Monthly Archives

January 2020

In conclusions – Mobile phone contract

By | Life in Japan, Life Style

Every career is consistent
・ Residence card
・ Special permanent resident certificate
・ Credit card or cash card required for payment
Is necessary.
Besides that
・ Public utility receipt
・ Certificate of residence
Is useful as a supplementary document for your residence card.

There are various characteristics for each carrier, such as where you can sign up at a physical store, where foreign staff can respond, and where you have to apply online.
Choose a career that fits your needs.

 

  1. How to sign a mobile phone in Japan ?
  2. Three major carriers – docomo , au , SoftBank
  3. MVNO(Mobile Virtual Network Operator) – Y! Mobile , UQ , LINE , mineo , Rakuten
  4. In conclusions – Mobile phone contract

MVNO(Mobile Virtual Network Operator) – Y! Mobile , UQ , LINE , mineo , Rakuten

By | Life in Japan, Life Style

Here are five MVNO(Mobile Virtual Network Operator) companies that are popular among Japanese.
MVNO has a cheap price plan, and the biggest advantage for short-term residents is that the contract period is looser than the three major carriers.
On the other hand, it is necessary to keep in mind that there are disadvantages such as slow internet connection and small communication area.
Let’s look at the five MVNO companies at once.

Y! Mobile

Y! Mobile is a brand operated by SoftBank.
To be precise, Y! Mobile is not a MVNO, but it is a popular carrier because it has a cheaper rate plan than the three major companies and the communication speed is as fast as Softbank.

Required documents

・ Card foreign passport or special permanent resident certificate
・ Name seal (permitted with name seal, not with self-inking stamp)
・ Credit payment… Credit card
・ Bank transfer: Bankbook + seal used for bank transactions or cash card + seal used for bank transactions

UQ Mobile

UQ Mobile is the fastest of the cheapest SIMs
However, if you want to pay in installments, you need to be aware that installments may not be possible if your period of stay does not meet the UQ Mobile standards.

Required documents

・ Resident Card or Special Permanent Resident Certificate
* In the case of lump-sum payment by account transfer, the remaining period during the stay is required at least 8 months. In the case of installment payment, if the period of stay is less than the standard of UQ Mobile, it may not be possible to purchase in installments.
・ Credit payment… Credit card
・ Bank transfer: The original cash card

LINE Mobile

LINE Mobile has popular LINE MOBILE plan that does not consume data communication charges even if you use major SNS such as LINE, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Also, it does not support direct debit, but it is convenient that you can pay with LINE Pay or LINE Pay card besides credit card.

Required documents

・ Special permanent resident certificate or residence card + supporting documents (utility receipt)
・ Credit payment… Credit card
・ LINE Pay payment … LINE Pay account
・ LINE Pay card payment … LINE Pay card

mineo

mineo is a nice feature for those who are considering a mobile contract for a short stay because there is no cancellation fee when canceling.
Payment can only be made by credit card.

Required documents

・ Resident Card or Alien Registration Certificate
・ Auxiliary documents (utility receipt or certificate of residence)
・credit card

Rakuten Mobile

Rakuten Mobile has the advantage that you can pay monthly from Rakuten points that you have accumulated.
People who frequently use Rakuten services such as Rakuten Ichiba are easy to collect points and are brands with great merit.

Required documents

・ Special permanent resident certificate or residence card
・ Auxiliary documents (utility receipt , certificate of residence or notification evacuation site certificate)
・ Credit payment… Credit card
・ Debit card payment… Debit card (Only Rakuten Bank Debit Card or Suruga Bank Debit Card can be registered)
・ Bank transfer… Cash card or passbook

 

  1. How to sign a mobile phone in Japan ?
  2. Three major carriers – docomo , au , SoftBank
  3. MVNO(Mobile Virtual Network Operator) – Y! Mobile , UQ , LINE , mineo , Rakuten
  4. In conclusions – Mobile phone contract

Three major carriers – docomo , au , SoftBank

By | Life in Japan, Life Style

docomo, au and SoftBank are the three major carriers of mobile phones in Japan.
The advantages of choosing the three major carriers include high communication speed and quality, support at physical stores, and the ability to purchase the latest smartphones at great pricing.
On the other hand, the disadvantage is that the monthly fee is high and the two-year contract is the mainstream, so it is not suitable for short-term stayers or vactioners.
Let’s take a look at the characteristics and required documents of each mobile company.

docomo

docomo boasts the largest market share among Japanese mobile phone companies.
The positive features of this company is that the communication/reception area is wide,
Often receiving signals and connection where other companies do not. Data speed tends to also be fast.

Required documents

・ Resident Card or Alien Registration Certificate
* If you want to make a monthly payment by fund transfer, you will need a supplementary document (utility receipt or certificate of residence).
・ Credit payment… Credit card
・ Bank transfer… Cash card or bankbook + seal used for bank transactions
・ For minors (under 20 years old)
You will also need a parental consent form and parental identification documents.

au

Among the three major carriers, au has the most support for foreign users.
By checking “Foreign language support” when searching for an au shop, you can find shops with staff who can speak foreign languages.
There are multilingual service guides in English, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, Vietnamese and Tagalog, and information can be collected in your native language in advance. Check it out.

Required documents

Name seal (Name stamp) or Signature
・ Special permanent resident certificate or residence card + foreign passport
* If the address on the resident card is “Undecided (listed on the back after notification)”, auxiliary documents (utility receipt, certificate of residence or notification evacuation site certificate) are required.
・ Credit payment… Credit card
・ Bank transfer… Cash card or bankbook + seal used for bank transactions + supporting documents (utility receipt, certificate of residence or notification evacuation site certificate)
・ For minors
Parental Consent Form + Parental Identity Identification Document

SoftBank

SoftBank has many foreign users.
SoftBank emails are free, so if you have many SoftBank users around you, SoftBank is also recommended.

Required documents

・ Resident Card + Foreign Passport or Special Permanent Resident Certificate
・ Credit payment… Credit card
・ Bank transfer… passbook + seal used for bank transactions or cash card + seal used for bank transactions
・ For minors: Parental consent form + parental identification document

 

  1. How to sign a mobile phone in Japan ?
  2. Three major carriers – docomo , au , SoftBank
  3. MVNO(Mobile Virtual Network Operator) – Y! Mobile , UQ , LINE , mineo , Rakuten
  4. In conclusions – Mobile phone contract

How to sign a mobile phone in Japan ?

By | Life in Japan, Life Style

Mobile phones and data are an indispensable part of everyday life.

It is a lifeline for getting information and receiving help, as well as communication for your day to day activities.

It’s especially essential if you are thinking about working in Japan.

As a foreigner living in Japan, do you have any questions about how to sign up for a mobile phone? The further you leave metro areas, the chances of shop clerks speaking english, or any other foriegn language decreases, so it is important to prepare in advance. So the following are documents you made need to present, as well as a few pros and cons of a few major companies. If you are staying in Japan and are going to sign a mobile phone, please take a look.

 

  1. How to sign a mobile phone in Japan ?
  2. Three major carriers – docomo , au , SoftBank
  3. MVNO(Mobile Virtual Network Operator) – Y! Mobile , UQ , LINE , mineo , Rakuten
  4. In conclusions – Mobile phone contract

Osaka Castle Ume Garden Orchard

By | 未分類

The ume blossoms are coming out one by one in the Osaka Castle plum orchard today. The fragrance of plum blossoms is floating about in the garden now.

Ume is one of flowers which typifies Japan and Japanese loved since old times.   

Ume is always used for a matter of congratulation and a glad occasion in Japan.

Ume endure the rigors of winter and the tiny lives are born.

Ume is not gorgeous. It feels simplicity and modesty.

Ume has the language of flowers which are “faithfulness” “devotion” “lofty” and “patience”.

There are ume flowers: red, white, and pink.

The language of flowers (red) is “Grace”

The language of flowers (white) is “Dignity”

The language of flowers (pink) is “Pureness”

When ume mature to fruition, it becomes umeboshi or ume brandy. June in Japan is written by “Ume rain”. June is Japanese rainy season. Please try to put umeboshi in hot water and drink it!  Drinking the hot water will surely help to cure an upset stomach.

Please appreciate the beautiful Japanese flower Ume. Then you could feel Japanese aesthetic sense which came since one thousand years ago in Japan.

Access & Time of flowering 2020

https://www.osakacastlepark.jp/flower/plum_grove.html?lang=en

How to deal with natural wood floored

By | 未分類

Natural wood floored like solid natural wood conveys a sense of extravagance and so preferred.However in case it is a rental apartment, natural-wood floored needs to be careful.

  • Fading of floor ~ Avoid direct sunlight

Natural wood floored often fade and loss of color in the sunlight or lighting. Direct sunlight increases the speed changing color. So direct sunlight shall be shut out by a curtain.

Please shut out the sunlight by a curtain to avoid curling, cracking, fading.

  • About a chair and a table

Furniture like a chair and a table should be put some felt. Felt is always better for any future.

  • To be resistant to soiling and stains

If the wood floor gets wet for a long time, it will cause stains, changing color, and cracking. So it is important that the water shall b

  • Around a kitchen and a washstand

The places where water splashes shall be covered by mats.

  • Water condensation

In case wood floor absorbs water by water condensation, it causes stains and flapping of the floor.

  • A foliage plant

A flowerpot for a foliage plant must be put on a receptacle to be stop water from getting wet of the floor.

  • A medicine / a seasoning

In case a medicine or a seasoning is slopped on the floor, they shall be wiped up with a rag which is wrung tightly or soaked with a neutral detergent.

  • Air-conditioners

When heater of air-conditioners are used too many hours continuously, the air in the room could be too dry. Then it causes a crack of the floor. So the air humidity in the room shall be regulated properly.

 

Work flow of Lease Contractual Procedures

By | Real Estate

The steps of Lease Contract are (1) Application Form, (2) Sign on Lease Contract (= money payment) , and (3) Handing over Keys (= the first day of rent payment)

Step 1

  • Tenancy applicant fill out necessary information and submit it with copies of identification cards.
  • At this point the applicant does not have to pay down payment.
  • Since this application form is not yet acquired legal force, there is no penalty.
  • Once the owner receives this application form by FAX, the owner begins the examination.
  • With this examination, the property is held for the applicant by the owner.

Step 2

  • If the owner accepts the application form after examination, Lease Contract documents will be prepared.
  • It will take about two weeks between Step 1 and Step 2.
  • As soon as the Lease Contract is signed, the applicant shall pay all settlement amount of money to the owner.
  • In case of lease contract, all settlement amount of money is paid instead of down payment.
  • The date of contractual conclusion is different from the first day of the lease contract.

Step 3

  • When the first day of the lease contract comes, the owner shall hand over the key to the new tenant.
  • The period between Step 1 and Step 3 is usually one month (= 30 days). However this period is not specified in the law, so there are various owners.
  • The new tenant cannot bring in luggage and furniture until this first day of the lease contract.