15 itemsLatest information on daily life, prices, utilities, communication, and shopping
From May 2026 meter reading, the renewable energy surcharge rises from ¥3.98 to ¥4.18/kWh. ~¥52/month more for 260kWh usage. Winter heating costs increase further. Electricity bills have been rising continuously since 2024.
Energy subsidy ended with March 2026 usage. ¥3,000+/month increase from April. Renewable surcharge hits record ¥3.98/kWh.
April 2026: electricity (+¥450/month), gas (+¥170/month), 200+ food items, and social insurance all going up simultaneously.
Effective April 1, 2026. Online mobile contract ID verification is unified under Public Personal Authentication (JPKI) via My Number Card. Those without one must sign up in person.
From April 2026, a "Child Care Support Levy" is added to health insurance premiums (~0.23%, ~¥500/month). All insured persons — including single, childless foreigners — pay equally. Take-home pay decreases.
In April 2026, Japan launches the Kodomo Dare-demo Tsuen system nationwide — part-time childcare with no employment requirement. Children aged 6 months to under 3 who are not enrolled in nursery can attend up to 10 hours a month for about ¥300 per hour.
From April 2026, Japan removes the income cap on the High School Enrollment Support Fund, so households qualify regardless of income, and the private-school cap rises to ¥457,200/year. But foreign students must meet residence-status rules: Student status is excluded and Dependent status has extra conditions.
Himeji Castle introduces dual pricing. Himeji residents ¥1,000, others ¥2,500. Residence card with Himeji address gets resident rate.
Next-gen My Number Card in 2026. New design, gender removed from face, 10-year validity. My Number Insurance Card function built in.
Complete guide to Japanese garbage sorting rules. Categories, collection days, and penalties for violations explained.
The revised Broadcast Act of October 1, 2025 makes viewing NHK's new online service NHK ONE subject to the fee. With no TV and an internet-only viewing application, it costs ¥1,100/month (¥965 in Okinawa). Merely owning a smartphone creates no obligation, and TV license holders pay nothing extra.
From July 2025, all four Mt. Fuji trails (Yamanashi's Yoshida and Shizuoka's Fujinomiya, Gotemba, Subashiri) require a ¥4,000 entry fee and advance web reservation. Entry is blocked 2pm–3am, and the Yoshida trail caps climbers at 4,000 per day to curb reckless overnight climbing.
Since around 2025, water rate hikes have been spreading across Japan's municipalities, driven by aging pipes laid in the high-growth era and falling fee revenue as the population shrinks. A 2025 study by the Finance Ministry's Policy Research Institute estimates that utilities not covering renewal costs would need an average hike of about 80% to reach full cost recovery. All residents, foreigners included, are affected.
From April 2025, families supporting three or more dependent children get free university tuition and entrance fees, with no income cap — up to about ¥700,000/yr + ¥260,000 at private universities. Certain residence statuses only; student-visa holders excluded.
From October 2024, Japan greatly expanded its Child Allowance (jido teate). The income cap was removed, and eligibility now extends from junior-high age up to high-school age (until the first March 31 after a child turns 18). Payments for a third or later child rise to ¥30,000/month, and are now made six times a year in even months instead of three. Eligible families who have not applied must do so.