Guides to Japanese mail

The letters every foreign resident gets, explained in plain language.

That pension letter from 日本年金機構
What the blue National Pension envelope from 日本年金機構 means, what you must pay, the exemption for students and low income, and what happens if you ignore it.

Your Kokuho (health insurance) bill
How 国民健康保険 premium bills work: the booklet of slips, the 期 instalments, due dates, and how to pay at the konbini or by app.

The resident tax bill that arrives in June
Why a 住民税 bill arrives in June, why it's based on last year's income, the 4 instalment deadlines, and what happens after you change jobs or leave Japan.

The slip in your mailbox: 不在連絡票
How to read the ご不在連絡票 from Japan Post, Yamato or Sagawa, and the fastest ways to get redelivery — phone, web, QR or LINE.

The NHK letter (and the knock on your door)
What the NHK 放送受信料 letter means, who actually has to pay the broadcast fee, how much it costs, and how to handle the door visit.

Is this letter a scam? The patterns to know
Fake tax office letters, 未納料金 payment demands, courthouse postcards and phishing SMS — the patterns that identify a scam, and what real Japanese authorities never do.