Hi! I’m looking for recommendations for Eiken 1級study books with little to no Japanese, if possible.
For reference, my current English level is:
TOEIC: 970 (passed in 2025)
Eiken Pre-1: passed in 2026 (R/L/W: GP1+9, Speaking: GP1+4)
I’d really appreciate any recommendations. Thank you!

Recently my company posted this on their board.

各位

兼業・副業に関してお知らせいたします。 ご確認いただきますよう、よろしくお願いいたします。 【　兼業・副業について　】

近年、多様な働き方が広がる中、当社においてもより柔軟で働きやすい勤務環境の実現を目的として、 兼業・副業に関する許可制度を導入いたしました。

一方で、当社はAI・建築・CG・データベース開発などの事業を展開しており、 ⾧年培ってきた技術・ノウハウ・営業情報・顧客情報・データ資産など、 多くの知的財産や営業秘密を保有しています。 これらは会社の重要な経営資産であり、適切に保護していくことが不可欠です。

そのため、兼業・副業を希望する場合は、本業への影響、競業の有無、情報漏えいリスク、 会社の信用への影響等を総合的に確認するため、事前の許可申請を必須としています。 申請内容によっては、追加資料の提出をお願いする場合や、厚生労働省の指針等も踏まえ、 会社の判断により許可できない場合があります。 これは、兼業・副業を制限することを目的とするものではなく、会社の技術・知識等の知的財産を守り、 従業員の皆さんが安心して兼業・副業に取り組める環境を維持するためのものです。

皆さまには、上記の趣旨をご理解いただき、適切な申請・運用にご協力くださいますようお願いいたします。

【　兼業・副業をされたい場合の手順　】

①兼業・副業に従事される前に、「兼業・副業に関する許可申請書」を、 デスクネッツのワークフローにて申請願います。

当申請書には、兼業・副業先の情報の他、確認・誓約事項も含まれます。 必要事項の入力および内容をご確認の上、申請ください。

項目については添付PDF、もしくはワークフロー画面にてご確認願います。

②上記の承認後、「兼業・副業に関する誓約書」に署名・押印いただきます。

誓約書はワークフロー回付後、業務管理部の尾﨑より書面でお渡しいたします。 内容については添付PDFにてご確認願います。

③許可申請書・誓約書の2点が揃ったら、兼業・副業を開始してください。

兼業・副業開始後、「兼業・副業に関する許可申請書」の【確認・誓約事項】に則り、 兼業・副業先での実労働時間を1ヶ月に1回ご報告いただきます。 添付エクセル「兼業・副業の労働時間報告書（雛形）」に必要事項をご入力の上、 月初2営業日以内に【所属部署の上長＋業務管理部の尾﨑】へご提出願います。

Ive been working at this company for more than 10 years but have been doing side gigs for extra income. This was never an issue until now.

They say its okay to do a side job but are making it very clear that they want to know all details about it. What if i tell about my sidejobs but then in the future suddenly say its not allowed, im fucked.

What if i dont tell them anything? Because its my personal life?

I need the sidejob because without it i cant pay for my kids and my house, im very nervous about this whole debacle because finding a new job now is extremely hard.

Any advice?

Edit: Personally I feel the company is trying to find ways to lay off people easier through this. Especially high cost staff.

My apartment is an old apartment and used to be a LeoPalace and has a loft. I know why my apartment is way too humid, it’s the first floor and I was still too naive when I first got this apartment, but I didn’t have many choices, time, or money to find another place so this was all I could get. I hate it so much. I go back home for the summers(May-end of August) since I’m a student, and I take so many drastic measures to keep it maintained, even had my now ex-bf take care of it while I was gone(well he didn’t do a good job). I’ve had my aircon on dry mode(dehumidifier) 24/7 and on the highest setting, one smaller dehumidifier, and a bunch of the Daiso dehumidifiers in every corner and nook and cranny of my apartment, and a fan in my loft. But not matter what, it’s still at 80% humidity. The air ventilation sucks, I have it on 24/7 (one in my bathroom and one on top of my door), and it barely does anything. Theres so much mold I’m trying to clean out, had to throw away some things when I came back. And some of the flooring is popping off, like coming out, if that makes sense. It looks cheap too. I can’t open my only sliding doors/windows cause the humidity is worse outside.

My lease ends around late November but I want to move out earlier because I can’t take this apartment anymore. I don’t know whether to contact the landlord with the help of a friend or the guarantor company since they offer foreign support and translation assistance, about the flooring and mold situation. I’m trying so hard to maintain it but no matter what, the humidity is ruining everything(hate Japanese summers). I don’t want to be charge so much with the repairs. I also don’t want to tell them that I was away for the summer since they will 100% say it’s my fault. I think if I was here for the summer, I’d still be dealing with these problem either way. What steps should I take? And what could I do to lessen the repair prices if it’s inevitable? Should I play the gaijin card? My anxiety is through the roof and it’s my first time dealing with this whole situation. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

https://www.jma.go.jp/bosai/risk/#elements:inund/zoom:11/lat:40.781581/lon:140.377121/colordepth:normal

https://www.jma.go.jp/bosai/risk/#elements:heavyrain/zoom:11/lat:40.785741/lon:140.330429/colordepth:normal

https://www.jma.go.jp/bosai/risk/#elements:flood/zoom:10/lat:40.701464/lon:140.392914/colordepth:normal

Save yo kids. Save yo wife. Save yo life. Because shit is fucking flooding and you are about to be underwater, if you are not already, if you live in the affected regions of Aomori.

Update: NHK broadcast on the situation

I recently got a bitemark cluster on my arm that are very itchy and a bit inflamed. After research thought it might be bed bug or something.

The next morning I immediately aired my beddings, washed the sheets, and triple vacuumed (including crevices and corners). I vacuumed an insect that might be a bed bug or a carpet beetle, a small spider, and some small white insects that might be baby book lice. I keep my window open a lot so different insects get inside.

I'm just worried it might be BBs but i'm just not sure. What would you suggest i use for initial pest control in case it's bed bugs?

Some notes: - beddings show no black spots whatsoever. Really clean. - been staying here for about 7mos w/o prior incidents. - didn't travel anywhere that needs sleepovers during the 7mos.

Hi guys! Is my first time writing here so its very nice to meet all of you. I am writing cuz i am seeking advice from you (maybe you know better than me hopefully i am so lost) regarding this issue that happened to me today.

back story in short: came to japan at the end of march and staying here until end of September. i am on a student visa granted for 1 year for my exchange program at a university in Japan, then now in September at the end going back to Europe.

HERE IS THE THING. so before leaving i went to the city hall to get my papers and giving them the moving out notice and get some paperwork for my new address (finished studies at uni in august, now at summer school for 1 month) for my new address in another prefecture. there i asked at the national pension and health insurance desk if i have anything else left to pay by any chance (i dont have to pay pension i am not required). there they told me that i dont have to pay anything and that i am ok yo leave my prefecture to go to the new one.

today, i got a pink envelope regarding a missed payment for national health insurance from my former city hall (about 1 month missed payment, was due 31st of july). I DIDNT RECEIVE ANY PAPER TO PAY BEFORE i got this and i was so confused.

THEN I remembered. once i got an envelope from city hall and my uni said “ah is pension throw it away)” but it was actually the payment sleeves for the health insurance. i couldn’t read it so i had no idea what it was. but i didnt throw it away and today my friend checked it.

fast forward: the july national health insurance is one month payed later (was supposed end of july, payed today) and the august one is late only one day (paid today)

I HAD NO IDEA because at my city hall said i have nothing left to pay, my uni literally said is pension but it wasnt so here i am getting a notice of “hey, you own us money”.

the thing that i am scared the most? next year i wanna get a new visa for longer studies and work, and because of all of this new laws and regulations i am so scared that my visa my get denied, even though it wasnt my fault for not knowing and the people in charge telling me someting else. what should i do in this situation? i am really concerned about this and my future visa and getting my PR in a couple of years.

if you have any idea how they might see this, help a boy out pls and thank you

I'm going to receive my first salary as a student working part time; the thing is, my employer won't be filing income tax on my behalf. I'm just wondering if I need to file it? My income is below 200k. Would like to gain some insight, thanks!

Hi!

Has anyone worked as a volunteer teacher on the Peace Boat?

What are some of the questions asked during the interview?

Thank you so much for your help :)

My medium-sized Japanese company is going through a merger with another Japanese company in the near future. Iwork in back-office function and I’m currently the only licensed professional on the team and the only bilingual person, so I’m pretty important to the department. However, I’m also one of the highest-paid employees in the team, and the company is currently doing a cost-cutting initiative.

Management says that nobody will be fired because of the merger, but obviously they would say that.

The company itself is financially healthy and doing fine, so this isn’t a situation where the business is struggling.

How much protection do employees actually have under Japanese labor law if a merger creates redundant positions? Can a company legally lay people off simply because there is overlap between the two companies after the merger?

Also, has anyone here gone through a similar situation in Japan? I’m trying to figure out whether I’m being overly cautious or whether it’s smarter to secure another offer before the merger happens.

Compared to last year the summer so far hasn’t been too terrible. There’s been some really hot days but it feels like it’s better than last years temps and it feels like especially the last couple of weeks it has cooled down in Tokyo. A couple of days of 24c this week feels like a good time to me.

Those who store their out of season clothing in vacuum seal bags to prevent mold. What recommendations for bags / sealer do you suggest? Where is the best place to purchase? Any tips to the storage process? Thank you!

Hello, I might be dumb for asking this but are we allowed to print the online transactions history from Yucho Direct with translated documents to the Belgium embassy. It's for a 5 day funded trip. Everything is covered for me except for on ground transportation. So I am just showing my part time income as a student.

I will get the official balance certificate as well but I am a little bit worried because this is my first time applying.

Parents are 82 and 79 this year. I am trying to figure out how to deal with issues related to them aging from abroad while also being fair to my siblings. I go home yearly and currently have a job where I can go home for a month or so durations during parts of the year. We have discuss arrangements for death and some financial stuff but it seems like things go out a million different directions on a moments notice.

Some things I worry about are..

Does anyone have any experience dealing with parents with memory issues and getting the help?

How did you deal when one passed and the other remained? especially anyone working at university.

How did you deal with getting them into nursing homes (US)?

What kind of trade offs did you make with siblings back home to keep things fair?

Any legal things you wish you did beforehand?

Anything you wished you prepared for beforehand?

Any other advise or experience you want to share or think will be helpful.

Hey first time here and I just wanted to hear people out.
I have been living in Japan for 7 years and hope to get naturalized soon.

Being an ALT or an English teacher may not seem all that difficult at face value, but not many people would consider teaching an easy profession. That, coupled with a vastly different culture that is notoriously resistant to English education efforts (not necessarily morally, but Japan is still ranked 94th to 96th in English proficiency), the day-to-day can be very difficult. Having been a teacher for about a decade, I constantly heard from other Japanese teachers and ALTs about their struggles with the Japanese workplace (in this case, eikaiwas, schools, jukus, etc.). I hear about arguments, disagreements that lead to ostracization, general sense of loneliness, etc. Most big eikaiwas and dispatch companies claim to have "comprehensive training... covering Japanese culture, teaching methods and beyond" (borderlink) and "orientation programs and ongoing support" (interac).

Seeing the teacher strikes from couple years back (and intermittently throughout), I have strong doubt about this "comprehensive support" they claim to give. A lot of teachers seem unhappy and most of them seek out direct-hires, where there seems to be even less support but at least a good salary and a large safety net.

I just wanna hear people's stories and thoughts. I do not intend to pick a side in a cultural war, but I am genuinely curious about everything that people are struggling with and all the ways in which they feel neglected.

Hello, asking for some advice.

My former workplace has posted pictures of me on their website to promote their previous events, even though I'm a few months removed from working in that place.

When I first resigned, they removed the pictures, but I'm looking at the website again and looks like they reposted the pictures.

Is there anything I can do to force them to take them down? Potentially legal action?

They're not offensive pictures, but they're pictures of me at bad angles and job recruiters have found these pictures of me through reverse image searches.

If you’re planning to learn driving in the Kansai area, especially in Osaka, do not go to this driving school Osaka driving lessons
The owner is a man called Mr Oliver, he has some network enterprise of various businesses. He collects almost 300,000K yen to teach you the bare basics before sending you to the test center. If you fail at the test center countless times, he gives a bunch of lame excuses. The standards and amount of classes needed to pass that he offers is quite low.
You’d be better off going to. Japanese standard school, get the materials, and if you don’t understand Japanese, Go find external resources in your native language you can learn from to ease your learning process.

Just move from language school to a university and I forget to apply for national health insurance 14 days past my new visa, can I still apply for it?

For example, what happens if you already started working at the new company before realizing that the job duties may not qualify under 技人国?

Would Immigration ask you to stop working, change your status of residence, or could this potentially cause problems with your current visa or future renewal?

I realise how stupid a question this appears at first but hear me out, a bunch of laundry places I've used before are so decrepit that they're not even listed on Googlemaps and don't come up in searches.

The place I usually do laundry elsewhere is unavailable for 2 months, so I need to find somewhere else. Everything on Google is a good 20 plus minute trek from either station. Anyone happen to know of any closer by and tucked away?

Thanks!

There are lots of things I have loved about Japan since moving here two years ago, but their compartmentalized nature is something I really dislike.

People who give me snacks, plushies of a character I like at work, when I see them outside of work act like they don't know me: I'd wave or say hello, and they would just ignore me. It's happened multiple times with different coworkers.

I'm from the Caribbean, and it's very much a "I know you (regardless of where from), therefore I acknowledge you". In Japan, it's "I know you in this particular context, therefore I only interact with you within that context." Even at nomikai, people who were chatty and friendly act like we didn't just talk at length the day before.

I also do ikebana classes and sometimes I see other students, wave and, again, they act like they don't know me even though we talk fine during class.

It's so jarring, and I keep reminding myself that it's just a different culture and nothing personal, but it's jarring nonetheless.

I was bored during covid so I did three revolutions on a one station ticket. 🤷‍♂️

Hi! I recently moved to Tokyo and wondering if you guys could recommend me a good English speaking dentist in here, it's a bit of an emergency 😅 I've had a lot of problems with finding good dentists in where I lived before some made the problem worse so I really want to make sure I can explain my situation clearly in English. And how does it work in Japan do they all take health insurance?

I used to use giffgaff but now they don’t send the physical sim. So I’m thinking eSIM is the route to go but if anyone has done it recently I’d like to know which you used. Trying to avoid headaches when I go home for Christmas. I have an AU phone but it’s about 1000 a day for abroad. Just to clarify. I live in Japan. And I’m going to the UK in December. Looking for an eSIM I can use in the UK. I’d like to hear from people who actually did it. Thanks in advance.

I am a PR holder in Japan, got laid off in Japan a few months ago.

Now I have an opportunity to work in the US.
But they offer me two options

1. Contract with the US office directly (150k USD, no other benefits)
2. Contract with the Japanese office and transfer to the US (15M yen, with support moving to the US, housing subsidy in the US, and free flight back home once a year)

Option 2 is obviously better, but why do they have to make it so complicated?
Any hidden traps?

HR told me that for 2, it's a 海外赴任. So there's a chance I might be assigned back to Japan.
But the team leader told me the position in the US is long term (at least 5 years), the choices are just personal preferences.

They won't show me the full contract before I choose one, but without the full contract, I don't know how to decide and what potential traps I might get.

Does anything have similar experience and can tell me how are the two options different?

Long term goal: retire in Japan