Study guide
First Week in Japan as a Student: Admin Checklist 2026
In one line
Your day-by-day checklist after landing - residence card at the airport, ward office registration, My Number card, National Health Insurance signup, bank account, and part-time...
Reviewed by
Marcus Pang·Managing Director (Maths)
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Read in layers
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Read the summary above.
10 seconds
Scan the first few sections below.
100 seconds
Jump into the section that matches your decision.
- Quick admin map
- Concrete example: first-week priority order
- 1) Before you fly (Singapore “Day 0” checklist)
- 2) Day 1: landing permission, residence card, and resident registration (what the official page says)
Q: I’m flying from Singapore to Japan - what admin do I actually need to do in the first week?
A: Think in two layers: (1) what your school will guide you through (orientation, student ID, housing), and (2) what you must still handle on the government side (resident registration, health insurance basics, and permissions). This post keeps it calm, practical, and source-linked.
TL;DR (fast route)\ \- Official arrival/admin baseline (residence card → resident registration → My Number): Study in Japan - Immigration procedures
\- Official “status of residence” checklist (part-time permission, re-entry, extensions): Study in Japan - Residing in Japan
\- Official insurance primer (National Health Insurance): Study in Japan - Insurance
\- Singapore visa documents (verify your checklist): Embassy of Japan in Singapore - Visa documents
\- COE → visa flow (if you’re still pre-departure): Japan student visa checklist (Singapore)
| If you have... | Read this first |
| 1 second | In Japan, settle housing first, then handle resident registration and insurance. |
| 10 seconds | Check residence card, municipal office, resident registration, My Number, National Health Insurance, school orientation, housing, phone, bank account, part-time permission, and embassy contacts. |
| 100 seconds | Do not try to complete every task on Day 1. Use your university orientation and official pages to put immigration, registration, and insurance in the right order. |
Sources
- Study in Japan (official) - Immigration procedures (residence card, resident registration, My Number)
- Study in Japan (official) - Status of residence (part-time permission, re-entry, extensions)
- Study in Japan (official) - Insurance (National Health Insurance)
- Embassy of Japan in Singapore - Visa documents
- Singapore Embassy Tokyo - Important Contacts
