The Monday Read: Miyakojima

Welcome to The Monday Read, RetireJapan’s weekly collection of content, musing, and links related to personal finance and life in Japan.

Spent the last four days on Miyakojima with my wife. It was my first trip to Okinawa Prefecture, and I was very pleasantly surprised.

Miyako is great. Small, sleepy, not too many tourists (compared to other places in Okinawa), very few insects, amazing snorkeling, and just enough to explore. We are already planning another trip in October for a couple of weeks.

It might even replace Koh Samui for our annual family trips, especially at the current exchange rate (which almost eliminate any financial benefit to going to Thailand).

I posted a few photos and comments on Twitter about the trip if you are interested.

YouTube

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Metrics

Jiu-jitsu classes: two (pass)
YouTube videos: one (pass)

Consequences: None.

Another Craig Mod Pop Up Newsletter

These are always great, and have been getting better and better. Check out the latest one here (he’s about three days in at this point): Basie!Bop!Jamaica!

The Forum

The Forum is doing well (28,090 posts so far). Here are the latest active threads:

This week’s TV show

I really enjoyed the Arnold documentary series (3 1-hour episodes) on Netflix this week. I was a fan already, but learned a lot of new stuff too. I was surprised how open the whole thing was too. Worth a watch!

This week’s books

I reread Clockwork, by Mike Michalowicz. It’s a great book on setting up a business to run without you. Also started The Kaiju Preservation Society, by John Scalzi. Looking forward to finishing it on the flight home 🙂

This week’s links

1. Has Japan realised that it needs to compete for immigrants now? Japan faces headwinds in drawing foreign workers despite visa change
2. Remember gambling in Japan is illegal -even playing poker with your friends for money… How Japan ensures you gamble exactly when and where it wants you to
3. I’d love to try some of these. Probably should start with the one on my doorstep! Japan’s best hikes for Kiwi trampers
4. Homes and mortgages: No bubble, no trouble…
5. This video quickly reviews a bunch of popular investing books (YouTube): After I Read 40 Books on Investing – Here’s What Will Make You Rich
6. Stay on target… This is Why You Stay the Course
7. This was an excellent read: The pervasive succession crisis threatening Japan’s economy
8. ’cause it’s cheap? Investors are putting big money into Japan again. Here’s why.
9. Really interesting read. Heartbreaking job. How a Disaster Expert Prepares for the Worst
10. I suspect I’m more than half way through life, but invest like I will live multiple times that: Investing for 100 year olds
11. It’s the question that drives us… What’s Your Retirement Number?
12. This was very good: 31 Lessons I’ve Learned About Money
13. And I enjoyed this too: 36 Lessons on the Way to 36 Years Old
14. And yet another reminder that I need to do this: Paying Attention
15. For personal finance geeks only: The Problem with the 4% Rule (and Why You Could Retire Even Sooner)
16. This is really interesting to think about: Starship Will Change Humanity Soon
17. I kind of want this now too, but I will wait for the 3rd or 4th iteration: I want Apple’s Vision Pro

What do you think? Anything interesting in there?

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