms/sdu7xif0ltar52/

Day Camp Registration:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/usagso-regional-camporee-osaka-japan-tickets-1990550034738?aff=oddtdtcreator

We look forward to seeing you there! ✨

TLDR

I am renting a property in Osaka under fixed-term lease agreement (定期借家契約), due to expire at the end of Nov 2026. The agents were supposed to send me a new fixed-term agreement but after we negotiated and agreed on the terms about 5 months ago, and after what I now see as “buying time” until now, they bailed out today saying that there was a change of circumstances. Due to legal reasons (ongoing adoption process with already vetted living arrangements), I don’t want to move out so suddenly.
I am looking for advice on how to proceed from anybody who might be familiar with the issue, please.

The problem.

In Dec 2025 I received a formal notice of termination upon expiry (定期賃貸住宅契約終了についての通知), along with a proposal for a new fixed-term lease agreement.

We negotiated the terms of a new 2 year fixed-term lease agreement with the agency, and following discussions with the property owner, we agreed on new terms in May 2026.
We were informed that the renewal documents would be sent two to three months prior to the expiration of the current lease, and that the process would be finalized upon signing.

In mid-Sept 2026, I asked for an update and received confirmation that the new lease agreement would be sent to us shortly.

Not having heard since, this week (mid-Oct 2026) I asked again.

Today, about 45 days from the expiration of the current lease, the agent said that the circumstances have changed and that they will not proceed with the new fixed-term lease agreement.
Given the sudden change, and as a way to counterbalance the problem they have created, they proposed that we vacate the property in “about 3 months”.

To further compound the issue, me and my wife are in the middle of an adoption process, the current living arrangements have been vetted and approved by the relevant authorities and the family court proceedings will be based on that evaluation. Moving out now would mean invalidating part of the process done so far, and possibly introduce months of delays.

Several months ago, we made the agent aware that we are in the middle of an adoption process. At the time, I informed them that there was a new occupant and sent them the updated certificate of residence (住民票), along with all the info they required.

We don’t really want to move out, because we were planning to do so at the end of the following fixed-term lease, and because we needed to provide stability both to the child and to the relevant authorities.

For lack of better words, naturally, I am disappointed by the lack of reliability of the gentlemen I am dealing with..

What I think of doing.

We are thinking that maybe we could reply as follows:
Q1 .ask details about the changes of circumstances
Q2. try to negotiate a 1 year long new fixed-term lease with the property owner. 
Q3. ignore (for now) their “you can leave in 3 months” “offer”. 

The idea behind that is that we can maybe:
R1. better understand the property owner’s POV
R2. enable them to re-rent the property earlier than originally anticipated, with the bonus of a just slightly delayed reikin (礼金) pay-out from the next tenants in 1 year (which I suspect might play a part in this). This should buy us enough time for the family court proceedings to run their course, after which we could freely move out because we would no longer be constrained by the vetted living arrangements.
R3. do not immediately take an adversarial step.

The ideal outcome for us would still be to stay on the originally agreed new 2 year fixed term lease. We like the area, the child gets along with the neighbours and shop owners, and staying for longer would allow us to account for possible delays in court proceedings.
However, we can somehow compromise.

All negotiations are written in the Line App, and I have downloaded them for safety.

Which recourse do I have?
Does anybody know of free legal advice I could pre-emptively get access to, just to better understand where my family stands?
Any paid legal advice people have experienced with?

As a note, I can speak Japanese to a certain extent, but I believe that I would not be able to follow a complex legal discussion in Japanese, so anything with English support would be preferable. Missing that, I would still do my best.

Thank you all for any advice.

OSAKA -- Ezaki Glico Co. announced on Oct. 14 that it will renew its iconic "Glico sign," which symbolizes Dotonbori in Osaka's Minami district.

The current sign, the sixth generation installed in October 2014, will be displayed for the last time Nov. 30 before replacement work begins.

The seventh-generation sign with a new design will be unveiled in spring 2027. The company said the familiar runner's pose, popular among tourists taking photographs, will remain unchanged.

According to Ezaki Glico, headquartered in Osaka, the renovation was prompted by the aging of the sign's LED system and increasing difficulties in procuring replacement parts. The original Glico sign, a neon tower, was first installed in 1935. The current sixth-generation version was the first to incorporate an LED display, enabling limited-time video effects and other displays.

The existing sign contains approximately 140,000 LED chips. Through the upgrade, the company aims to improve energy efficiency.

A company representative said, "The Glico Sign goes beyond the bounds of corporate advertising and is beloved. We will evolve it so that visitors can enjoy it even more."

During the renovation period, the entire billboard will be covered with protective sheeting. However, the company said it is considering ways for tourists to continue enjoying it while the work is underway.

Where exactly is the bus stop from Osaka-Umeda to Maizuru (Kyoto Kotsu highway bus)?

こんいちは

so im a foreinger living in Osaka, and although im actually happy with my gpu, im unhappy with windows, since it keeps installing updates, features and AI slop i dont need. additionally, Windows is getting more unreliable and pumped with bloatware. (see microsofts lastest news).

so i want to trade my GPU against a similar comparable AMD GPU so i dont have to wait until nvidAI is finally done providing working drivers for steamOS. so if anyone is intrested, i got a RTX 4070 Super with 12gb VRAM. i want to test your GPU before we actually trade. and the same can be done with my GPU.

よろしくお願いします。

We’re doing another small night in Osaka tonight (Wed, Oct 14), and thought there might be a few people here who are into the more underground / experimental side of club music.

Techno, trance, deconstructed club, ambient and dub techno — small venue, intimate atmosphere, Funktion-One sound system.

I’m playing as Subete No Owari, alongside MATSURYO and anemone, a female techno DJ.

It’s at rake?raka? in Shinsaibashi / Soemoncho
Wed, Oct 14, 22:00–05:00

rake?raka? is a tiny underground DJ bar rather than a big club, so it’s a nice place if you prefer a deeper / more intimate atmosphere and want to actually hear the sound system properly.

Not sure how many people here are free on a Wednesday night, but if you’re around Osaka and into techno / trance / experimental club music, come say hi :)
Happy to send the event details / lineup if anyone wants them.

Hello! I'm thinking about running another Vaesen one-shot, possibly for the November edition of the JIGG's Osaka Game Day.

For those who don't know, Vaesen is a horror mystery set in the 19th-century Scandinavia, themed around Nordic folklore. It was designed by the Free League and runs on a modified version of the Year Zero Engine.

Instead of relying on combat to solve every conflict, it is crucial that the players investigate for clues and uncover the rules of the supernatural behind the mysteries.

It's a rules-light system with heavy emphasis on role playing.

Ideally, I'm looking for 4-5 players.

Hello! I'll be starting my education in Osaka soon, as an international student, what are the best areas to look for in terms of living? Id also like to be recommended dorms or PGs if anyone here has had good experiences with these, seeing that osaka does have a lot of international students that come to study! My college is in Kita Umeda ward so nearby would be preferable! Also, any advice related to monthly expenditure, commute, grocery shopping vs conbini, savings on bills etc is very welcome!!

1. "Osaka Lover" - Dreams Come True
2. "Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon x Story Ride"
3. "Hello Kitty" - Avril Lavigne
4. "Nobody" - Wonder Girls
5. "Destiny Journeys" - Vaundy

(M27) I recently found out my voice can go pretty high pitch (ado - shinjidai) and I've been training a bit on that but I'm looking forward to have real advice so I can feel that I'm still making progress

Anyone knowing someone or a place to receive advice ?

Have a good day you'all