Fifth-year JET Tristan Vick, based in Sera town, married his Japanese wife last year in Kumamoto city and learned firsthand that getting married in Japan is not exactly simple — there’s plenty of paperwork to test your resolve. If you’re considering getting married in Japan, here’s his advice on exactly what you need to do in order to tie the knot.

The Japanese medical system has a bit of a mixed reputation, especially with foreigners. The medical technology and know-how here are certainly among the best in the world, and the social welfare system makes it relatively affordable for everyone. But issues of privacy, medicines that can be weaker than Western ones, inexperienced young doctors, and the occasional questionable diagnosis make a trip to the hospital/clinic a generally frustrating affair. I recently had a rather serious, in-depth experience with the Japanese medical system, which included surgery and a five-day hospitalization.

We’re putting on a photo contest and giving away cool prizes! All you have to do is send an email.

We all love the convenience of the konbini. But you pay for convenience, and those higher prices may be hitting your wallet harder than you realized. See a breakdown on just how much more expensive many everyday items are in the konbini compared to the supermarket.

Figuring out what you need to do to file your taxes is frustrating. There are so many different forms to send in at different times, and you might get locked up in the slammer if you mess up. I’ll take the Zen approach here and write in as few words as possible. This timetable will tell you when you need to complete the proper forms and send them in, allowing for transit and processing time.

Studies show that 97 percent of New Year’s resolutions don’t last. Don’t let this discourage you from goal setting. I’m not a fan of perfectionism so I think starting and exploring a new year’s resolution is better than sitting on the sideline and hoping your problems magically fix themselves. Money resolutions are popular every year, so what can you do to make sure your money is working for you in 2010?

Personal finance is full of questions. How do I keep my money safe? What is the best stock to pick? How much money should I save every month? In the end, we suffer from paralysis by analysis and often end up doing nothing with our money because we’re so sick of thinking about it. Large sums of money are left in no-interest checking accounts or wallets, left to be spent on another unexpected Lawson’s run. It happens to everyone. I’m a sucker for the American dog. Not doing anything with your money is the worst financial decision you will ever make. Being in Japan makes it even more difficult because we don’t really want to think about the money sitting in our checking accounts back home.

Winter is settling in and by now chances are you’re spending a good bit of your day shivering. Though it never really gets super cold outside in Hiroshima, the problem is that the indoors never really get very warm, either. So this month I’d like to share some of my suggestions for keeping warm at school and home.

As I exited Nagaoka Station, I had no idea what would happen over the course of the next several hours. After taking an all-night bus trip from Hiroshima to Tokyo and then hopping on a train for another couple hours to reach this city in Niigata Prefecture, my wife, Tomoko, and I were tired yet enthusiastic to see how this day I had long-awaited would turn out. We had come to Nagaoka to finish something that was long overdue. My grandfather served in the United States Army for the entire duration of World War II. In the spring of 1945, in the Philippines, he came into possession of a Japanese war flag.

We all want to save a little of our paycheck every month. No one wants to move back in with Mom and Dad when this Japanese journey is over. Learning to properly save can be easy once the right pieces are in place. But until a system is created, you may continue to be disappointed in how much money you have left over at the end of each month.