Need a Japanese Emergency Contact?
We’ll be that person, no judgment, no questions asked.
We started JapanContact after facing the same frustration: needing a Japanese emergency contact just to rent an apartment, with no friends or family here to help. Many landlords won’t approve your application without a fluent, local, reachable contact, even if everything else is in order.
Instead of asking coworkers or casual friends, we provide a reliable contact landlords can trust. No awkward explanations, just support.
Start ApplicationMade by foreigners in Japan, for foreigners in Japan.
How It Works
Apply once, receive the details immediately, and let us handle the Japanese calls from there.
Apply Online
Tell us about yourself, where you’ll use the service, and your move-in date. You’ll also provide a trusted real emergency contact. They can live anywhere and do not need to speak Japanese.
Pay and Receive Our Details
Choose your coverage period and complete payment. We’ll immediately email you the Japanese emergency contact details to use on your application.
Submit Your Application
Use the details for your rental, guarantor, school, or other application. You can use them for multiple applications during your coverage, as long as they are all for you.
What happens after you apply?
We Handle the Calls
If a realtor, guarantor company, or school calls to verify the details, we’ll respond in Japanese and email you afterward. Verification calls are covered even before your move-in date.
Support During Your Coverage
If we receive a genuine emergency call, we’ll email you first. If we cannot reach you, we’ll contact the trusted emergency person from your application. We’ll remind you before your coverage ends. Please note that while we aim to be responsive, this service is not a 24/7 emergency hotline.
Renting in Japan Without a Local Emergency Contact: What Can You Do?
Renting an apartment in Japan can be surprisingly difficult, especially for newcomers. Even with your paperwork, visa, and funds ready, many people are caught off guard when the agent says:
「日本人の緊急連絡先を教えてください」
This usually means a native Japanese person who lives in Japan, speaks the language fluently, and can be reached by phone. It cannot be your teacher, coworker, or friend from overseas. Most landlords strongly prefer someone who understands the system and can respond appropriately.
Why Do Landlords Ask for This?
They're not financially responsible like a guarantor, but landlords see them as a safety net. If something goes wrong, they want someone they can call who understands how things work here.
What If You Don’t Know Anyone?
But if you don’t have a fluent Japanese contact you can confidently list, your application might get rejected. Even if everything else looks good, that one missing piece can block your approval.
JapanContact
That’s Where JapanContact Comes In
Instead of asking someone for a favor, JapanContact provides a simple, professional solution. We act as your Japanese emergency contact, someone landlords can call and understand. After you apply and pay, we’ll immediately send you the contact info of a fluent Japanese speaker.
Whether it’s a regular call or an automated system like Leopalace21’s, we’ll respond in Japanese and confirm that we’re your emergency contact. No stress, no confusion.
Start ApplicationWho Is This For?
Our service is ideal if you:
- Just moved to Japan and don’t know anyone yet
- Need a Japanese emergency contact for apartment rental paperwork
- Were told by your agent that it must be a native Japanese speaker
We built JapanContact to help people rent in Japan without unnecessary stress. You shouldn’t miss out on an apartment just because you don’t have a local emergency contact. Let us be that person for you.
Simple, Transparent Pricing
Pay once and stay covered. No auto-renewal, no hidden fees. All plans include full use of our emergency contact info for your apartment rental or school application. Save more with a longer plan.
1 Year Plan
¥15,000
One-time payment
Use our emergency contact info for official documents, housing, or school for 12 months. No auto-renewal.
Start Application2 Year Plan
¥27,000
One-time payment
Stay covered for 2 years and save 10%. Ideal for students and long-term residents. No auto-renewal.
Start Application
FAQ
Straight answers about eligibility, verification calls, payments, and what happens during your coverage.
Why do I need an emergency contact in Japan?
Many Japanese landlords, schools, or institutions require you to provide a local emergency contact, usually a Japanese person. But if you’ve just arrived or don’t know anyone who can take on that responsibility, it can be a frustrating barrier. Our service solves this by acting as your official emergency contact in Japan. We handle calls and inquiries professionally and help you meet the requirements so you can move forward with housing or school enrollment smoothly.
Is the emergency contact you provide Japanese?
Yes. Our emergency contact is a Japanese national residing in Japan and fully fluent in Japanese. This helps ensure smooth communication with landlords, schools, and guarantor companies that require a local Japanese emergency contact.
What details of the emergency contact do you provide?
We provide the following information: full name, date of birth, address, phone number, email address, relationship, and gender. If additional information is required, please contact us in advance so we can confirm whether we can support it.
What is an emergency contact proxy?
It’s a person or service listed as your emergency contact for official purposes, such as renting an apartment, or enrolling in school. We act as that contact so you can fulfill those requirements.
Is this service legal and accepted in Japan?
Yes, our service is legal and operated by residents of Japan. While acceptance ultimately depends on each landlord, school, or agency, many of our customers have successfully used our emergency contact service for apartment rentals and related paperwork.
When are you available to take calls?
We monitor our dedicated emergency phone during the day and respond to all calls and messages as quickly as possible. If we miss a call, we always follow up promptly with the caller.
How long does it take to receive my emergency contact details?
You’ll receive your official emergency contact information by email as soon as your payment is confirmed. Credit card payments are usually confirmed within a few minutes, while bank transfers may take additional time to process depending on your bank.
Can you handle phone verifications from real estate agencies or companies?
Yes. Whether it’s an automated phone system or a call from a staff member, we take care of emergency contact confirmations as part of our service.
Who should I list as my emergency contact?
This can be anyone you trust, either in Japan or overseas. It doesn’t affect your ability to use our service. We’ll only reach out to them if there’s a genuine emergency and we can’t get in touch with you.
What if the school or real estate agency doesn’t accept your service?
We offer a full refund if your application is rejected specifically because they don’t accept our emergency contact service. Just email us proof of the rejection, such as a message or document from the agency, and we’ll process your refund. No questions asked.
What happens if someone contacts you after my coverage ends?
If someone tries to contact us after your coverage has ended, we’ll notify you that a contact attempt was made. After that, we won’t be able to assist or respond to any further inquiries.
What if I have a 2-year lease but only buy a 1-year plan?
If your coverage ends before your lease does, we’ll no longer be able to assist or respond to any emergency contact requests after your plan expires, even if your lease is still ongoing.
What payment methods do you accept?
We accept all major credit and debit cards (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, JCB) through Stripe. Depending on your country, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Link may also be available at checkout.
Can you provide personal documents such as a resident certificate (住民票), seal certificate (印鑑証明書), or ID?
No. JapanContact cannot provide personal documents such as a resident certificate (住民票), seal certificate (印鑑証明書), or any form of ID for our emergency contact.
Still unsure whether JapanContact fits your situation?
Ask us directlyJapanContact
About Us
Made by foreigners in Japan, for foreigners in Japan.
We’re a small team of long-term foreign residents in Japan who’ve all struggled with one thing: being asked for an emergency contact we didn’t have.
Whether you're renting an apartment, enrolling in a Japanese language school, or applying to a vocational school (専門学校), we’ll act as your emergency contact reliably and without hassle.
So we built JapanContact to be the service we wished existed. We're not a big company, just real people who understand the system, speak Japanese, and want to make life in Japan a little easier for others like us.