Ryuyan– Author –

Locked out of Rakuten, your points or your Japanese bank after leaving Japan? Here's how a VPN gives you a Japanese IP to get back in — plus the honest banking caveats and a pre-departure checklist, from a Kansai blogger.

ABEMA and TVer are locked to Japanese IPs. Here’s exactly how to watch them from abroad with a VPN — the steps, which VPN to pick, honest pricing in yen, and the catches nobody mentions.

Genki, Tobira, or Minna no Nihongo? An honest comparison from Kansai, Japan — covering self-study suitability, JLPT prep, price, and which textbook is right for your level in 2026.

Six months of daily Surfshark testing from Namba, Osaka. I cover real speed numbers on Kansai fiber, 80 Tokyo servers, pricing breakdown, and the one feature every Japan user needs to configure before opening their banking app.

A Kansai local's honest 2026 guide to the five best online Japanese tutor platforms. italki leads for flexibility and price, while Cafetalk shines for Japan-based tutors. Full reviews, JLPT prep tips, yen pricing breakdowns, and a buyer's guide included.

Tested from Kansai: the top Japan eSIM providers in 2026 ranked for tourists, expats and digital nomads. Honest pros, real cons, and Japan-specific coverage tips.

I've been learning Japanese in Kansai for three years and tested every major AI app out there. Here's what actually accelerates your Japanese in 2026 — and what wastes your time and yen.

A brutally honest NordPass review written from Osaka. We tested every feature, compared pricing in yen, and reveal exactly why this password manager stands out for expats and engineers living in Japan.

I tested NordVPN and ExpressVPN from my Kansai apartment for six months. Here is the honest Japan-focused comparison: speed benchmarks, pricing, feature depth, and which VPN actually wins for expats, travelers, and digital nomads living in Japan.

I tested DeepL and ChatGPT head-to-head for Japanese translation over several months in Kansai. Here's my honest verdict — covering keigo accuracy, pricing, document support, and exactly which tool wins for Japan-based expats, freelancers, and writers in 2026.