{"id":18691,"date":"2023-09-08T19:33:00","date_gmt":"2023-09-08T10:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.villagehouse.jp\/?p=18691"},"modified":"2025-06-29T19:56:16","modified_gmt":"2025-06-29T10:56:16","slug":"planning-to-go-on-a-long-vacation-everything-you-need-to-do-to-prepare-your-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.villagehouse.jp\/en\/japanese-apartment-life\/planning-to-go-on-a-long-vacation-everything-you-need-to-do-to-prepare-your-home\/","title":{"rendered":"Planning To Go on A Long Vacation? Everything You Need To Do To Prepare Your Home\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Paid Leave in Japan<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The paid leave system in Japan is known as yukyu<\/em> and according to jobsinjapan.com<\/a>, the amount of paid leave granted to an employee is dependent on a) employment status (full-time, part-time, contract worker) and b) the number of years working at the company. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In general, after an initial probation period of 6 months at the company, a full-time employee is awarded 10 days of paid leave or PTO (paid time off). Bear in mind that this paid leave can only be cashed in after having worked through the 6-month probation period and having an 80% attendance rate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The number of PTO granted to an employee increases with each year at the company but tends to cap out at around 20 days when an employee has been working with the same company for over 6 and a half years.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unused paid leave in Japan can roll over into the next year but will expire after two years if not claimed. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Holidays in Japan<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n
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Matcha Japan<\/a> states that Japan has 16 official public holidays, some of which are combined with weekends for a longer holiday weekend. The Japanese government also mandates that if a public holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday will act as a substitute public holiday.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately for a lot of Japanese employees, a stringent workplace coupled with cultural norms of avoiding inconveniencing people has resulted in lots of difficulty for individuals when it comes to taking time off, never mind that they are contractually entitled to it.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Numerous studies have revealed that Japan ranks consistently last in the number of people who take time off for vacations and 17% of Japanese employees lost their yearly paid vacation days because they go about unclaimed. Workhub.co.jp<\/a> found in a survey that Japan has the lowest paid vacation utilization rate at less than 50%. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those who do take time off work to go on vacation usually take 2 to 3-day holidays, which is fundamentally different from their international peers who tend to take 2 weeks or longer. Some reasons for not taking time to go on vacation include feeling guilty for inconveniencing their coworkers with work they\u2019ll have to hand over in their absence and the tradition of having to bring back souvenirs from their vacation, known as omiyage<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If none of the above phases you, you are your own boss, you happen to work in a less traditional workplace, or you work for an international company, and are planning a vacation, and a long one at that, here are some tips on how to get organized and stay ahead of the game before flying, driving, bussing, or training off.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Bills to Pay<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n
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Japan Living Guide has listed the following ways one can pay their bills in Japan: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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