Blog SAYNIHON

Complete guide to post-birth leave: paternity leave (産後パパ育休), childcare leave (育児休業), benefit payments, and new 2025 support programs.

Complete guide to child allowance eligibility, payment amounts, distribution schedule, and application deadlines under the new October 2024 reforms.

Complete guide to registering your baby as dependent on National Health Insurance or company insurance, plus municipal child medical subsidy programs.

Complete guide to birth registration (出生届) within 14 days, required documents, online submission via My Number Portal, and procedures for foreign families.

Complete guide to receiving childbirth allowance (typically ¥500,000 per child) and how hospitals receive payment directly from insurance through the direct payment system.

Comprehensive guide to pre/postnatal leave periods and calculating maternity allowance (出産手当金) from health insurance for working mothers.

Comprehensive guide to prenatal education programs, official resources, and essential hospital bag checklist for birth preparation in Japan.

Criteria for selecting hospitals/birthing centers, finding facilities with foreign language support (HIMAWARI, JMIP, AMDA), and essential questions to ask.

Essential immunizations, 2025 Japan Pediatric Society schedule, free vaccination programs, and important emergency contact numbers.

First steps when you discover pregnancy: notification at ward/city office, receiving the Mother-Child Health Handbook and prenatal checkup vouchers.

Since 2024-2025, you can apply for My Number card when submitting birth registration; card delivered quickly to registered address.

Children typically receive reduced/free co-payment coverage; conditions vary by ward/prefecture.

Quick overview of Japanese benefits for workers: maternity leave, childbirth allowance, childcare leave benefits, and new 2025 programs.

Application for residence status within 30 days if staying over 60 days; embassy procedures and documentation requirements.

Where to submit, deadlines, and My Number Portal links for online submission (if available in your area).

Eligibility requirements, basic payment amounts, and application locations according to new regulations (from October 2024).

HIMAWARI, AMDA, JMIP resources; call #7119 when unsure, 119 for fire/ambulance, 110 for police.

Overview of the health insurance system, adding dependents, and registering newborns for NHI or company health insurance.

Complete checklist for first 30 days: birth registration, insurance, benefits, residence status, and vaccination scheduling.

Moving-in notifications, receiving My Number, and My Number cards for newborns (registered with birth registration).

How to identify excellent employers (Certified Health & Productivity Management Organizations, Kurumin, Eruboshi) and avoid problematic companies (labor violation disclosures).

Key items to review in the Working Conditions Notification (Labor Standards Act Article 15), including overtime, probation period, and bonuses.

How to use MHLW salary statistics and 2025 Spring wage negotiation results to set expectations and negotiation targets.

How to handle year-end tax adjustment when changing jobs mid-year, and managing resident tax transition from payroll deduction to self-payment or continuing payroll deduction.

Understanding the process: need resignation certificate, application procedures, 7-day waiting period, and 2025 changes to benefit restrictions (1-2 months depending on circumstances).

What to do when you lose company social insurance: register for National Health Insurance within 14 days, switch to National Pension (Category I/III).

How to plan your handover process, return company assets, understand confidentiality agreements and non-compete clauses.

Understanding the 2-week notice rule under Civil Code Article 627, fixed vs. indefinite contracts, and considerations for urgent resignation situations.

Complete 6-8 week job transition roadmap with salary negotiation email templates and resignation letter format (退職届).

Essential checklist of things to do before submitting your resignation in Japan for a smooth job transition.

Giving/receiving actions politely in context.

Distinguish ‘it looks/seems’ vs ‘I hear/they say’.

Explaining reasons politely and the nuance between ので and から.

Compare common Japanese conditionals and when to use each.

Habit/effort vs change of state: make an effort to… / come to be able to….

Expressing simultaneous actions with 〜ながら.

Trying something, doing in advance, and finishing/regretting with 〜てみる／〜ておく／〜てしまう.

Talking about intentions and scheduled plans with つもり and 予定.

Form and basic uses of passive and causative.

Expressing ability and possibility with 食べられる／行ける／できる.

Unexpectedness relative to a standard vs concession even considering that…

Cause with positive vs negative nuance.

Reason/logic, partial negation, and social/moral constraints.

Three patterns that all feel like “too much”, but with different nuances.

Degrees of certainty from strong expectation to impossibility.

Guessing/appearance vs based-on-hearsay; casual vs formal nuances.

Express timing precisely with 〜ところだ／〜ているところ／〜たところ.

While/before something changes vs during a time span—don’t mix them up.

Doing exactly as instructed and leaving/doing something as-is.

Deciding to do something vs. being decided by circumstances.

“It doesn’t mean …” vs “not necessarily/it’s not always true that …”.

Strong certainty with subtle register differences (written vs spoken).

Contrasting two sides: on the other hand, while; merits/demerits.

‘In addition to …’ vs ‘upon/after; for the purpose of’.

Formal ‘on the occasion of / when doing’ vs ceremonial ‘at the time of (special event)’.

Subtle shades of “seems/tends/feels like” with adjectives and nouns.

Expressing possible negative outcomes (かねない) and inability/refusal in a formal tone (かねる).

Ongoing directional change vs gradual process: getting more and more / in the process of.

As soon as / depending on / it depends — three major uses of 次第.

“Now that/since (it’s the case), …” expressing resolution, obligation, expectation.

Extremely / utmost — very formal intensifiers.

Not worth (surprise/criticism) vs no need to go so far as to…

Formal ‘while doing A, also for the purpose of B’ (two-in-one).

Starting with … and extending as far as …; scope expansion.

Depending on N / in some cases / regardless of — formal decision language.

To be forced/compelled by circumstances (formal).

For the sake of doing (strong, formal purpose).

No possibility of doing; cannot possibly.

It will not end without (doing); inevitably causes … (speaker’s resolve or natural effect).

You can't not do it; social/moral obligation or inevitable action.

Master だれ・なに・どこ・いつ・どれ and the question particle か, plus embedded questions.

Use の to link nouns: possession, membership, and noun modification patterns with shortcuts.

How to say there is/are (ある/いる), and combine with に/で for location sentences.

Ru-verbs vs U-verbs and polite ます/ません/ました/ませんでした basics with examples.

Master い- and な-adjectives in present, past, and negative forms with natural examples.

Learn how に (time/target), へ (direction), and で (location of action) work with verbs.

Understand the role of は (topic), が (identifier), and を (object) with clear contrasts.

Learn how to use これ/それ/あれ/どれ and related location words ここ/そこ/あそこ/どこ.

The most common counters (つ・人・枚・本・冊・時/分/時​間) and how to tell time in daily life.

Overview of the most basic grammatical structures in JLPT N5, helping you get started with Japanese.

Everything you need to know about finding and renting a house in Japan: procedures, costs, guarantors, and practical tips for foreign residents.