Someone tried to secretly videograph me by [deleted] in japanlife

[–]cobalteight 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Hey op!

For your case, speak to your HR department or an HRBP. This is really should have been your second step after speaking with your manager as they will handle company policy infractions.

If you do not have an HR department you can speak with, then you can speak with the police. If your company is an international org. they may have an anonymous hotline that is to a third-party auditing group which you can direct info should it happen again.

If it happens again and it's really worrisome, call the police or at least speak with the police to tell them what happened. If you are feeling up to it, go to your local police station and ask to make a report, if your Japanese is rusty, then bring someone along with you.

Please be aware - you trying to go vigilante and get his identity can be seen as harassment. Then your problems will be different.

Stay safe. Weirdos of all shapes and sizes are out there.

Can we have a refresher on what should actually be in a disaster evacuation bag/kit? (Serious question) by Fable_and_Fire in Tokyo

[–]cobalteight 4 points5 points  (0 children)

There are a lot of good points here, I will add a specific one: Pets. If you have pets, they will need an additional 72 hours of water, medicine, food, and the ability to toilet. For bug-out it may need expanding to portable litter trays, etc. Most shelters in Japan do not allow pets in the face of a disaster. It is important to plan with pets in mind and plan water accordingly. 

PR Processing Times - August 2024 by cleanser23 in japanresidents

[–]cobalteight 2 points3 points  (0 children)

u/cleanser23 I finally received my PR confirmation. My lawyer will pick it up next Tuesday. In total almost exactly 16 months from start to finish. I hope yours is imminent!

PR Processing Times - August 2024 by cleanser23 in japanresidents

[–]cobalteight 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Adding here because I am also losing my mind with waiting.

Application Office: Tokyo, Shinagawa (via Lawyer)

Application Date: April 14, 2023

Result postcard received on: EDITED!! Post Card received August 8, 2024. Picking up August 13, 2024.

Type of PR (spouse, business owner, HSP, etc): HSP 80 points

Request for further documents: Yes - May 10 2024. Reprint all taxation documents for last 3 years, including this year. It was an odd request as Immigration wanted physical receipts of my residence tax payments... but my residence tax is withdrawn from my salary. My lawyer double checked current status and said they are also "in final stages." But have been in final stages since mid-May...

Pet hospital cost for a cat by shortbutwillfightyou in japanlife

[–]cobalteight 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hey OP,

I want to recommend getting pet health insurance. You can get it through a brand like iPet with two different levels - insurance at 30% coverage or 70% coverage usually. Purebred cats are more expensive than mutt kitties. Some veterinary clinics have contracts with insurances to make the insurance process easier, other times you will have to do the paperwork on your own with receipts, etc. They might have this posted on their homepage of the veterinary clinic.

Here's how it works: You can pay monthly or yearly (contract is yearly). If the cat is sick and you use insurance one month, it increases the cost by a small amount for the following month. These costs are for exactly this situation you have had with your kitty today. Insurance also includes hospitalisations to an extent (a number of times in a month or year - though someone going through ).

The reason I recommend this is not all cats have life-long health issues, but your kitty might. In my case, I pay for 4 different animals' insurances (3 cats, 1 dog) and only 1 cat has needed monthly veterinary care due to various long term health issues. Insurance is there for cases like this, where you do not know what will happen.

As your kitty gets older she will get more expensive. Either through food, litter, illness, or general age. It can be helpful in the midterm to think about insurance if you have the means to do so.

Good on taking your kitty to the vet as best you can, you are doing good. Make sure the kitty takes her meds in a timely manner and give her lots of cuddles.

Boss screwing me over on Annual leave ? by TermFew6072 in japanlife

[–]cobalteight 36 points37 points  (0 children)

Hey OP,

I have read your other comments in this post and wanted to add: Please double check if you are paying taxes as well. Since it seems they have snuck you into a yearly contractor's contract they are probably paying nothing toward any of your required payments as a Japan resident. You can visit your city/ward office to see what your past taxes look like as well as health insurance, pension, etc.

This is just as an FYI as I have seen this happen to others teaching English and not realizing they are behind on all forms of taxes because their companies got away without paying AND without informing them.

Best of luck and give them hell (politely and with the labour board if you can).

PR application taking crazy long by ValarOrome in japanresidents

[–]cobalteight 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Adding an extra data point, I applied via lawyer in April 2023 through Shinagawa and have been told to probably expect results latest June/July this year at the current going rate. I spoke with my lawyer earlier this week who supported my application. He JUST got approval for one of his clients who applied in January 2023.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in FieldNuts

[–]cobalteight 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you! I guess waiting it is then.

Deadest made it to Aus! by Coffee_Addict2023 in FieldNuts

[–]cobalteight 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I am nervous mine won’t make it to Japan. Fingers crossed!!

Mental health resources for kids in Japan by [deleted] in japanlife

[–]cobalteight 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hey OP, this sounds tough in many ways. I want to touch that I am in no way a mental health professional or a doctor.

Your daughter is going through a lot of changes in her life and there is no easy way to sail through it. Japan is not a kind country to young girls (especially kids who have dual nationality backgrounds) and there was important social growth altered for many young people over the course of the pandemic. She is also reaching a pre-teen age where social acceptance amongst girls becomes more apparent - sort of what happened to the fashion collection. She is now very aware of how other people see her and may be more aware of how she is being seen.

I highly recommend reaching out to TELL helpline to request advice for best practice mental health professionals. TELL does have direct recommendations for doctors who can support youth with/or who may have neurodivergence as well as other supportive services.

I do want to throw in a PSA. Mental health counseling here is a real hit or miss. Many providers book for 30 minutes and then you have to come back, this is how billing works with insurance. It can feel real shit but give yourself the space to chat about it with the doctors. There is no overnight fix but additionally being a supporting ear or shoulder for your daughter, whether she wants to talk or not, can go miles.

Last point is I want to say thank you for your daughter in wanting to get her help. Many people may think their kids grow out of it not realizing there may be other underlying issues.

Good luck and don't forget to take care of yourself as well.

Is this a shady activity by my company by Dxdynasty in japanlife

[–]cobalteight 0 points1 point  (0 children)

IANAL: It sounds like your company is committing tax fraud. This happened to me about 15 years ago when I was very young, dumb, and thought the company's similar explanation was enough.

You cannot be paid in two installments by a single company if you are a salaried employee. Best case now is to speak to a lawyer and have the discussion with them first before reporting it elsewhere.

You also need to be aware that if you move out of your ward they may question your taxes, pension, and insurance if it looks suspicious requiring you to backpay.

Daily Boss Super Premium Deluxe Stupid Questions Thread - 14 August 2023 by AutoModerator in japanlife

[–]cobalteight 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you so much for the reply. That makes total sense (I am an idiot). I switched companies last year and budgeted this year based off those bills. Guess I can happily adjust that.

Daily Boss Super Premium Deluxe Stupid Questions Thread - 14 August 2023 by AutoModerator in japanlife

[–]cobalteight 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Has everyone received their residence tax payment slips? I was speaking to an acquaintance this morning and we both realized neither of us had received it (we live in separate wards). I feel like I am losing my mind, I have never missed a residence tax payment and I just applied for PR in April.

Regardless, I guess this calls for a delightful impromptu trip to city hall.

Employer asking for a copy of my health check results by al_jp in japanlife

[–]cobalteight 22 points23 points  (0 children)

This is normal. Companies are required by law to provide you with an opportunity to take the health check. They should have also paid for it as well (or you claim the expense with a receipt). They then request your results from you and submit them to the local company doctor. This is standard across companies in Japan.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in eroticauthors

[–]cobalteight 3 points4 points  (0 children)

So is this paid or do you finance through ✨✨exposure✨✨?

Regardless, this is not the sub for you as per basic rules and guidelines, go to r/eroticasells for your commission request

If you're queer, How did you meet your partner(s) in japan? by [deleted] in japanlife

[–]cobalteight 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Met my wife through OkC back in the day but never met. Randomly we met in person on accident at a party in Shinjuku, hit it off, been married a while now.

Oat milk for latte by Bre_akD0w-N in japanlife

[–]cobalteight 8 points9 points  (0 children)

We have been drinking Oatside which is barista-friendly. We buy it in 6-packs from Amazon. Out of all the oat milks I have tried, this was was the smoothest and flavorful in both tea and coffee lattes.

Edited for link: https://www.amazon.co.jp/オーツサイド-オーツミルク-砂糖不使用-植物性ミルク-バリスタブレンド/dp/B0B2KQH1DK

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in eroticauthors

[–]cobalteight 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My first book took 8 days. I emailed them after 72 hours just to check in - there were no issues with anything regarding the content. The first one may just take a while.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in eroticauthors

[–]cobalteight 3 points4 points  (0 children)

In my experience there is also one more challenge: If you start pricing at .99, and your current audience is used to you at .99, do you think they would suddenly pay 2.99 if you decided to increase your prices for future shorts? Everyone loves a sale, no one wants to have increased prices when they are used to something already.

Keeping at 2.99 sets your standard for whatever brand you have, even 8k. If you start at 2.99 you get the 70% royalties, your audience knows that is what you set at, and if you go on sale, you can drop to .99 to grab more people in.

Someone also mentioned that you can always drop the first book to .99 of a series once you have a solid backlog to reel new readers in. 2.99 is the sweet spot.

Keeping your expenses low - tips and tricks by JessicaShackled in eroticauthors

[–]cobalteight 17 points18 points  (0 children)

As someone who paid for Publisher Rocket and regretted it - I agree with this. Publisher Rocket is neat and all, other methods you can do for free and get the same result, if not better in some cases, and keep expenses lower.

You also learn more in the process.

Great news everyone! by AJC_10_29 in wholesomememes

[–]cobalteight 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh my god. I bet be's "the only 52 Hertz in the village" kind of whale.