Lease signing, ward office, phone shop, trash day, the neighbor — the order they actually happen, and the one line for each: 🔑 LEASE SIGNING — they'll ask for a はんこ (hanko) stamp. You don't have one. サインでもいいですか (sain demo ii desu ka) = is a signature OK too? Many places take it if you ask. Later, a ¥1,000 hanko from Don Quijote ends the question forever 🏢 WARD OFFICE — register your address within 14 days. Passport + residence card + lease. これでだいじょうぶですか (kore de daijoubu desu ka) = is this OK? They write your address on the back of the card — the side every other counter checks 📱 PHONE → BANK — ざいりゅうカード、これです (zairyuu kaado, kore desu) = here's my residence card. Phone shop first (an hour with the stamped card), then the bank: banks want a Japanese number, phone shops want the card. Japan Post Bank opens accounts on arrival ♻️ TRASH DAY — きょうはなにごみですか (kyou wa nani gomi desu ka) = what trash is today? Wrong bag, wrong day = warning sticker on the curb. Categories change by city — ask the landlord or a neighbor, or get your ward's calendar 🎁 THE NEIGHBOR — となりにひっこしてきた [name] です (tonari ni hikkoshite kita … desu) + a ¥1,000 gift (towels, snacks, detergent) within the first days. Less common in big-city high-rises, still expected in smaller towns. Close with よろしくおねがいします Save this before you land 🔖 📲 Practice the counter lines out loud before week one — search "Kana Language Partner" in your app store Which counter are you dreading? 👇 #movingtojapan #japanlife #livinginjapan - @momomoko_jp