Moving to Japan With Your Family: Housing, Schools and City Hall in Order

Published September 8, 2026 | Kurabeel

Relocating alone is a logistics problem. Relocating with children is a sequencing problem: several steps depend on each other, and doing them in the wrong order can cost you a school term or a month of benefits. This is the order that works, and the specific places it tends to break.

What is the overall sequence?

Visas: who needs what

The working parent holds a work status of residence; a spouse and children normally come on Dependent status, applied for with a Certificate of Eligibility. Two practical points for families:

• Apply for everyone at the same time. Processing runs in parallel, and a family that arrives together avoids a second registration round at the ward office.
• Dependent status restricts work. A spouse who wants to work needs permission for activities outside their status, applied for separately. It is usually granted but it is not automatic.

Should you rent before arriving, or after?

For families, signing before arrival is usually the better trade. Landing with three suitcases and two children and then starting a search is genuinely hard, and family-sized apartments are a smaller pool that moves quickly in the spring.

The obstacle is that screening normally expects a residence card and a Japanese phone number, neither of which you have yet. Agencies experienced with pre-arrival applicants can work around this — with an employer's letter, a Certificate of Eligibility and a video viewing (how renting from overseas works).

The alternative is a monthly-rental or serviced apartment for the first four to six weeks. It costs more per night, but you view real rooms and test the real commute before committing to two years.

What happens at the ward office?

Register your address within 14 days of moving in — for every family member. Almost everything else can be done in the same visit, so set aside a half day and go once:

1. Address registration — your residence card is annotated with the new address. Bring residence cards, passports and the lease.
2. My Number — issued to each family member; needed for employment, banking and benefits.
3. National health insurance — if your employer's scheme does not cover the family. Children's medical costs are then further reduced by the local subsidy.
4. Child allowance — a national benefit for children up to the end of high school age, paid by the municipality. Apply promptly: late applications generally do not backdate.
5. Child medical subsidy — set by the municipality, so the covered age and any co-payment vary by ward.
6. School enrolment notice — issued at registration, and taken to the assigned school.

Larger city offices have English-speaking staff or interpretation; smaller ones may not. Bringing a Japanese-speaking friend or your company's HR contact makes a real difference (the registration steps in detail).

Public school or international school?

Language support in public schools varies sharply between municipalities — some run dedicated Japanese classes for new arrivals, others offer little. Ask the ward education office what support exists before you choose the area, not after you arrive.

Where the sequence usually breaks

• The residence card, phone, bank chain. Screening wants a phone number; phone contracts want a residence card and often a bank account; banks want a registered address. Register the address first, then phone, then bank.
• Nursery applications. April intake usually closes in October to December of the previous year — often before your relocation is even confirmed. If you need a place, contact the ward as early as possible.
• Child allowance timing. Applications are not generally backdated, so a delayed visit to the ward office costs real money.
• Shipping arriving before the lease starts. Confirm the move-in date before booking the container; storage in Japan is expensive.

Frequently asked questions

Should we rent an apartment before arriving in Japan or after?
For a family, signing before arrival is usually worth it. Screening often requires a residence card and a Japanese phone number, which you only get after landing, so agencies that work with pre-arrival applicants are the practical route. The alternative is a monthly-rental or serviced apartment for the first month while you view properties, which costs more per night but lets you see the actual rooms and the actual commute before committing.

What do we have to do at the city or ward office after arriving?
Register your address within 14 days of moving in, for every family member. In the same visit you can normally obtain My Number cards, enrol in national health insurance if your employer does not cover you, apply for the child allowance, apply for the child medical subsidy, and receive the school enrolment notice. Bring residence cards, passports and your lease, and set aside a half day.

Can our children attend a Japanese public school?
Yes. Public elementary and junior high schools accept the children of foreign residents, and tuition is free — you pay for lunches, materials and activities. You apply through the ward or city education office once your address is registered, and the school is assigned by your address. Instruction is in Japanese, and the level of language support for new arrivals varies considerably between municipalities, so ask what is available before choosing where to live.

What is the hardest part of the sequence?
The dependencies between a residence card, a phone number, a bank account and a lease. Screening wants a phone number, phone contracts want a residence card and often a bank account, and banks want an address. The way through is to register your address first, get the residence card annotated, then take a phone contract, then the bank account. Employers who have relocated staff before can often shortcut several steps.

In short

• Decide the school first; the school defines where you can live
• Apply for every family member's visa together
• Signing a lease before arrival is usually worth it for families
• Register your address within 14 days and do every benefit in one visit
• Nursery applications close months before most relocations are confirmed

* The agency fee is as low as ¥0. Listings for which the landlord pays no advertising fee (AD) may not qualify. Immigration, benefit and school rules are set by national and municipal authorities — please confirm current requirements with the relevant office.