How we research, check and update yuzu.help

A small editorial team writes and maintains yuzu.help. Guides are published under the yuzu.help name. They are not reviewed by lawyers, tax advisers or immigration professionals.

When a question needs individual advice or a decision from an authority, we direct readers to the relevant professional or office.

For visas, residence procedures and paperwork, we use the Immigration Services Agency of Japan (ISA), the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). For education, we use MEXT, Japan's education ministry, and the Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO). Local procedures come from the municipality responsible for them.

We distinguish official requirements from practical suggestions and personal experience. You can follow the source links to check the details yourself:

• guides: official source links, with dates beside individually checked claims where available. A review date below the title means the whole guide was checked against its sources.
• help guides and paperwork guides: a date checked and links to the relevant official instructions. The essential-contacts list has a review date and a source for each contact.
• resource directory: service comparisons link to providers' own pages and show when their prices and terms were checked.
• FAQ: answers include sources, a date checked and, where relevant, the date a rule takes effect.
• Yuzu Times: items name their sources and dates checked. Labels distinguish confirmed changes, proposals, reminders and explainers.

An edit date and a source-check date tell you different things:

• Last updated: when we last changed the text. A check that results in no changes does not move this date.
• Checked against official sources on / Checked: when we compared the guide or a particular claim with its source. If no separate check date appears, use the update date and consult the linked sources.
• Effective / Announced: when a rule takes effect or when the authority announced it. These dates are separate from our publication date.
• Requirements can change after a review. Before paying a fee or submitting an application, check the current instructions from the responsible office.

The Budget Calculator and cost-of-living pages use a shared set of estimates for rent, food, utilities, insurance and other expenses. The cost-of-living pages show the sources, the date the figures were updated and a downloadable dataset. These figures are updated manually.

Currency conversions use an exchange-rate feed, which may be cached. If that feed is unavailable, we use a dated fallback rate. Check the rate date shown on the page. Actual rents, fees and exchange costs vary, so use the results to plan a budget and check prices before paying.

Guides explain procedures and link to the relevant sources. The blog may also include experience and opinion, identified as such. One person's experience may not apply to another application or situation.

For reader questions in the FAQ and Yuzu Times, we check the relevant sources rather than relying on an anecdote.

We correct guides on the original page and change the update date when the text changes. If a published Yuzu Times issue contains an error, its web edition receives a dated correction note.

To report a mistake, use the contact form. Include the page link, the detail that needs checking and an official source if you have one.

yuzu.help currently has no paid placements, sponsored guides or affiliate links. Service comparisons link directly to providers and disclose that we have no commercial relationship with them.

The site is free to use. Account features, including saved guides and My Japan Plan, are also free.

We use AI tools to help with research, drafting and English–Turkish translation. Our publication process requires a person to read the text and check its factual claims against the sources.

Ask yuzu uses our guides to generate answers with source links. Its responses are general information and can contain mistakes. Follow the linked sources for the requirements that apply to you.

yuzu.help provides general information about life in Japan, including visas, costs and local procedures. It does not provide legal, tax or financial advice. For a decision about your own circumstances, contact the responsible office or a qualified professional, such as an immigration specialist or tax accountant.

Send questions or feedback through the contact form.