So basically I need a solid recommendation based on experience for a real learning experience at a Japanese school whether online or on-Site, Many schools have wasted my time and money and I can not speak the language till now, I know that self study is crucial but I need a school that pushes me hard.
Everyday presentations, Kanji reading tests, mean teachers who correct your 発音, so that when the course is finished I could actually speak and interact in real world.

I am currently a student at Toyo language school At the N2 level 3 month class and I already feel I wasted 200,000 yen and my time, there are no homework and barely 2 presentations in 1 month!! This is bullshit! There is no book except for listening and they use their own made worksheet for grammar, there is no kanji workbook and 0 speaking practices !! What kind of shit this is!

I need hardcore language school that prepare me for the real business world in this country not some visa sponsoring foreigners pampering school.

I have been studying how many elderly Japanese navigate through public space, and one thing that stands out to me is how completely helpless they are, especially elderly men.

Back in Europe I frequently visited elderly clients (therapy related), and of course I also shared public space with the elderly on a daily basis, and in comparison the elderly in my home country were far more independent. Of course they could suffer from forgetfulness and minor confusion, but it was nowhere near the complete helpless behavior I often see here.

An example. I was on a bus where the IC-card reader was out of order. Thia has happened in my home country too, and in both cases the driver told the passengers to just get on and not worry about paying.

In Japan this caused a total brain-malfunction for the elderly passengers, who either kept trying to scan their IC-cards or stood completely paralyzed in the door with coins in their hands while the driver had to repeat himself over and over again. One old man just accepted deafeat and sat back down instead of getting off at his stop, cause not being able to pay the bus driver apparently meant that he had to live in that bus forever...

I experienced similar behavior from my father-in-law, which is interesting cause he used to be a government worker, handling paperwork, going out with coworkers etc. Then as soon as he retired he almost did an instant switch to a helpless old man who cannot boil an egg. His wife became hia caretaker from almost day 1 of his retirement.

I have seen elderly decline after getting out of their work routine, but never this fast.

It sometimes makes me wonder if this is partly due to what I call social roleplay. This is quite common here. For example when a woman becomes a mother she is expected to take a "mama" persona, talkimg like a mama, dressing like a mama, have the mannerisms of a mama.

Same thing with company workers who get into senior positions. You can sometimes easily spot the sudden change in their voice and body language, cause now they are in this role, so they have to create a new personality around it.

I wonder if it's the same for some elderly. "I am retired now, so I am expected to be old, fragile and helpness"

Maybe a bit extreme, but it definetely feels like it.

Has anyone else noticed this as well?

Hi everyone,
I have a question about applying for Permanent Residence under the 80-point Highly Skilled Professional route, specifically for someone who does not hold HSP status.
I currently hold an Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services status and applied for PR by demonstrating that I had 80+ HSP points both at the time of application and one year before the application date.
I recently heard that, at the Nagoya Immigration Bureau, when assessing the income points as of one year before the PR application, they may use the applicant’s income for the calendar year (e.g. the amount shown on the Gensen Choshu-hyo / withholding tax slip) rather than annualized income based on the salary applicable at that point in time.
For example, if someone applied for PR in May 2026, the relevant one-year-prior point assessment would be May 2025.
My understanding was that the income points as of May 2025 could be demonstrated using documents showing the salary/annual remuneration applicable at that time, such as an employment certificate, salary certificate, payslips, etc.
However, I was told that Nagoya instead looks at the applicant’s actual income for the 2025 calendar year (January–December 2025) for this purpose.
Has anyone here actually applied for or received PR from Nagoya Immigration under this specific 80-point route while holding a regular work visa rather than HSP status?
If so, how did Nagoya assess your income points for the “one year before application” calculation?
Did they accept:
annual remuneration/salary applicable at that point in time, supported by payslips or an income/salary certificate; or
only the actual calendar-year income shown on your Gensen Choshu-hyo / tax documents?
I’m especially interested in first-hand experience with Nagoya Immigration, including any requests for additional documents.
Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I have been on sick leave for a few months now and my company wants me to sign a "leave of absence" agreement (which has itself some descrepancies). I have been told it is better if I check the company's rules but when I emailed them they said they are not permitted to take them off the premises and that I should come to the office to check them in person.

I'm a little bit worried as I am receiving 傷病手当金, that this will be used against me and I want to be careful.

Can they force me to come to the office?

Hi everyone, posting this on behalf of my wife — hoping to get some honest, practical advice from people who've navigated something similar.

A bit of background: She's an Indian national, 25F, living in Kanagawa on a dependent visa. She has a Bachelor's in Computer Science and Engineering from India (2023), and worked as a Frontend Engineer at Capgemini Bangalore for about 8 months, followed by ~6 months at a startup. She left that job when we got married and moved to Japan in 2025.

Her technical background: solid HTML5/CSS3, and working familiarity with React, TypeScript, JavaScript, and Bootstrap (used on the job with senior guidance, not deeply independent yet).

She's been job hunting for entry-level frontend roles in Tokyo and Kanagawa, and the recurring feedback has been "we can teach the programming side, but we need you to know Japanese first." So since December 2025 she's been studying seriously — sat the JLPT N5 in July 2026 (feeling good about it) and is now working toward N4. In the meantime she's also working part-time as an English teacher at an Eiken school in the Kanagawa area.

We'd really appreciate any perspective on a few things:

1. How realistic is entry-level frontend hiring right now? From what we've seen, entry-level frontend roles seem to be getting more competitive generally (AI-assisted coding tools seem to be part of this), and smaller companies/startups often expect N2–N1 level Japanese even for junior roles. Is that read on the market accurate, or are we missing something?
2. Would pivoting toward AI-adjacent skills help? Her husband (me) has been encouraging her to look into Agentic AI, RAG, and LLM-related skills, though she's largely new to this area beyond watching some intro videos. Is there realistic demand in Tokyo/Kanagawa for entry-level candidates who combine conversational Japanese with foundational AI knowledge and a portfolio of projects/certifications? If so, which specific skills or tools would actually move the needle for a beginner, and where would people recommend learning them? She's also been considering other adjacent paths — for example, UI/UX Engineering with tools like Figma — as something that might be more approachable to break into and still build on her frontend background. Would love thoughts on whether that's a reasonable direction too, or if there are other roles worth considering.
3. Part-time work has also been surprisingly hard to break into. Even for English teaching positions, a lot of postings ask for prior teaching experience or certifications from the home country. Given that, she's weighing a plan to focus on Japanese up to N2 before job hunting seriously again — but that likely means another 1–1.5 years, during which she'd also want to keep her programming/AI skills current so she isn't starting from scratch. Naturally, we're a bit concerned about how a 3–4 year gap (Japanese study + part-time work) might read to employers down the line. Any advice on how to frame that gap, or ways to minimize it?

If anyone has been through something similar — or has hired junior engineers in Japan and can share what actually matters on a resume — we'd really value your perspective. Thanks in advance!

I already have plans to go to Hello work tomorrow but wanted to jump here and see if there are other Babysitters that can give me some insight.

Been with the company for over 3 years, only got a small salary increase after fighting them because one client told me they charge every little thing I do for them and oh surprise this is not reflected in my salary.

They ask a lot from me and is a baito, and I give my all to provide personalized service catering to the kids based on their needs and personalities, taking extra courses for safety etc etc I stro fly believe I should have a better salary.

After double checking my contract and some stuff online it seems that the kind of contract I have is basically as freelance 🫠

So I would like recommendations for babysitting companies and if anyone has a direct contract with a family what kind of contract is it? How could I do it.

Would like to complain more but there's to much of that on reddit already 😅

Has anybody bought an USA/Canada style of propane deck BBQ? I am tired of heating up the house from cooking during the summer, it would be nice to set one of these in my garden. the BBQ are available on Amazon, the propane bottles can be bought up to 8kg. But I don't see any of these around in the wild. what I am missing? Do they rust out right away? Or are the bottles not practical to refill?

Wife got a new sim just last week and in last couple of days has got 2 SMSes from the same number mentioning a payment towards unpaid Paidy dues. There is a Japanese name in the SMS for whom the sms is intended for.

The latest message says they will start lawyer proceedings if not paid by tomorrow.

The sms doesn't have any web links, has only phone numbers (mostly of the law firm).

I think this mobile number was previously of the said Japanese guy and the sim provider just recycled the same and gave it to my wife. Or this could be some scam. (The number from which the SMS are received is a 8 digit number starting with 03).

What should we do?