Community Forum | 在留大将

A community for foreign residents in Japan — share tips on visas, insurance, taxes, housing and daily life.

On the train after work today, I overheard a parent-child conversation in Chinese and felt relieved.

ずっと日本語だらけの一日の終わり、最寄り駅の手前で隣に座った母娘が中国語で話してて、すごくホッとした自分に気づきました。何を話してるかも特に聞いてない、ただ

2026-05-02👁 114💬 2♥ 0

I love the sight of Japanese people finishing their shopping at a late-night supermarket without saying a single word.

夜 23 時のスーパーで、店員と客が完全に「いらっしゃいませ」「ありがとうございました」だけで完結する光景、私は密かに好きです。お互い疲れてるのに、最低限の

2026-04-14👁 141💬 2♥ 0

When a Japanese coworker says "Can I talk to you about something?" 90% of the time it's a heavy topic.

経験則ですが、日本人の同僚から「ちょっと相談したいことがあるんですが」と切り出された時、9 割は重い話 (転職、人間関係、家族のこと) です。本当の小さな相

2026-04-21👁 80💬 4♥ 0

Does "May sickness" exist in Korea too? I've never heard of the concept.

韓国出身です。日本で「5月病」って言葉を初めて聞いた時、何の病気か本気で分かりませんでした。今になって意味は分かるけど、韓国の似た概念 (슬럼프 = スラン

2026-05-03👁 220💬 3♥ 0

The phenomenon of pausing for 0.3 seconds every time a convenience store clerk asks, "Do you need a bag?"

在日 5 年経つのに、未だに反射が遅い。日本人なら一瞬で「いいえ」または「お願いします」って出るのに、私は脳内変換が一回入る。最近気づいたのは、変換中に「え

2026-04-25👁 263💬 3♥ 0

A coworker who went back to their hometown for Golden Week was apparently told by their family, "You've become Japanese."

中国出身の同僚 (在日 6 年) が GW に上海帰省してきました。戻ってきて言うには「親戚にお前も日本人化したね」と複数人に言われたそう。具体的に何が変わ

2026-04-30👁 181💬 1♥ 0

[From Taiwan] 5 unexpected local dishes I got hooked on in Japan.

20 年で食べてきて、台湾人視点で意外にハマった日本料理: 1. 鯖の塩焼き定食 (台湾だと魚は基本煮物、焼き魚はあまりない) 2. 冷やし中華 (中華と名乗

2026-03-16👁 106💬 5♥ 0

Compiled a guide on how to recover from issues with the My Number health insurance card.

マイナ保険証使い始めて 3 ヶ月、何度かトラブったので備忘: ケース 1: 受付機械が読み取れない → 健康保険証 (もし手元にあれば) を出す。なければ「資

2026-04-21👁 361💬 4♥ 0

For renewing a Japanese spouse visa, 7 types of documents can get you through 95% of the process.

日本人配偶者更新で実際に必要だった 7 種類 (3 年 → 3 年, 私の場合): 1. 申請書 2. 戸籍謄本 (3 ヶ月以内) 3. 質問書 (婚姻の経緯

2026-04-25👁 217💬 6♥ 0

[Yokohama Mom Sequel] How even a foreign mom can survive elementary school PTA.

PTA = 怖い、という前評判で身構えてましたが、実態は思ったほど辛くなかった経験談: 良かったこと: - 役員一回引き受けると、一緒の他のお母さんと自然に仲

2026-04-14👁 191💬 4♥ 0

The flow of Japanese honorific emails: AI translation + self-proofreading doubles the speed

私のメール作成フロー (1 通 5 分以内): 1. 言いたい内容を中国語で 3-4 行で書く 2. ChatGPT に「これを丁寧な日本語ビジネスメールに」

2026-03-27👁 194💬 4♥ 0

A list of cost-effective stores where you can buy Chinese ingredients besides business wholesale supermarkets

業スーで揃わない時のサブ候補: - 中華系: 各都市の中華街周辺の食材店 (Google で「華僑食品」) - ネット: 富澤商店 (製菓含む) や Amaz

2026-04-08👁 303💬 7♥ 0

Introducing a fan for indoor drying that I bought for under 5,000 yen and have been using for 3 years

高い除湿機買う前に試してほしい組み合わせ: - DC モーターの安い扇風機 (3000-4000 円) - 洗濯物の真下から上向き斜め 30 度 - 弱風で

2026-04-12👁 216💬 3♥ 0

A summary of discount sticker times at Japanese supermarkets by region

業界違うけどデータ好きで個人的に集計してみました (n=20 人, 関東中心): - イオン系: 18:30 / 20:00 (2 段階値引き) - ライフ:

2026-04-16👁 262💬 5♥ 0

The shortest routes for train commuters to avoid getting wet at transfer stations on rainy days

東京で電車通勤 8 年。雨の日にだけ役立つ駅構内の最短ルートを共有: - 大手町: 東西線↔丸ノ内線は B6 出口経由でほぼ屋根あり - 渋谷: 副都心線↔銀

2026-05-05👁 211💬 4♥ 0

Repeat purchases I buy every month at business wholesale supermarkets: Spring 2026 edition

去年と少し変わったので更新: 殿堂入り (絶対切らさない): - 冷凍うどん 5 食 200 円 - 鶏もも 2kg ブロック - 姜葱醤の小瓶 2026

2026-04-24👁 379💬 2♥ 0

Three things that actually worked for dealing with the smell of indoor drying during the rainy season

梅雨の部屋干し、何を試しても臭くなる人へ。3 年試行錯誤して結局効いたのはこの 3 つ: 1. 洗濯機の槽洗浄を月 1 回 (これ最大効果) 2. 干す時に扇

2026-04-27👁 333💬 3♥ 0

[20 years in Japan] Three money-related things I wish I had been careful about in the first 5 years

若い頃の自分にアドバイスするなら: 1. 国民年金の学生免除、安易に出すな。 → 後で追納するのがしんどい。働き始めたら厚生年金に切り替え推奨。 2. 給与

2026-03-21👁 193💬 4♥ 0

Community Forum | 在留大将

I still remember the confusion from my first time going to a Japanese cherry blossom viewing.

Three new hires quit during Golden Week—is this normal?

On the train after work today, I overheard a parent-child conversation in Chinese and felt relieved.

I love the sight of Japanese people finishing their shopping at a late-night supermarket without saying a single word.

When a Japanese coworker says "Can I talk to you about something?" 90% of the time it's a heavy topic.

Does "May sickness" exist in Korea too? I've never heard of the concept.

The phenomenon of pausing for 0.3 seconds every time a convenience store clerk asks, "Do you need a bag?"

A coworker who went back to their hometown for Golden Week was apparently told by their family, "You've become Japanese."

[From Taiwan] 5 unexpected local dishes I got hooked on in Japan.

Compiled a guide on how to recover from issues with the My Number health insurance card.

For renewing a Japanese spouse visa, 7 types of documents can get you through 95% of the process.

[Yokohama Mom Sequel] How even a foreign mom can survive elementary school PTA.

The flow of Japanese honorific emails: AI translation + self-proofreading doubles the speed

A list of cost-effective stores where you can buy Chinese ingredients besides business wholesale supermarkets

Introducing a fan for indoor drying that I bought for under 5,000 yen and have been using for 3 years

A summary of discount sticker times at Japanese supermarkets by region

The shortest routes for train commuters to avoid getting wet at transfer stations on rainy days

Repeat purchases I buy every month at business wholesale supermarkets: Spring 2026 edition

Three things that actually worked for dealing with the smell of indoor drying during the rainy season

[20 years in Japan] Three money-related things I wish I had been careful about in the first 5 years