Last updated: December 2025 Winter is here and snow season is slowly approaching us! Here are some of the places where you can ski/snowboard in Hyogo. Most ski slopes are scattered around northern Hyogo (Tajima region), where Mt. Hyono (氷ノ山), the tallest mountain in Hyogo is located. There is also a small ski slope in […]
Last updated: September 2025 Natural disasters happen all year round right across Japan. Although some areas do have it lucky to not experience tsunami due to it’s inland location, other disasters such as earthquakes and flooding will occur no matter where you are. A notable weather event in Japan is the rainy season (梅雨), which […]
Last updated: September 2025 For those who are interested in volunteering whilst on the JET Program, here are some opportunities for you! The organisations or initiatives currently listed are friendly for English speaking people, so don’t be afraid to participate! If you would like to feature a particular volunteer initiative in Hyogo/Kansai – please comment […]
Every year, Japan experiences a total of 16 public holidays. These special days occur at least once every month (except for June). If a public holiday falls on any day apart from Saturday, like many countries in the world, it becomes a day off for most workers. Sunday is a special case, where the Monday […]
Last updated: August 2025 With burdens like language barriers and “key money”, finding an apartment in Japan is not a pleasant business. One of the blessings of the JET Program is the Contracting Organizations (CO) usually arrange housing for participants. Of course, that means we get plenty of questions about housing. My friend’s apartment is […]
Last updated: July 2025 With numerous different train companies in Japan, hundreds of train lines and heaps of people all trying to cram on the same train, public transit can be a little overwhelming at times. The following information should hopefully help make traveling on trains a little easier. Travel between Himeji and Osaka There […]
Last updated: July 2025. Credits to Jason Yang. If you’ve never had a credit card before coming to Japan, you may be asking yourself why you would want or need one, especially given that debit cards also exist here. It is definitely an optional thing and not everyone would require one. One of the main […]
Last updated: June 2025 Landing in Japan Apart from the Early Departures (arriving in April), you will arrive in Japan around late July or early August. You will land at either Haneda or Narita International Airport, where after immigration and customs, you’ll board a bus that will take you to Keio Plaza Hotel. Although you […]
Last updated: June 2025. Credits to Jason Yang for providing most of the information. Once you have your Residence Card (在留カード) and a Japanese phone number, you are ready to set up your bank account. Some banks require a hanko as well, but others like Prestia, Sony, and Shinsei Bank don’t – you can just […]
Last updated: June 2025 If you’re intending or decided to stay for more than a year, getting a Japanese driver’s license is mandatory after 12 months. You cannot renew your international driver’s permit (IDP) and is only valid for a year from the date it was issued. It is illegal to drive without a valid […]