Tokyo Relocation D-90 Checklist
A practical 90-day checklist for visa, housing, and cross-border tax prep before moving to Tokyo—condensed from GSF's living-in-Tokyo guides.
D-90 · D-60 · D-30 · D-7
This is not legal or tax advice. Use it as a question list before official sources and licensed professionals.
D-90 — Choose your path
- Primary stay route: work, business manager, spouse, highly skilled, digital nomad, etc.
- Skim Japan visa & permanent residence paths
- Budget: deposit, agency fees, 6 months living costs (two FX scenarios)
- Shortlist 2–3 wards for commute and rental market
D-60 — Housing & paperwork
- Start rental search (guarantor / key money norms)
- Read Tokyo moving & contract notes
- Bank transfer and Japan account options
- Cross-border gift/inheritance basics: KO–JP tax primer
D-30 — Execute
- Lease draft: restoration, renewal, termination clauses
- Corporate vs personal holding: after-tax sketch
- Utilities and ward office registration timeline
D-7 — Departure
- Passport, visa docs (originals + copies)
- Align temporary stay vs move-in date
- Emergency contacts (home country + Japan)
Go deeper on the blog
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