Daily life roadmap

Arrival → IC card + SIM → Transport pass → Shopping routine

Student checklist — first week

  • Day 1–2: yen cash, Suica/Pasmo, SIM or eSIM, save your address and international office contact.
  • Day 3–5: teikiken (if commuting) with student certificate, first grocery shop (Aeon/OK Store), ward garbage collection calendar.
  • Week 1: municipal registration + NHI, activate PayPay if you have a bank account, university email for education software.

Weekly budget (practical method)

  1. Monthly estimate — Use the table below; divide by 4 (e.g. ¥150,000/month → about ¥37,500/week).
  2. Fixed costs — Pay rent and teikiken on the due date; do not touch that portion.
  3. Food — university cafeteria + konbini in moderation + OK Store for main groceries.
  4. Buffer — Keep ¥5,000–¥10,000 for pharmacy, documents, top-ups.
  5. Sunday: check bank statement / banking app — adjust for the following week.

Indicative monthly budget (2026, excluding university tuition)

ItemTokyoOsaka / regional cities
Rent (1K / room)¥70,000–¥130,000¥40,000–¥80,000
Groceries + cafeteria¥25,000–¥45,000¥20,000–¥35,000
Transport¥5,000–¥15,000¥4,000–¥10,000
Phone + internet¥5,000–¥12,000¥4,000–¥10,000
Utilities (if excluded)¥8,000–¥15,000¥7,000–¥12,000
Leisure¥10,000–¥25,000¥8,000–¥20,000
Indicative total¥123,000–¥242,000¥83,000–¥167,000

Last updated: May 2026 — indicative estimates; schools may require about ¥1.5–2.0 million/year for the CoE — ISA / host institution

Supermarkets and saving money

  • Aeon, Life, Seiyu (Walmart), OK Store (discount).
  • Don Quijote — Variety, open late.
  • 100 yen shops (Daiso, Seria) — Household and stationery.
  • Konbini (7-Eleven, Lawson, FamilyMart) — Quick meals, ATMs, bill payment.
  • University cafeterias — Meal about ¥300–¥500 if subsidised.

Student discounts

  • Commuter pass (teikiken 定期券) — Train/metro subscription between home and university (up to about 50% off single tickets).
  • Japan Rail Pass — For short-term tourists only, not for resident students.
  • Museums / culture — Discounts with student ID.
  • Software — Microsoft/Google education via university email.

Public transport

  1. Buy a Suica or Pasmo (IC card) at a station — usable on metro, buses, and at konbini.
  2. For commuters: teikiken at the ticket office (student certificate required).
  3. Google Maps / Japan Transit Planner — Accurate timetables.
  4. Bicycle — Bicycle registration mandatory in many municipalities (防犯登録).

Last updated: May 2026 — JR East — Suica

SIM and internet

  1. Carriers: SoftBank, au, docomo, Rakuten Mobile, MVNOs (Sakura Mobile, Mobal for foreigners).
  2. Documents: residence card + passport; some prepaid plans available at the airport.
  3. eSIM — Available (Rakuten, etc.) if your phone is compatible.
  4. Home fibre — NTT Hikari, au Hikari; installation 2–4 weeks — check building rules.

Life on your own (what parents often did at home)

Beyond budget and trains: laundry, basic cooking, waste sorting, and dorm/share-house rules. In Japan, humidity (rainy season, summer) makes drying as important as washing.

Washing machine and coin laundry (コインランドリー)
  • At home: compact machines with Japanese panels — often 洗濯 (wash), 乾燥 (dry), temperatures in °C.
  • Coin laundry: common near campus (¥200–¥500 wash + dryer); coins or app; often open late.
  • Detergent: supermarket or sold on site; single-use pods help if you cannot read labels.
  • Drying: in humid seasons dry immediately on a 物干し rack or use a dryer; mould on clothes is a real issue.
  • Share house: book laundry slots if required; do not leave clothes in the machine.
  1. Check care symbols; if unsure, cold or 30 °C water.
  2. Do not overload small drums.
  3. Hang or machine-dry within 1–2 hours of the cycle.
  4. In university dorms: respect quiet hours and shared space.
Basic cooking, konbini, and canteen
  • Konbini — hot meals are convenient but cost more than weekly shopping if you use them daily.
  • Supermarkets — OK Store, Seiyu for the week; campus canteen ¥300–¥500 when subsidised.
  • Equipment: many 1K flats only have a microwave/hob — check before buying large pots.
Rubbish, cleaning, and flatmates
  • Mandatory sorting — burnable, plastic, PET, glass: municipal calendar (often Japanese only — ask your international office).
  • Collection: specific bags and strict time windows — fines for wrong day/type.
  • Share house: kitchen/bathroom rota; quiet hours after 22:00 in many contracts.

Driving licence

  • Home-country licence + official translation or International Driving Permit (1949 Geneva Convention) — limited validity (often 1 year after entry).
  • After that period: Japanese driving test or conversion (only some countries have reciprocity).
  • Car ownership: high costs (parking, shaken inspection insurance).

Pets

Bringing a pet to Japan
  1. Microchip and rabies vaccination (MAFF rules — waiting period before entry).
  2. Health notification at the Agriculture quarantine station at the airport.
  3. Some dog breeds are banned; apartments often prohibit pets (petto kinshi).
  4. Check MAFF — Animal Quarantine (current year rules).

Culture: what surprises students

  • Punctuality — Train delays are exceptions; arrive 10 minutes early for official appointments.
  • Cash — Still important; carry yen for small shops and temples.
  • Garbage — Strict separation (burnable, plastic, PET) with the ward calendar.
  • Quiet — On trains and in libraries; phone on vibrate.
  • Humid season — Dehumidifier and washing machine: dry clothes immediately to avoid mould.

Useful apps

AppUse
PayPay, Line PayMobile payments
Google Maps, NavitimeTransport
Uber Eats, Demae-canFood delivery
Google Translate (camera)Menus and forms in Japanese
Japan Official Travel AppTourism info and emergencies

Pharmacies, post, and services

  • Pharmacies — Green sign; many medicines prescription-only (shohosen).
  • Japan Post — Yū-Pack for parcels; post office for international shipping.
  • ATMs — 7-Bank and Japan Post accept foreign cards; traditional banks often do not after hours.

Last updated: May 2026 — Study in Japan

Next step: NHI and clinics — see the Health guide.

Waste

Wrong collection day = problems with landlord and neighbors.

Quick reference

Precise timetables, marked seasons, excellent food at every price. Separation of shoes, waste per day, and indirect messages are part of the integration.

  • Universal Suica/Pasmo
  • Cash + QR mix
  • Konbini 24/7 saves dinners
  • Four seasons: spacious wardrobe

Transport

Metro on time; last train ~midnight (dep. city). Shinkansen for travel with limited student discount. Bike ok with regulated parking.

  • Suica
  • Google Maps JP
  • Last train

Climate and what to pack

Humid and hot summer; cold dry winter; June rain (tsuyu). Typhoon autumn. Layers and compact umbrella.

  • Optional pollen season mask
  • Easy to take off shoes

Phone and internet

Telephone

Rakuten Mobile, au, SoftBank. Pocket WiFi for the first few days. growing eSIMs. Japan Post for official documents.

  • My Number card optional after years
  • Line app for class groups

Food and groceries

Good for students

Konbini, izakaya, cafeteria canteen. Etiquette: Do not eat while walking on the street in many areas. Ramen slurp ok.

Habits and settling in

Genkan shoes, burnable/non-burnable separation. Lightweight bow. Indirect about issues — ask clearly but politely.

  • Onsen: tattoo rules
  • Cash tray at the checkout
Deep dive (optional)

Go deeper

Key numbers

ServiceNumber / note
Police (emergency)110
Ambulance / fire119
Japan Coast Guard118 for distress at sea and certain aviation emergencies
Police (non-emergency)#9110 — NPA advisory line for lost property and minor matters (dial # then 9110 on many Japanese mobiles)
Mobile “112” routing112 may connect to emergency centres on some networks—confirm with your carrier; 110/119 remain the standard numbers
Consumer hotline188 routes you to local consumer centres (call from Japan; hours/charges on the CAA site)
English emotional supportTELL Lifeline — see current dial-in hours

Post & pharmacy

Japan Post

Mail, parcels, and counter services.

Pharmacy

OTC drug classes and prescriptions (shohosen); bring your health insurance card.

Go deeper

Driving licence & ID

Exchange rules, international permits, and minimum ages differ widely. Confirm with the national or state motoring authority in Japan before driving; rental desks usually require licence plus passport or national ID.

Mobile plans & SIM

Compare prepaid vs contract; you will usually need ID and sometimes proof of address. Ask about number portability, fair-use data caps, and EU/international roaming if you travel outside Japan.

Groceries & food

Mix discount supermarkets with local markets and food-rescue apps where they operate. Check Sunday opening rules and bag/bottle deposit schemes in Japan—they affect weekly cost.

Official government portal · Official energy efficiency hub

Sources · Last verified: 2026-05

  • JR East student / city ward guide (official link being updated)
Trusted sources we used for this content

Japanese government sources (many offer English pages) plus Eurostat for comparison: MOFA, the Immigration Services Agency, the National Tax Agency, MHLW, and e-Gov. Procedures change—confirm on the official site.