Daily reading
Japanese news, translated line by line
Real news from Japan, rewritten in plain Japanese. Every line carries furigana and a translation right below — turn either off when you want to test yourself.
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Chiba Holds Free Life Orientation for Foreign Residents in Narita: Traffic, Earthquakes, Visas — Interpreters Available, First Deadline November 2
Living in Chiba and want to understand traffic rules, what to do in earthquakes and typhoons, or visa procedures? Chiba Prefecture is holding two free sessions in Narita on November 20 and December 18, 2026, with interpreters and childcare; each session has its own application deadline.
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Recalled Iwatani Gas Torch Catches Fire and Canister Bursts — 3 Taken to Hospital, Only 57.9% of Units Recovered
Do you have an Iwatani cooking torch bought around 2013–2014? A recalled unit of the same model just caught fire and burst its gas canister in Tokyo, leaving 3 people with minor injuries. Check for model number CB-TC-CPRO3 and stop using it if it matches.
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Flu Rises Early in Japan: 11.35 Cases per Sentinel Clinic in Early October, Over 7 Times the Same Week Last Year
According to figures released on October 9 by Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, flu reports for the week of September 28–October 4 were far higher than the same week last year, and 937 schools and nurseries closed classes or whole schools in a single week.
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Tokyo to Create a List of 'Trusted Home Air-Conditioner Removal Shops' — Japan's First, Applications From November 2
In Tokyo, about 40% of freon emissions come from home air conditioners. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has created a system to register and publish the names of removal shops that meet its standards — giving you one more list to check when you move or get rid of an air conditioner.
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18 Serious Product Accidents Announced — Including 2 Fires While Charging With Another Brand's Cable or Adapter
Among 18 serious product accidents Japan just announced, two fires broke out while devices were charging with another brand's cable or adapter. The causes are still under investigation.
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Chiba Opens Hotel Rooms as Shelters for People Hit by August Downpour and Typhoon No. 25 — Room Costs Publicly Funded in Principle
Was your home flooded or damaged by Chiba's August downpour or Typhoon No. 25? Since October 7, 2026, the prefecture has been taking applications for evacuees to stay in rooms at hotels and inns that are operating as usual — you apply through your local municipality.
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Monday, October 12, 2026 Is a Japanese Holiday (Sports Day) — But Vietnam's Embassy Stays Open as Usual
Next Monday is a national holiday in Japan (Sports Day), so many offices close. But Vietnam's Embassy in Japan has confirmed it will stay open and work as usual that day.
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Japan's Official 2026 Year-End Tax Adjustment Software Is Out — Free, Ready From December 1
Many workers in Japan still fill out their year-end tax adjustment forms by hand. The tax agency just released the official version of free software for doing it on a phone or computer instead.
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Japan Publishes New Guide to Help Consumers Avoid Becoming 'Customer Harassers'
It's not just companies that must guard against customer harassment — Japan's Consumer Affairs Agency just published material to help consumers themselves notice when their own complaint is going too far.
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Working Out at the Gym? Japan's Consumer Agency Warns About These Injuries
Misusing treadmills, training past your limit — Japan's Consumer Affairs Agency just listed real gym injury cases.
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Japan Plans to Cut Food Consumption Tax to 1% for Two Years Starting April 2027
Japan's government has unveiled a plan to cut the food consumption tax from 8% to 1% — but it's still a draft, not yet law.
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Mini Power Washer SPICERR Recalled Over Fire Risk — 88,710 Units Sold, Only 72% Exchanged, New Injury Reported
If you own a SPICERR mini power washer (SWU-1/PHP-1), check it now — the product has just caught fire again.
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2026 Kumamoto Earthquake: Affected Foreign Workers Can Temporarily Take Other Jobs
Foreign workers in areas hit hard by the Kumamoto earthquake who cannot yet return to their original job have been allowed by Japan's immigration agency to take other work temporarily, up to eight hours a day.
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Japan Updates Its 'Equal Pay for Equal Work' Rules — Part-Timers and Dispatch Workers Gain the Right to Ask Why Their Pay Differs
If you work part-time, on a fixed-term contract, or as a dispatched (haken) worker in Japan and don't get the same bonus, housing allowance, or summer leave as regular employees, as of October 1, 2026 you have the right to ask your employer to explain why.
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Self-Employed and Freelance Parents in Japan Can Now Skip National Pension Payments While Raising a Baby Under One
If you pay National Pension premiums on your own — not through an employer — and just had a baby, from October 1, 2026 you may be exempt from paying for up to 12 months without losing any future pension amount.
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Japan Publishes 393 Companies Referred to Prosecutors for Labor Law Violations — 62 Cases Involve Completely Unpaid Wages
If the company you work for was ever referred to prosecutors for unpaid wages or safety violations, its name could be sitting in this public list right now.
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From October 1, 2026, Every Company in Japan Must Take Measures Against 'Customer Harassment'
A new law in effect since October 1, 2026 requires EVERY company — even one with a single employee — to prevent customer harassment and sexual harassment against job seekers.
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From October 1, 2026, Part-Time Workers in Japan Can No Longer Dodge Social Insurance Over the 88,000-Yen Wage Line
The 88,000-yen-a-month line that let many part-timers avoid paying into social insurance has just been erased.
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How Many Words and Kanji Do You Need for N5, N4 and N3? Estimated Numbers
The figures usually quoted are about 800 words and 100 kanji for N5, 1,500 words and 300 kanji for N4, and 3,750 words and 650 kanji for N3. They are not official numbers, and this article shows where they come from.
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How to Remember Kanji with Sino-Vietnamese Readings and Radicals
電話 is ĐIỆN THOẠI, 学生 is HỌC SINH: use Sino-Vietnamese readings, sound-correspondence patterns and radicals to remember kanji faster.
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JLPT 2026 in Vietnam and Japan: Dates, Deadlines, Fees
In Vietnam the 2026 JLPT is held on Sunday 5 July and Sunday 6 December in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang and Hue. Here are the application windows and fees from each host university's own notice, plus the schedule and fees in Japan and several other countries, with sources you can check yourself.
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How Long Does It Take to Learn Japanese? Estimates for N5 to N1 by Daily Study Hours
A sourced estimate: how many hours each level takes, and how many months at 1, 2 or 3 hours a day.
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Signing Up for Electricity or Gas Online? Watch Out for 'Intermediary Sites'
Think you're signing up with a major utility company? You might actually be contracting with someone else entirely — Japan's consumer agency just issued a fresh warning.
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The Complete Japanese Alphabet: Hiragana, Katakana and How to Read Them
46 basic characters, voiced sounds, contracted sounds, small っ and ー on one page, plus tips for telling シ/ツ, ソ/ン and ぬ/め apart.
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Japan Revokes a Technical Intern Supervising Organization's License, Cancels 16 Companies' Training Plans
A supervising organization in Osaka lost its license for filing false audit reports — and 16 host companies had their training plans revoked the same day.
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Year-End Tax Adjustment 2026: Basic Deduction Goes Up, So Does the Dependent Income Threshold
If someone in your family only works a part-time job, the income threshold for them to still count as your dependent just went up by 130,000 yen.
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From October, Dusk-Hour Traffic Accidents Spike in Japan — What Police Are Warning
Fatal dusk-hour accidents in the last three months of the year run nearly double those of summer, and over 60% happen outside marked crosswalks.
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Japan's Regional Minimum Wage Rises to 1,177 Yen — Tokyo Highest at 1,280, Miyazaki Lowest at 1,085
Your hourly wage may be about to change without you noticing — the new rate phases in from October 1, but the exact date differs by prefecture.
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Ikusei Shuro Replaces Technical Intern Training From 2027 — What Vietnamese Workers Need to Know
From April 2027, the Technical Intern Training program (技能実習) will be phased out in favor of Ikusei Shuro. Vietnamese — the largest group of foreign workers in Japan — are the most directly affected.
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As of October 1, 2026, Residence Change/Renewal and Permanent Residency Fees Have Officially Gone Up
The familiar 6,000-yen fee is gone. Since October 1, 2026, the renewal fee scales with the period you're granted — up to 75,000 yen.
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Evacuation Alerts in Plain Japanese — Learn Them Before the Storm, Not During It
When a storm hits, the neighborhood speaker and your phone speak Japanese. These seven phrases decide whether you understand or not.
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A Day at City Hall — Eight Sentences You'll Hear and Say
You don't need to speak well. You need exactly eight sentences, in the right order.
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Since April 2024, Japanese Work Contracts Must Spell Out Three More Things
"We might transfer you elsewhere later" — now that "elsewhere" has to be written down from the start.
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When the Earthquake Early Warning Sounds, You Have Seconds — Here's What to Do
The weather agency is blunt: don't panic and run outside, and don't waste time trying to turn off the stove.
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What Is Nenmatsu Chōsei? The Paperwork That Decides Your December Paycheck
In November your company hands you a confusing form. Fill it out right, and money comes back in December.
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Residence Cards Must Be Carried at All Times — Lost One? You Have 14 Days
Not carrying your residence card isn't an empty threat — it's a real fine, and the law means it.
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National Health Insurance Isn't Optional — It's a Duty
In Japan, if you have no other health insurance, you're automatically subject to National Health Insurance — even if you never signed up.
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Moved in Japan? You Have 14 Days to Report Your Address — 90 Days Risks Your Status
Forgetting to report your new address isn't just a fine — past 90 days, it can cost you your residence status.
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Renewing Your Residence Period: You Can Apply From 3 Months Before It Expires
Renewal applications typically take two weeks to a month to process — applying just a week before your deadline puts you at serious risk.
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Sending Luggage by Takkyubin (Door-to-Door Delivery)
Travel empty-handed while your luggage reaches the hotel before you do. Takkyubin makes that possible — and more.
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What You Can Do with a My Number Card
One plastic card with a chip can serve as a health insurance card, print certificates at a convenience store and file taxes online. But it also needs care.
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Buying a SIM and Signing a Phone Contract in Japan
Soon after arriving in Japan you need a phone number for accounts, housing and more — but getting one requires documents. How?
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Banks and ATMs in Japan
Opening an account and withdrawing money in Japan has a few differences from what you may be used to. Prepare your documents and learn the ATM buttons.
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Part-Time Work at a Convenience Store: The Tasks and the Japanese
A konbini is the first part-time job for many international students. There is more to the work than you would think, and the Japanese is very repetitive.
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Requesting Leave and Calling in Sick
Leave is a right, but how you ask and hand over makes everyone comfortable.
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Preparing an Emergency Bag at Home While Living in Japan
Earthquakes come without warning. Thirty minutes of preparation today can decide how you cope in the first days after a disaster.
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Apartment Noise and Dealing with Complaints from Neighbors
Footsteps, a washing machine, friends laughing at midnight — in Japan, such small things can become big problems.
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Job Interviews at Japanese Companies: From Entering to Leaving
Interviewers watch how you knock, sit and bow, not just what you answer.
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Onsen and Sento in Japan: The Basic Rules
Bathing together in Japan is relaxing once you know a few rules: wash first and keep the water clean.
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Taking a Taxi in Japan: The Automatic Door and Saying Where to Go
Don't reach for the taxi door in Japan — the driver opens the back door for you.
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Renting a Home in Japan: Deposit, Key Money, and a Guarantor
Renting in Japan is more than monthly rent. There are up-front costs you should understand before you sign.
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Taking the Train in Japan: Tickets and IC Cards
One IC card lets you ride trains and buses without working out the fare every time.
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Seeing a Doctor in Japan: Your Insurance Card and the Medical Questionnaire
Fever or a sore throat in Japan: what do you do from the clinic door to picking up your medicine? Read ahead so you are not caught off guard.
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How to Sort and Put Out the Trash in Japan
In Japan, trash has its own day and its own time. Three simple rules keep your neighbors happy.
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