What to Do in Your First Week Living in Japan
Your first week should be boring in a good way: get connected, finish required procedures, make the apartment clean and dry, and learn the neighborhood.
Quick Answer
Your first week should be boring in a good way: get connected, finish required procedures, make the apartment clean and dry, and learn the neighborhood.
🇯🇵 Kimika’s Local Take
My practical first-week list is: unpack the boxes, deal with mold/humidity prevention, put filters on drains, and get infrastructure contracts and payments organized. Those small things make the home feel functional fast.
Day 1: Connection and Sleep
Make sure your phone works, you can navigate home, and you have bedding, a charger, food and water.
Days 2–3: Official and Payment Tasks
Complete any residence, insurance, banking, school or work procedures that apply to you. Use official guidance for immigration and municipal requirements.
Days 3–5: Apartment Defense
Check bathroom ventilation, drainage, air conditioning, laundry, closets and garbage rules. Add drain nets and moisture control before problems start.
Days 5–7: Build Your Local Map
Find your supermarket, drugstore, hospital/clinic, post office, train station, casual restaurant and an emergency evacuation point.
⚠️ What Foreigners Often Misunderstand
Do not spend the whole first week going to tourist attractions while your practical life stays broken. Once the basics work, Tokyo becomes much easier to enjoy.
Quick Checklist
- Phone/data
- Bedding
- Required procedures
- Utilities/internet
- Drain filters
- Humidity plan
- Garbage rules
- Nearest supermarket/drugstore
Related Japan IRL Guides
- Moving to Japan Checklist for Foreigners
- What to Buy When You First Move to Japan
- Essential Apps for Living in Japan
About Kimika
Kimika was born and raised in Okinawa and moved to Tokyo at 23. She has now spent almost a decade living and working in Tokyo as a full-time office worker. Japan IRL shares everyday Japan from a local resident’s perspective — not from the viewpoint of a short-term visitor.