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10 Must-Know Japan Life Hacks

Read our Japan life hacks to make your stay easier. From mastering Google Maps to paying in cash like the locals.

By GaijinPot Blog Aug 19, 2024 8 min read

Japan is a wonderland of conveniences. And yet, there are many Japan life hacks that some foreigners visiting and living here—especially for the first time—may not know about. Whether because Japan is a high-context society where things are not always explicitly pointed out or because of the language barrier, plenty of things slip under the radar in our daily existence.

That said, here are ten Japan life hacks to improve your time in Japan. While most of these are probably “duh” moments for most, we hope there are at least one or two that will have you smacking yourself and saying, wait, what?!”

Do Everything at the Konbini
Remove Your Middle Name
Insert All Your Bills at Once
Buy a Coin Purse
Buy the Correct Laundry Detergent
Spot Whole Milk Easily
Buy Discounted Food
Avoid The Lunch Hour
Master Trains with Google Maps
Take Advantage of Your Community Center

1. Do Everything At The Konbini

Convenience stores, or konbini (コンビニ), in Japan, are incredibly versatile and offer a range of services beyond just grabbing a quick snack. At a konbini you can:

Charge Your IC Card/App: You can easily top up your Suica or Pasmo IC cards (or payment apps) at convenience stores. Simply ask the cashier, or use the ATM for a more introvert-friendly option if you’re at a 7-11.
Book and Pay for Tickets: Konbini are great for booking and paying for tickets to movies, concerts, buses, and even flights. The ticket machines usually have an English option, making the process straightforward for non-Japanese speakers.
Pay Your Bills: You can pay utility bills, phone bills, and even taxes at the konbini. Just bring your bill slip to the register, and the staff will take care of the rest.
Postal Services: Many konbini offer postage services. You can buy stamps, mail letters, and even send parcels. It’s incredibly convenient if you don’t have time to visit the post office.
Make Copies and Send Faxes: Yes, fax machines are still in Japan. You can make copies and send faxes directly from the konbini, which is handy for last-minute document needs.
ATM Services: Besides topping up your IC card, Konbini ATMs allow you to withdraw cash, transfer money, and check your balance. They often have English-language options and are accessible 24/7.

2. Remove Your Middle Name

Removing your middle name from your passport might be a good idea if you plan to move to and stay in Japan for a while. Japanese people typically have only two names, so their systems are set up accordingly. For foreigners in Japan, the exact name on your passport is used for everything from opening a bank account to phone contracts and credit cards. Unfortunately, having a middle name can cause complications.

If you have a name, you’ll often have to combine it with your first name on official forms, such as those at your ward office and legal documents. Sometimes, online registration doesn’t work because the system is set up for only two names.

Starting without a middle name can make these processes much smoother. However, this may require legally changing your name in your home country first. Although inconvenient, it can save you from years of hassle in Japan. Alternatively, in Japan, you can adopt a legal alias (tsuushou), which can just be your first and last name. Your legal alias will go on your My Number Card. It will make life easier in Japan, but it can be quite an ordeal to set it up.

For more details, read our article on creating a legal alias and dropping your middle name.

3. Insert All Your Bills At Once

More than ever, places in Japan offer self-checkout and other unmanned payment machines. But did you know you don’t have to insert bills one at a time? Yep. You can insert them all at once. This is especially handy when topping up your IC card for public transportation. It even works at ticket machines inside ramen shops. It’s probably true for most self-pay machines.

Next time you’re topping up your Suica or Passmo and only have ¥1,000 bills, just shove them all in. This way, you don’t annoy the impatient salaryman behind you. He’s got places to be, and you’ll look like a local when you breeze through with all your bills at once.

Also, when recharging your Pasmo or Suica card, you can dump all your coins into the machine without sorting them. The machine will return any unusable coins and automatically calculate your total.

4. Buy a Coin Purse

Alternatively, just pay with exact change.

Consider buying a coin purse. While you might think your pockets or wallet are enough, you’ll quickly amass more coins than you can handle. Japan is still a cash-based society, and coins are used frequently.

Moreover, to avoid ending up with a pile of ¥1 and ¥5 coins, make a habit of giving exact change whenever possible. Otherwise, you quickly accumulate so much change that your wallet will look like it’s about to burst.

5. Buy The Correct Laundry Detergent

Are your clothes stinky even after a wash?

Are you washing your clothes, but they still stink? You might be using the wrong detergent. Doing laundry in Japan can be surprisingly complicated, including choosing the right washing liquid.

There are two kinds of detergent in Japan:

Regular Detergent (洗濯洗剤, sentakusenzai): This is for hanging your clothes outside.
Indoor Drying Detergent (部屋干し用洗剤, heyaboshiyo senzai): This special detergent is formulated to get rid of the mildew smell when drying clothes indoors.

Use the indoor drying detergent during June’s rainy season, when you can’t dry your clothes outside or your home doesn’t have a balcony.

6. Spot Whole Milk Easily

Buying milk in Japan can be a bit of an adventure with all the options available. You’ll find 100% whole milk, low-fat milk, milk-flavored calcium drinks, milk-flavored yogurt drinks, and more. If you can’t read Japanese and are in a rush, you might accidentally grab a carton of calcium-rich sports drink instead of milk. Oops.

Thankfully, there’s a quick and easy way to spot whole milk. In Japan, whole milk cartons have an indentation at the top. This small notch helps distinguish whole milk from other types and is also intended for the visually impaired who might be allergic or lactose intolerant.

So, next time you’re at the store, just look for the indentation to quickly find the whole milk you’re looking for.

7. Buy Discounted Food

Want to save money on food in Japan?

Grocery stores sell all kinds of premade meals, from onigiri to bento. To ensure these items sell, stores offer discounts at the end of lunch (around 2 p.m.) and before closing (around 7 p.m.). Look for the discount (割引, waribiki) sticker. Discounts typically start at 10-20% and increase as time passes. Meat and vegetables will also be discounted before closing.

Convenience stores (konbini) also offer discounts but are trickier to predict. Konbini restocks its premade food items three times a day, so leftover items from a previous delivery will get a discount sticker. There is a good chance you will find food discounted late at night before it is switched out. You can buy tomorrow’s breakfast for cheap.

Another great way to find discounted food in your neighborhood is to download the Tabete app. It lists discounted food available at stores in your area.

8. Avoid The Lunch Hour

In Japan, if there is a line, it means it is delicious (allegedly)

Living in Japan, you’ll quickly notice that everyone seems to go on vacation simultaneously. The same is true for lunch breaks. Between 12 p.m. and 2 p.m., it feels like the entire country heads out to eat at the exact same time. From salarymen to housewives, even your favorite ramen shop will have a line out the door, filled with every road worker in a 4km radius. And if there’s one thing people in Japan excel at, it’s waiting in line.

Want to save time? Avoid going to restaurants between 12 and 1 p.m. on weekdays. Most businesses break for lunch at noon, making restaurants super crowded. Skip the lines by eating around 11 a.m. or after 2 p.m. But keep in mind most restaurants in Japan close at 3 p.m., so the last order may be 2:30 p.m.

9. Master Trains With Google Maps

Navigating Japan’s train and subway systems can be intimidating, but Google Maps makes it a breeze. Not only does it provide train schedules and the fastest routes, but it also offers:

Best Car Selection: Google Maps tells you which car to board for the easiest access to your exit. No more scrambling through crowded trains to get off at your stop.
Last Train: With just a click, you can check the last train for any line, ensuring you never miss your ride and must pull an all-nighter.
Exit Recommendation: It even guides you to the nearest exit to your destination, making transfers and getting around easier

10. Take Advantage of Your Community Center

It’s not called a *community* center for nothing.

Did you know that community centers (公民館, kominkan) and libraries (図書館, toshokan) in Japan offer some amazing services? You can access free sports facilities, participate in arts and crafts activities, and even rent rooms for and learn Japanese—sometimes for free. It’s a great way to learn skills or hobbies and connect with your community in Japan.

Try searching for your city’s international association (国際交流協会, kokusai koryu kyokai) or international exchange society (国際交流センター, kokusai koryu senta). Many of these organizations offer foreigners free Japanese lessons and other helpful services.

Written in collaboration with Adam Douglas.

Do you have tips or life hacks for living in Japan? let us know in the comments!