GUIDE FOR FOREIGNERS LIVING IN MIYAGI PREFECTURE

Basic information

Geography

Miyagi Prefecture is located in the center of the Tohoku region, about 300 kilometers northeast of Japan's capital, Tokyo. The capital of Miyagi Prefecture is Sendai City. Facing the Pacific Ocean to the east, Miyagi is blessed with rich fishing grounds and scenic tourist spots such as Matsushima, one of the Three Most Scenic Spots in Japan. To the west are the mountains of Zao, Funagata, and Kurikoma, which change their appearance every season, and in the center lies the Sendai Plain, one of the largest rice producing areas in Japan. The harmony of the sea, mountains, rivers, and plains creates a natural environment that makes Miyagi a comfortable place to live.

Total area

7,282 square kilometers

Population

Approx. 2.3 million people

Sightseeing in miyagi

Information on sightseeing in Miyagi can be found on our website.

Visit MIYAGI（外部サイトへリンク）

What is a “status of residence?”

Immigration Control and the Refugee Recognition Act define the types of activities that foreign nationals are allowed to engage in while residing in Japan and classifies them into several categories.

Residence cards

Receiving a residence card

Within 14 days after moving in, you must submit a “notification of moving in” (tenyuu todoke) to your local municipal office. A Residence Card will be sent to your home at a later date.

※　Those who enter Japan from Narita, Haneda, Chubu Centrair, Kansai International, New Chitose, Hiroshima, or Fukuoka airports will receive a Residence Card at the airport.

If you lose your residence card

Submit the necessary documents to the Immigration Bureau near you to receive a new Residence Card.

Sendai Regional Immigration Services Bureau（外部サイトへリンク）

Updating your visa

When you want to extend your period of stay or change your status of residence, submit the necessary documents to the Immigration Bureau near you to receive a new Residence Card.

Sendai Regional Immigration Services Bureau（外部サイトへリンク）

Re-entry permits

If you plan to return to Japan after being away from Japan for one year or more, you can continue to use your current resident card by submitting documents to the Immigration Bureau and obtaining a re-entry permit before leaving Japan.

Sendai Regional Immigration Services Bureau（外部サイトへリンク）

Finding a job

Hello Work is a government agency that provides free job counseling and referrals, and provides information on jobs from all over the country that can be viewed on online.

HelloWork（外部サイトへリンク）

Starting your job (Labor Contracts)

When you work for a company, you sign a contract. A contract is a written document that clearly states the promises between the employer and the employee. Check the contract carefully to make sure that it states the following:

1. When does the contract start and how long is the contract for?
2. Is it possible to receive a new contract after the current contract ends?
3. Where and what kind of work will you do?
4. What time does work begin and end, and when can you take a break?
5. How much will you be paid, and when and how you will receive it?
6. What are the rules for when you leave the job?

Rules for working

There are rules for working called “work regulations” (shugyo kisoku) that are set by the company. The conditions of the employment contract must not be worse than the company’s work regulations. The company’s work regulations can be viewed by anyone.

Trouble at work

If your work conditions are different from the contract that you signed, contact the Consulting Service for Foreign Workers. 

Consulting Service for Foreign Workers（外部サイトへリンク）

Going to the hospital

When you are sick or injured, first go to the hospital closest to where you live.

1. Show your insurance card to the receptionist at the hospital and tell them what is wrong.
2. Fill out a medical questionnaire. A medical questionnaire is a sheet of paper on which you write about your illness or injury. Write down what is wrong as well as any illnesses you have had in the past.　
3. Wait in the waiting room until your name (or number) is called.
4. When your name (or number) is called, enter the examination room, where the doctor will examine you.
5. After the doctor has examined you, pay the receptionist.
6. If you need medicine, go to the pharmacy and give the pharmacist a prescription slip written by the doctor in order to receive your medicine.

Medical questionnaires in different languages are available on the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare website.

Multilingual Medical Questionnaires for Foreign Residents (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare)（外部サイトへリンク）

Finding a hospital

The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's website “Medical Information Net (NAVII)” allows you to search for medical institutions by address, department, what foreign languages are available, and other criteria.

Medical Information Net (NAVII)（外部サイトへリンク）

Health insurance system

Everyone living in Japan must have medical insurance. If you pay a monthly premium for medical insurance, you will be able to pay less money to the hospital when you get sick or injured.

Foreigners living in Japan for longer than three months must also have medical insurance. The following three types of medical insurance are available, and you will join one of them.

1. Health Insurance: People who work for a company or other organization are covered by this insurance.
2. Advanced Elderly Medical Care Service System: People who are 75 or older are covered by this insurance.
3. National Health Insurance: Everyone who is not covered by one of the first two options is covered by this insurance.You can do the paperwork at your local municipal office.

What to do if you get pregnant

Go to your local municipal office and submit a “pregnancy registration form” (ninshin todoke). You will receive a “Maternal and Child Health Handbook” (boshi techo) to record the progress of your pregnancy and the growth of your baby. Health checkups, which you will undergo during your pregnancy, will also be explained.

What to do after giving birth

Within 14 days of your child being born, go to your local municipal office and submit a “Certificate of Birth Registration” (shussho todoke). If a baby is born to a foreign couple, you must apply for the baby's status of residence at the Immigration Bureau. You should also contact the embassy of your country in Japan.

Daycare centers, kindergarten, and childcare centers

Children who are 6 years old or younger are able to attend childcare institutes such as daycare centers and kindergarten before they enter elementary school.

1. Daycare centers: For infants and children up to elementary school age whose parents are working.Contact your local municipal office if you want to enroll your child into daycare.
2. Kindergartens: For children ages 3 and older who have not yet entered elementary school. Apply directly to the kindergarten that you would like to enroll your child in.
3. Centers for early childhood education and care: For infants and children from birth up to elementary school age. Apply directly to the center that you would like to enroll your child in.

Japan’s education system

Compulsory education

In Japan, parents must send their children aged 6-15 to school. Compulsory education consists of six years of elementary school and three years of junior high school.

If you wish to send your foreign child to elementary or junior high school, you must apply at your local municipal office. Some schools offer support for children who

cannot speak Japanese well, so please check with your local municipal office.

High school

Junior high school graduates may attend high school after taking and passing an entrance examination. For more information about entrance examinations, please consult with the high school whose examination you plan on taking or the junior high school you are attending.

If you would like to know more about entering high school, you can download the “MIYAGI Career Guidebook for Children & Parents who are Non-native Japanese Speakers” from the Internet.

MIYAGI Career Guidebook for Children & Parents who are Non-native Japanese Speakers（外部サイトへリンク）

Housing

Finding a place to live

You can search for housing using online real estate information websites.

Some websites also allow you to search for rental housing that accepts foreign residents.

▶　Safety Net Housing Information System（外部サイトへリンク）

▶　MLIT guidebook for finding housing（外部サイトへリンク）

Deciding where to live

When renting housing, you sign a “contract” (keiyakusho). A contract is a written document that clearly states the promises between the lender and the renter. Please read the contract, have it explained to you, and sign it only after you fully understand it.

Electricity, gas, and water

Electricity

Contact an electric power company to receive electricity. The voltage and frequency of electricity in Miyagi are 100V and 50Hz.

GAS

Make an appointment with a gas company in advance to turn on the main gas valve. Have the gas company perform a safety inspection before using gas.

Water

Contact the waterworks department at your local municipal office.

Cell phones

When buying a cell phone (or signing a contract), you will need your passport, Residence Card, personal seal (inkan), a bank account, and a credit card. The requirements may vary depending on the cell phone company. For details, please ask at a store or contact a cell phone company.

Waste disposal

Garbage is thrown out at fixed times at designated places. There is a “Garbage Calendar” (gomi karendaa) that shows the schedule of when and which kind of garbage is collected where you live. You can get it at your local municipal office.

Banking

You can do the paperwork for opening an account at a bank’s help desk. You will need

your passport, Residence Card, and personal seal (inkan) etc. For more details, ask

the bank where you will be making an account.

Public transportation

Miyagi Prefecture has train, subway, and bus services.

Trains and subways

When riding a train or the subway, you must buy a ticket before boarding. You can also buy an IC card at stations. By charging money to the IC card, you will not need to buy a ticket each time.

Buses

Buses are boarded from the middle door and exited from the front door. You pay the fare when you get off the bus. IC cards can also be used on buses.

Traffic laws

Bicycle rules

1. Ride on the left side of the road. You can ride on the sidewalk in special cases, but pedestrians take priority.
2. Stop at intersections and check to see if it is safe to proceed.
3. Use headlights at night.
4. Do not ride your bicycle after drinking alcohol.
5. Wear a helmet.

Miyagi Prefectural Police’s multilingual flyer for the five rules for safe bicycle riding（外部サイトへリンク）

Bicycle registration

If you own a bicycle, you should register it for security purposes. You can do this at the store where you bought your bicycle, or at a koban (police box).

Driver’s license

To drive a car in Japan, you need either a Japanese driver's license or an international driver's license. If you have a foreign driver's license, you can switch it to an international license at a license center. Before beginning the application process for this, please contact the license center by phone.

Miyagi Prefecture Driver’s License Center（外部サイトへリンク）

Registering a car or motorcycle

If you own a car or motorcycle, you must register it. You can complete this procedure at the store where you bought it or at the Miyagi Transport Branch Office of the Tohoku District Transport Bureau (depending on the engine capacity of the car).

What to do if you get into a traffic accident

If you get into a traffic accident, please call 110. You will be connected to the police.

Preparing for disaster

The Disaster Handbook, which outlines what precautions should be taken and what preparations are necessary to protect yourself from earthquakes, tsunamis, and other disasters that may occur at any time, is available on the Miyagi Prefectural Government website.

Disaster Handbook

Resident registration (juumin touroku)

Resident registration (juumin touroku)

You have to inform your local municipal office of your address. This procedure must be done within 14 days of your arrival in Japan. This procedure is necessary in order to receive services to support your daily life in Japan from the government.

Individual number (My Number)

After completing your resident registration, you will receive your Individual Number (“My Number”). You need this number when sending money overseas, working for a company, and to receive services to support your daily life. You must not tell anyone your Individual Number except when doing paperwork.

Individual number card (My Number card)

After completing your resident registration, you will receive a letter from your local municipal office asking you to apply for a “My Number Card”. You can apply to have a card made via mail or the Internet.

In Miyagi Prefecture, there is a smartphone application that helps you use your My Number Card in your daily life.

Digital ID App

Taxes

All residents of Japan, regardless of their nationality, must pay taxes. There are various kinds of taxes, some of which are deducted from company salaries.

Pension

All residents of Japan between the ages of 20 and 60 are required to pay into in the public pension system. There are two types of public pensions.

1. Employees’ Pension

If you are employed by a company, you are required to enroll in the Employees' Pension plan at the company. Premiums are deducted from your monthly salary.

2. National Pension

If you are not enrolled in the Employees' Pension Plan, you will be enrolled in the National Pension plan. The enrollment procedure is done at your local municipal office.

Moving

Procedures for moving out

When moving out, you should complete the procedures for moving out at your local municipal office. A Moving-out Certificate will be issued.

Procedures for moving in

Within 14 days of moving in, you should complete the procedures for moving in at your local municipal office. You will need the Moving-out Certificate you received when you carried out the procedures to move out of your previous residence.

Local japanese language courses in miyagi

In Miyagi Prefecture, there are Japanese language classes run by the government as well as volunteer groups. You can study Japanese with Japanese people living in your community.

List of Japanese language schools in Miyagi（外部サイトへリンク）

Consultation services for when you need help

Miyagi support center for foreign nationals (MIA)

The Miyagi Support Center for Foreign Nationals (MIA) was established to provide support for consultations from foreign residents in multiple languages. If you have any problems, please call.

Miyagi Support Center for Foreign Nationals（外部サイトへリンク）

TEL：022-275-9990

Legal consultations

At Houterasu Japan Legal Support Center, legal consultation is provided for people who have financial difficulties. An appointment made in advance is required to receive consultation.

Houterasu Support Phone Number（外部サイトへリンク）

TEL：0570-078374

In the event of an emergency

In the event of a fire, injury, or sudden illness, call 119. Tell them if it is a fire or an emergency, what the situation is and where you are.