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Americans in Tokyo

Everything you need to move to, rent in and enjoy Tokyo as an American, and how it fits with your US taxes, money and paperwork.

Official US

Embassy

U.S. Embassy Tokyo

Passports, citizenship, voting help and emergency services for U.S. citizens in Japan

1-10-5 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-8420

Website · Map · +81 3 3224 5000

Your community group

ExpatStateside Japan: Americans in Japan

Free group for Americans in Japan: questions, tips, meetups, Thanksgiving and the Super Bowl.

Opening soon

Vote from TokyoRegister and request your ballot with one form, the FPCA. Send a new one every January.

How to vote

Tokyo Partners

Global partner · online

The emotional move

A move abroad changes more than your address. Katharina Bergauer (innsicht) supports individuals, couples and families before the move and until everyone feels at home. Online, in English or German.

Book a first conversation

Katharina Bergauer

innsichtEintragungsnummer: 17784

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Your business here: partner in Tokyo

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Guides for life in Tokyo

Basics

Cost of living in Tokyo vs New York: what a weak yen buys you

With the dollar at about 157 yen, Tokyo feels like a bargain next to New York. Here's what rent, food, trains and healthcare really cost, with official numbers on both sides.

Basics

Your residence card and My Number in Tokyo: the first two weeks

Your Japanese life runs on two cards: the residence card you get at the airport and the My Number card from your ward office. Here's the order to do things and the deadlines that matter.

Basics

Earthquakes in Tokyo: the alerts, apps and home kit Americans need

Tokyo will shake while you live there. Here's how the alerts work, which free apps to install in English, where to go, and why your building's age matters.

Money and work

Japanese taxes for Americans: the NTA, the IRS and how the two returns fit

In Tokyo you answer to the National Tax Agency, your ward office and the IRS. Here's how Japanese residency works, why the remittance rule matters and how to avoid paying twice.

Money and work

Banking in Japan as an American: getting an account when you're a US person

Japanese banks will take your money, but first they want a residence card, a W-9 and sometimes six months of patience. Here's how Americans in Tokyo get banked.

Money and work

Japan's pension and the lump-sum withdrawal: cash out or keep your years?

Leaving Japan? You can get part of your pension contributions back, up to five years' worth. But cashing out erases those years for the US–Japan agreement. Here's how to choose.

Money and work

Teaching English in Japan: JET, eikaiwa and the visa that fits

JET pays about JPY 4.02 million in year one and handles your flight. Eikaiwa and dispatch jobs pay less but hire year-round. Here's how the jobs, pay and visas compare.

Home

Renting in Tokyo: neighborhoods, tiny floor plans and two-year contracts

Tokyo apartments are smaller, contracts run two years and some landlords still balk at foreigners. Here's how Americans find a place, read the listings and avoid surprises.

Home

Renting in Tokyo: key money, guarantor companies and the real move-in bill

In Tokyo you can owe four or five months' rent before you get the keys. Here's what each line on the bill means, what's capped by law, and how to cut it.

Moving and visas

Moving to Tokyo as an American: the visa routes that actually work

Japan has no visa you can simply buy your way into. Here's how Americans really get to Tokyo: a job and a COE, family, school, the HSP fast track or six months as a digital nomad.

Moving and visas

Japan's highly skilled professional visa: the points, the perks and permanent residency in a year

Score 70 points and Japan's HSP visa gets you a 5-year stay and permanent residency after 3 years; score 80 and it's 1 year. Here's how the points, J-Skip and PR rules work.

Health

Healthcare in Tokyo: how to see a doctor, find English care and handle an emergency

In Tokyo you walk into a neighborhood clinic, not an urgent care. Here's how Americans find English-speaking doctors, avoid the no-referral fee and call for help.

Health

National Health Insurance in Japan: who joins, what it costs, what it covers

If you live in Japan for more than three months, you're in the public health system. Here's how to tell if you're on NHI or your employer's plan, what Tokyo charges, and the cap on medical bills.

Schools and study

Schools in Tokyo: public schools, the American School in Japan and the road to US colleges

Tokyo public schools are free and open to foreign kids, while international schools cost more than many US private schools. Here's how American families weigh the two.

Schools and study

Learning Japanese in Tokyo: language schools, the JLPT and cheap ward classes

Full-time school on a student visa, the twice-a-year JLPT, or a JPY 2,000 volunteer class at the ward office: here's how Americans in Tokyo actually learn Japanese.

Getting around

Driving in Japan with a US license, and getting around Tokyo without a car

Your US license won't get you far in Japan, but Tokyo's trains will. Here's the IDP one-year rule, license conversion by state, Suica basics and the new bike fines.

Community

American life in Tokyo: Thanksgiving, the Fourth and a ballgame at Jingu

Tokyo's American community is big, spread out and easy to miss. Here's where to find it: holidays, ballgames, clubs, the embassy and political groups on both sides.

Community

Garbage rules in Tokyo: how to sort, when to put it out, and what to do with a sofa

In Tokyo your trash gets sorted, rinsed and put out by 8 a.m. on the right day, and a sofa needs a booking and a ticket. Here's how it works in your ward.

Going out

American food in Tokyo: Costco runs, imported groceries, game-day bars and a Thanksgiving turkey

Tokyo has the best food on earth, and sometimes you still want a Butterball. Here's where Americans find Costco, imported groceries, NFL bars and a November turkey.

Going out

Nightlife in Tokyo: izakaya, karaoke and the last train home

Tokyo is one of the safest big cities you'll ever drink in, with a few traps. Here's where to go, how izakaya and karaoke work, and the scams the State Department warns about.

America in Tokyo

The embassy or consulate, business groups, clubs, sport, schools, churches and a taste of home. Checked 2026-11; tell us if something has changed.

Official US

Embassy

U.S. Embassy Tokyo

Passports, citizenship, voting help and emergency services for U.S. citizens in Japan

1-10-5 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-8420

Website · Map · +81 3 3224 5000 · Facebook · Instagram · X · YouTube

Agency

USDA Agricultural Trade Office Tokyo

U.S. Department of Agriculture office promoting American food and farm products in Japan

10-5 Akasaka 1-Chome, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-8420

Website · Map · +81 3 3224 5115 · atotokyo@usda.gov

Commission

Japan-U.S. Educational Commission (Fulbright Japan)

Runs Fulbright exchanges between Japan and the U.S. and hosts EducationUSA Japan

Sanno Grand Building 207, 2-14-2 Nagatacho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0014

Website · Map · Facebook · X · LinkedIn

Business and networking

Chamber

American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ)

Business association advocating for American and international companies in Japan

Toranomon Hills Business Tower 15F, 1-17-1 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-6415

Website · Map · info@accj.or.jp · Facebook · Instagram · X · LinkedIn

Clubs and associations

Club

Tokyo American Club

Private members' club founded by Americans in 1928, with clubhouses in Azabudai and Nihonbashi

2-1-2 Azabudai, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-8649

Website · Map · +81 3 4588 0381 · Facebook · Instagram · LinkedIn · YouTube

Scouting America

Pack 20, Troop 20 and Crew 20 (Scouting America, Far East Council)

Cub Scouts (5-11), Scouts BSA (11-17) and Venturing (14-20) in Tokyo, chartered by the Scottish Rite; 2025-2026 events listed. Contact Pack/Troop 20: u20fec@gmail.com

Shiba Park Building B, 2-4-1 Shibakoen, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-0011

Website · Map · crew20.bsa@gmail.com

Party groups abroad

Listed side by side for information. We are nonpartisan.

Party

Democrats Abroad Japan

Official Democratic Party organization for U.S. citizens in Japan; Tokyo events run by its Kanto chapter

Website · Map

Party

Republicans Overseas

Worldwide Republican organization for Americans abroad; no local chapter page found for this country

Website · Map

American sport

League

Tokyo Area American Flag Football

Casual pick-up flag football games at MIFA Football Park in Toyosu

MIFA Football Park, 6-1-23 Toyosu, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-0061

Website · Map

Schools and universities

School

The American School in Japan (ASIJ)

Nursery to grade 12 school founded in 1902, with a U.S.-style curriculum

1-1-1 Nomizu, Chofu-shi, Tokyo 182-0031

Website · Map · +81 422 34 5300 · Facebook · Instagram · LinkedIn · YouTube

University

Temple University, Japan Campus

Japan campus of Temple University (Philadelphia), offering U.S. degrees in Tokyo

1-14-29 Taishido, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 154-0004

Website · Map · +81 3 5441 9800 · Facebook · Instagram · X · LinkedIn · YouTube

K-12 school

Christian Academy in Japan (CAJ)

Christian K-12 school with a North American curriculum and AP courses; WASC accredited

1-2-14 Shinkawa-cho, Higashi Kurume-shi, Tokyo 203-0013

Website · Map · +81 42 471 0022 · info@caj.ac.jp · Facebook · Instagram · LinkedIn · YouTube

K-9 school

Nishimachi International School

Kindergarten to grade 9, US Common Core-based curriculum with daily Japanese; WASC and CIS accredited

2-14-7 Moto Azabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-0046

Website · Map · +81 3 3451 5520 · Facebook · Instagram · X · LinkedIn

K-12 school (girls)

International School of the Sacred Heart

K-12 girls' school with 23 AP courses in high school; WASC and CIS accredited

4-3-1 Hiroo, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0012

Website · Map · +81 3 3400 3951 · Facebook · Instagram · YouTube

K-12 school

Seisen International School

Catholic school, co-ed Montessori kindergarten then girls through grade 12; IB PYP, MYP and DP; CIS/NEASC accredited

1-12-15 Yoga, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 158-0097

Website · Map · +81 3 3704 2661 · info@seisen.com · Facebook · Instagram · LinkedIn · YouTube

PreK-12 school

Tokyo West International School

Ages 2 to grade 12 in Hachioji; IB PYP in early years and primary, high school students can earn US and Japanese diplomas via distance-learning curricula; Cognia accredited

185 Umetsubo-machi, Hachioji-shi, Tokyo 192-0013

Website · Map · +81 42 691 1441 · info@tokyowest.jp · Facebook · Instagram · YouTube

Preschool / kindergarten