Moving to Japan First Week Checklist for Foreigners

After landing in Japan, your first 24 hours are mainly about reaching your accommodation safely. The first week is different: it is when you begin setting up everyday life.

This Moving to Japan first week checklist for foreigners is written for short-term students, people on working holiday visas, new residents, and travelers who want a calmer start. It does not repeat the airport-arrival article. Instead, it focuses on what to organize after you have reached your room.

Moving to Japan First Week Checklist: What Matters Most?

The goal of week one is not to finish every possible procedure. The goal is to make your routine reliable enough that you can go to school, work, sightseeing, or appointments without panic.

If you still need the arrival-day version, start with our first-day arrival checklist. For phone setup, see our SIM Card in Japan for Foreigners guide.

Moving to Japan First Week Checklist: A Day-by-Day Plan

Day 1: keep arrival day simple

Do not overload day one with city hall, contracts, or complicated errands unless you must. Your arrival-day priorities are safety, transport, mobile connection, food, water, and rest.

• Keep passport, residence card if issued, and accommodation address together.
• Confirm your route from the airport to your stay.
• Make sure mobile internet works outside the airport.
• Save your accommodation address in both English and Japanese if possible.

Days 2-3: make your housing practical

Once you have slept, your accommodation becomes the center of the first week. Share houses, homestays, monthly apartments, and temporary rooms can all have rules that are easy to miss.

• Confirm check-in rules, key rules, curfew if any, and emergency contact details.
• Save the full Japanese address, building name, room number, and nearest station.
• Ask how trash separation works in that building or city.
• Confirm whether you can receive mail or documents at that address.

HarukaBase tip: if you are unsure about a house rule, ask before guessing. Small misunderstandings around trash, guests, noise, or shared spaces can become stressful later.

Days 3-4: check address registration and city hall

Tourists usually do not need city hall procedures. Foreign residents, students, workers, and people on working holiday visas may need to register an address after deciding where they will live. The exact steps can vary by municipality and visa status.

• Confirm whether address registration applies to your visa and stay.
• Prepare your residence card, passport, address, and school or employer documents if relevant.
• Check the city hall or ward office opening hours before going.
• Write your address in Japanese so staff can confirm it quickly.

For details, read our Address Registration in Japan for Foreigners guide.

Days 4-5: stabilize phone, transport, and payment

Japan is much easier when your phone, maps, IC card, and backup payment method are working reliably. Do not wait until your first commute or appointment to discover that your phone plan or card does not work.

• Test mobile internet outside Wi-Fi areas.
• Save your main station, nearest station exit, and accommodation on your map app.
• Set up or buy an IC card where available.
• Keep enough cash for small shops, transport issues, and emergencies.

Days 5-7: rehearse school, work, and local routine

The end of the first week is when you should practice your routine. This is especially important for short-term students, people on working holiday visas, interns, and people starting work soon after arrival.

• Test the route to your school, office, or main meeting place before the first important day.
• Confirm start time, building entrance, reception procedure, and what documents to bring.
• Find your nearest supermarket, pharmacy, clinic, convenience store, and ATM.
• Prepare a simple weekly budget for transport, food, laundry, and daily items.

Documents to keep ready during the first week

Keep originals safe, but make digital copies where appropriate. You may need them for accommodation, school, city hall, phone service, or support providers.

Common first-week mistakes to avoid

• Trying to finish every procedure on the first day while exhausted.
• Saving only an English address when Japanese staff need the Japanese version.
• Assuming city hall rules are the same in every city.
• Forgetting that accommodation rules may be stricter than hotel rules.
• Depending on one payment method without backup cash.
• Waiting too long to ask for help with communication in Japanese.

When English support helps most

Some people can handle the first week alone. Others save time and stress by using local English support, especially when housing, school, airport pickup, and communication in Japanese overlap.

HarukaBase can help with arrival support, housing coordination, basic first-week planning, and communication with Japanese providers. We are especially useful when you want a calm plan before you arrive, rather than scrambling for a solution after something goes wrong.

Your Four First-Week Priorities

Focus first on four systems: a workable place to live, any required municipal procedures, reliable mobile data and transportation, and the documents you need for school or work. Once those are stable, the rest of your setup can happen at a reasonable pace.

Moving to Japan First Week Checklist: FAQ and Final Priorities

Is this checklist for tourists or residents?

It can help both, but the city hall and address registration parts mainly apply to residents, students, workers, and people on working holiday visas. Tourists can focus on transport, phone setup, payment, accommodation, and safety.

Is this the same as the first-day checklist?

No. The first-day checklist is about airport arrival and the first 24 hours. This first-week checklist is about making daily life stable after you reach your accommodation.

Can HarukaBase help before I arrive?

Yes. If you know your flight date, airport, destination, accommodation plan, and support needs, HarukaBase can help prepare a practical arrival and first-week plan in English.