Lifestyle

Get Involved

Join the KobeJET website team!
 

Interested in helping with content moderation or translation? These are great opportunities to practice your editing or translation skills, and add professional, visible real-world experience to your resume.

Interested in marketing? We also need help expanding upon and building new English language and living in Japan partnerships, including backlinks and the option for building an ads component to help fund the site.

Kyoto JETS

KYOTO JETS is a website run by the current PAs in Kyoto City and Kyoto Prefecture for the purpose of distributing information and providing support.

If you have any comments or suggestions, please feel free to contact one of the Kyoto PAs at any time!

Chiba AJET

Chiba AJET is a social community for JETs, WI-ALTS, and anyone who wants an opportunity to get together, have fun and support each other while promoting international culture exchange in Chiba Prefecture. Membership is free and anybody with ideas for events can submit a proposal to our council.

Our goal is to foster a sense of international community in Chiba by providing a means to share resources and organizing social events throughout Chiba Prefecture.

Tofugu

Tofugu started out as a college course project in 2008. It was rooted as a Japanese language blog for English speakers. Over the years Tofugu began to find its niche and evolved into a full-time business.

Today there are two facets of Tofugu: the blog and the company.

BLOG

Most people are familiar with our wonky Japanese language and culture blog, which is what you are seeing at this very moment.

WhyNot Japan.com

We organize various International parties and bus trips in Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe. 
You can mingle with local Japanese people as well as people from all over the world!
We throw parties at major bars and clubs around Osaka.
You can experience new venues, while meeting new people and making new friends.
Come join us for a great time!

How do I exchange money? What's the best conversion rate?

There are many options to exchange money in and out of Japan. Better rates can usually be found upon arriving in a destination country when traveling. Airport rates can also usually be worse than exchanges one your pass through immigration, but this can depend upon the country and situation.

Feel free to include your personal experience with any countries you've travelled in!

Booking websites for flights, accommodations, tours, etc.

Expedia Japan - 

Kayak - 

Vayama - 

Student Universe empowers young adults to experience the world with discount travel. For students and those under 26, our cheap flights, hotels and tours make it affordable to travel anywhere you want to go. Although we specialize in student and youth discounts, most of our promo codes apply for all ages.

How do I renew my residency card?

Within two months before your residence card expires, go to your local Regional Immigration Office with the following documents:

1. Application form
2. A 3cm x 4cm photograph of yourself, taken passport-style within the past 3 months (please write your name on the back)
3. Your residence card
4. Your passport OR certificate of status of residence
5. Optional: Application for Indication of Name Using Kanji Characters on the Residence Card (only if you wish to have your name indicated both in alphabet and in kanji characters)

Switching a Foreign Driver's License to a Japanese License

Instructions: Switching a foreign driver’s license to a Japanese driver’s license

A driver’s license issued by a foreign administrative office can be switched to a Japanese license (hereinafter referred to as “Gaimen Kirikae”) by applying to the Driver’s License Center. To apply for Gaimen Kirikae, applicants must fulfill the following two conditions:

How do I fare adjust when my teiki only covers part of the trip?

  1. Find the Fare Adjustment Machine near the gates. It should be yellow and say 乗り越し精算.
  2. If needed, press the "English" button to change languages.
  3. Insert your commuter pass in the upper left ticket slot. (Do this with any small ticket, magnetic ticket, or IC card.)
  4. The screen will indicate how much money you owe. ("~~円不足です")
  5. Insert bills and coins in the appropriate slots. BTW you can stack multiple bills!
  6. (If charging funds to an IC card, the screen will ask you if you need a receipt.
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