Living in Japan
How do you file your income tax (kakutei shinkoku) in Japan?
How to file your income tax in Japan - a step-by-step guide.
Living in Japan
Living in Japan
How can you pay Japanese income taxes online?
Here's the lede - you can pay your Japanese income tax using your credit card. And here's the "but" - and the only reason this becomes something worth writing about - they don't necessarily make it easy for you to do. tl;
Posts about Japan
Is the new Japan Marriott Bonvoy Amex Premium card still worth it?
In 2024 i wrote a post about what credit card i applied for, and why. Spoiler alert, its the Marriott Bonvoy Amex Premium card. Some things have changed since then. Here's the main section of an email i got from Amex back in August - you don'
Living in Japan
Using an ATM in Japan is not as straightforward as you think.
This feels like it could be esoteric knowledge, which is precisely why i'm sharing it. The long and short of it is, * ATMs at 7-11 read the IC chip in your card * Other banks read your card's magnetic stripe Why this does matter? Well, a few
Living in Japan
What's it like to convert your license in Japan?
May marked the end of a long and trying period of my life. Trials and tribulations abounded in the form of paperwork, waiting, more paperwork, more waiting, a grumpy Japanese man, and a ten-minute drive that, supposedly, can tell a grumpy Japanese man everything he needs to know about my
Posts about Japan
What do you do when your Rakuten account gets blocked?
Overcoming the odds. Surviving the trials and tribulations of being falsely accused. Losing and finding one's Rakuten account again. Inspired by true events
Living in Japan
What's it like to do a surgery in Japan?
A loose guidebook to navigating a surgery in Japan.
Living in Japan
What is kafunsho to a person living in Japan?
A perspective on a springtime phenomenon and what seems to be an essential part of Japanese identity.
Getting started in Japan
My preferred credit card in Japan, and why
A follow up on my experience applying for a credit card in Japan. At the risk of being reductionist, to my mind there's really only 1 credit card worth getting...
Getting started in Japan
How do you get a credit card in Japan?
One year in the making. I've finally gotten the credit card i wanted in Japan. Here's what i've pieced together about the process, and how i view improving your odds for getting one.
Getting started in Japan
What are Imabari towels and why do they matter to you?
Well, they don't. They matter to me. Which is why i'm writing about it. Maybe a little hyperbolic, but using one was a moment of exposure to little luxuries. These towels don't matter to you now, but they could by the end of this post.