SORABYCO | Life in Japan

Recently, I saw a cancer screening test on Japanese TV that uses a urine sample. At first, I thought, “Wait, can you actually diagnose cancer with a home test kit now?” I was curious, so I looked into it. It turned out that the test I had seen was not something that could diagnose cancer on its own. It was designed to check for signs associated with cancer risk, with further medical examinations still needed if necessary. While reading about it, I suddenly remembered the cancer screening voucher that my city had mailed me earlier this year. When it arrived, I remember thinking, “Oh, this year’s voucher is here. I’ll get around to it later.” And then I simply put it aside. So this time, I took another look. I wanted to know what screenings I could actually get, how much they would cost, and whether being a foreign resident in Japan made any difference. What I found was more useful than I expected. If you receive a cancer screening voucher (受診券) from your city in Japan, it is worth check...

Yes, leftover bathwater can be reused for some laundry in Japan, but it depends on your washing machine, detergent, and whether you used bath additives. It should not simply replace clean water for every part of the wash. When I first started living in Japan, reusing bathwater for laundry was one of those small household habits that surprised me. Some Japanese washing machines have a bathwater function, often labeled 「風呂水」, that uses a pump and hose to draw water directly from the bathtub. Seeing a whole tub of water after a bath, I could understand why people would want to use it again. I tried it myself for a while. But eventually I stopped. The method wasn't difficult; it just didn't fit the way I wanted to do laundry. These days, I no longer feel the need to reuse every tub of bathwater. If the bathroom needs a good clean, however, I sometimes use the leftover water there instead. Can Leftover Bathwater Really Be Used for Laundry? Using leftover bathwater for laundry is pos...

When I first started using a Japanese bath control panel, one button confused me more than any other: 優先 (yūsen) . I knew the panels in the bathroom and kitchen controlled the hot water, but “priority” did not tell me much. Then one day, I tried to change the hot-water temperature from the kitchen panel and nothing happened. I checked it again, walked back to the bathroom, looked at the other controller, and returned to the kitchen. It took me a while to realize that the bathroom controller had priority. If you are new to a Japanese home and staring at buttons such as ふろ自動, 追い焚き, たし湯, and 優先 , you do not need to understand the entire control panel at once. Here is the quick answer: ふろ自動 (furo jidō) automatically prepares the bath on compatible systems. 追い焚き (oidaki) reheats water that is already in the bathtub. たし湯 (tashiyu) adds hot water to the bathtub. 優先 (yūsen) determines which controller has priority when changing the hot-water temperature. The buttons and exact functions var...

If you buy beer in Japan, you may have noticed big signs at supermarkets and discount stores warning about price increases from October 1. I’ve been seeing them a lot lately, including at Don Quijote. After passing another “price increase” sign while shopping, I started wondering: Is regular beer getting more expensive too? The short answer is no. From October 1, 2026, Japan’s alcohol tax on regular beer will actually go down. At the same time, the tax on some cheaper beer-like drinks will go up. For a standard 350ml can, the alcohol tax on regular beer will fall from ¥63.35 to ¥54.25. So those big price-increase signs do not mean every can in the beer aisle is going up in price. What Changes for Beer in Japan on October 1? Japan has been gradually changing the way beer-type drinks are taxed, and the final stage of that reform takes effect on October 1, 2026. The easiest way to understand it is this: Regular beer → lower alcohol tax Some previously lower-tax beer-like drinks → higher a...

When your home floods, your first instinct may be to start cleaning immediately. There may be mud on the floor, wet furniture, damaged appliances and things you want to move outside as quickly as possible. But before you start cleaning, there is one important thing to do: Take photos of the damage first. Official disaster guidance in Japan recommends taking photos of your home before you start cleaning or making repairs. The photos can help show what happened, how high the water reached and what was damaged before the evidence disappears. It sounds simple, but it is easy to forget when you are standing in a wet, muddy home and just want to clean up. I live in Narita, Chiba. After recent heavy rain, there was flooding around the area where I live, and some roads in the direction of Inbanuma became difficult or impossible to use. My husband normally travels that way, so the flooding suddenly felt much closer to everyday life. While watching news coverage, I kept hearing the same practica...

It has been raining heavily for days, and the whole house feels damp. I was thinking about taking a bath just to feel comfortable again when a question suddenly crossed my mind: with this much rain falling outside, is it okay to use water at home as usual? Can I take a bath and drain the tub afterward? Should I run the washing machine? What about the toilet and kitchen sink? The answer is not simply “stop using water.” During very heavy rain, some local governments in Japan ask residents to temporarily reduce household wastewater. This can mean waiting before draining a full bathtub, postponing laundry, or simply using a little less water until the heaviest rain has passed. Before changing your whole routine, check your toilet and drains. If they are making unusual gurgling sounds, draining slowly, or showing signs of backflow, avoid sending large amounts of water down the drains until conditions improve. Even if everything seems normal, it is worth checking whether your city or ward h...

September in Japan can still be surprisingly humid. After several days of rain, my house started to feel damp, so normally I would turn on the air conditioner's dehumidify mode. Then I took a closer look inside the air conditioner. I could see small black spots deeper inside the unit, especially around the fan. I had already cleaned the filter, but the dirt farther inside was clearly beyond what I could safely reach. I booked a professional air conditioner cleaning, but the appointment was postponed because of a typhoon. That left me with a very practical problem: the house was humid, but the air conditioner I wanted to use for dehumidifying appeared to have mold inside. So, can you still use dehumidify mode? If you can see a small amount of mold inside your air conditioner, you can still use dehumidify mode when you need it. However, that doesn't mean the mold should be ignored or that dehumidifying will remove it. If there is heavy black buildup or a strong musty smell while ...

Living in Japan outside central Tokyo, I drive almost every day. Going to the supermarket, visiting a clinic, or running a few errands usually means getting in the car. Many of the roads I use are narrow residential streets. Until recently, the thing I watched for most carefully was the Japanese 止まれ (tomare / stop) sign, especially on small neighborhood roads where intersections can appear suddenly. But since September 2026, there is another rule drivers in Japan need to know. From September 1, 2026 , the statutory speed limit on certain ordinary roads, including many roads commonly used by local residents, was lowered from 60 km/h to 30 km/h .  So, are all residential streets in Japan now limited to 30 km/h? No. A road does not automatically become a 30 km/h road just because it is in a residential area. A simple way to think about the new rule is: A speed-limit sign or road marking is present: follow the designated speed. No designated speed, and no center line or traffic lanes...

A package never arrives. You notice a charge you do not recognize. A subscription is difficult to cancel, or you have a problem with a service but have no idea who to contact. These situations are stressful anywhere, but they can feel even more confusing when you are living or traveling in Japan and Japanese is not your first language. Fortunately, there are official places to start. If you live in Japan, you can check the new 消費者トラブル解決ナビ (Consumer Trouble Resolution Navi) from the National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan. It provides FAQs about common consumer problems and helps you find a local consumer affairs consultation service if you need further assistance. The website is mainly in Japanese, but you can use your browser's translation feature to make the information easier to read. If you are visiting Japan, there is also a separate Consumer Hotline for Tourists , with multilingual telephone support and an English website. Here is what each service does and how to use it. ...