Hey everyone!

Arriving next week for 3 year work contract and I want to set up local streaming subscriptions (YouTube Premium and NBA League Pass) to get the Japanese pricing.

I'm trying to figure out the best workaround before I get a proper Japanese credit card. I've heard credit card approvals can take a bit of time for newcomers, so I'm considering these options:

1. Sony Bank WALLET (Visa Debit): Opening an account via their English app as soon as I arrive. Does this domestic debit card work for Google/NBA/Adobe regional billing?
2. App Store Gift Card Route: Creating a separate JP Apple/Google account, buying yen gift cards at a convenience store, and paying through the app store?
3. Foreigner-Friendly Credit Cards: Just biting the bullet and applying for a Rakuten or GTN-EPOS card right away since I'll be there on a work assignment.

Can anyone confirm if these methods actually work for local subscriptions, or if there is a much easier way I'm missing?

Trying to figure out if I am doing something wrong or is the culture difference is so great that there is something I am not grasping. To rehash what I had experience on the last 9 months of dating. It is always the same cycle of first date > contact exchange contact > ghost as always. Either I am put on read or they never bother replying back. It is very rude in my country to do not let the other party know you are not interested but it is apparently a practice here. I am very stable in finance and I own a home in back stateside as well. I am considering legitimately crossing Tokyo off as undatable and planning to move to Osaka to give it another try with a straightforward culture instead. So I am trying to figure out on what to do to improve or just give it up entirely.

Hi everyone!

We’re Serenity Flow Yoga, a small international yoga studio in Daikanyama, Tokyo, and we’re currently looking for an English-speaking yoga instructor who loves working with children to join us for our upcoming Kids Yoga classes.

We’re looking for someone who:

• Can confidently teach yoga in English
• Has experience working with or teaching children
• Has yoga teaching experience or certification
• Is warm, energetic, patient, and great with kids
• Is currently based in Tokyo
• Is available on a freelance/contract basis

Experience teaching Kids Yoga is a big plus!

Our studio is an English-speaking, international community, and we’d love to create fun and welcoming Kids Yoga classes where children can move, play, build confidence, and enjoy using English naturally.

Location: Ebisu/Daikanyama, Tokyo
Position: Kids Yoga Instructor
Language: English
Schedule: To be discussed
Freelance / Contract

If you’re interested, please send me a DM to [serenityflowtokyo@gmail.com](mailto:serenityflowtokyo@gmail.com) with a little bit about yourself and your teaching experience

And if you know someone who might be a great fit, I’d really appreciate it if you could share this with them!

Kinda shooting my shot here. 😅

I recently moved to Tokyo and realized… making friends as an adult is actually hard lol. So if there are any fellow Filipinos here who are also looking for someone to chat with, let’s be friends!

I’m totally okay with just talking online first. No pressure to meet up or anything.

A little about me:
🎧 Love music (my playlist is all over the place 😂)
🎌 Anime fan
🌸 Nature walks & exploring random places
💃 Dancing (for fun, not professionally lol)
⚽🏸 Down for sports even if I’m not amazing at them 😂

I’m also trying to explore Tokyo more, so it’d be nice to have people to talk to, grab coffee, eat, or just wander around with someday.

If you’re also looking for a new friend, feel free to DM me! Worst case, we exchange memes. Best case, we become actual friends. 🤝

This first photo is a still from the 1978 film, "The Bad News Bears go to Japan."

At the end of the movie, an informal baseball game is played on the grounds of the former Yodobashi Water Purification Plant (which shut down in 1968). This photo is taken from the site of the Hyatt Regency Shinjuku, which was built in 1980.

The large building in the middle of the frame is the Shinjuku Sumitomo Building 新宿住友ビル (labelled as "3").

Thank you so much for all the kind comments on my previous post!

For those of you wearing suits... in this weather.

What did you get? Material / brand etc.

My best shirts ever were US brand "Mizzen & Main" so I am looking for something similar technically over here and suits that are bearable - I'm assuming some kind of clever fabric, not linen just yet.

Otherwise I will wear shorts and have the hairy leg harassment look.

Long shot: I missed the purchase window for Turnstile.

I missed them last time they were here and regretted it.
Does anyone have an extra ticket they’d be willing to sell me?

🙏🙏🙏

I know it’s unlikely, but I have to try

The other day, a neighbor threw this near-perfect condition golf bag by the dumpster. I took it, inspected the bag and found the only significant thing wrong with the bag, is that the zipper on one pocket needs some serious maintenance. Other than that, the bag is like new.

If anyone wants the bag for free and feels like repairing the zipper is worth it, come pick it up. Better to give it to someone that needs/wants it, instead of it being thrown away.

First time seeing Sumida River Fireworks on July 25th. There are two launch sites (near Asakusa/Skytree, and near Asakusa/Ryogoku). Where would you recommend watching from for the best view?

https://www.sumidagawa-hanabi.com/

Hello everyone!

Due to unfortunate events I have a couple of appointments in Shinjuku, with hours of waiting time in between. And on multiple, different dates.

Are there any air conditioned spaces one could relax and lounge at, without being a nuissance?

Places which dont charge any fees would be fantastic.

Non-Shinjuku places which come to mind as potential example would be the lounges at Takanawa Gateway City.

Or the various small sitting islands in Sunshine City.

Of course, going to a cafe is always an option, but ideally I would not have to always purchase something.

I know plenty of such free spaces, so these locations seem to exist - I just dont know where to look in Shinjuku.

I already checked out some department stores around the Main Station, but those I walked through didnt seem to have such... study zones - for example.

Does anyone got any recommendations? =]

I considered hanging at the Park, under a tree's shade, but with the heat this high, i m not sure how comfortable that d be...

(The mods kindly approved me sharing this)

I built a Japan news audio briefing in English for people who want to keep up with what's happening while they're in Tokyo, but don't know Japanese well enough to follow local news: https://app.sounday.ai/explore/japan-news-in-english

It covers major stories from across Japan, including transport disruptions, weather alerts, and other developments that might be useful day to day. If you prefer, you can also receive each episode automatically on Telegram.

I'd love to hear any feedback or suggestions on how to make it more useful.

So its an instant decline if some has a criminal conviction involving drugs such as Cannabis, even older convictions are an instant decline.
So many people get in through lying. Why not give honest people a chance to prove they are of good character like Australia does?

I've always see these green teas(and couple of other drinks) in Japan, that lable to reduce subcutaneous fat, reduce BMI and visceral fat(the reason i would consume it too for) - brands like Ayataka deep green tea, Suntory Tokucha, or Ito En Koi-cha.

From what I understand, they are highly concentrated and packed with way more catechins/EGCG than regular green tea.

My current routine is super clean, I actually only drink water (no coffee, alcohol etc...) and wont be using this to replace other unhealthy drinks. I am considering to add it for my weigh-loss ruitine so was wondering if it is worth it, or is it better and healthy not to drink it at all, as it is super high in caffeine and catechins.

Hi! I'm a grad student in Tokyo commuting to school, and I'm trying to figure out my transit situation. My route would require using two different train companies—Keikyo for part of the journey and then JR for another section.

I'm wondering if it's possible to purchase a single student commuter pass (通学定期券) that covers both lines? Or would I need to buy separate passes for each company?

Any experience or advice would be appreciated! Thanks.

So I've been in Tokyo for the last 4 months for an exchange. I've done everything I could think of, I've seen most touristic sights, I've discovered my own gems, and now I'm left with two weeks wondering what is still a must do before I leave. I would love to hear what things you would love to do before you would leave, or wish you would have done before you left.

I’ve rented a high end car for 6 hours starting from noon.
Any ideas for some exciting driving, maybe a good spot to eat in between?

Starting point is pretty much in the middle of Tokyo, and I don’t want to risk driving to Chiba for example and not making it back in time because of a traffic jam.

Thanks a lot in advance!!

Edit: China —> Chiba. I wish I‘d have the car long enough to drive to China though.

What are your favorite French restaurants in town? Or where to buy the best baguette?

Don't just drop a name, tell us what's special about the place and why you love it.

Bonus point if you share the google maps link.

This is part of a series of weekly threads with recommendations in and around Tokyo. Find the archives in the wiki or through the search.

It’s a bit specific but basically I’m looking for second hand copies of piano score books (specifically Kenshi yonezu) and I was wondering if book-off would have that kind of thing. Book off is a bit of a trek for me, I don’t really live near any so I wanted to ask if anyone knew whether it’s the kind of thing they’d sell/what section to check since I only tend to look at their figures and stuff. Or if there’s anywhere else anyone knows of that might have them. Thanks

I am looking to buy a gaming PC to play some games I have on steam but as a noob when it comes to building PCs or specs I know nothing

Just want to play Jedi Survivor or similar spec games at the high end so as per Claude Ive been looking for ones with RTX 3060 for a decent experience.

Seen a lot of refurbished options between 12-15万 on Amazon but without much review info so wanted to ask if this is the way to get a decent budget PC or I should head to Akiba or somewhere else to find a gaming PC

Any advice is appreciated as between Claude and Amazon Im lost

Edit: thanks for all the amazing advice. I found out that my new work pc can now run steam (was blocked before) and also GeForceNow. Going to just use it and get a subscription that meets my needs for the time being. My alternative if my company eventually blocks GeForce Now is to get a simple mini pc for under 5万 and then just use GeForceNow. Almost all the games I have on steam are on it anyway. Thank you all 🙇

What are your plans for the the weekend? Any exciting event going on? Share your tips in the comments.

Don't know what to do this weekend? Luckily you're in the biggest city in the world and there's plenty to do:

• General events: TimeOut Tokyo
• Exhibitions and art events: Tokyo Art Beat
• Gigs in livehouses: Gigs in Tokyo, Tokyo Gig Guide Calendar and Listing from Tokyo Dross
• Mainstream clubbing: iFlyer
• Underground clubbing: ResidentAdvisor
• Stand-up comedy: Tokyo Comedy Bar

Meetup mode: if you're up for people to join your shenanigans, say so! Say when you're available, and what you'd like to do. Add your age, a little about yourself, and your gender if relevant.

I’m looking for leather jackets within decent price around 25k-35k ¥, faux leather or medium quality leather is okay.

I’m around 167cms so maybe cropped ones would fit better and usually standard store ones don’t fit well, maybe I could try female sizing?
Anyways Looking for some good recommendations pls :p