Now daily! Feel free to ask any silly stupid questions or not-so-silly stupid questions that you haven’t had a chance to ask here. Be kind to those that do and try to answer without downvoting. Please keep criticism and snide remarks out of the thread.
20 comments
So the wiring in my house is old, like super old. So old it can only support an absurdly low amp breaker box. The electric company refuses to upgrade the box until I completely redo my wiring.
This means I can’t install an Aircon on the second floor as it would pretty much Instantly short the house if the first floor one is also on. The second floor is therefore brutally hot in the summer and totally unusable.
My question is: which would be cheaper most likely? Completely replacing and upgrading the wiring in a 2story 4dk (note, my walls are a single solid piece so they have to be ran on the along the inside facing surface of the wall)
Or
Install a completely separate box and wire system upstairs just for the Aircon?
I’m graduating next year from language school and looking for a job, ideally in travel/tourism. I have experience in advertising from back home, have N2, and would like to work in a DMO or anything marketing related. Any suggestions on where I can apply? My Google searches haven’t been fruitful. Also I live in Tokyo.
Does anyone have the link to the Mainichi video of the Great Kanto Earthquake which was [posted and removed](https://old.reddit.com/r/japanlife/comments/168iwtm/mainichi_releases_video_of_1923_great_kanto/) ? I saved the post to watch when I had time; but, now that I have time, it’s gone.
If for example I have a 5 + 5 year visa and wanted to apply for PR via the 10 year route, at what time do you start applying for PR? Also what happens if you get rejected when applying for PR and you are already past the expiry of the visa? Can you still apply for an extension during that time?
are the johnsonville sausages you see in the store the same as the ones in America?
this is a stupid question, but coke tastes different and idk. I was just wondering
Any idea how much the moving cost will be from Sendai to Tokyo area? I’ve called a bunch of moving companies but they all want like my personal information first before even giving me an estimate, or that I get bombarded with calls asking for when I will be moving, etc.
I know distance and cost might vary depending on the actual address, but I only just want a general idea of the cost since I’m not even 100% sure yet if I will be using moving companies.
Edit: Forgot to add. My room is 1K, and I’m hoping to take a single bed, three desk/tables, washing machine, and a refrigerator. And maybe 10~15 boxes for personal stuff.
when renting a place with a japanese roommate, are the ‘no gaijin’ rules of certain buildings overridden because there is a japanese person also on the lease? So at that point would we just be looking to make sure places allow roomshare? I have no idea how difficult this would be and don’t know anyone else in this situation irl.
Curious about company “rent assistance”.
Supposed the company I’m working for is willing to help out with 50% of my rent. If I choose to live with someone who owns the house, can I ask my company to help out with 50% of the mortgage?
Of course, I know there is a limit to how much they would give, but would they consider it to be unfair I’m asking for the rent for a two-people house/room?
In case this depends on company rules, any insight on your experience is also welcome!
Was just posting on another thread about switching jobs. How difficult is it to switch jobs to a Gaishikei from a Japanese company? Graduated as a mechanical engineer in Japan and been working at my company (car parts manufacturing) for about a year and a half. Have N2 certificate but Japanese level is closer to N1. Feel like my level of experience in my field would hinder me a bit but I want to know what to expect and how/where to look for other opportunities. Any advice is much appreciated.
I just moved to my first apartment in Tokyo, and it has one of those tiny kitchens, where there is no space for a fridge. I was thinking of putting a fridge in the living room, but there are no grounded sockets, only regular 2 prong ones. I come from Europe, where every plug was the same, so I am quite clueless about the sockets here. Is there any way I can still plug a fridge in?
Any advice is appreciated!
Are those smaller countertop dishwashers good? Even if they can‘t fit much it could be worth it if they clean well, at least regular plates from food.
And are they a hassle to connect/setup? I‘d prefer a large one but I have no space to realistically install one.
Is there something like nextdoor that’s popular in Japan? I’d be interested to hear about events/things going on in my neighborhood.
The last few times I went to the airport, the attendants tried to send me to the visitor line at the exit border control, but relented when I tell them “日本に住んでいます” and go to fill out the Re-entry permit.
However, I think if I didn’t know what was up, it would be entirely possible for me to go into the visitor line by accident without filling out the paper. I understand if you exit without a re-entry permit you forfeit your status of residence.
So: Does it happen sometimes that residents leave through the visitor line and accidentally lose their status of residence because they didn’t know any better? Or, will the officer scan your passport, recognize that you’re a resident and ask you if you want to fill out the card?
So here is something a bit specific. I am using a BRITA filter cartridge thingy to make the tap water taste more delicious.
Now I have seen that the usage time was reduced from 8 weeks to 4 weeks.
That literally doubles the cost…and I have doubts that this is really worth it. While I could notice some deterioration of flavor after the 8 weeks mark, 4 weeks seems ridiculous.
Does anyone know why? Is this a Japan only thing? (would not be the first time that Japanese customers get milked specifically)
Applied for Sumitomo Mitsui Card and they sent an SMS requesting I call a number to confirm application details.
Is this part of the usual registration process for credit cards here?
Any recommendations for a pet supplies store (not pet store) with the best/most varied selection of pet carriers in Tokyo area? I want to look for a bag style carrier for a big-ish cat (about 6 kg) and I’d like to browse offline if possible.
Are there any crypto top-up Mastercards or Amex cards that can be used in Japan?
For example – cards from Binance or Revolut. I don’t need a large limit, even just 30000 yen a month would be fine, but the more the better. I don’t need to withdraw fiat from the card.
The goal to get such a card is to use it for general retail purchases and topping up Apple Pay, as all my foreign credit and debit cards are Visa.
I’ve noticed that the nozzle of my kitchen sink tap is really gross. What can I use to clean it? The little plastic part comes out so are there any “safe” chemicals or methods to get that stuff off?
So going off front page posts recently…
All the fun things to do are in Tokyo and you can meet a variety of people, especially if you’re young and want to make friends
but also
Tokyo is an ice cold landscape in terms of socialization and everyone is a depressed zombie
I know the experience differs and greatly, and Tokyo can seem like either or both of the above at any time to any person, but coming from a big city like New York I just feel at home whenever I set foot in Tokyo. I feel like a lot of the quips people have about Tokyo are just big city things and that the posters are coming from a smaller town/area?
As someone who is looking to move to Tokyo in the future, is there anyone here from a big city or has lived in one outside of Japan, who currently lives in Tokyo, that can give me their thoughts?
I’ll probably need to post again for the new daily thread considering the time now, but…
Found a lump that kind of worries me and want to get it checked out, can anyone recommend an English-speaking doctor/specialist in Tokyo?
Hopefully one that accepts Japan national health insurance, but I’ll consider what options are available.