City hall and moving house: 〜ために, 〜ように and 〜ことにする

When you move house in Japan, you have to tell the ward or city office (区役所くやくしょ / 市役所しやくしょ) your new address within 14 days. The counter staff use a lot of set words, and the forms are in Japanese. This lesson teaches the vocabulary of moving, the grammar for purposes (“to …”, “so that …”) and for decisions (“I decided to …”, “it’s been decided that …”). For the full first-weeks checklist, read our first 14 days in Japan guide.

Moving house: the procedure

When	Where	What (Japanese)	What it is
Before you move to another city or ward	old office	転出届てんしゅつとどけ	moving-out notice
Within 14 days after moving in	new office	転入届てんにゅうとどけ	moving-in notice
Within 14 days, moving inside the same city or ward	your office	転居届てんきょとどけ	change-of-address notice
At the counter	窓まど口	在留ざいりゅうカード	the new address is written on the back
When you need proof of address	窓まど口 or a machine	住民票みんひょう	certificate of residence

Bring your residence card (and your My Number Card if you have one) to every one of these counters. The office writes the new address on your residence card, so for a mid- to long-term resident, the 転入届てんにゅうとどけ at the office also counts as telling Immigration about the new address. After that, tell your workplace, bank and phone company.

The 14-day rule comes from the Basic Resident Registration Act. Procedures and opening hours differ a little between cities, so check your city or ward website before you go.

For a purpose: 〜ために

Dictionary form + ために gives the purpose of an action you do on purpose: 住民票みんひょうをもらうために、区役所くやくしょへ行きます — “I’m going to the ward office to get a certificate of residence.” 日本で働はたらくために、日本語を勉強しています — “I’m studying Japanese in order to work in Japan.” With a noun: 家族のために — “for my family”. The subject of both parts is the same person.

So that: 〜ように

When the first part is not something you control — a potential form, a ない-form or a change — use ように: 忘わすれないように、メモします — “I’ll write it down so that I don’t forget.” 後ろの人にも聞こえるように、大きい声こえで話してください — “Please speak loudly so that the people at the back can hear.” 早くN4に合格ごうかくできるように、毎日練れん習しています — “I practise every day so that I can pass N4 soon.”

Point	〜ために	〜ように
Before it	dictionary form of an action you choose; noun + の	potential form, ない-form, verbs like なる / 分かる
Example	住民票みんひょうをもらうために	忘わすれないように / 読めるように
Meaning	in order to	so that

Decisions: 〜ことにしました and 〜ことになりました

Dictionary or ない-form + ことにする is a decision you make: 駅の近くに引ひっ越こすことにしました — “I’ve decided to move near the station.” これから毎日歩あるくことにしています — “I make a point of walking every day.” ことになる is a decision made by someone else, or by circumstances: 来月から大阪さかの工場で働はたらくことになりました — “It’s been decided that I’ll work at the Osaka factory from next month.” In Japanese workplaces, ことになりました is also the polite way to announce your own news, because it sounds less pushy.

At the ward office counter

An original example:

窓まど口：おはようございます。どんなご用ですか。
グエン：引ひっ越こしをしたので、転入届てんにゅうとどけを出すために来ました。
窓まど口：前の住所しょはどちらですか。
グエン：東京の中野の区くです。会社の転勤てんきんで、こちらの工場で働はたらくことになりました。転出証明書てんしゅつしょうめいしょと在留ざいりゅうカードはここにあります。
窓まど口：ありがとうございます。この紙に新しい住所しょを書いてください。まちがえないように、ゆっくりでいいですよ。
グエン：それから、住民票みんひょうも一まいお願ねがいします。会社に出すことになっているんです。

Counter: Good morning. How can I help? Nguyen: I’ve moved, so I’ve come to hand in the moving-in notice. Counter: Where was your previous address? Nguyen: Nakano Ward in Tokyo. The company transferred me — I’m going to work at the factory here. Here are my moving-out certificate and my residence card. Counter: Thank you. Please write your new address on this form. Take your time so you don’t make a mistake. Nguyen: Also, one certificate of residence, please. I’m supposed to give one to my company.

Buildings and public places

Word	Reading	Meaning
建物	たてもの	building
公園えん	こうえん	park
図書館	としょかん	library
大使たいし館	たいしかん	embassy
映画館	えいがかん	cinema
食堂	しょくどう	canteen; dining hall
公民みん館	こうみんかん	community centre (free Japanese classes are often held here)

Many cities run Japanese classes for residents in the 公民みん館 or the international exchange centre, often run by volunteers and free or very cheap. Ask at the 窓まど口 when you register: 日本語の教きょう室はありますか.

New kanji: 住, 建, 公, 館, 堂

住 is to live: 住む (すむ), 住所しょ (じゅうしょ, address), 住民票みんひょう. 建 is to build: 建物 (たてもの), 建てる (たてる), 二階かい建て (にかいだて, two-storey). 公 is public: 公園えん (こうえん), 公務員むいん (こうむいん, civil servant). 館 is a large building: 図書館, 大使たいし館, 映画館. 堂 is a hall: 食堂 (しょくどう) — the canteen at your workplace or school.

Common mistakes

• Waiting too long: the 転入届てんにゅうとどけ is due within 14 days of moving in.
• ために with a potential form: 読めるために ✗ → 読めるように ✓.
• ように with a different person’s action you choose: 住民票みんひょうをもらうように行きます ✗ → もらうために ✓.
• Mixing ことにした and ことになった: 大阪さかに行くことになりました means the company or the situation decided.
• 住所しょ written in the wrong order on a form: Japanese addresses go from big to small — prefecture, city, ward, town, block, building, room.

How to practise

• Write your address in Japanese, from the prefecture down to the room number.
• Write three sentences about why you study Japanese with 〜ために and 〜ように.
• Write 住, 建, 公, 館 and 堂 on the worksheet and do the exercises.