Living in Japan and moving to Japan: visas, jobs, cost of living and travel
Living in Japan or moving to Japan: visas, cost of living, jobs, healthcare, money and the best places to visit, with 2026 figures in yen and dollars.
Photo Guohua Song, Pexels
Living in Japan or moving to Japan starts with the visa that fits your plan, then a budget: read which Japan visa you need and what it costs to live in Japan first. Coming on holiday? US, UK, Canadian, Australian and EU passports get 90 days without a visa, and our 10-day Japan itinerary shows how to use them.
Tours and activities in Japan
Six well-rated tours and tickets from Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, the three cities of a first trip.
Tokyo: Mt. Fuji Tour, Hakone Ropeway, Owakudani, Lake Ashi
A coach day from Tokyo that pairs the Fuji area with Hakone: the ropeway over Owakudani and Lake Ashi.
4.6(8,628 reviews)
- 10 hours
- Free cancellation
From $54per person
See prices & availability
TOKYO SKYTREE Observation Deck Admission ticket
Entry to the 350 m Tembo Deck of Japan's tallest tower, with the option to add the Tembo Galleria at 450 m.
4.5(16,552 reviews)
From $13per person
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Tokyo: Asakusa Walking Tour with Sensoji Temple Visit
Two hours on foot with a guide through Senso-ji, Kaminarimon and Nakamise, with the stories behind the gates and the hall.
4.8(2,036 reviews)
- 2 hours
- Free cancellation
From $22per person
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Kyoto/Osaka: Nara, Fushimi Inari Taisha, Arashiyama Bus Tour
A full day by coach from Kyoto or Osaka: the deer of Nara, the red gates of Fushimi Inari and the Arashiyama bamboo grove.
4.8(4,097 reviews)
- 9 to 10 hours
- Free cancellation
From $51per person
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Kyoto: Tea Ceremony in a Garden Tea House near Kiyomizu-dera
A 50-minute tea ceremony in a traditional tea house with a garden, a short walk from Kiyomizu-dera.
4.8(4,662 reviews)
- 50 minutes
- Free cancellation
From $55per person
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Osaka: Universal Studios Japan Entry Ticket
A dated one-day ticket to Universal Studios Japan, bought before you go, since the park no longer sells tickets at the gate.
4.5(1,683 reviews)
From $76per person
See prices & availability
Japan visas: which one you need
A short holiday needs no visa for most readers of this guide. Living in Japan does: you need a status of residence, and almost every long-stay visa starts with a Certificate of Eligibility obtained in Japan by your employer, school or family. Our guides cover the Japan work visa, the working holiday visa and the digital nomad visa.
- 74
- countries and regions whose citizens enter Japan without a visa for a short stay
- ¥15,000
- single-entry visa fee since 1 July 2026, about $94
- 1 to 3 months
- official time to obtain the Certificate of Eligibility
Photo N509FZ, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Who enters Japan without a visa and for how long, who must apply, 2026 fees, documents, extensions, entry requirements and where JESTA stands.
Visit Japan Web step by step: official site, account, passport scan, immigration and customs QR code, families, offline use and paper forms in 2026.
How to get a Japan work visa in 2026: the main statuses, degree and experience rules, the Certificate of Eligibility, real processing times and new fees.
How to move to Japan, step by step
Moving to Japan is a sequence: the visa, a flat, then address registration at the ward office, where anyone not enrolled by an employer also joins National Health Insurance. Read how renting in Japan works before you sign a lease, and see the cost of living in Japan to size your budget.
- ¥566,516
- to move into an average small flat in Tokyo's 23 wards, about $3,541
- 14 days
- to register your address at the city or ward office after you move in
- ¥265,800
- estimated monthly budget for a single person renting in Tokyo's 23 wards, about $1,660
Moving to Japan from the USA in 2026: visa routes with no working holiday, a 12-month timeline, US taxes abroad, licence rules by state, pets and costs.
Photo Iban Lopez Luna, PexelsWhat it costs to live in Japan in 2026: monthly budgets in yen and dollars for Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka and Sendai, with rent, bills, health insurance and taxes.
Renting in Japan as a foreigner in 2026: average rent by city and Tokyo ward, upfront costs with a worked example, guarantor companies and UR housing.
Jobs in Japan for foreigners
Japan has never had so many foreign workers, and job openings outnumber applicants. English teaching is the classic way in, in conversation schools or through the JET Programme, and our guide to salaries in Japan gives pay by age, industry and prefecture.
- 2,571,037
- foreign workers in Japan at the end of October 2025, a record
- 1.19
- job openings per applicant nationwide in September 2026
- ¥4.87 million
- average private-sector salary in 2025, about $30,440
Photo Francesco Albanese, Pexels
Photo 小石川人晃, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia CommonsTeaching English in Japan in 2026: ALT, eikaiwa, international school and university pay in yen and dollars, requirements, visas, hiring calendar and traps.
Photo ON VIXION, PexelsHow the JET Programme works: ¥4.02 million starting salary in 2026, take-home pay, requirements and 2027 application dates for the US, UK, Canada and more.
Photo Hakan Nural, PexelsAverage salary in Japan: ¥4.87 million ($30,440) in 2025, median near ¥4.2 million. Pay by age, industry and prefecture, 2026 minimum wage, net pay examples.
Japan currency, banking and taxes for foreigners
Sending money to Japan costs very different amounts from one provider to the next, and tax starts with your first salary. Compare the ways to send money to Japan, then read how Japan taxes foreign residents, residence tax and pension refund included.
- $11.59 to $47.12
- real cost of sending $1,000 to Japan on 14 November 2026, across seven providers
- 5% to 45%
- national income tax rates for 2026, plus a 2.1% reconstruction surtax
- 10%
- residence tax on the previous year's income, billed from June
Photo Qing Luo, Pexels
Send money to Japan for less: the real cost of $1,000 and £5,000 compared, Japanese bank receiving fees, SWIFT codes, Japan Post Bank and the ¥30m report.
Photo Hirho, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia CommonsHow Japan taxes foreign residents in 2026: tax residency, income and residence tax, filing, treaties, and how to claim the pension refund when you leave.
Healthcare in Japan for foreign residents
Anyone living in Japan for more than three months must join the public health system, through an employer or at the city office. You pay the remaining 30% of the bill at the counter. Our comparison of health insurance in Japan explains when private cover is worth adding, and visitors should read our page on travel insurance for Japan.
- 70%
- of medical bills covered by Japanese public health insurance
- 3 months
- of residence, after which joining the public system is compulsory
- ¥67,073
- flat part of National Health Insurance a year in Tokyo's 23 wards, member under 40
Photo Wikimedia Commons, CC0
Photo Asturio Cantabrio, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia CommonsHow health insurance in Japan works for foreigners in 2026: who must join NHI or an employer plan, premiums in Tokyo and Fukuoka, the 30% co-pay and the cap.
Japan travel guide: planning your trip
April and October were the two busiest months of 2025 for foreign arrivals, so book early if you want cherry blossom or autumn leaves. Check the best time to visit Japan, then see whether the Japan Rail Pass is worth it for your route or whether single shinkansen tickets cost less.
- 90 days
- visa-free stay for US, UK, Canadian, Australian and EU passports
- ¥50,000
- 7-day Ordinary Japan Rail Pass bought on the official website, about $313
- ¥135,000
- our budget estimate per person for 10 days on a backpacker budget, flights excluded
Photo Basile Morin, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo Ryutaro Tsukata, PexelsBest time to visit Japan: late March to May or October to November. Japan weather by month for Tokyo, Kyoto, Sapporo and Naha, plus 2027 dates to avoid.
Photo 犬 の口, PexelsWhen to see cherry blossom in Japan in 2027: average bloom dates for 10 cities from the JMA, when the first forecast comes out, and the best spots by city.
Photo tsuda, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0Japan in winter, December to February: JMA weather by region, 2026-27 lift prices at 8 ski resorts, 2027 snow festival dates and what closes at New Year.
Things to do in Japan
Most first trips link Tokyo, Mount Fuji and Hakone and Kyoto, with Osaka and Nara a short train ride away. Several of the most visited sights cost nothing to enter.
- 30
- things to do in Japan in this guide, each with its own detailed page
- Free
- entry to Senso-ji, Fushimi Inari, the Arashiyama bamboo grove and Nishiki Market
- ¥21,400
- entry fees for nine headline sights of a first trip, Universal Studios Japan included, about $134
Photo Joli Rumi, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Pexels30 things to do in Tokyo by neighbourhood, from Senso-ji to Shibuya Sky, with 2026 entry prices, opening hours, what to book ahead and four day trips.
Photo Basile Morin, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia CommonsWhere to stay in Tokyo in 2026: the best area for a first trip, budget, nightlife or families, prices by area, airport links and capsule hotels.
Photo Sorasak boontohhgraphy, CC0, Wikimedia Commons30 things to do in Kyoto by area, from Kiyomizu-dera and Gion to Kinkaku-ji and Ohara, with 2026 entry fees, official opening hours and the quietest times.
Living in Japan in figures
- Foreign residents
- 4.28 million at the end of June 2026, a record
- Foreign visitors in 2025
- 42,683,600, 15.8% more than in 2024 (JNTO)
- Foreign workers
- 2,571,037 at the end of October 2025
- Average salary
- ¥4.87 million a year in 2025, about $30,440
- Minimum wage
- ¥1,177 an hour on average for fiscal 2026, about $7.36, and ¥1,280 in Tokyo
- Cost of living
- about ¥265,800 a month for a single person renting in Tokyo's 23 wards, about $1,660