Daruma: Move to Japan Guide

Moving to Japan means a residence card, city hall registration, health insurance, a bank account, a phone contract and pension enrolment, most of it on a deadline and in Japanese. Daruma turns that into a plan, in English, for people moving from anywhere.

Answer a few questions about your visa, nationality, destination city and arrival date, and Daruma builds a task list for your actual situation rather than a generic checklist. It tracks what is time-sensitive (move-in registration has a 14-day deadline), what is a legal requirement and what can wait, and can add the deadlines to your calendar.

Each errand comes with the Japanese phrases for that specific counter, in Japanese, romaji and English. There's an encrypted vault for your residence card, visa paperwork and contracts, with document scanning, and a coach that answers questions about visas, city hall procedures, housing and daily life in plain English. Periodic check-ups score your readiness and show what to work on next.

For people planning a move, in their first year, or facing a visa renewal, ward change or job change. Two tiers after onboarding (Essential and Pro), with a 1-week free trial on eligible subscriptions. No ad tracking, no selling of user data.

Daruma is an organisational tool, not legal or immigration advice.