House ownership as a foreigner

⚡️ Electricity ⚡️

Electricity in Japan is interesting as they are all on an interchange, so you can choose any company that supports your area
We use: Japan Denryoku (Tokyo JP)
When setting up electric, the company provided a website that I was able to enter my credit card info for auto pay.
Currently on auto pay and I have not had any issues (yet…)

<aside> ℹ️

TL;DR How to generally deal with water service without a resident capable VISA:

🛬 Arrival: Upon arriving to Japan and then to Komoro, I would need to head to the office to request them to turn the water on (paying any opening fees)
🛫 Departure: I will let them know when I would stop using the water on X date. They asked me to come by in the morning so I could pay off the amount I used, and then they would shut off the water later that day. </aside>

⚠️ When I arrived at my house, the water was shut off!
In my mailbox, there were many many water bills that were unpaid (as I was not around) and several notices threatening water shut off due to unpaid bills

<aside> ℹ️

Komoro Context:

In Komoro, the water company is Mizumirai Komoro (株水みらい小諸へ).
It is not on interchange like electricity so this is the company
Their local branch office is at 132-5 Moro, Komoro, Nagano 384-0043 (https://maps.app.goo.gl/G4NCTVNxtd8DjsjY9)
Unfortunately, their only auto pay option is PayPay, and they don’t take credit cards. PayPay accounts can only be opened if you are a Japanese resident, so that option is out
The bills are left in your mailbox to be paid at convenience stores or other local places. You can also pay directly at their office. </aside>