Here's the lede - you can pay your Japanese income tax using your credit card. And here's the "but" - and the only reason this becomes something worth writing about - they don't necessarily make it easy for you to do. tl;
In 2024 i wrote a post about what credit card i applied for, and why. Spoiler alert, its the Marriott Bonvoy Amex Premium card. Some things have changed since then. Here's the main section of an email i got from Amex back in August - you don'
This feels like it could be esoteric knowledge, which is precisely why i'm sharing it. The long and short of it is, * ATMs at 7-11 read the IC chip in your card * Other banks read your card's magnetic stripe Why this does matter? Well, a few
May marked the end of a long and trying period of my life. Trials and tribulations abounded in the form of paperwork, waiting, more paperwork, more waiting, a grumpy Japanese man, and a ten-minute drive that, supposedly, can tell a grumpy Japanese man everything he needs to know about my
In what feels like a lifetime ago, i travelled to Europe from Japan to unwisely pit my yen against the euro. Why is this worth writing about? Well because i'm at heart a Singaporean, and at the risk of over-generalising (but not by much) Singaporean's love
My experience with the CAFEC Flower Dripper Deep 27 coffee brewer. A little foray into what you think about when you brew coffee.
Overcoming the odds. Surviving the trials and tribulations of being falsely accused. Losing and finding one's Rakuten account again. Inspired by true events
A loose guidebook to navigating a surgery in Japan.
A perspective on a springtime phenomenon and what seems to be an essential part of Japanese identity.
A follow up on my experience applying for a credit card in Japan. At the risk of being reductionist, to my mind there's really only 1 credit card worth getting...
One year in the making. I've finally gotten the credit card i wanted in Japan. Here's what i've pieced together about the process, and how i view improving your odds for getting one.
Well, they don't. They matter to me. Which is why i'm writing about it. Maybe a little hyperbolic, but using one was a moment of exposure to little luxuries. These towels don't matter to you now, but they could by the end of this post.