Settling In 3 First Things First Delivery Services Setting Up Your Home Banking & Financial Services Cell Phones Household Insurance Garbage News Post Office WWW.CHICKOBE.COM - LIVING IN KOBE 31 3 Settling In First Things First Assuming you have found your home, it is now Visa, alien registration, time to start to plug into life in Japan. There is re-entry permit much to do, but the good news is that you are Before going any further, we should spend a not alone – many companies and organizations few minutes on visas and alien registration. stand ready to help you. Some host periodic They are very important! orientation programs for newcomers that are well If you or your spouse was brought here by worth attending. CHIC offers a “Bloom Where a company chances are the company will help You are Planted” orientation in September, and you through this process. However, if you are follows it up with a second gathering in the here on your own, and plan to stay, you have spring. Other organizations offer services that visa issues that must be dealt with. include walking you through your opening days Registration is essential. You and each and weeks in Japan and standing by your side, member of your family must register with ready to take care of all the nitty-gritty things \RXUORFDOZDUGRIÀFHRULI\RXOLYHLQD that otherwise might frustrate you. ZDUGOHVV FLW\ DW \RXU ORFDO FLW\ RIÀFH Although Japan might seem like a within 90 days of setting foot in Japan. complex unknown entity, it is not really that Moreover, you are required by law to carry daunting, and in the next few pages we do your ID card with you at all times. Penalties our best to answer some of the questions for not having it with you when stopped you might have as you embark on your by the police are not trivial. For more journey here. information see www.kicc.jp/kicc/guide/ aliencard/index_eng.html. Relocation services Things you need when applying for your “Welcome Furoshiki” is similar to Welcome alien registration card: Wagon in the USA. A neighbor will come to % Two pictures (3.5 cm x 4.5 cm) your home and introduce you to clubs, stores, % Your passport companies and a variety of other interesting % Your address (in Japanese, if you can) things to do in your area. This is a free service. Tel: 06-6441-2584 <RXPXVWYLVLW\RXUZDUGRIÀFHWRXSGDWH www.welcomefuroshiki.org your details if your circumstances alter, In addition, the following companies all for example you move house, renew your provide in-depth orientations and a range of passport, your visa is extended etc. Refer to helpful personal and business services. Chapter 12 for information on the process for % Crown Relocations Japan, Tel: 078-331-9725. applying for an alien registration card for a www.crownrelo.com/relo/jp/about.html baby born in Japan. % Elliott Ventures, www.elliottventures.com A re-entry permit allows you to leave % Oak Associates, Tel: 06-6441-2581. the country and return again without going www.oakassociates.co.jp/en/hr_ through the alien registration application solutions/orientation.php process. It is a good idea to have a re- entry stamp in your passport at all times, Planners Relocations, Tel: 078-858-0868. % in case of an unexpected departure. www.plannersrelocation.com Multiple re-entry stamps (¥6,000) are 32 LIVING IN KOBE - WWW.CHICKOBE.COM valid for the length of your granted visa you are unsure how to proceed, and, in some stay period, and enable you to come and instances, they will take care of this for you. go as many times as you wish during that time period. A single re-entry stamp is Paying utility bills cheaper (¥3,000), but is only valid for one Each month you’ll receive various utility bills trip. The following documentation will be (electricity, water, gas, phone, etc.) that you required when applying for either type of FDQSD\DWWKHSRVWRIÀFH H[FHSWVRPHHOHFWULF re-entry permit: bills), at a bank or even at a convenience % Application form store. Alternatively, you can register to have % Passport and alien registration card your bills automatically deducted from your % A document that proves the status (only bank account, using the system known as jido necessary, if a legal representative or agent furikae. With this system you register with the submits the application form on your behalf) utility company and authorize them to deduct your monthly fees from your bank account. Forms are available from each company and Setting Up Your Home - from your bank. Most companies now accept payment by credit card, the exception being Utilities water, which is managed by the City. Note that Before you move into your home, you have utility overdue charges kick in pretty quickly to notify all utility companies and request for in Japan, and if you let bills go unpaid for too your utilities to be turned on. You can ask long, your utilities will be cut off. your real estate agent or landlord to assist if WWW.CHICKOBE.COM - LIVING IN KOBE 33 3 Settling In 50 or 60 Cycles? Gas Before plugging in any electrical appliance, Gas (gasu) comes into your home courtesy check to make sure it operates at 60Hz, the of the Osaka Gas Company (www.osakagas. proper cycle for Kobe and the rest of the co.jp/indexe.html). Virtually every dwelling western half of Japan. If your appliance was has gas lines in the kitchen for cooking and in bought in the eastern half of Japan, roughly other rooms for heating. In older apartments Tokyo and above, where the standard is 50Hz, and houses there may be individual gas the appliance may not operate correctly or water heaters in the kitchen and for the safely. If you are unsure what bathroom. These appliances can be tricky cycle the appliance is rated IRU ÀUVWWLPH XVHUV VR LW LV LPSRUWDQW WKDW for, contact Kansai Electric you understand how to use them before you before plugging it in. Its turn them on. Osaka Gas has produced a free service phone number can English pamphlet titled The Correct Use of be found at the bottom of Gas Appliances in the Home. It is available your monthly statement. directly from Osaka Gas (call 0120-794-817 to order). Alternatively, check the Gas Safety Guide for Home Users on their website: www. osakagas.co.jp/safety/en/index_homee. html When you move into an apartment, you have to make an appointment with Osaka Gas so that a service person comes to your apartment to open the gas with you. There is a piece of paper attached to the gas meter. It has a phone number and your account number on it so that you can make an appointment. Warning: If you are moving from a different Electricity part of Japan to Kobe, your gas appliance may Electricity (denki) is supplied by the Kansai not function in your Kobe home. Check with Electric Power Company (Kansai Denryoku; Osaka Gas before attempting to use it. www.kepco.co.jp/english/index.html). This company is also responsible for Kerosene handling all service problems. Its service Kerosene (toyu) is used in some space heaters, phone number is printed at the bottom of which are a cheap alternative to electric or gas your monthly statement. heaters. Kerosene can be bought at gasoline stands. When you move into an apartment, there is a piece of paper attached to the electricity meter. It has the service phone number to inform Water you of the date you are connected and your Water and sewerage (suido) are provided by account number. You can use electricity without the city. Bills are sent every other month. informing them, but you might get charged for Some apartments might not be billed direct by the use before you moved in if you do not notify. the city, but rather by the landlord. Check with 34 LIVING IN KOBE - WWW.CHICKOBE.COM your real estate agent or landlord. % KDDI www.kddi.com/english/personal/ Usually tap water in Japan is drinkable index.html unless it says otherwise. If you are concerned % Softbank http://tm.softbank.jp/english/ about the smell of chlorine, you can use either consumer/index.html DZDWHUSXULÀHUDWWDFKHGWR\RXUNLWFKHQVLQN WDSRUDSLWFKHUÀOWHU Internet phoning If you have an ADSL or cable connection to Telephones the Internet, you can utilize internet phoning. NTT (Nippon Telephone and Telegraph; Services can be completely free (usually www.ntt-west.co.jp/index_e2.html) is the when both parties use the same internet phone domestic phone company, and it is from them service/software), or they may involve a that you will receive your telephone line and fee for connecting with landlines or mobile basic local services. Note that you need your phones. Contact your service provider, or try alien registration card to obtain a phone line, one of the following: unless your landlord applies for one for you in % Jajah www.jajah.com his own name. Several other companies now offer % Skype www.skype.com domestic long-distance phone services that are cheaper than NTT. However, to Useful Japanese Vocabulary: take advantage of their services you must Telephones preface your long-distance dialing with their dial-in numbers. So the battle for customers continues and with it comes all sorts of money-saving schemes. These will require some study on your part, and if you do intend to make a lot of domestic long-distance calls, it would be worth your WLPH DQG HIIRUW WR ÀQG WKH EHVW SURYLGHU for your needs.