Goddamn hayfever edition
It’s not like I needed 2020 to be any more upleasant, but something in the air has been trying to kill me since Friday, and I am losing the will to live.
How come these things always happen just as the weekend is starting, so you can’t seek medical help until several days later???
In happier news we have started using the RetireJapan YouTube channel, and you can see some very short, very bad videos on there. I have some ideas though, so please like and subscribe and we’ll see if it is a viable way to spread the word.
Which reminds me, I’d be really grateful if you could tell people about RetireJapan. I’ve had several emails recently that said something like ‘I wish I’d known about your website earlier’ -sharing is caring and you could literally change someone’s life for the better by getting them interested in what we peddle 😉
This week’s links
- I’d heard of this but didn’t actually know what it was: The Fabian Strategy
- Apparently I was selected for early access to the TransferWise debit card, so once I get it I will write a follow-up to this post: TransferWise Reloaded
- Not sure how common the secret account is in other countries: What Japanese People Keep Secret from Their Spouses
- I love how the Nobel Prize winner has never actually done the thing he studied: Nobel Economics Prize winners 2020: Paul R. Milgrom and Robert B. Wilson
- I really enjoyed this video, and have no idea why. From the comments: “I’ve never been so entertained by such a boring person in my life”: I Paid Bassists to Play an IMPOSSIBLE Bassline…
- This is the cost of a nice nursing home. There are cheaper ones, but they are not as nice. Hopefully prices will come down with better automation in the future: Luxurious new nursing home in Tokyo’s Nakano Ward offers golden years to the aged
- Guess we’ll be getting more humidifiers for my wife’s school (also the Fugaku computer sounds like something out of Zoolander): Supercomputer shows humidity affects aerosol spread of coronavirus
- No link, but Shinsei Bank is working with Moneytree again. Big relief, as I was not enjoying logging in manually to check my balance.
- I am very interested in getting a battery for our manshon, and would definitely want one if we had a house: A Place in the Sun
- I think it would be healthier to have hobbies like these: Walking: The Ise-ji from Takihara to Kii Nagashima
Nice eclectic collection this time, eh? My favourite by far was the bass guy video: I’ve spent far too much time watching his channel this week!
This week’s books
- The Barefoot Investor, by Scott Pape. This was recommended by someone on YouTube (apparently it’s a big thing in Australia). It was great. A personal finance book with a very different approach. In fact, it’s so good I think I’m going to copy it for the RetireJapan book. Full review coming soon on the blog, but it’s very much for Australians only.
- Mr Mercedes, by Stephen King. A hard-boiled detective trilogy by Stephen King? And the trilogy is finished already? Please take my money. Just started reading this, and it’s great. Apparently someone made a half-decent TV series out of it too, but I doubt I’ll get round to watching it.
#9 interests me as my 10 year contract for selling my excess solar at a great price has just ended, now the rate is not remotely attractive. I’ve been looking around at batteries but am yet to find something that would suit. Hopefully the quality and price range will improve as the tech advances.
I was looking at Tesla powerwalls a couple of years ago. I suspect this market is going to explode soon as many people are in your situation.
Yes, I looked at the Telsa power walls after one of your previous posts, and they look and sound great, but initially a little out of my price range. I’m looking forward to increased options.
Please keep me informed.
I”m also looking for my solar power storage to use day and night
Thank you
Had a look at your Youtube channel (and I did subscribe). What you said is true and I will be passing this on to my DD (who is not in Japan, but she still has to learn about finances here somehow).
But I had to laugh at the background violins. Did not give me the right feeling for financial advice. Even no background music, for me, would be better.
Still a long way to go. Hopefully the next video will be better!
#6 — There’s a hotel in town that was converted to something similar maybe 15 years ago. Then the shinkansen came in and hotels stayed full, so they may have regretted the switch. But with now near-empty hotels…!
I wouldn’t call it luxurious, but it’s a couple steps above the usual 施設 type of place (e.g., that my mother-in-law is in), and it’s in a prime location downtown.
What is your take on the recent changes to Transferwise for residents of Japan? It seems that from this month even if you have an account under your name in another country you can’t just transfer to your Japanese account directly but now are forced to use their borderless account. This does not seem like a big deal except that, from my observation, you get charged a fee when putting the money from your foreign account to the borderless account, and then charged one more time when transferring to your Japanese account. Am I missing something or basically this ends up being less convenient and more expensive for us people living in Japan?
I’ve only ever had an account in Japan unfortunately, so from my point of view the new functionality is great. Still waiting for my debit card though!