Your First Year in Japan: A Money Starter Kit

Quick Answer: In your first 30 days, get your admin in place — register your address, get your My Number, open a bank account, and confirm pension and health enrolment. By 60 days, learn to read your payslip and line up any deductions you qualify for. By 90 days, start investing tax-free through a NISA. Then plan your tax wins across year one and year two. This page is the map; each step links to a full guide.

Starting your financial life in a new country is overwhelming — not because it's hard, but because no one hands you the order to do things in. This starter kit is that order. It's a simple 30 / 60 / 90-day path for foreigners new to working in Japan, whether you're here solo or as a couple. Follow it top to bottom, and each step links to a deeper guide when you're ready for detail.

This is educational information, not financial, tax, or legal advice. Rules and figures change — confirm specifics with the official bodies linked in each guide or a qualified professional.

What should you do in your first 30 days?

Get the foundations in place. Almost everything later depends on them, and some have legal deadlines.

• Register your address at your city office within 14 days of moving in.
• Get your My Number — it links your tax, pension, and insurance.
• Open a Japanese bank account.
• Confirm pension and health-insurance enrolment (usually handled by your employer).

The full walkthrough — including the discontinued pension "blue book," the new Specified Residence Card, and why paying on time protects your visa — is in New to Working in Japan? The Money Set-Ups to Do First.

What about your first 60 days?

Once your first paycheck lands, understand it — and don't leave money on the table.

• Decode your payslip. Know why your take-home is lower than your contract, what each deduction buys you, and the resident-tax lag that hits in year two. See Your First Japanese Payslip, Decoded.
• Start a receipt habit. Keep medical receipts and, if you send money home, your remittance records — they're the evidence behind tax deductions later.

By 90 days — how do you start building wealth?

This is the highest-value habit in the whole kit: start investing tax-free, early, and automatically.

• Open a NISA and set a small monthly auto-buy into a low-cost, diversified index fund. The how-to (eligibility, brokers, what to buy) is in How to Start Investing in Japan: NISA for Beginners.
• Consider iDeCo later, not first. Its tax break is strong but the money is locked until 60 and hard to access if you leave — so most newcomers do NISA first and add iDeCo once settled. The honest take is in iDeCo for Beginners: Is It Worth It in Your First Years?.

What tax wins should you plan for (year one and year two)?

Some wins you can claim right away; the biggest one waits until year two.

• Year one: the medical expense deduction (if household medical costs top ~¥100,000) and the overseas dependent deduction if you support family abroad.
• Year two: Furusato Nozei — donate, get a local gift, and cut your resident tax for a net cost of ~¥2,000 (it needs resident tax, which you don't pay in year one).

The timing and how to claim each is in The Easiest Tax Wins in Your First Years in Japan.

Where does this lead?

Getting these five steps right sets your savings rate — the single biggest lever on how fast you reach financial independence. When you're ready to think beyond year one, see FIRE in Japan: NISA, Currency & Retirement Planning, and if you're planning as a couple, How to Calculate Your FIRE Number as a Couple.

Put numbers to it with the free tools: the Japan Salary Tax Calculator for your take-home, the Japan Pension Estimator for your public pension, the Furusato Nozei Simulator for your donation cap, and the PlanTogetherFI calculator for your FI timeline.

PlanTogetherFI is for educational planning only. It is not financial, tax, legal, or investment advice. Rules, thresholds, and figures vary by situation and change over time — confirm your own with the official bodies linked in each guide or a qualified professional.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I set up first when I move to Japan?

In your first 30 days: register your address at the city office (within 14 days), get your My Number, open a bank account, and confirm you're enrolled in pension and health insurance. These are the foundations everything else depends on — see the Set-Up guide.

When should I start investing in Japan?

As early as you can, once your admin and a basic emergency fund are in place — typically within your first few months. A NISA is the usual first step because it's tax-free and flexible. iDeCo comes later, once your stay is stable.

Can I use Furusato Nozei in my first year?

Usually not. Furusato Nozei reduces your resident tax, which you generally don't pay in your first calendar year in Japan. Most foreign employees become eligible from their second year. The medical and overseas-dependent deductions, however, can often be used sooner.

Is this guide for singles or couples?

Both. The steps are the same whether you're planning solo or as a couple — couples simply coordinate two of each. Catching the essentials while you're new means fewer surprises later, together or on your own.

Do I need to read all five guides at once?

No. Use this page as the map and follow the 30/60/90-day order — read each linked guide when you reach that step. Bookmark this page and work through it at your own pace.

Sources and further reading

Each linked guide carries its own official sources (Japan Pension Service, NTA, MHLW, MIC/Soumusho, Digital Agency, Immigration Services Agency). Start with the official hubs:

• Japan Pension Service (English) — for foreign residents: https://www.nenkin.go.jp/international/index.html
• National Tax Agency (English) — individual income tax: https://www.nta.go.jp/english/taxes/individual/index.htm
• Financial Services Agency — NISA program: https://www.fsa.go.jp/policy/nisa2/index.html

Always confirm your own situation against the official sources or a qualified professional.