Japanese Money Matters | The Japan Guy

Japanese Money Matters

What Happens if You’re Late Paying Your Taxes in Japan?

January 25, 2012
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What Happens if You’re Late Paying Your Taxes in Japan?

This is short post that I meant to put up last year, but since my taxes are broken into payments, I think it’s still relevant. When you live in Japan, so many of the things you see and do will be different from back home. However, some things don’t change. If you’re earning income here in Japan, you will have to pay taxes on it. Some companies are better than others at deducting it for you, which really makes things easier. But if you’re at a job that doesn’t you’ve got to handle the taxes on your own. Please check out the previous post I did on Japanese taxes. For me, coming from a...

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Japanese Electricity Bill Blues (JEBB)

January 13, 2012
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Japanese Electricity Bill Blues (JEBB)

Dum dee dum dum dum. Donald gets home from work, it was a standard, nothing too surprising, no major issues at school that he couldn’t handle. He opens the his mailbox to find a couple of bills inside. “No worries, just one of those costs to take care of I guess.” Crinkle, crinkle, rip. Donald opens the envelope from TEPCO. His eyes scan quickly to the right side of the bill to see the amount due. His glance comes to a dead stop, his eyes widen, his brow furrows, and sweat begins to bead on his brow. Being that it’s the thick of winter, the sweat probably isn’t coming from any heat source, but...

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How to Pay A Bill In Japan

August 2, 2011
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Thanks Mr. Clerk for letting me use your hands. Nice guy.

I have a short, money-matter post for your today. But why would it be short when it’s a finance-related post? Well, the reason this a shorter money-matters post is because it’s SUPER EASY to pay your bills in Japan. From Japanese utility bills to internet to tax payments, taking care of those recurring Japanese bills is as easy as one, two, three…um…four. There aren’t a whole lot of complicated steps required. So we’re just going to dive right into this one. You’ll get a bill in the mail, whether it’s gas, lights, water, etc.. For this particular example I’m going to use my internet bill from NTT Communications. When you open the bill, STEP...

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What Happens if You Miss A Rent Payment in Japan?

July 27, 2011
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What Happens if You Miss A Rent Payment in Japan?

I’m usually quite conscientious about making sure all of my bills get paid on time, even if it means I don’t have a lot of funds leftover. I just hate having debt burdens on my shoulders (DAMN YOU STUDENT LOANS!). There is one instance in recent memory where a silly, unintentional mistake ended up leaving my account just under what I needed to pay my rent. Whenever I get paid, the first things I set aside are my payments for my two student loans and my rent payment, which is 55,000 yen. I actually have set this money into a separate account to keep me from even being tempted to use it for any...

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The Importance of Your Japanese Bank Book

July 3, 2011
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The Importance of Your Japanese Bank Book

Banking in the United States and in Japan are similar in some ways and different in others. I definitely think U.S. banking is a lot more convenient than Japan’s in many respects. For example, I remember banks having the drive though areas back home where a patron could pull up, conduct a transaction with a live teller using an intercom and these plastic containers with vacuum tubes. I haven’t seen any drive-through banking here in Japan (maybe limited space prevents it). Also, has anyone ever had an issue with pulling money out of a Japanese ATM when you REALLY need it? I’ve been there. It’s after 9:00pm and I can’t use my ATM card...

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Job Hunting In Japan: My Intial Thoughts

December 6, 2010
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This is my first attempt at job hunting since I’ve been in Japan. Originally I came to Japan because of my employer, so it all worked out. But, now, it’s time to cut my leash and seek a new job. So how’s it going so far? Well, it’s good and bad. It’s good because there are so many teaching opportunities available, so I do think I’m going to be able to find a job. However, here’s the problem: If you read my Apartment Hunting Update, you know that I received approval for an apartment that I really like. The issue is they want me to decide SO soon, December 13th, to be exact. I...

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The Japanese Yen

September 25, 2010
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The Japanese Yen

You made it to Japan and you’ve successfully managed to exchange money…what you are now holding are Japanese Yen.  Japanese yen are the national currency of Japan.  If you’re staying in Japan for a while get used to seeing these bills and coins because they will become a part of your daily life. CURRENCY DENOMINATIONS As with any currency, the Japanese Yen is divided into several different values, which makes the monetary system easy and convenient to use.  These denominations can and have changed over time.  We will focus on the values that you will see most often. The Coins Let’s look at the coins first: there is a 1-yen coin, a 5-yen coin,...

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Earthquakes in Japan

September 22, 2010
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This morning, September 22nd, 2010,  around 5:30 am I was startled out of my sleep.  I wasn’t necessarily sleeping peacefully, I actually fell asleep on my living room floor by accident.  I was working on some stuff and just crashed.  But anyway, what startled me?  Was my alarm too loud?  No.  Did those Ibaraki ninjas attack me for leaving the secret organization, forcing me to use my cat-like reflexes to dispose of each and every one of them?  Ummm…No.  Did some beautiful woman break into my room and roughly try to have her way with me? Sigh…that sounds nice…but…no.  I was rumbled awake by an EARTHQUAKE!!!  It was a pretty noticeable one, too. After...

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How to Use a Japanese ATM (The Basics): Part 2

September 15, 2010
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(updating…) Hopefully you’ve read Part 1 of “How to Use a Japanese ATM” as it shows the essential kanji we’ll be dealing with when using the ATM.  Now, I will show how to do each of the procedures step by step.  First, let’s examine how to do a basic withdrawal: 1. WITHDRAWAL When withdrawing money, please mind your zeroes.  I had a friend who accidentally withdrew most of the money that he had in his account, because he added an extra zero by mistake.  (Please see the    article if you’re a little confused about US Dollar to Yen Equivalents…don’t worry…I try to keep things simple). Next let’s do a basic deposit together: 2. DEPOSIT...

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