Leaving Japan Temporarily as a Resident

When you’re living in Japan, chances are you’ll have to leave and come back at some point. Whether you’re going out for vacation, a business trip, or visiting your home country, just about every foreign resident living in Japan long term has to leave at some point. But how does a foreign resident go about leaving and coming back without any hiccups? Let’s go through everything you should think about before temporarily exiting the country.

Part 1- Before You Leave

1. Bills

If you’re paying any of your bills manually, such as at the convenience store, you will want to check if any of the bills will be due while you’re away. Bills to be aware of include utilities (gas, water, electric), phone and internet, rent, credit cards and loans, and pension and health insurance (if you pay them manually, unlikely if you’re a full-time employee), as well as any other bills you may have. If any of these (or other) bills will be due while you’re away, check your options for payment; you could ask a friend to get the bill from your mailbox and pay it at the convenience store, or you could set up some automatic payment option. Check with each service provider for their payment options.

2. Phone Plan

When going abroad, you need to think about your phone plan, both in Japan and in your destination country. First, consider if you’ll want data abroad. There have been a few times I visited home and didn’t need any data because I’d be on my parents’ WiFi most of the trip, while others were to a different destination and I’d definitely need data to check the map and such.

If you need a data plan when you’re away, you have 2 options: get a pocket WiFi or SIM card, or get a Japanese plan with international data allowance. If you’ll go with the former option, you can often get these at your destination airport, but I’d recommend buying one online first. If you can use an eSIM (most phones made within the last 8 or so years can), you can purchase and download directly on your phone. If you’ll get a pocket WiFi, you can make a reservation for pickup and dropoff at your destination airport. I’ve usually done this on the booking platform Klook and never had an issue. When I’ve done this, I am always sure to toggle off my Japan SIM card to make sure it’s not trying to run overseas, though I’m not sure if this is necessary.

If you’ll be abroad for more than a few weeks, you might be considering canceling your Japanese phone contract. I wouldn’t personally recommend this as it just sounds like a pain, and when you come back and make a new contract you might have to change your Japanese phone number and pay sign-up fees again. I’ve always just kept my phone plan and bit the bullet of paying for it despite not using it. However, Sakura Mobile has been advertising their option to pause your bill, so that might be worth looking into.

As for using a Japanese cell provider with an overseas data option, I’ve recently switched to this and it’s really convenient. Rakuten Mobile has an option for a few GBs of overseas data; my friend uses this and says it’s fine for a week abroad if the only thing you do off WiFi is check the map. Recently I switched my cell provider to ahamo; there are different levels of GB allowances per month at a reasonable rate, and the cool thing is you can use as much of that data as you want overseas. The only downside is after 15 days abroad, they slow your internet speed down to be so slow that the only thing you can do off WiFi is send a message (I guess to keep people from moving abroad long term on this plan), so if you’ll be overseas for more than 15 days you’d want to keep this in mind.

3. Visa expiry

Before you plan your trip, be sure to check the expiration date on your residence card (在留カード zairyu card). If your visa is set to expire during your trip abroad, you could be in for a world of paperwork pain as it seems you’d have to re-apply from your home country rather than simply renewing. Let your workplace or school know that it is set to expire while you’re away, and check with the Japanese embassy in your home country as well.

4. Mail

If you’re worried about your mail piling up in your mailbox, you can submit a request to Japan Post to suspend your mail for up to 30 days. To do so, you can fill out a 不在届 (fuzai todoke- notification of absence) and bring it to your local post office along with your ID.

5. Travel Insurance

It might make me sound a bit like an old fogie, but I would highly recommend getting travel insurance, especially if you’re going to the USA due to the high medical costs. On one trip home to the US a few years ago I fell while skating and ended up with a broken arm and herniated disc in my back. The health insurance covered all my US medical bills AND all medical costs not covered by Japanese national insurance when I got back to Japan. What’s more, recently my suitcase had some wheels broken, presumably from the airline’s manhandling, and the insurance will pay for the repairs! I wrote a whole blog on Japanese travel insurance. The links for that blog plus the travel insurance I’ve always used are both listed below.

6. Around the House

As for housekeeping (literally, things around the house), I always try to make sure my trash and recycles are empty before I leave for vacation, especially during the summer when cockroaches are a risk. Unless your building has a trash room that you can use any time, this takes some planning with your trash days.

I also like to unplug my appliances (except my fridge if I’m leaving stuff inside) to reduce power drain. Speaking of power, one thing non-Americans might call me crazy for is considering whether to leave your AC on while you’re away. In the summer, I worry about humidity and mold, as well as heat and my electronics; also, if you live in a colder part of Japan, pipe freezing is a concern (the Tokyo area generally seems to be fine). There have been summer trips where I turned the AC on a very low setting (automatic fan with the maximum temperature) just to make sure my room didn’t boil, but this last summer I left it off for an entire month and everything seems to be fine. Some online posters said that room lighting and age might be a factor in growing mold, and my room is well lit and fairly new built, so maybe that’s why it was okay. Anyway, I don’t think most Japanese people leave their AC on when they leave the house for an extended period of time unless they have pets, so if you’re concerned like I am, do your research and risk management assessment to choose what’s best for you.

Part 2- At the Airport

When you’re at the airport, the procedure for leaving is fairly smooth, but there are some things to be aware of. First, be sure to bring your passport and residence card (在留カード zairyu card). Next, before getting on the train or bus, check which terminal your flight is departing from as both Narita and Haneda have separate train stops for each terminal.

When you check in, present your passport. You may need to present your residence card, too, so have it ready. After security, you’ll go through immigration. There are separate lines for Japanese nationals, foreign residents, and tourists, so go to the appropriate line. If you’re in Japan for work or study and you have a residence card, go to the foreign resident line (unless the staff tells you it’s closed for the day or something).

But before getting in line, you have to fill out a re-entry permit form. These are located at a desk with pens before the line. You have to fill in your personal information, flight number, and whether you plan to return to Japan within 1 year, between 1 to 2 years, or after 2 years. You also need to check if you’re planning to come back or not during your current visa’s validity period, so be sure to check your visa’s expiration date if you didn’t do it before. You only have to fill out the “embarkation” half now, the “disembarkation” half is for when you return to Japan.

After that’s filled out, head to the line. When it’s your turn, present your passport, residence card, and embarkation form; also, I can never remember if they need my boarding pass or not so I just include it for good measure. They may ask you when you plan to return to Japan. If you don’t know that exact date, that’s fine, you can just give an estimate like 2 weeks, 1 month, or the like. They’ll tear the embarkation half of the form and keep it, and they’ll staple the disembarkation half inside your passport for you to fill out upon your return. And with that, you’re free to go!

Have a Great Trip!

Well, there you have it, everything you need to know before leaving Japan temporarily as a resident. Wherever you’re going, I hope you have a good time, and come back to Japan safely! And to find out about re-entering Japan, check out my next blog.

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