Living in Japan

LIVING IN JAPAN

JLPT Seats Are Running Out as Japan Ties More Visas to Japanese Tests

Just as the government is adding Japanese-language requirements to certain visas, the twice-yearly JLPTs are getting seriously crowded.

LIVING IN JAPAN

“Katakana Hell”: The Culture Shocks Japan’s Asian Immigrants Actually Face

What surprises Asian immigrants in Japan? From corporate jargon to the country's famously indirect "no," there's a lot to navigate.

LIVING IN JAPAN

Japan’s New Permanent-Residency Rules Would Demand Foreigners Out-Earn Most Japanese

Japan may soon raise the income requirements for permanent residency, shutting out most workers here from ever qualifying.

LIVING IN JAPAN

Nara Deer Move Themselves to Osaka – and Nara Doesn’t Want Them Back

There are too many deer in Nara Park. To remedy the situation, it seems at least a few of the creatures are…

LIVING IN JAPAN

Tokyo Citizens Protest That the Rent Is Too Damn High

Tokyo is becoming hard to afford for more people, with the cost of a one-bedroom home reaching record levels.

LIVING IN JAPAN

Immigrant Crime in Japan Is Dropping as Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric Soars

Right-wingers in Japan claim that the country is becoming more unsafe due to immigrants. The data doesn't back that up.

LIVING IN JAPAN

Japan to Expand Entry Screening and Raise Visa Fees

Traveling and moving to Japan is about to get a lot more expensive, thanks to a proposed set of fee hikes.

LIVING IN JAPAN

Ibaraki Prefecture to Pay Residents a Bounty for Reporting Illegal Foreign Workers

The bounty-style reporting scheme is unprecedented at the prefectural level - and it's drawing some obvious criticisms.