TLDR

I am renting a property in Osaka under fixed-term lease agreement (定期借家契約), due to expire at the end of Nov 2026. The agents were supposed to send me a new fixed-term agreement but after we negotiated and agreed on the terms about 5 months ago, and after what I now see as “buying time” until now, they bailed out today saying that there was a change of circumstances. Due to legal reasons (ongoing adoption process with already vetted living arrangements), I don’t want to move out so suddenly.
I am looking for advice on how to proceed from anybody who might be familiar with the issue, please.

The problem.

In Dec 2025 I received a formal notice of termination upon expiry (定期賃貸住宅契約終了についての通知), along with a proposal for a new fixed-term lease agreement.

We negotiated the terms of a new 2 year fixed-term lease agreement with the agency, and following discussions with the property owner, we agreed on new terms in May 2026.
We were informed that the renewal documents would be sent two to three months prior to the expiration of the current lease, and that the process would be finalized upon signing.

In mid-Sept 2026, I asked for an update and received confirmation that the new lease agreement would be sent to us shortly.

Not having heard since, this week (mid-Oct 2026) I asked again.

Today, about 45 days from the expiration of the current lease, the agent said that the circumstances have changed and that they will not proceed with the new fixed-term lease agreement.
Given the sudden change, and as a way to counterbalance the problem they have created, they proposed that we vacate the property in “about 3 months”.

To further compound the issue, me and my wife are in the middle of an adoption process, the current living arrangements have been vetted and approved by the relevant authorities and the family court proceedings will be based on that evaluation. Moving out now would mean invalidating part of the process done so far, and possibly introduce months of delays.

Several months ago, we made the agent aware that we are in the middle of an adoption process. At the time, I informed them that there was a new occupant and sent them the updated certificate of residence (住民票), along with all the info they required.

We don’t really want to move out, because we were planning to do so at the end of the following fixed-term lease, and because we needed to provide stability both to the child and to the relevant authorities.

For lack of better words, naturally, I am disappointed by the lack of reliability of the gentlemen I am dealing with..

What I think of doing.

We are thinking that maybe we could reply as follows:
Q1 .ask details about the changes of circumstances
Q2. try to negotiate a 1 year long new fixed-term lease with the property owner. 
Q3. ignore (for now) their “you can leave in 3 months” “offer”. 

The idea behind that is that we can maybe:
R1. better understand the property owner’s POV
R2. enable them to re-rent the property earlier than originally anticipated, with the bonus of a just slightly delayed reikin (礼金) pay-out from the next tenants in 1 year (which I suspect might play a part in this). This should buy us enough time for the family court proceedings to run their course, after which we could freely move out because we would no longer be constrained by the vetted living arrangements.
R3. do not immediately take an adversarial step.

The ideal outcome for us would still be to stay on the originally agreed new 2 year fixed term lease. We like the area, the child gets along with the neighbours and shop owners, and staying for longer would allow us to account for possible delays in court proceedings.
However, we can somehow compromise.

All negotiations are written in the Line App, and I have downloaded them for safety.

Which recourse do I have?
Does anybody know of free legal advice I could pre-emptively get access to, just to better understand where my family stands?
Any paid legal advice people have experienced with?

As a note, I can speak Japanese to a certain extent, but I believe that I would not be able to follow a complex legal discussion in Japanese, so anything with English support would be preferable. Missing that, I would still do my best.

Thank you all for any advice.

OSAKA -- Ezaki Glico Co. announced on Oct. 14 that it will renew its iconic "Glico sign," which symbolizes Dotonbori in Osaka's Minami district.

The current sign, the sixth generation installed in October 2014, will be displayed for the last time Nov. 30 before replacement work begins.

The seventh-generation sign with a new design will be unveiled in spring 2027. The company said the familiar runner's pose, popular among tourists taking photographs, will remain unchanged.

According to Ezaki Glico, headquartered in Osaka, the renovation was prompted by the aging of the sign's LED system and increasing difficulties in procuring replacement parts. The original Glico sign, a neon tower, was first installed in 1935. The current sixth-generation version was the first to incorporate an LED display, enabling limited-time video effects and other displays.

The existing sign contains approximately 140,000 LED chips. Through the upgrade, the company aims to improve energy efficiency.

A company representative said, "The Glico Sign goes beyond the bounds of corporate advertising and is beloved. We will evolve it so that visitors can enjoy it even more."

During the renovation period, the entire billboard will be covered with protective sheeting. However, the company said it is considering ways for tourists to continue enjoying it while the work is underway.

Where exactly is the bus stop from Osaka-Umeda to Maizuru (Kyoto Kotsu highway bus)?

こんいちは

so im a foreinger living in Osaka, and although im actually happy with my gpu, im unhappy with windows, since it keeps installing updates, features and AI slop i dont need. additionally, Windows is getting more unreliable and pumped with bloatware. (see microsofts lastest news).

so i want to trade my GPU against a similar comparable AMD GPU so i dont have to wait until nvidAI is finally done providing working drivers for steamOS. so if anyone is intrested, i got a RTX 4070 Super with 12gb VRAM. i want to test your GPU before we actually trade. and the same can be done with my GPU.

よろしくお願いします。

We’re doing another small night in Osaka tonight (Wed, Oct 14), and thought there might be a few people here who are into the more underground / experimental side of club music.

Techno, trance, deconstructed club, ambient and dub techno — small venue, intimate atmosphere, Funktion-One sound system.

I’m playing as Subete No Owari, alongside MATSURYO and anemone, a female techno DJ.

It’s at rake?raka? in Shinsaibashi / Soemoncho
Wed, Oct 14, 22:00–05:00

rake?raka? is a tiny underground DJ bar rather than a big club, so it’s a nice place if you prefer a deeper / more intimate atmosphere and want to actually hear the sound system properly.

Not sure how many people here are free on a Wednesday night, but if you’re around Osaka and into techno / trance / experimental club music, come say hi :)
Happy to send the event details / lineup if anyone wants them.

Hello! I'm thinking about running another Vaesen one-shot, possibly for the November edition of the JIGG's Osaka Game Day.

For those who don't know, Vaesen is a horror mystery set in the 19th-century Scandinavia, themed around Nordic folklore. It was designed by the Free League and runs on a modified version of the Year Zero Engine.

Instead of relying on combat to solve every conflict, it is crucial that the players investigate for clues and uncover the rules of the supernatural behind the mysteries.

It's a rules-light system with heavy emphasis on role playing.

Ideally, I'm looking for 4-5 players.

Hello! I'll be starting my education in Osaka soon, as an international student, what are the best areas to look for in terms of living? Id also like to be recommended dorms or PGs if anyone here has had good experiences with these, seeing that osaka does have a lot of international students that come to study! My college is in Kita Umeda ward so nearby would be preferable! Also, any advice related to monthly expenditure, commute, grocery shopping vs conbini, savings on bills etc is very welcome!!

1. "Osaka Lover" - Dreams Come True
2. "Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon x Story Ride"
3. "Hello Kitty" - Avril Lavigne
4. "Nobody" - Wonder Girls
5. "Destiny Journeys" - Vaundy

(M27) I recently found out my voice can go pretty high pitch (ado - shinjidai) and I've been training a bit on that but I'm looking forward to have real advice so I can feel that I'm still making progress

Anyone knowing someone or a place to receive advice ?

Have a good day you'all

Konichiwa!

Hello all, I am new here. Planning to go to Japan soonish, so naturally I was jumping around Osaka in street view and saw this charming character on the side of a vending machine down an alleyway. Just out of curiosity I ran a pic through google lens, but all I found was a similar looking character called Denko-Chan. But not an exact match. Any idea who she is? Nanitodi yorishiku onegai itashimasu!!

Hi, it’s gonna be my first Halloween in Japan and me and my friend will be celebrating together. We don’t know what we can do in Halloween, any recommendations? We are okay w anything

I love seafood last time i was near a superhotel and in a small oysterbar i had oyster so good i will go again

It was comparable with the florentines in normandie

Only much bigger lol and expensiverrrrr but k its not every day in 2weeks i will be near it again cant wait ...

Tell me what you eat around osaka that made you dream about it and just travell to get it back in your mouth :-)

If your close when im there i would share the love...

Some sake and this fresh shell and im happy man

Seriously food lover :-)

I don’t know if this is allowed in this subreddit, but my band, Paradise Vultures, is playing tonight at Live House Kiruna in Osaka. We’re having an incredible time playing in Japan so far and would love to perform for you! I promise you will have fun and enjoy the show!

Hello, just wondering if anyone can recommend a doctor/clinic to me. I am already a resident and have already been prescribed Concerta in Japan and have the card for it, but I moved to Osaka and need to find a new clinic/doctor in Osaka. Is anyone here getting Concerta in Osaka? My Japanese is not yet good enough to do this in Japanese.

Join us at the to the next, free Kansai Green Drinks Meetup in Osaka! Wed, Oct 21st starting at 6:30pm, and go until 9:00pm.

The goal - build a community to share, learn, and connect around sustainability issues in the Kansai region. If you're interested in cleantech, climate, environmental issues, eco-living, biodiversity, or any related topic, do join us.

https://peatix.com/event/5210385/

I want to order a surprise flower bouquet for my girlfriend's birthday next week. But, I live in the UK. How and where can I order it to be delivered to my girlfriend's house.

And I want to order Instax Mini Evo for her as a gift, but I was unable to do so as I have no idea how to order it as well. Is anyone willing to help me?

Thank you in advance.

I’m organizing another small night in Osaka this Saturday (Oct 10), and thought there might be a few people here who are into the more underground / experimental side of club music.

Ambient, techno, deconstructed club, dub techno and trance — small venue, intimate atmosphere, Funktion-One sound system.
I’m playing as Subete No Owari, alongside MATSURYO, Iwanaga & nima.

It’s at rake?raka? in Shinsaibashi / Soemoncho
Sat, Oct 10, 22:00–05:00
¥2000 including 1 drink

We’re also doing another night at the same place on Wed, Oct 14, so if Saturday doesn’t work for you, maybe come by then instead.

rake?raka? is a tiny underground DJ bar rather than a big club — if you’re into techno, trance, ambient or stranger club sounds, it’s a really nice place to hear this kind of music properly.
Not sure how many people on here are into this side of Osaka nightlife, but if it sounds like your thing, come say hi :)

Happy to send the event details / lineup for either night if anyone wants them.

The sign says “Don’t feed the nutrias.”

They should move it down lower so the nutrias can read it too.

(I didn’t feed them and I wasn’t holding food, but I did have a conbini plastic bag, so that may have caused a rodent misunderstanding.)

Maybe a long shot.. but I left my Yashica T3 film camera on a bench near Osaka castle at the start where the Lawsons shop is. It’s black and in a leather case. Anyone seen it or handed it in?