Honestly not sure which subreddit to share this in, but considering it's a Japanese apartment, I figured I'd try my luck here.

I've lived in this apartment for 5 years now, been in JPN for 8. I'm normally very clean (every Wednesday and Sunday is cleaning night). So, this issue hasn't come up once, ever, until earlier this week, around when the recent heatwave started. My kitchen is smelling FOUL. It's a scent that kind of reminds me of rotting pork. Something salty, acidic, and meaty.

At first I thought there was rotten food I had forgotten about in my fridge, or maybe it was the sink drain, or something in my trash. Everything has been scrubbed, cleaned, inspected, emptied, etc. The smell still lingers and is getting worse.

So I tried following my nose. The smell weakens when I go into neighboring rooms, but it seemed strongest around my fridge. So I double-checked everything inside, and nothing is radiating this putrid scent. Out of curiosity and desperation, I thought it might be something I spilled on the floor, and so I got down low and smelled nothing... and then it immediately became more noticeable when I stood back up.

So I grabbed my shower stool and stood on it. Sure enough, the scent was stronger the higher I stood. After that, I tried different areas and noticed it primarily floated around my kitchen light. I found this to be odd since I am gone most of the day and leave my lights off. So I don't understand how my kitchen light could be doing anything that creates this kind of odor if it's not in use.

I haven't ruled out the possibility that it could be coming from the unit above me, but I kind of doubt it.

Has anyone experienced this kind of phenomenon before?

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UPDATE 1: Okay, nearly everyone seems to agree that it's most likely a dead animal in a crawl space somewhere in the ceiling. I went ahead and asked my neighbor above me, and she said she hasn't smelled anything odd coming from below, at the very least.

I've gone ahead and emailed the apartment management team but don't expect them to get back to me until tomorrow morning. I guess I'll update here as things develop. For now, I've set up two peach-scented air fresheners in the kitchen and lit a stick of incense.

Others suggested it might be something within an appliance. I'm going to pull my appliances out from their usual space findand see what I found... uhh.. I guess wish me luck?

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UPDATE 2: Found something, but not what everyone expected.

Pulled my fridge out and inspected the bottom side where all the machinery components are and saw something I hadn't noticed before. There was a pale plastic tray with liquid in it. Chicken fat/blood. Earlier in the week, I had set some frozen chicken breast to thaw out in the fridge.

Pulled out all the remaining food, the shelves, drawers, etc. In the back, I noticed dried chicken fluid leading to a small hole, which I can only assume is a drain to where the white plastic tray sits. What strikes me as odd, though, was that I didn't pick up the scent unless I was standing up or even on a stool, close to the ceiling. The tray itself doesn't even look like it's designed to collect drainage... but regardless, everything has been dismantled, washed, sanitized, washed again, soaked, scrubbed again, etc and reassembled.

The scent hasn't gone away, but it's only been about 10 minutes... We'll see, come tomorrow morning.

Where do I find support/advice - rental company (Weave Living) promised to give me refund after moving out earlier due to exceptional circumstances (I have it written in email, as well), but after I moved out and left the keys, they suddenly changed their mind - saying that they decided to stick to the original rental agreement.

Since then, they stopped taking my calls/responding to my emails, and haven't even returned my deposit. I'm in a very bad financial/health situation right now, and they knew about it all...

With them withholding one month rent and deposit, my anxiety about affording housing made me start saving by skipping meals...

I’m a foreigner working at a Japanese company, and lately I’ve been wondering if what I’m experiencing is just a normal management style here or if my manager is actually crossing the line.

One thing he does a lot is compare me to another coworker. He’ll say things like, “She could finish this in 30 minutes,” even though we’re often working on completely different tasks or the comparison doesn’t really make sense. It feels like he only values whoever finishes the fastest. If someone uses AI to get something done quickly, that seems to matter more than someone spending extra time making sure the work is actually well thought out or accurate. I don’t mind feedback if I’m genuinely being slow or inefficient, but the constant comparisons are really discouraging.

Something happened last week that really confused me. He asked me, “Why do you think they charge an annual fee instead of a monthly subscription?” I assumed he was testing my ability to think logically, so I started explaining possible business reasons. Every answer I gave, he kept asking, “But why?” Then he started saying things like, “Are you lying?” and “Why are you lying?” Eventually I just said, “I don’t know.”

Then he replied, “Why didn’t you just say you didn’t know in the first place?”

I genuinely didn’t understand that. If someone asks, “Why do you think…?” my instinct is to think through it and explain my reasoning. I didn’t think he was asking whether I knew the actual answer. It almost felt like I was being set up to fail no matter what I said.

There are a lot of smaller things too. He rarely acknowledges people’s effort, but he’s quick to point out mistakes. He can also be pretty rude to external partners, and the overall atmosphere feels tense because it seems like everyone is afraid of saying the wrong thing.

I’m not saying I’m a perfect employee. I know I still have a lot to learn, and I actually appreciate constructive criticism because that’s how you improve. But this doesn’t feel constructive. It mostly just leaves me feeling anxious and second guessing everything I say.

Has anyone else, especially foreigners working in Japan, experienced something like this? Is this considered a normal Japanese management style, or does this just sound like a difficult manager? I’m trying to figure out if I need to change my mindset or if these are actual red flags.

Live in Tokyo, have been here for 3 years.

Last night was driving a rental car (Mitsui Car Share with their full insurance plan) around Tokyo to meet a friend. At a residential road intersection (no signals, stop/yield signs perpendicular to me), I was going 30km/h through the intersection, and the Kei car to my left blew through the stop sign and hit my rental car. Both cars sustained damage, mine (Honda Vezel) was driveable, the Kei (Taft) was not. I hit my head on the inside of the car due to the accident (yes I wore a seatbelt, but still bonked my head on the A pillar)

Pulled the car to the side, checked if the other driver was okay, she was unhurt, she called her insurance and I called the cops to report it.

After cops were en route, called Mitsui Carshare's support center and reported the incident and the damages.

Cop got here and started talking to us, I mentioned that I hit my head so I wanted to get a CT scan just in case. This apparently escalated the incident a bit (to a potential 人身事故) so he called more police that specialized in traffic accidents.

While waiting for more police and giving the cop my information, called Mitsui Carshare's insurance number (as listed in the carsharing app). As this happened at approx midnight, nobody from the insurance side picked up.

More cops arrived and they checked us and the cars and checked the Kei car's dashcam footage and confirmed that the Kei car blew the stopsign, which seems to mean that I am (rightfully) not at fault, or at least mostly not at fault. They did not check the dashcam footage on my car.

Cleared it up with the cops, the Taft had to get towed out, exchanged contact information with the other driver (phone number and Line info) at the urging of the police, drove myself to a nearby hospital and got a CT scan that cleared me of internal bleeding + they dont think I have a concussion or anything. Got the proper receipt and all for the CT scan costs.

Replied to Mitsui Carshare's follow up email and provided with them the time/location of the accidents, photos of the damages to my rental car, contact information of the police officer who responded to the accident, and so on.

Anything else to do before this presumably starts to run its course? Advice appreciated, just got back from hospital, am quite tired, and my first time getting into a traffic accident in Japan.

In Mercari Japan culture, if someone ‘likes’ (hearts) an item I’ve posted for sale, am I supposed to offer a discount? Or respond in the comments? Or should I regard the ‘like’ as having no deep meaning, kind of like an upvote on Reddit? (I mainly sell books, btw.) I’ve never felt inclined to ‘like’ an item I’ve seen for sale, so I wonder why people bother ‘liking’ things.

hi everyone

just recently received my new residence card but i'm having issues with updating my yucho and paypay with it. (whenever i scan the card with my phone it says the card isn't recognized)

i've asked around and theyre saying there's no definite answer when the paypay or yucho app will be updated.

checking if anyone had issues or a solution ??

thank youuu

I've lived in japan for almost 2 years it's my second summer here and I've lived my whole life in france prior to that

Something i noticed is when we get to that time of the year where everyday is really hot, nights are also super hot. It goes down by like.. 5 degrees at best?

I live in osaka, just went out at 19:30 and it's 31°C, lowest it'll get this night is apparently 29°C

Back in france at night we easily lose around 10 to 15 degrees i think? Even in the recent heat wave 26°C was like this unbearable night and in japan its normal

By the way i'm only talking about the difference between day and night, i know france is a cooler country in general

Why is it so different? Is it because of the climate/humidity? Is it because osaka is a huge city compared to me living in the countryside of france? Could the heat from AC have any influence on this?

I've been informed that my 2 suitcases cannot be sent via JP Post because they are wider than the dimensions they accept for Sea Mail.

If anyone can share their experience on if they have sent luggage back to Australia and what methods they used.

EDIT: Im not returning to Australia after immediately leaving Japan

So I bought a Macbook Air M1 off Yahoo! フリマ. It was from a seller with 33 reviews, of which 32 were positive, and they had mostly Apples stuff listed for sale, and already sold.

The MBA was listed as in good working condition with specifically the screen, keyboard, and mousepad as 問題なし.

They seller was very slow on communication and was even a day late on shipping the item but it arrived eventually.

The computer looked good physically and gave the loud Apple chime when I opened it. On the Activation screen I opened the Wifi network input and started testing the keyboard.

I vertical column of keys don't work; the 8, I, K, M, <, and also the @ key.

I went back to message the seller and noticed all their listing, current and past SOLD listings are now missing.

I still messaged them and they answered about a day later that they would accept the return if I payed shipping. I told them the item was not in the condition as listed so I will ask Yahoo management about shipping payment.

That is where I am now, and their account sales are still empty.

Does anyone know what it means when a sellers items disappear?

Has anyone had experience with someone trying to get the buyer to pay the return shipping even though the item was clearly not as advertised?

I am waiting for Yahoo to reply but was just curious if anyone has had similar experiences?

Note. I am at 39 reviews and have a gold checkmark.

UPDATE: The seller contact me with a short and rather blunt (for Japanese) reply saying to send it back via COD. and I quote; "もう着払いでいいので返品してください。" Feels to me they just want me to send it back so they can wait out the automatic payout so they can get the money and the laptop back. Still waiting to hear from Yahoo.

Hi All!

We will be embarking on the Nakasendo trail in late November.

We will be travelling from Nagoya to Magome, hiking the historic Nakasendo Trail through towns including Nojiri, Kiso-Fukushima, and Narai.

We will then end at Lake Suwa and proceed to Lake Kawaguchiko.

Questions: Are there bears around that area in the season? What precautions can we take?

Do the trains run every hour? Can the tickets be purchased in the slot?

Any food or local recommendations?

Any other advice appreciated 😊

Hi everyone,

I am currently applying to change my visa status in Japan because I am scheduled to start a new job.

I have decided to withdraw from my PhD program, and I have already submitted the withdrawal request to my university. My student status will officially end on August 31, 2026, and my planned employment start date is September 1, 2026.

However, immigration is asking me to provide official proof from the university confirming the end date of my studies. The university told me that the official withdrawal certificate can only be issued after August 31, once the withdrawal has officially taken effect.

For now, the only document I can provide is a notification of withdrawal, confirming that my withdrawal request has been submitted and that the effective withdrawal date is August 31.

I am worried that this may delay the visa process again. My employment start date has already been postponed 30 days, and I am afraid that another delay could cause the company to cancel my employment contract if i'm asking another 15-30 days.

Has anyone experienced a similar situation?

Would immigration normally accept the withdrawal notification temporarily, together with an explanation from the university or employer? Is there another document I should ask the university to issue before August 31?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for recommendations for English-speaking speech therapy services or daycares/preschools around Tokyo or Yokohama.

My son is 22 months old. He understands everything really well. He can identify objects, follows instructions, and seems to have good receptive language. However, he's not very interested in talking yet. He says a few words but isn't using many consistently, so we're considering getting some extra support.

At home, we speak both our native language and English, but English isn't our native language. We'd ideally like somewhere that communicates in English, as neither of us speaks Japanese well enough for therapy sessions.

I'd love to hear from parents who have been through something similar.

A few questions:

* Are there any English-speaking speech therapists you'd recommend?

* Are there any English-speaking daycares or preschools that helped with language development?

* Roughly how much do speech therapy sessions or English daycares cost?

* Has anyone used public support services in Japan without speaking much Japanese?

We're happy to travel within the Tokyo/Yokohama area if it's worth it.

Thank you so much!

If work life balance in Japan is so poor that it is contributing to the country’s demographic decline (particularly through a low birth rate, which is also exacerbated by low wages) why hasn’t Japanese society taken more effective measures so far to ensure that people can enjoy a healthier work-life balance?

I’ve been living in Yokosuka and now I’m moving to sasebo and am curious how cold the winters get? I have never been before and don’t know if I need to bring a jacket or not

With so many things going on recently ranging from inflation, weak yen to stricter immigration policies it will be great to hear from lifers or veterans in Japan who been here 10+ years and have had a good progression in their career and family life.

Specifically if you could tell how long you been here, how you met your significant other(if in Japan) and how is life going in general.

I’ll start with myself. I came here when I was 21 year old just out of university in my home country . Got my 1st job here in a MNC at a humble 4M annual salary. Currently here for 10 years and make 15M annually after changing jobs a couple times along the way. During this journey I have dated mostly Japanese women, not married yet but enjoying my life to the fullest based in Tokyo. Currently I plan to apply for citizenship and marry in my mid to late 30s, buy a house and have kids if all goes well.

Since marriage will be the next major life event for me to navigate it would be great if you could share your two cents on what made your marriage successful or not so successful. Though I have dated long term a couple of times I have observed how living together is a totally different ball game especially with international couples so it would be interesting to hear stories. PS: I speak Japanese.

Would love to hear from you! And please feel free to leave any life advice for us. Thank you :)

Hi everyone,

I'm thinking of buying an engagement ring but I really have no clue about jewels. I'm looking for an English friendly place to feel comfortable with such a purchase. Preferably a small business, I rather avoid Cartier/Tiffany.

Also I'm really considering getting a lab diamond so if they sell those great.

Thanks in advance!

Not looking for 玄米. Ideally I would like to find Australian sunrice king grain brown rice but at this point I'd be happy with anything close to it. Been able to find white basmati but I want brown.

Also I'm going home to Australia soon but looking st looking at the customs website it looks like I need a phytosanitary certificate (植物検疫証明書) even for prepackaged supermarket rice. Is that correct? I'm happy to declare it but I get the feeling it will get taken away without that certificate.

This is a common comment I see here, but literally every time I go to a bar or talk to my friends, at least half of their friends work in companies I would classify as black. Yet literally every thread about black companies, there's a swarm of people saying they are a thing of the past.

Is this sweetening sentiment something many people here say because of their own experiences (Western companies or smaller startups), because they try to lie to themselves, they try to sweeten the image of Japan, or am I completely wrong here?

Admittedly, it's also anecdotal evidence, but from my experience with talking to people from many walks of life, while obviously it's less than before, there's still a shit ton of black companies that discriminate against their workers and do not pay good salaries. Or is this something non-Japanese speakers say because they literally can't discuss it with Japanese people and don't know the reality?

Edit: I'm talking about salary, working hours, working conditions and rude/hostile bosses here. Not low salary etc.

First, I don't work for the airline or profit in anyway from any sales.

So why am I telling you? Because I do get pissed when my friends take short cheap holidays to far parts of Japan and when I ask, they say they bought the tickets during a sale a while ago.

I just visited Jetstar and their four day sale ends today. It avoids the summer break and the five day holiday in September, but it is worth looking at to see if you want to buy a one way trip to Okinawa for ¥5,790. Obviously you'll need to buy another flight at ¥5,790 to get back.

I recently began selling some old magazines I have lying around on Mercari. Nothing crazy, mostly ¥600 each (so I'm only making like ¥300 a transaction). The first one sold; it's anonymous shipping, so I put it in a padded envelope, stuck the QR code sticker on, and put it in the mail. The person who bought it seemed fine: had about 20 positive reviews, had recently bought other things, and was selling too (20 or so items, but I noticed none of them had "real life" photos, just stock images). There were two things I found a little strange but didn't think much of, but I'll add for context. First, the seller said they shipped from Tokyo, but the package I sent was sent to Okayama. Second, it said the recipient wasn't available during a delivery attempt, although it should have fit directly in the mail slot. In any case, eventually, they rated me (not auto-rated), completed the transaction, and I got my ¥300. I already spent it. So congrats to me, first transaction done.

Just now, though, I opened up my mailbox and the magazine was returned to me by JP Post. Apparently, it was never picked up after the attempted delivery, held at the post office, and then sent back to me. When I go to the buyer's profile, they've been suspended. Not sure what to do at this point, if anything. Just keep it and move on? Relisting it feels a bit awkward. Should I report what happened anyway?

Surely I'm not tied up in some sort of scam over ¥600. Googling suggests maybe they got hacked (possibly someone testing a hacked card before a bigger purchase or building good reviews)?

tldr: buyer clicked received, I got my money, but JP sent back the item because no one picked it up, go to reach out to buyer but their account is suspended

Hi everyone!
I’m looking to buy a new laptop, but honestly I have no idea where to start. 😅 I don’t know much about laptop specs, so I’d really appreciate some advice.

My main use would be:
Work (documents, browsing, video calls, etc.)
General everyday use
Maybe playing The Sims 4 in the future (nothing too hardcore)

I’m looking for something reliable that will last for several years. I don’t need the absolute cheapest option, but I’d like good value for money.

I also have a few questions:
-Which brands do you recommend (or which should I avoid)?
-Are there any specific models I should look at?
-Is it safer to buy online, or should I go to a physical store?

I’m a bit worried about scams if I buy online.
If you’re in Japan, are there any stores or websites you recommend?

Any tips on what specs I should be looking for would also be really helpful, since I’m completely new to this.
Thanks in advance!

I need my inkan shoumeisho to sell my vehicle. I went to the kuyakusho to get it with my inkantourokusho card, and after the usual hour long wait, the lady calls my number aside from the usual counter. She tells me they can’t use my card. I ask why and she repeats they can’t use it. She says I must have another one at home. I tell her no I don’t, it’s my only one. She tells me to go check at home and if I really don’t have one, just make a new card. So I’m like ok if there’s really no way to use that card I’ll comply but why can’t I use it? she says she can’t tell me. So I ask her does it have something to do with my mynumbercard expiring last year and me making a new one but not relinking the card to the new mynumber. She apologizes and just says again she can’t tell me.

That was the end of the interaction. anybody have an idea or a can infer why she couldn’t tell me?

i was using Sakura ntt flets hikari fiber 1gb 7000/month but my new apartment only has shared equipment available for VDSL that's 100mbs but realistically would be 50/60mbps.

Physical installation of fiber is going against the mansions rules.

I WFH and it's a big unit I'm pretty sure many

families live around so I am in a pinch on which internet provider i should use to get atleast stable internet for my work and is also cheap. (and cheaper installation fees?) So far i have only checked out au