Although Japan is still a cash society and a place that places great emphasis on offline physical economy, there are now more and more shops, malls, and restaurants that accept electronic payments or require reservations through websites (mobile applications). One essential thing in life in Japan is to register for various websites, starting from the earliest registration on the official websites of water and electricity companies and gas companies, to applying for bank cards, to electronic payments at convenience stores, loyalty applications, and even offline dining (most restaurants require advance reservations), as well as various aspects of life such as legal affairs, etc., all of which require users to fill out a lot of forms before proceeding to the next step.
So gradually, in my Bitwarden, I have accumulated a lot of required information in my encrypted notes, from the pronunciation of my name, to postal codes, addresses, the pronunciation of addresses, to phone numbers, and so on.
Preparations in advance#
There are a few things to prepare in advance, which will be helpful. If you don't know Japanese or can't type in Japanese, you can also use the copy and paste method to quickly fill in the information.
- Learn basic Japanese. Although you can use Google Translate to translate web page content with one click on a computer web page, if you don't have a basic understanding of Japanese, you may not be able to operate it on your phone.
- The pronunciation of your name. Most Japanese websites require this information. It is recommended to use the website provided below to write down the pronunciation of your name in advance. Because not only will you need it when registering on websites, but also when you first arrive in Japan, at the ward office, applying for a bank card, or getting a SIM card for your phone, etc.
- Address and postal code.
- Phone number.
Common Japanese words related to registration#
Here are some common Japanese words:
- ログイン: Login
- ローマ字: Romaji, the English alphabet on your residence card or passport.
- 漢字: Kanji, the Chinese characters used in Japanese. You can use this website to look up the variations.
- You may often see the request to enter "フリガナ" or "カナ" or "ふりがな". In this case, please enter the katakana pronunciation of your name.
- Japanese people have limited knowledge of Chinese characters, so they use kana to annotate the pronunciation.
- 郵便番號: Postal code
Transcribing names into kana#
When registering on Japanese websites, you will be asked to fill in the kana of your username. You can use the following websites to check the kana of your English name.
For English names:
For Chinese names:
For example, if your Chinese name is "王 大明", the transcribed kana in Japanese can be "ワン ダーミン".
Address and postal code#
The postal code in Japan is called "郵便番号" (Yubin Bango), and it is a 7-digit number. The first 3 digits represent the prefecture (道、府、県) and city, town, or village, and the last 4 digits represent the block, building, or mailbox number. For example, the postal code for 1-1 Nagatacho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo is 100-0001.
Some Japanese websites, especially e-commerce websites, usually require you to fill in your home address, and some websites (such as applying for a bank card) even require the kana of the address.
Because kana is a way of writing in Japanese used to represent the pronunciation of Chinese characters. In Japan, kana is commonly used to write important information such as personal names, place names, company names, and addresses. Filling in the kana of the address can ensure the accuracy of the address information you provide and facilitate the accurate delivery of mail and packages by courier and postal services.
For your home address or hotel address, you can use Google Maps to search and copy the address from Google Maps.
Phone number#
The format of a phone number in Japan is an 11-digit number starting with 0, for example, 08012345678.
However, on some registration forms on websites, there are usually three sections for input.
At this time, you generally enter three digits, four digits, and four digits. The leading 0 in the first section can sometimes be omitted.
Registration#
To register on Japanese websites, follow these steps:
- Prepare your personal information, including your name, address, phone number, and email address.
- Identify the website you want to register for and go to its registration page.
- Fill in the required information on the registration page, such as username and password.
- Provide your personal information and contact details.
- Choose your payment method according to the website's requirements, if necessary.
- Follow the instructions on the website to complete the registration process.