The first thing to do when you arrive in Japan

What is the first thing you need to do when you get to Japan?

When I talked to my friend Anthony from Tokyo Podcast he reminded me of something I almost forgot although I had the same problem when I just came to Japan. I mentioned it in another post already but it’s crucial, so I decided to make it an extra post.

The first thing you should do when you arrive in Japan is get a phone! In a country with more cell phones than people living here having a phone – or to be more accurate, a phone number – is sooo important that’s it’s not even funny anymore.

Where ever you go and what ever you try to do, you need a phone number. For example you just arrived in Japan, go to the real estate agent and want him to find a place for you, one thing he will definitely do is to ask you for a phone number. The problem is, to get a phone (with a contract as prepaid phones are everything but popular and sometimes even hard to get your hands on) you need your Alien Registration Card. To get your Alien Registration Card, you need to an address you can register with. But to rent a place you need a phone number. (Actually even when you go to the local ward office for alien registration, they ask you for a phone number.)

Luckily there are some ways to solve the problem and here’s how you can do it:

Solution 1: Rent a phone at the airport. You might not get the newest high-end smart phone but you can use it to do what once was a phone’s main purpose – make phone calls – and provides you with a phone number. Rental phones are about 200 Yen (2$) a day and you can rent them for as many days as you want.  (Check http://www.narita-airport.jp/en/guide/service/list/svc_19.html)

Solution 2: Get a phone from a local friend or ask him if you can give out his number as your contact information.

Solution 3: If you are staying at a guest house the first time you can register with the guesthouse address and then change your address after you moved into your own apartment. Then you can get your Alien Registration Card and buy a phone.

Solution 4: buy a prepaid phone. Although they are not really popular and more expensive then contract phones, it’s still better than having no phone at all.

Special solution: this is not a real solution but a useful advice. In most of the cases they are asking for a phone number but not necessarily for your phone number. It’s just important that it’s a number where they can get a hold of you. This can be a friend’s number if you are hanging out with him a lot, your company’s number, your hotel number… Of course when you are for instance waiting for a call from your real estate agent you might want to choose a number where he can actually contact you.

Important! It takes about 2 to 3 weeks before you receive your Alien Registration Card after registration. But that doesn’t mean you can’t get a phone or open a bank account in the meantime. The only thing you have to do is get a certificate on registered matters (jikokisaijikoshoumeisho – 記載事項証明書) when you register at your local ward office. You have to fill out some extra application form and pay 300 Yen (3$) per copy. You can get as many as you want and need them for instance for opening a bank account and getting a phone. Once you get your Alien Registration Card you don’t need them anymore as they basically include only the information that are on your card.

That’s it! If you have any other ideas, solutions, comments, just leave us a comment or send us a mail!

Related Posts via Categories

• All you need to know about the new residence management system in Japan – Part II
• All you need to know about the new residence management system in Japan – Part I
• Finding a place to live
• Riding the Waves of Culture
• Getting there/after arrival