Leaving is no easy task, amidst endless drunken going away parties and saying goodbye to friends you have to wrap up one to three years of your life. The following checklistshould ensure that you don't miss the more rudimentary things and you can leave Japan with all your commitments honoured. Electric, gas, water and phone services can usually be discontinued on the day of departure with settlement of outstanding bills made on the same day. Don't forget to close out your bank account; this is difficult to accomplish once you have left Japan.

Make sure the following are disconnected and/or the bills are paid up:

Also check you have:

PENSION REIMBURSEMENT

Soon after arriving at your Host Institution you should have been given your Pension Contributions Book. The one time when you will need to have your pension book is when you decide to leave the country for good. By leaving Japan, you become a non-resident and qualify for a partial reimbursement of your pension contributions made during your stay in Japan. You will have to apply for your reimbursement by mail from outside of the country, your supervisor should be able to help you with the process.

You will need to send in your Pension Contributions Book, a copy of your passport pages including the exit stamp on your visa, official confirmation of your bank details and the completed application form. Processing takes anywhere from one to three months. Once completed, you will recieve an international bank transfer to your account.

This reimbursement is approximately one month's salary for every year you have stayed in Japan, minus tax. The reimbursement must be applied for from your home country and further details are sent out in the April edition of the CLAIR newsletter each year. So make sure you have this documentation with you or that you have passed it on to your supervisor for processing.