Living in Japan: pros, cons, visas and costs (2026)

Living in Japan means choosing one of the safest countries in the world, with incredibly punctual transportation and a Japanese culture experienced daily, from temples to local festivals. The advantages of living in Japan lie as much in this quality of life as in the energy of the major cities.

• Safety, everywhere. Japan is ranked as the 10th most peaceful country in the world on the 2026 Global Peace Index. Walking home at night, leaving your bike without a lock, or finding a lost wallet is just part of life in Japan.
• Exemplary transportation. Trains, metros, and Shinkansen arrive on time, the cleanliness of the stations is always surprising, and a single IC card like the Suica card pays for the metro, the bus, and the konbini.
• An accessible healthcare system. Public health insurance covers 70% of medical expenses: a consultation or medication remains affordable.
• A cuisine for every budget. From ramen bowls to izakaya menus, you can eat well without breaking the bank, and Japanese cuisine goes far beyond sushi.
• Nature a train ride away. To explore the country over the weekend, there is nothing simpler. From Tokyo, Mount Fuji, the hot springs of Hakone, or the forests of Nikko are all reachable within a day, and the landscape changes radically in just one hour of train travel.
• A highly connected country. Fiber optic is available to more than 97% of households, and konbini open 24/7 help you out at any hour.
• A living culture. Temples, shrines, summer festivals, cherry blossoms in spring, maples in autumn: tradition sets the rhythm of the year, in the middle of ultramodern neighborhoods.

A quality of life that lives up to its promises?

Quality of life in Japan relies on services that work: precise administration, fast deliveries, konbini open day and night, clean streets. For a foreigner, this reliability compensates for some of the initial difficulties. The flip side is the rigor: every step has its procedure, its form, and its deadline, and there is little room for the unexpected.

The challenges of living in Japan rarely appear during a trip. They reveal themselves after a few months, when the wonder fades and daily life takes over. Knowing them before leaving prevents many disappointments.

• The Japanese language, a real barrier. English is sufficient in tourist areas, but much less so at the city hall, at the doctor's, at the bank, or for signing a rental contract. Without Japanese, you depend on others for every single step.
• Friendships that take time to build. The local population is polite and welcoming, but deep relationships take time. Many expats say they remain "gaijin", foreigners, even after several years. A large part of communication happens through the implicit: knowing how to "read the air" (kūki o yomu), meaning guessing what is not said, is as important as the words themselves.
• A demanding corporate culture. Long hours, clear hierarchy, little time off: the Japanese working world (the culture of kaisha, the company) requires a real period of adaptation. In traditional large companies, many foreigners also describe a glass ceiling when it comes to accessing management positions.
• Prices are rising faster than wages. In 2025, wages grew by 2.3%, but prices by 3.7%: real wages fell by 1.3%, according to the Japanese Ministry of Labour.
• An administration that is still very paper-based. Forms, personal stamps (hanko) in certain companies, residence permit renewals: bureaucracy is exhausting in the long run.
• Small and poorly insulated accommodations. Apartments in large cities are compact, often without central heating, cold in winter, and humid in summer.
• Distance. Family is at least a half-day flight away, often with a significant time difference.
• Natural hazards. Earthquakes, typhoons, and heavy rains are part of life in the archipelago: safety instructions and evacuation drills are taken seriously.

To move to Japan as an expat, everything starts with your status of residence: it determines the activities you are allowed to perform in the territory (studying, working, joining your family) and for how long. The Japanese government's immigration policy has been opening up for several years, with new statuses for sectors facing labor shortages and for remote workers. Japan has 29 statuses of residence, including diplomatic status. They are divided into three families: work statuses (engineer, teacher, manager, skilled worker…), non-work statuses (student, dependent family, cultural activities), and statuses related to your personal situation (spouse of a Japanese national, permanent resident, long-term resident). "Designated activities" cover special cases, such as the working holiday program or the digital nomad visa.

The Certificate of Eligibility, the first step

For most long stays, moving to Japan starts with a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) for a status of residence, also known as a residence status certificate. It is applied for in Japan with the immigration services, usually by the organization hosting you: your employer, your language school or your university. The standard processing time indicated by the immigration agency is 1 to 3 months. Once issued, the COE is valid for three months: you use it to apply for your visa at the Japanese embassy or consulate in your country, and you must then enter Japan before it expires. Between the COE application, the visa and the preparations, start your project at least six months before your planned departure date.

What type of visa do you need to live in Japan?

The right visa type depends on your age, your degree, and your project. Here are the main ways to obtain a long-stay visa.

The Japan working holiday program is open to 18 to 30-year-olds from the 32 partner countries and regions as of April 1, 2026. Financial requirements, annual quotas, and the number of permitted stays vary depending on your nationality: check them on the website of the Japanese embassy in your country.

The digital nomad visa, a short option

Since 2024, the digital nomad visa lets you work remotely for six months in Japan for a foreign company or foreign clients. The conditions are strict: an annual income of at least 10 million yen (about €56,500), private health insurance with at least 10 million yen of coverage and an eligible nationality (51 countries and regions). This visa is not renewable, does not give you a residence card and does not allow you to work for a Japanese company. It is a way to try out life in Japan for a few months before a longer-term project.

Permanent residency and dual nationality

Permanent residency is generally applied for after 10 years of continuous residence, including at least 5 years under a work status. The period drops to 3 years, or even 1 year, for highly skilled profiles (70 or 80 points). Regarding nationality, Japan does not allow dual nationality on a permanent basis: a dual national must choose, and becoming Japanese in practice means renouncing your original nationality.

The procedures for living in Japan do not stop at the visa. Once there, several formalities are mandatory in the first few days, and the order matters: each step unlocks the next.

1. The residence card at the airport. If you arrive with medium or long-term resident status, your residence card (zairyu card) is issued to you at immigration control in 10 airports: New Chitose, Sendai, Narita, Haneda, Chubu, Kansai, Kobe, Hiroshima, Fukuoka and Naha. Elsewhere, it is sent to you by mail after your residence registration. Always keep it on you: it is your identity document in Japan.
2. Residence registration at city hall, within 14 days. Go to your city hall (shiyakusho) or ward office (kuyakusho) with your residence card within 14 days of your move. The process is free, and the same rule applies to every move.
3. National health insurance. Any foreigner staying for more than three months must enroll in public health insurance: their company's insurance if they are an employee, otherwise the national insurance (kokumin kenko hoken), at the city hall, often right after their residence registration.
4. The national pension. Between the ages of 20 and 59, anyone residing in Japan must contribute to a public pension scheme, either through their employer or directly.
5. Your My Number. After your registration, city hall mails you your 12-digit individual number. Your employer and your bank will ask for it, and so will the tax office. The plastic My Number card is optional.
6. The bank account. With your residence card, you can open an account, for example at Japan Post Bank. During your first six months, if you do not work for an office in Japan, you are considered a non-resident: your domestic transfers are then processed as international transfers, which are more expensive.
7. The mobile plan. Japanese operators (docomo, SoftBank, Rakuten Mobile…) require your residence card to open a line with a number. That's why it's useful to already have a connection upon arrival.

Leaving Japan and returning

With a residence card, you can leave Japan and come back within one year without any prior procedure, thanks to the special re-entry permit: you just tick the box provided for this on the embarkation card when you leave. For a longer absence, you must apply for a regular re-entry permit before leaving, or you will lose your status of residence.

Driving in Japan

To drive, an International Driving Permit in the 1949 Geneva Convention format is valid for one year after your arrival. Drivers from certain countries, such as France, Germany, Switzerland or Belgium, use their national license instead, together with an official Japanese translation. After one year, you must convert your license into a Japanese license, with or without a test depending on your country.

Preparing for your arrival in Japan is mostly about anticipating the first few weeks, when you have neither a registered address, nor a bank account, nor a phone line. Here are some practical tips to avoid getting stuck.

Before you leave: the checklist

• Your valid passport and your Certificate of Eligibility, then your visa.
• A solid starting budget: the first few months combine security deposits, move-in costs, furniture, and daily expenses before your first paycheck.
• Health insurance for the period before you enroll in national health insurance, mandatory for the digital nomad visa.
• Some Japanese basics. Even just a few lessons change everything when it comes to reading a sign, a label, or a form.
• A connection ready upon landing, for browsing, translations, and messaging.

Your first home: start simple

Renting a standard apartment in Japan is expensive upfront. The shikikin is a security deposit, often equivalent to one to two months' rent, which is returned upon departure after deducting any potential damages. The reikin, on the other hand, is a non-refundable "thank you" fee paid to the landlord: in Tokyo, 86% of managers request it, averaging one month's rent, according to a survey by the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT). Agency fees are capped by law at a total of 1.1 months' rent. On top of that, you often need a guarantor or a guarantee company, which many landlords require from foreigners.

To get started, many expats choose a sharehouse, a guesthouse (furnished flatshare), or a furnished residence: no reikin, no furniture to buy, a flexible contract, often in English, and housing ready on the same day. While you take the time to find your neighborhood, it's the simplest solution.

For a standard apartment, here are the average rents requested in major cities, according to the real estate portal At Home (August 2026, apartments in buildings, management fees included).

Getting Internet in Japan happens in three stages: an eSIM for arrival, a Japanese mobile line once you have your residence card in hand, and then fiber at home.

Upon arrival: an eSIM before getting your residence card

It's the trap of the first few weeks: without a residence card and a registered address, you can't get a Japanese mobile plan with a number, and without a phone, there's no map, no translation, and no messaging for your housing search or for contacting your school. The simplest solution is a travel eSIM installed before departure.

With voilà eSIM's Japan eSIM, you are connected as soon as you land on the NTT docomo network, in 5G, with excellent value for money: 50 GB for 30 days for $34.90, about $0.70 per GB. The eSIM is simple to install from an easy-to-use app, and human customer support responds 24/7, whatever the time difference. It provides data only, without a Japanese number: once you have your residence card in your pocket, you can open a local line and compare offers with our article on the SIM card in Japan.

Next: a mobile line and home fiber

With your residence card and a bank account, you can subscribe to a plan with a Japanese operator (docomo, au, SoftBank, Rakuten Mobile) or with a budget brand. Regarding housing, fiber optic covers more than 97% of Japanese households, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications: you can take out a subscription once your address is registered, and many sharehouses and furnished residences already include it in the rent.

The cost of living in Japan depends mostly on the city and housing. Tokyo is significantly more expensive than the rest of the country, but Japan remains less expensive than many imagine for food, transport, and healthcare. At the European Central Bank rate on October 13, 2026, €1 is worth approximately ¥177.

These figures give a rough idea. The average spending of a single-person household, in particular, is not an expatriate budget: it includes many retirees, and the average age of these households is 58.6 years. A young professional renting in Tokyo will pay more for rent and less for other things. The best approach is to start with your target rent, then add food, transport, phone, and leisure. To prepare for a scouting trip before you settle in, our article on the budget for a trip to Japan details local prices.

What monthly budget for a single person?

According to the official survey on household spending, a single person aged 34 or younger spends an average of ¥177,542 per month (approximately €1,003), of which only ¥35,060 is for housing, as many are housed by their employer or family. Excluding housing, there remains approximately ¥142,482 (approximately €805) for food, transport, phone, and leisure. Adding the average rent of a studio gives the following estimates.

These budgets do not include move-in costs, furniture or plane tickets: plan for them separately in your starting budget. Also, think about inflation: in 2025, consumer prices increased by 3.7%, faster than wages.

Tokyo or the rest of Japan: what's the difference?

Outside of Tokyo, rents drop significantly, and large cities like Osaka, Nagoya, Fukuoka, or Sapporo offer a good compromise between employment, services, and cost of living. The minimum wage follows the same logic: higher in Tokyo, lower in rural prefectures. Regarding daily money matters, cash remains useful despite the rise of contactless payment: our article on currency in Japan explains how to pay without fees.

Working in Japan requires a status of residence that allows it: a work visa tied to an employer, a family status that leaves you free to work, or regulated part-time work for students. Facing an economic and demographic challenge, the job market is short of labor in many sectors, which also opens up opportunities for skilled foreigners.

Major pathways to finding a job in Japan

• The skilled work visa. Most foreigners work under the status of "engineer, specialist in humanities, international services": IT, international trade, marketing, translation, language teaching. A university degree related to the position or long-term experience is required, as well as a salary at least equal to that of a Japanese national in the same position.
• The Specified Skilled Worker (SSW). Created for jobs facing labor shortages, it covers 17 to 18 sectors according to the immigration agency's pages in 2026, including elderly care, construction, agriculture, hospitality and food service. It requires skills tests and Japanese language tests.
• Language teaching. Language schools and public language assistant programs regularly recruit native speakers.
• Intra-company transfer. A transfer to the Japanese subsidiary of an international group remains the most comfortable route: visa, salary, and housing are often covered.

Students: regulated part-time work

With a student visa, you can work part-time after obtaining authorization for activities outside of your status: a maximum of 28 hours per week, and up to 8 hours per day during long school holidays. Exceeding these limits could cost you the renewal of your residence permit.

Salary and company culture

The hourly minimum wage was raised to ¥1,280 in Tokyo on October 1, 2026, and the national average rose to ¥1,177, with a staggered entry into force until December 2, 2026 depending on the prefecture. For a full-time employee, the average monthly salary reaches ¥340,600 (about €1,924) before taxes and social security contributions, according to the Ministry of Labour's 2025 survey, a record. For a skilled position, pay depends on the sector, your level of Japanese and the size of the company. As for leave, an employee gets 18.1 days of paid leave per year on average, but only takes 12.1, or 66.9%. Corporate culture values seniority, teamwork and presence: a good level of Japanese is not always required to land a job, but it remains the number one career accelerator, even in international companies.

Daily life in Japan is made up of small rules that quickly become reflexes. Most are surprising during the first few weeks, then make life simpler.

• The konbini, your best ally. These 24/7 convenience stores serve all purposes: meals, coffee, document printing, bill payments, and cash withdrawals.
• Waste sorting. Each municipality has a different collection schedule and its own categories (combustible, non-combustible, plastics, bottles, cardboard): a poorly sorted bag will be left on the sidewalk with a sticker.
• Silence in transit. You don't make phone calls on the train, you speak in low voices, and you take off your backpack during rush hour.
• Shoes at the entrance. You take your shoes off at home, at others' houses, in certain restaurants, and sometimes at the doctor's office.
• Mixed payment methods. IC cards, mobile payment and bank cards are gaining ground, but cash is still accepted everywhere, and sometimes it is the only way to pay.
• Healthcare. You first consult at a local clinic, presenting your health insurance card at each visit.

Social life and integration

Integration happens through language, associations, and activities: sports clubs, cooking classes, language exchanges, volunteering in the neighborhood, or local festivals. Large cities have many expatriate associations, and many nationalities have their own communities there. To make Japanese friends, consistency matters more than anything: returning to the same place every week creates bonds.

Learning the Japanese language

The benchmark test, the JLPT, consists of five levels, from N5 (beginner) to N1 (the most difficult). For reference, the Japan Foundation's official comparison document estimated approximately 150 hours of study for the beginner level, 600 hours for N2, and 900 hours for N1. Language schools, low-cost municipal courses, and apps allow you to learn on-site: aiming for N3 in your first year makes daily life much smoother.

Children's schooling

Expatriate families can choose between Japanese public schools, which are free and excellent for integration, and international schools, taught in English, French, or other languages, concentrated in Tokyo and a few major cities, with high tuition fees.

Living in Tokyo means enjoying one of the world's largest metropolises, its job market, and its cultural life, at the cost of the highest rents in the country. The city is immense, and choosing the right neighborhood makes all the difference.

• Shinjuku and Shibuya: in the heart of the action, transport, and offices, for those who want everything within reach.
• Setagaya and Meguro: residential, green, and popular with families, with many parks.
• Nakano, Koenji and Kichijoji: neighborhood vibes, cafes, thrift stores, and slightly lower rents.
• Along the suburban lines: as you move a few stations away from the center, rent drops significantly for an often reasonable commute. Outside the 23 wards, a studio rents for an average of ¥68,388 (approximately €386), compared to ¥114,339 within the wards.

To discover the city before choosing your neighborhood, our article on what to do in Tokyo gives you the key pointers.

And what if it wasn't Tokyo?

Osaka charms with its more relaxed atmosphere and street food, Fukuoka with its human scale and proximity to the sea, Sapporo with its snowy winters and vast open spaces, and Kyoto with its culture and temples. For a first stay, these cities often offer a better quality of life for the same budget.

Living in Japan is particularly suitable for those who love order, safety, and Japanese culture, who are willing to learn the language, and who have a clear project: studies, skilled employment, or a family already there. The country rewards patience and consistency.

Conversely, moving to Japan is harder if you are looking for rapid integration, a spontaneous social life, or an express career without speaking Japanese. It also requires accepting that, for many, you will be a respected but separate foreigner.

The test to perform before leaving everything behind

Before you settle in for good, spend a month or two on-site outside of the tourist season, in a local neighborhood apartment rather than a hotel. Do your own grocery shopping, take the train during rush hour, try to fill out a form in Japanese. If you still enjoy daily life after a few weeks, without the vacation effect, your project is on the right track.