JapanSimply explains how everyday Japan works. It is written for people who have not lived here, and it aims to leave them oriented and curious rather than lectured to. Every article has to earn its place by answering one real question better than the pages already ranking for it. Where the evidence is thin, or the answer depends on who you ask, the article is expected to say so rather than smooth it over.
How Articles Are Written
Most pieces on this site follow the same rough path. I start with something ordinary that I have noticed, or that a reader has asked about. I work out why it is the way it is, and I check that against a source when a source exists. Then I write down what it actually looks like in daily life, including where it varies by region, generation, or household. Everything goes into plain English, with the Japanese term included only where the Japanese term is genuinely the thing.
Observation, Sourcing and Framing
Not every sentence carries the same weight, and the site tries not to blur that. Ordinary observation is the house voice: most people take their shoes off at the door, convenience stores are on nearly every corner. That kind of statement credits nobody and needs no citation. Where a claim turns on a law, a fee, a statistic, or a procedure, it needs a named and checkable source, and it gets a date, because these things move.
I also try not to mistake etiquette for company policy, a municipal rule for a law, or one person’s preference for a national habit. Where I am guessing at a reason rather than reporting one, I say that too. “This is my guess, and I could be wrong” is more useful to a reader than a confident story that turns out to have been invented.
Report, Don’t Instruct
The site describes how things work. It does not tell you what to do. On the practical subjects, such as renting, tax, banking, or a visit to the ward office, the job is to explain the process and what it costs, sourced and dated, and then to stop. Advice belongs to the official body or the qualified professional, not to a blog written by a foreigner who has made most of these mistakes himself.
Use of AI
I use AI tools to help research, organize, and polish the writing. They are a writing assistant, not a source of truth. They do not get to invent a citation, a statistic, a price, or a date, and any figure that appears on the site is checked against the body that publishes it — a ministry, an agency, or the municipal office — with the date it was current. Accuracy is my responsibility as the editor, not the tool’s.
Updates and Corrections
Prices, fees, rules, and procedures change, and sometimes an article ages badly. Where a figure matters, the article says when it was current. If you spot something that is wrong or out of date, the Contact page is the way to tell me. Real corrections are welcome, and they get made.
Advertising and Affiliate Relationships
JapanSimply may display advertising or participate in affiliate programs to support the ongoing operation of the website. Advertising and affiliate partnerships do not influence editorial decisions. Articles are written independently, and products, books, or services are not recommended solely because they generate revenue.
Our Commitment to Readers
The point of all of this is simple. Japan is a normal country where people do laundry and argue about garbage day. Most of what looks strange from outside has a plain explanation once you have seen it a few times. The site exists to give you that explanation, clearly and without hype, and to admit it when the explanation is not settled. That is the whole promise.
