6. Daily Life (1/2)

Postal and Home Delivery Services

Postal Service

Japanese post offices handle not only mail, but also banking insurance and other services.

Postage stamps can be bought at post office, convenience stores, and shops with “〒” signs.

• Domestic Mail Service: http://www.post.japanpost.index_en.html
• International Mail Service: http://www.post.japanpost.jp/int/index_en.html
  *Japan Post Service (Customer Service Center)
  (Japanese, English, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese)
  Tel: 0570-046-111
  Mon-Fri 8:00AM-10:00PM, Sat-Sun, Holidays 9:00AM-10:00PM
  https://www.post.japanpost.jp/int/question/tel.html
• Financial Service
  *JP Bank
  You can open an account and use automatic withdrawal for utility payment via your own bank’s ATM.
  Tel: 0120-108420 (Japanese only)
  Mon-Fri 8:30AM-9:00PM, Sat-Sun, Holidays 9:00AM-5:00PM
  http://www.jp-bank.japanpost.jp/en_index.html

Home Delivery Services

• Domestic Door-to-Door Delivery Services (Takuhaibin)

This service is useful for sending small parcels or packages within Japan. It is often less expensive than the post office and usually takes only about one day. Most companies deliver suitcase between airports and your home upon before and after a trip, and handle special refrigerated and frozen deliveries.

Listed below are the major domestic home delivery service companies.

International Courier Service

They provide fast overseas delivery services and take full responsibility for your packages until final delivery.

Listed below are the major international courier service companies.

Transportation

There are various public transportation services in the Kansai area. If you need to travel along the same route often, commuter passes and multiple tickets are economical. Most transportation services sell their own prepaid card. (If you are an international student, please check a student discount with each transportation service and your faculty)

This saves your time because you do not need to buy a ticket each time. Some cards can be used to pay for train and bus fares by simply placing them on a card reader, and the reader can scan the card through your wallet. It can also be used as electronic money.

Trains, Subways, Monorails and Buses

Listed below are the major railroad companies.

• JR West (West Japan Railway)
• Kita Osaka Kyuko Railways
• Osaka Monorail
• Hankyu Railway
• Hanshin Railways
• Keihan Railways
• Kintetsu Railways
• Nankai Railways
• Semboku Rapid Railway (Japanese only)

[ Bus ]

• Osaka City Bus: https://bus.osakametro.co.jp/en/index.php
• Hankyu Bus: http://bus.hankyu.co.jp/ (Japanese only)
• Kintetsu Bus: https://www.kintetsu-bus.co.jp/route/ (Japanese only)

[ PiTaPa ]

http://www.pitapa.com/(Japanese only)

PiTaPa Card is an IC card which is valid on many trains and buses in the Kansai region, which operate on a “post-pay” card. Usage of the card is charged to the customer’s account, and each month the balance owing is deducted from a designated bank account.
http://www.pitapa.com/ (Japanese only)

[ Discount Fare ]

Discount pass

Two kinds of discount passes are available for railway, subway and bus services: undergraduates and graduates are eligible for student passes and non-regular and research students are eligible for commuter passes. (A coupon pass may be cheaper, depending on how often you use these means of transport.)

Please check with each transportation website for detailed information.

Special rate for students

JR offers undergraduates and graduates a 20% discount for one-way travel of 100 km or longer, when presenting a student discount certificate issued by the University. The student discount certificates for purchasing such discount tickets are limited to 10 per year.

Taxis

You can find designated taxi stands at stations and public facilities. You can also hail one from the street. Alternatively, you can call a taxi company and request to be picked up. (←usually an additional charge applies.)

The passenger door opens and closes automatically. Most drivers do not speak foreign languages, so we recommend you to hand the driver your destination in Japanese or to point out your destination on a map. Fares vary from city to city and according to the size of the cab. You will be subject to a surcharge at night and in the early morning. The fare is calculated by both distance and time. Tipping is not necessary.

The followings are calculation charts and estimated fares by a taxi company in Osaka. Please be advised that all information is subject to change anytime and is for your reference only.

Taxi fares

*The above are maximum fares set for Osaka Prefecture.

Surcharges, discounts, and other fare information

*Off-hour surcharges, long-distance discounts, and early morning reservation fees do not apply to time-based fares.

*Some taxi companies employ long-distance discounts, reservation fees, and early morning reservation fees that differ from those listed above.

Airlines

Domestic airline flights make frequent round-trips to major cities in Japan. There are three airports in the Osaka area: Kansai International Airport (“Kanku” for short), Osaka (Itami) Airport and Kobe Airport.

• Kansai International Airport
• Osaka(Itami) Airport
• Kobe Airport

Tickets can be purchased usually up to two months in advance. Reservations can be made by phone or on the Internet. You can also purchase tickets at travel agencies. The following is contact information of major domestic carriers operating in the Kansai area:

Driver’s License, Automobiles, Motorcycles and Bicycles

Driver’s license

There are three ways to drive a car in Japan.

[ International driver’s license ]

As a valid international driver’s license in Japan, it should be issued in a signatory of the Geneva Convention (https://www.keishicho.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/menkyo/menkyo/kokugai/kokusaimenkyo.html)
(WEBSITE contains PDFs in multiple languages)

The international driver’s license expires on its expiration date or after you have been in Japan for one year, whichever comes first. If you wish to continue driving, you must exchange the overseas driver’s license for a Japanese driver’s license before it expires.

[ Overseas driver’s license ]

If you have a valid driver’s license issued in Italy, Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium or Taiwan and a translation into Japanese is attached, it is valid regardless of whether or not you have an international driver’s license for one year from your date of entry into Japan.

[ Exchanging an overseas driver’s license for a Japanese license ]

If you have a valid overseas driver’s license and lived in the country in which it was issued for at least three months after the date of issue, you can apply to exchange it for a Japanese license at your nearest Driver’s License Examination Center.

The followings are documents mostly required for the procedure.

Please make sure the details with the Driver’s License Examination Center for update information.

• A valid international/overseas driver’s license
• Documents attesting that you lived in the country in which your driver’s license was issued for at least three months after its date of issue (e.g., passport)
• A Japanese translation of your overseas driver’s license made by your country’s embassy or consulate or the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF)
• Passport (both the newest and the old one if renewed)
• Residence Card (or Alien Registration Card), a photo (3 cm high and 2.4 cm wide), and handling fee
• Handling Fee (3,750 yen-6,350 yen: the fee varies by type of vehicle you apply)

Contact

• Kadoma Driving Test Venue: Tel: 06-6908-9121(Japanese only)
• Komyoike Driving Test Venue: Tel: 0725-56-1881 (Japanese only)
• JAF (Japan Automobile Foundation): Tel: 072-645-1300

Purchasing an Automobile

*The University prohibits students from driving cars or motorcycles onto the campus, in principle. *

Before purchasing an automobile, you must secure a parking space and apply for a certificate confirming the existence of the parking space. It is difficult to obtain a parking space in most areas and parking fees are quite high. You can obtain this certificate at the main police station of the area in which the parking space is located.

When a new car is purchased through a dealer, the cost includes the vehicle price, taxes, license plates (registration) and compulsory liability insurance. You are strongly recommended to buy private insurance coverage as well. Car owners are obligated to pay a tax, and have the car periodically inspected.

Motorcycles, Bicycles

[ Registration ]

• Motorcycles 126cc or over: at Osaka Transport Bureau
• Small motor vehicles 125cc or under: local city office where you reside
• Bicycles: at stores where you purchase one or a police station where you reside

[ Traffic rules for motorcycles and bicycles ]

Motorcycles and bicycles are required to follow the same traffic rules as cars. Bicycles are required to be ridden in a line along the left edge of the road. They are allowed on some sidewalks where appropriate signs exist and also on bicycle-only pathways.

[ No Parking areas ]

There are pay bicycle parking lot around the most stations. For further information, please contact each administrative office. Any illegally-parked bicycles parked at limited parking area are immediately removed. ID are required and fees will be charged when you pick up the removed bicycle and motorbike at the temporary storage place.