Just landed: your first month, in order

Your suitcase is still half unpacked, and your phone is running on roaming data you can't keep paying for. The first month in Japan throws a lot at once: a residence card that takes days to register, an apartment that needs its utilities switched on, and a stack of forms in a language you may not read yet.

The eight guides below follow the order that most first months actually take. Start with wifi, then work through moving-in week itself: utilities, internet, and furniture. My Number and a bank account come next, once your residence card and address are registered. A longer-term phone plan usually follows, once you're settled enough to compare plans properly. Cashless payment options cover the stretch before your Japanese banking is fully usable day to day. The last two guides cover reading your mail and knowing what a convenience store can do for you in the meantime.

Skip ahead if a step doesn't apply to you. Someone moving into a company-provided apartment, for instance, may not need the moving-in checklist at all.

1. 1 Getting Online Before Your Residence Card Arrives in Japan A bridge for the first two to four weeks after landing in Japan, before a residence card, Japanese bank account, or long-term SIM contract is in place: what travel-tier pocket WiFi, eSIM, and physical SIM plans actually require, and how to have one working the moment you land.
2. 2 Moving-In Week in Japan: Utilities, Internet, and Furniture What to do in your first week in a new Japanese apartment: starting electricity and water, booking the gas technician, timing your internet application, and deciding whether to buy or short-term rent your furniture.
3. 3 The My Number Card in Japan: A Guide for Foreign Residents What your My Number is, how to apply for the physical card, why it matters more since the paper health insurance card was phased out, and what the new Specified Residence Card is.
4. 4 Opening a Bank Account in Japan as a Foreigner A neutral guide to opening a bank account in Japan as a foreigner: the residence-card rule, the real '6-month wall,' required documents, and how bank-by-bank English support differs.
5. 5 How to Get a Phone Contract in Japan as a Foreign Resident A newcomer's guide to long-term SIM and phone contracts in Japan: the identification and payment rules, how residence status affects what's available, and how carriers compare to budget SIMs.
6. 6 Paying for Things in Japan Before You Have a Bank Account How to get by day-to-day in Japan during the weeks before you have a Japanese bank account or credit card: topping up an IC card with cash, what PayPay and LINE Pay actually require, and where an overseas debit card does and does not work. General information, not financial advice.
7. 7 That Envelope in Your Mailbox: Telling Important Mail From Junk in Japan How to spot the government and insurer letters you can't afford to ignore among the daily pile of flyers — by envelope format, delivery method, and what to do when you can't read what's inside.
8. 8 What You Can Actually Do at a Japanese Convenience Store: Bills, Cash, Parcels, and Printing Before you have a Japanese bank account or can read a payment slip, the konbini on the corner already does the job of a bank counter, a post office window, and a copy shop. A practical walkthrough of the four things it handles.