Life in Japan – Page 2 – Japan Life Lab

Life in Japan

Best Japanese Fountain Pens 2026: Pilot vs Platinum vs Sailor

Six Japanese fountain pens still worth buying after the 2026 price hikes: Pilot, Platinum and Sailor picks with nib sizes and Japan vs Amazon.com prices.

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Life in Japan

Best Futon Dryers in Japan 2026: Warm, Dry Beds All Winter

Warm, dry futons all winter: 6 futon dryers sold in Japan in 2026 from Zojirushi, Hitachi, Iris Ohyama, cado and YAMAZEN, with power draw, run costs and tips.

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Life in Japan

Best Dehumidifiers in Japan 2026: Stop Condensation & Mold

Stop winter condensation and dry laundry indoors: 6 dehumidifiers sold in Japan in 2026, compressor vs desiccant vs hybrid, winter drying times, running costs.

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Life in Japan

Nenmatsu Chosei 2026: Japan's Year-End Tax Adjustment Explained for Foreigners (New Rules, Forms, Overseas Dependents)

Nenmatsu chosei 2026 explained for foreigners: who gets Japan's year-end tax adjustment, the December 1, 2026 reform (basic deduction up to 1.04M yen, 740k employment deduction, 620k dependent limit), every form, overseas dependent rules and when to file a return.

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Life in Japan

Golden Curry vs Vermont vs Java: Which Japanese Roux to Buy

⏱ Quick Answer Vermont Curry is what most Japanese families actually eat — apple, honey, gentle. Golden Curry is the spice-forward one you have probably already tasted abroad. Java Curry is the adult one: roasted onion, cardamom, real heat. If you want “the taste of a Japanese home”, buy Vermont 中辛 (medium). Full comparison below. […]

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Life in Japan

Best Japanese Thermal Innerwear 2026: HEATTECH vs Extra Warm

Japanese apartments are famously badly insulated, and the standard answer is not a bigger heater — it is a thinner shirt. Thermal innerwear is the single cheapest upgrade to a Japanese winter, and the country has an entire category of it that most visitors only know by one name: HEATTECH. But HEATTECH comes in three […]

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Life in Japan

Best Japanese Hand Creams 2026: 5 Winter Saviors

The best Japanese hand creams of 2026: Yuskin A, Atrix Beauty Charge, Keratinamin urea cream, Mentholatum Hand Veil and Locobase Repair — compared for cracked hands, daily care and sensitive skin.

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Life in Japan

Best Japanese Toothpaste 2026: Apagard, NONIO

Japan's cult toothpastes compared — Apagard nano-hydroxyapatite, NONIO, Ora2, Clinica and GUM: whitening, enamel repair, breath care and where to buy worldwide.

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Life in Japan

Best Japanese Teapots 2026: Tetsubin vs Kyusu, 5 to Own

Tetsubin or kyusu? Learn the real difference and discover the 5 best Japanese teapots of 2026 — Iwachu and OIGEN Nambu ironware, Tokoname and Banko clay kyusu, and HARIO glass — with care tips and where to buy.

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Life in Japan

Best Japanese Chopsticks 2026: 5 Pairs Worth Owning

Chopsticks are the most-used utensil in Japan — and, weirdly, one of the most overlooked souvenirs. While tourists queue for knives and matcha bowls, a pair of properly made Japanese chopsticks (hashi) costs a fraction of the price, lasts for years, and gets used at every single meal. This guide covers the 5 kinds of […]

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Life in Japan

Ochazuke: Japan's 2-Minute Comfort Food (and How to Make It)

Ochazuke is Japan's ultimate comfort food: rice with savory toppings and hot green tea or dashi poured over. Learn what it is, how to make it in 2 minutes, classic toppings, and the best instant brands like Nagatanien — in Japan or shipped abroad.

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Life in Japan

Natto for Beginners: How to Eat Japan's Stickiest Superfood

The complete beginner's guide to natto: what fermented soybeans actually are, the stirring technique and toppings that make them delicious, the best supermarket brands (Okame, Kin no Tsubu), health benefits, and how to buy natto overseas.

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Life in Japan

Best Japanese Instant Miso Soup 2026: Amano vs Marukome

The best Japanese instant miso soup of 2026, tested and ranked: Amano Foods freeze-dried, Marukome Ryotei no Aji, Hikari Miso and more — plus how to buy them on Amazon US and what to know about sodium and vegetarian options.

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Life in Japan

Best Japanese Sheet Masks 2026: 7 Cult Favorites

The 7 best Japanese sheet masks of 2026 — Lululun Precious, Saborino Morning, Kosé Clear Turn, Kiku-Masamune Sake, Keana Nadeshiko Rice, Quality First and SK-II — compared by skin type, price per sheet and where to buy on Amazon.com and Amazon Japan.

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Life in Japan

Best Japanese Rice Brands 2026: Koshihikari vs Akitakomachi

Ask any Japanese person what makes a meal “Japanese” and the answer isn’t sushi or ramen — it’s rice. Perfectly cooked short-grain rice is glossy, slightly sweet, and just sticky enough to pick up with chopsticks. And right now is the best time of year to buy it: September to November is shinmai (new rice) […]

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Life in Japan

MUJI Japan Shopping Guide 2026: The 10 Best Things to Buy

Tax-free shopping in Japan changes on 1 November 2026 Until 31 October you show your passport at the till and simply pay without the 10% consumption tax. From 1 November you pay the full tax-included price in the shop and claim the tax back at the airport — at a customs kiosk or through Visit […]

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Life in Japan

Fukubukuro 2027: How to Win Japan’s New Year Lucky Bags

Fukubukuro — Japan’s New Year lucky bags — pack 2–5× their price in mystery merchandise. When to enter the Starbucks lottery, where to line up on January 1st, and six tactics to avoid the duds.

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Life in Japan

Christmas in Japan 2026: KFC, Cake & Illuminations

Christmas in Japan means KFC dinners, strawberry shortcake, romantic Christmas Eve dates and world-class illuminations. Here is how Japan really celebrates — and how to join in, from cake reservations to the best light displays.

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Life in Japan

Foreigners in Japan: 2026 Statistics

Last reviewed: October 2026 · Data: Immigration Services Agency of Japan (ISA), year-end 2025 statistics. Free to cite with a link to this page. How many foreigners live in Japan? As of December 2025, a record 4,125,395 foreign residents were living in Japan — up 9.5% (+356,418 people) in a single year, and the first […]

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Life in Japan

Japan Pension Refund Calculator 2026: How Much Do You Get?

Tax-free shopping in Japan changes on 1 November 2026 Until 31 October you show your passport at the till and simply pay without the 10% consumption tax. From 1 November you pay the full tax-included price in the shop and claim the tax back at the airport — at a customs kiosk or through Visit […]

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Life in Japan

Japanese Drugstore Guide 2026

Since 1 May 2026, eight ingredients including dextromethorphan and diphenhydramine are limited to one box per purchase with age checks. What you can still buy freely, and how tax-free changes on 1 November 2026.

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Life in Japan

Bear Safety in Japan 2026

Bear attacks in Japan hit record highs in FY2025 with 238 injured and 13 killed. Here is where the risk actually is, when it peaks, what to do if you meet one, and why you should change your route rather than cancel your trip.

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Life in Japan

Best Japanese Shampoos & Hair Care 2026: 6 Drugstore Heroes

Tax-free shopping in Japan changes on 1 November 2026 Until 31 October you show your passport at the till and simply pay without the 10% consumption tax. From 1 November you pay the full tax-included price in the shop and claim the tax back at the airport — at a customs kiosk or through Visit […]

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Life in Japan

Best Japanese Instant Ramen 2026

Ask anyone who has lived in Japan what they miss most after leaving, and instant ramen comes up surprisingly often. Japanese instant noodles are in a completely different league from the 10-cent packets you grew up with — we are talking restaurant-grade tonkotsu broth, chewy non-fried noodles, and flavour engineering perfected over 65+ years (the […]

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Life in Japan

Best Japanese Makeup 2026: 8 Cult Products Worth Importing

Tax-free shopping in Japan changes on 1 November 2026 Until 31 October you show your passport at the till and simply pay without the 10% consumption tax. From 1 November you pay the full tax-included price in the shop and claim the tax back at the airport — at a customs kiosk or through Visit […]

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Life in Japan

Gyms in Japan for Foreigners 2026: Costs, Contracts

Joining a gym in Japan looks simple until you are standing at the counter holding a contract written entirely in Japanese, being asked for a bank account you may not have, and discovering that cancelling requires a visit in person before a specific date. The gyms themselves are excellent and often cheaper than in the […]

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Life in Japan

Cycling in Japan 2026

Since 1 April 2026 Japan issues on-the-spot fines to cyclists aged 16 and over. Phone use costs 12,000 yen, umbrella riding 5,000 yen. Here is the full fine table, where you are legally allowed to ride, how bicycle registration works, why insurance is required in most prefectures, and what to do when police stop you.

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Life in Japan

Leaving Japan Checklist 2026

A two-month timeline for leaving Japan: the pension lump-sum deadline, the tax representative form that reclaims 20.42%, resident tax liability, the ward office visit, and why you should keep one bank account open.

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Life in Japan

Japan Garbage Sorting Guide 2026: The Rules Nobody Explains

A practical guide to sorting rubbish in Japan: the seven categories, the PET bottle ritual, items that trip everyone up, oversized waste booking, and the unwritten rules that upset neighbours.

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Life in Japan

Dashi Explained 2026: The Japanese Stock Behind Every Dish

📌 What you will learn You do not have to read it all — jump to what you need. The invisible ingredient behind almost every Japanese dish The four building blocks How to make dashi from scratch The shortcuts: what Japanese households actually use What to buy: a starter shopping list Storage: the mistake that […]

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🏠 Life in Japan