{"id":3642,"date":"2020-06-19T11:20:21","date_gmt":"2020-06-19T02:20:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vhbloglive.wpengine.com\/?p=3642"},"modified":"2020-06-19T11:20:22","modified_gmt":"2020-06-19T02:20:22","slug":"rules-for-foreigners-in-japan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.villagehouse.jp\/en\/japanese-apartment-life\/rules-for-foreigners-in-japan\/","title":{"rendered":"Rules for Foreigners in Japan"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Anytime you\ntravel to a new country, you will find that there are new laws and rules to\nfollow. If you look harder, you will find special rules that apply to\nforeigners and visitors. Check out our article as we look at the different\nrules and laws that foreigners in Japan must follow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Traveling can be\na worthwhile and life-enriching experience. It can help you understand\ndifferent cultures and broaden your perspective of life in different countries.\nOne thing that most people forget is that when they go to these countries, they\nneed to follow the new laws and rules. If you investigate the new rules you\nwill find that some only apply to non-native people, whether they are written\nor unwritten. Japan is no exception and there a few rules that visitors and new\nresidents should know about. Foreigners in Japan are encouraged to look closely\nat the new laws when deciding to move to Japan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I.D.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The first thing\nthat foreigners in Japan should remember is that they must always have\nidentification on them. This means if you are there on vacation, you must keep\nyour passport on your person no matter what you are doing. It is illegal for\nforeigners in japan to be without it. If you do not have your passport, and a\npolice officer stops you and asks for it, they can take you into custody until\nyou produce your identification. They can hold you for hours at a time and you\nwill not be allowed to make phone calls or talk to anyone until they deem so.\nIt is an inconvenience that can end with you being fined or even sent to jail\nif they cannot get your I.D. This is the same for foreigners living in Japan,\nexcept they must keep their residence card on them. The laws of Japan are\nstrict, and it will usually end badly for any foreigners who find themselves in\ntrouble. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Pitching In<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It isn\u2019t required\nby law, but it is expected of any person in Japan to try and do their best to\nnot inconvenience others. This could involve picking up trash or keeping areas\nclean or noise-free. For foreigners living in Japan, they will have new\nresponsibilities such as being added to a neighborhood watch, having to clear\nheavy snowfall in communities, or volunteering at the local fire station. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The rules will be\ndifferent depending on the area you stay in, but there are many community\nresponsibilities that people will be expected to take care of. This can be seen\nin the rural areas of Japan in which there are community gardens that the\nsurrounding households participate in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Try to keep an\nopen mind and do your best to pitch in with the work. It can make your life\neasier when the community sees non-Japanese residents helping everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Acting in Public<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Foreigners in\nJapan have a reputation, and some are better than others. In general, Japan has\na group mentality and if one person from an area of the world acts a certain\nway, they will think that everyone from that part of the world is the same.\nFirst impressions are very important and even if they understand that you are\nnot from Japan, they will have a limit to how much they can endure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An important\nthing to remember is public etiquette and how you should act on public\ntransportation. One thing that has been complained about the most is the use of\ncellular phones and the ensuing loud conversations from them. Cell phone calls\nshould not be taken on public transport, they should be set to silent or manner\nmode, and music should be low enough so other passengers cannot hear it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There have been\nmany instances in which foreigners have become loud and unruly, and there has\nbeen a stigma attached to all people from that country. Try your best to look\nat social norms in Japan and be mindful of your surroundings when you get\nthere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Owning in Japan<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Japan has become\nmore accepting of foreigners living and working in the country over the years\nand it seems that more people will be allowed into the country as time goes on.\nThis means that more foreigners in Japan will try to own houses, cars, and\nother large buildings or vehicles. Some areas of ownership will be difficult\nfor non-Japanese residents, while others will remain the same. Owning a house\nwithout a Japanese spouse, or resident to live with is a difficult task. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first hurdle\nis that everything is in Japanese, and if you cannot read, write, and speak the\nlanguage, you will not be able to navigate the process. You will have trouble\ngetting loans from banks for the house, as well as business loans if you are trying\nto start a new chain or personal business. You will need help from residents or\npartners in your business to acquire the initial funding. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The second step\nfor owning a house requires a property that has been appraised by the local\ngovernment, has its property lines drawn, and is up to recent building codes.\nIf you do not meet these standards, you will be denied the paperwork and\npermits needed for occupancy. This can be made easier if you have a Japanese\nresident helping you. In most cases, this is for new families finding a home,\nbut it is also necessary for business loans and transactions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rules for\nvehicles are not as strict as homeownership or business, but again, having a\nnative resident to help with the process will help greatly. Owning small vehicles\nsimply require the money for purchase and a residence card. If you have a place\nto stay, a job, and the money, you will be fine. Large vehicles require a\nco-signer and you will most likely need a native Japanese person to sign and\ncomplete transactions. Make sure to look at all the necessary steps for any\nlarge purchases you will make.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are many\nunwritten rules that you will find in your area and some will only apply to\nforeigners in Japan. It can make many situations troublesome and even block you\nfrom creating a business, but they can all be completed with enough\nperseverance and hard work. Make sure to do all the necessary research so you\ndon\u2019t end up in a situation that will leave you with nothing. Try to understand\nthe laws and rules of your new home and you will enjoy your time in Japan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Anytime you travel to a new country, you will find that there are new laws and rules to follow. If you look harder, you will find special rules that apply to foreigners and visitors. Check out our article as we look at the different rules and laws that foreigners in Japan must follow. Traveling can […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3643,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3642","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-japanese-apartment-life"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.villagehouse.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3642","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.villagehouse.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.villagehouse.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.villagehouse.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.villagehouse.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3642"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.villagehouse.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3642\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.villagehouse.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3643"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.villagehouse.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3642"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.villagehouse.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3642"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.villagehouse.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3642"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}