Daily life
在留カード / Zairyū card
zai-ryoo KAA-do
Your residence card, issued at the airport on arrival for medium and long-term stays. You must carry it at all times — police can and do ask.
住民登録 / Jūmin tōroku
joo-min TOH-roku
Municipal registration at your ward office, required within fourteen days of moving in. The keystone that unlocks health insurance, banking and everything else.
マイナンバー / My Number
mai-NAN-baa
Your individual number for tax and social security, issued after municipal registration. Increasingly required and worth getting the physical card for.
礼金 / Reikin
RAY-kin
'Key money' — a non-refundable gift to the landlord, traditionally one or two months' rent. It is not a deposit and you never see it again.
保証会社 / Hoshō-gaisha
ho-SHOH gai-sha
A guarantor company. Most landlords require one and charge you a fee for it — this is how foreigners without a Japanese guarantor actually rent.
住民税 / Jūminzei
joo-min-ZAY
Residence tax, calculated on last year's income and billed the following June. It catches everybody, especially anyone leaving Japan.
Social
もうかりまっか / Mōkarimakka
moh-kari-MAK-ka
'Are you making money?' — the traditional Osaka greeting, and a fair summary of the city's merchant self-image. The reply is 'ぼちぼち' — so-so.
アホ / Aho
A-ho
'Idiot' — affectionate in Osaka, genuinely rude in Tokyo, where 'baka' is the mild one. The two cities have this exactly reversed.
Culture
食い倒れ / Kuidaore
kui-DAO-re
'To eat oneself into ruin' — Osaka's own description of its relationship with food, and used with pride.
たこ焼き / Takoyaki
ta-ko-YA-ki
Octopus balls cooked in a dimpled iron pan. Invented here, eaten everywhere, and many households own the pan.
Emergency
110 / 119
—
110 for police, 119 for fire and ambulance. Both free from any phone. English support exists but is limited outside major centres.
Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.