Arakawa 荒川区
Last verified 2026-07-10
Official English website
https://www.city.arakawa.tokyo.jp/foreign/en/index.html
www.city.arakawa.tokyo.jp
Arakawa's authored English site is tourism-focused; administrative pages are Japanese with machine translation.
Consultation desk for foreign residents
Association for Arakawa International Communications
荒川区国際交流協会
Address: Within Arakawa Ward Office, 2-2-3 Arakawa, Arakawa-ku, Tokyo 116-8501 — Open in Google Maps
Hours: Mon–Fri 8:30–17:15 (closed public holidays, year-end)
Phone: 03-3802-3798
Languages:
- Japanese
- English
- Chinese
- Vietnamese
Language availability varies — confirm by phone.
Garbage sorting guide (English)
Collection Days, Sorting and Disposal Guide (PDF, English) www.city.arakawa.tokyo.jp
Procedures you will do at this office
National Health Insurance 国民健康保険
If your employer doesn't insure you, join NHI at your ward office. With the card, you pay 30% at the hospital instead of 100%.
National Pension 国民年金
Everyone living in Japan aged 20–59 must join, any nationality. Employees are covered automatically — everyone else enrolls at the ward office. Low income can be exempted.
Residence card address 在留カード住所変更
Your residence card must show your current address — but there is no separate trip: it happens at the ward office when you register.
Resident registration 転入届・住民票
Register your new address at your ward office within 14 days of moving in. This creates your jūminhyō (resident record), which almost everything else depends on.