Japan vet of 27 years here. The passive-aggressive nature of the people is usually more passive than in-your-face aggressive (unless alcohol is in the mix), so physical violence is extremely rare. You pretty much have to go out of your way to look for trouble in Japan. That said, expect micro-aggressions if someone doesn't like you.
For me, I have just retired. I have good friends in Japan (Osaka, Okinawa & Hiroshima) I have lived on an acreage hobby farm, in the city and the suburbs and I have renovated houses before. I am looking for a 'not in the city' property to act as a base for my travelling during retirement. It will be a holiday home as I cannot retire (as a single person) in Japan. I am not looking for work. I am looking to 'invest' in a quiet sustainable lifestyle for the remainder of my years. I like the videos about the renovations, the rural life and the process of just fitting in to the local community. Thanks for your videos. Keep up the great work.
Thank you for your videos, you have a relaxed (no BS) way of explaining your ideas and experience. My daughter worked in Japan for 12 years at Kinoshita circus. I was fortunate enough to be able to visit her 3 times seeing new areas of Japan. From what I experienced Japan is safe, clean and people treat each other with respect. I have thought of renovating a house there in the countryside (I’m retired) I think without a Japanese wife it would be much more difficult to navigate the bureaucracy to buy a house.
I’m in my 40s, trying to set up for my retirement in about 10 years. I am not looking for an akiya per se but a comfy place where I can spend up to 90 days a year away from the US. I am still figuring out if to buy existing AirBnB and get someone to manage it or just rent a house long term when I visit. Your video is very genuine and honest. I appreciate that. I am in IT security so I may consider getting a job it military in the future.
Thank you for all the great info here. We are a twice stationed in Japan, retired military couple (no Japanese spouses) and would like to return to the country we consider home. The visa options are pretty confusing. Trying to convince hubby to get a contracting job, as you mentioned. So much to sort out. Thanks again for what you’re posting.
You are very welcome. Being prior military you have many options, but SOFA. As you know it has many great benefits, but does not lead to residency and probably difficult to obtain a mortgage loan. I would recommend using a job to make it back and then transitioning to retirement here. Many companies will not offer to ship your HHGs, but GS route will. The larger companies may offer good moving benefits. Good luck and keep me posted!
Here are the reasons that I watch your videos: I am interested in remodeling videos because I hope to build/remodel my dream house some day; you have a laid-back and appealing personality and give lots of good, practical information; I am interested in Asia and Asian culture in general just because it is so different from US culture and I find that interesting and appealing; I am visiting Japan in November so there are a lot of Japan videos suggested to me right now; I might someday want to live in a different country (although not in Japan, because I can't take humidity) so I am interested in hearing the experiences of Americans who become expats.
I reckon it would be great if you could find renovation specialists willing to work with foreigners , interview them, translate and get them to step out the process, drawings to construction. Thats what scares me the most about buying a property, the unknown.
I live in Japan with a spousal visa. I was SOFA for 5 years, but decided to retire here. A couple of points that are different for non-working individuals. You have to show an income of $3000/mo from pension etc. and have a guarantor. Japanese healthcare system is much cheaper than the US, and if your are a senior citizen, depending on the locality, could be free. There is also supplemental long term care insurance available. Another point in getting your Japanese Driver’s Licence. It can be very easy from some countries or states in the US to transfer, but most of the states in the US do not have a reciprocal agreement. Would advise getting an International Permit before coming. It is good for a year.
Wow that is great information. How can I find out if NC is on that list? I was also under the understanding Japan did not offer a visa for non-working individuals with a $3000 income or more. I really need to look into it to be better informed. Thanks! I hope to follow your footsteps soon!
@@cocolenchojapan on the Japan DMV website has that information. CA didn’t make the list. Get your spousal visa and your JDL while you’re still SOFA. It’s easier that way, I waited till after, 難しいです！
You got it right,even though they hate you,they can control their emotions and do not show it. But in general it’s easier to deal with them than back home.
🤔 Why do I want to move to Japan? I can reflect on time that I was stationed at Yokosuka Naval Base, and I relize how comfortable I was with the Japanese culture. My short list would be safety, peace, and the state of mind to think freely without worrying about am I going to make it. Speaking of I made sure that income would be taken care of 😊 I have a lot of free time to chill and while I was chilling everyday I managed to complete a BS degree in Security Management. What's next? Its time to get off the couch 🏃🏃and travel while I can 😊
Probably the most sensible coverage of the topic I've viewed. Well done! My take: 67yo. After almost 40 years in Asia, retired and recent "empty nesters", we made the move from Thailand to rural Northern Japan.[ Hokkaido.] Having a Japanese wife made obtaining a dependent Visa a streamlined affair by utilising an immigration agent. We already had an older modest house and I purchased some simple rental property for an onshore income stream prior to the visa application. Cost of living is reasonable, even in comparison with Thailand. I am able to access government supported health coverage. Life is great! Maybe I need a camper van......
@@CodingAbroad hi, from what I hear Okinawa does not have so many Akiya, but this is just second hand information. Probably in one of the less populated islands you can find a good deal.
Hi frankly I have not dove into those numbers. Everyone has a different definition of comfortable so hard to answer. If I had to come up with a number probably $50K USD or less.
@@cocolenchojapan That's fair enough. We were just weighing up our options. I think 50K USD or 75k AUD where we are coming from is a pretty reasonable amount. Thanks for replying. 👍
Japan vet of 27 years here. The passive-aggressive nature of the people is usually more passive than in-your-face aggressive (unless alcohol is in the mix), so physical violence is extremely rare. You pretty much have to go out of your way to look for trouble in Japan. That said, expect micro-aggressions if someone doesn't like you.
Very true!
For me, I have just retired. I have good friends in Japan (Osaka, Okinawa & Hiroshima) I have lived on an acreage hobby farm, in the city and the suburbs and I have renovated houses before. I am looking for a 'not in the city' property to act as a base for my travelling during retirement. It will be a holiday home as I cannot retire (as a single person) in Japan. I am not looking for work. I am looking to 'invest' in a quiet sustainable lifestyle for the remainder of my years. I like the videos about the renovations, the rural life and the process of just fitting in to the local community. Thanks for your videos. Keep up the great work.
Thank you so much! Good luck!
Thank you for your videos, you have a relaxed (no BS) way of explaining your ideas and experience.
My daughter worked in Japan for 12 years at Kinoshita circus. I was fortunate enough to be able to visit her 3 times seeing new areas of Japan.
From what I experienced Japan is safe, clean and people treat each other with respect.
I have thought of renovating a house there in the countryside (I’m retired)
I think without a Japanese wife it would be much more difficult to navigate the bureaucracy to buy a house.
Thanks! While it’s difficult for sure, it’s is doable! I really appreciate your feedback.
I’m in my 40s, trying to set up for my retirement in about 10 years. I am not looking for an akiya per se but a comfy place where I can spend up to 90 days a year away from the US. I am still figuring out if to buy existing AirBnB and get someone to manage it or just rent a house long term when I visit. Your video is very genuine and honest. I appreciate that. I am in IT security so I may consider getting a job it military in the future.
Glad to help! I think getting a job for the military is a smart way to go. It will help with the transition.
Thank you for all the great info here. We are a twice stationed in Japan, retired military couple (no Japanese spouses) and would like to return to the country we consider home. The visa options are pretty confusing. Trying to convince hubby to get a contracting job, as you mentioned. So much to sort out. Thanks again for what you’re posting.
You are very welcome. Being prior military you have many options, but SOFA. As you know it has many great benefits, but does not lead to residency and probably difficult to obtain a mortgage loan. I would recommend using a job to make it back and then transitioning to retirement here. Many companies will not offer to ship your HHGs, but GS route will. The larger companies may offer good moving benefits. Good luck and keep me posted!
Really great chat! You've always got some good insight and perspective to share with everyone.
Also, super helpful to see how you look through your analytics. I honestly haven't even started looking at that kind of data... it feels overwhelming!
@@bentonhomestead thanks!
Here are the reasons that I watch your videos: I am interested in remodeling videos because I hope to build/remodel my dream house some day; you have a laid-back and appealing personality and give lots of good, practical information; I am interested in Asia and Asian culture in general just because it is so different from US culture and I find that interesting and appealing; I am visiting Japan in November so there are a lot of Japan videos suggested to me right now; I might someday want to live in a different country (although not in Japan, because I can't take humidity) so I am interested in hearing the experiences of Americans who become expats.
Thank you very much!, I hope you have a great trip. November is definitely a nice time to visit. Right now it’s horribly humid 😩
I reckon it would be great if you could find renovation specialists willing to work with foreigners , interview them, translate and get them to step out the process, drawings to construction. Thats what scares me the most about buying a property, the unknown.
I understand! I had the same fear. Once I found my carpenter I was relieved. He’s very eager to work with foreigners but does not speak English.
I live in Japan with a spousal visa. I was SOFA for 5 years, but decided to retire here. A couple of points that are different for non-working individuals. You have to show an income of $3000/mo from pension etc. and have a guarantor. Japanese healthcare system is much cheaper than the US, and if your are a senior citizen, depending on the locality, could be free. There is also supplemental long term care insurance available. Another point in getting your Japanese Driver’s Licence. It can be very easy from some countries or states in the US to transfer, but most of the states in the US do not have a reciprocal agreement. Would advise getting an International Permit before coming. It is good for a year.
Wow that is great information. How can I find out if NC is on that list? I was also under the understanding Japan did not offer a visa for non-working individuals with a $3000 income or more. I really need to look into it to be better informed. Thanks! I hope to follow your footsteps soon!
@@cocolenchojapan on the Japan DMV website has that information. CA didn’t make the list. Get your spousal visa and your JDL while you’re still SOFA. It’s easier that way, I waited till after, 難しいです！
@@stuartmisfeldt3068 that’s the plan, thanks!
$3k/month feels unreasonably high to me. Thats 450,000 yen. Very few japanese retirees actually receive that much from the government.
@@deadby15 that was before the yen rate went up to 150.
You got it right,even though they hate you,they can control their emotions and do not show it.
But in general it’s easier to deal with them than back home.
True!
Hi, thank you again for your videos. I am really happy to watch every video you make.
Glad you like them!
can you cover more on cost and how to get the contractors to do the work.
Will do. Thanks for watching
🤔 Why do I want to move to Japan? I can reflect on time that I was stationed at Yokosuka Naval Base, and I relize how comfortable I was with the Japanese culture. My short list would be safety, peace, and the state of mind to think freely without worrying about am I going to make it. Speaking of I made sure that income would be taken care of 😊 I have a lot of free time to chill and while I was chilling everyday I managed to complete a BS degree in Security Management.
What's next? Its time to get off the couch 🏃🏃and travel while I can 😊
Absolutely! Thanks why I finally bought our camper van. I am 100% agree with your short list. Same here
Probably the most sensible coverage of the topic I've viewed. Well done!
My take: 67yo. After almost 40 years in Asia, retired and recent "empty nesters", we made the move from Thailand to rural Northern Japan.[ Hokkaido.] Having a Japanese wife made obtaining a dependent Visa a streamlined affair by utilising an immigration agent. We already had an older modest house and I purchased some simple rental property for an onshore income stream prior to the visa application. Cost of living is reasonable, even in comparison with Thailand. I am able to access government supported health coverage.
Life is great! Maybe I need a camper van......
Wow thank you so much! You should get one 😀 I really want to drive around Hokkaido. Hopefully next spring. Thanks for watching
Do you think you’d get a good deal in Okinawa?
@@CodingAbroad hi, from what I hear Okinawa does not have so many Akiya, but this is just second hand information. Probably in one of the less populated islands you can find a good deal.
I have to ask. How much do you think a retired couple could live a happy and middle class type of life in Japan?
Hi frankly I have not dove into those numbers. Everyone has a different definition of comfortable so hard to answer. If I had to come up with a number probably $50K USD or less.
@@cocolenchojapan That's fair enough. We were just weighing up our options. I think 50K USD or 75k AUD where we are coming from is a pretty reasonable amount. Thanks for replying. 👍
@@rickymead5282 you are very welcome! good luck
What is the Sq ft of the place you bought in Japan
Hi it is around 1600 sq ft
How much did the reno cost?
Hi about 250K USD.
If you ever want to get sofa status in Japan just come home drunk and noisy and you will get put on it overnight!
Bahaha true
Take those analytics with a grain of salt. People don't put real data on their yt profiles, use vpns, etc.
That’s is very true! I do the same in many instances