But not for me 🙂
Seems like the rainy season just hit Sendai, after one of the most pleasant Junes I can remember. It’s been wonderful: sunny days with low humidity and a pleasant breeze, day after day after day.
I wish every year was like this.
But today we’ve had rain all day, with more rain forecast for tomorrow. Seems like the rainy season might be on us.
On Tuesday I’m heading to Miyakojima again (one of my favourite places in Japan) for a quick break/diving trip.
And the rainy season has already ended in Okinawa.
I could get used to this lifestyle.
My wife and I are focusing on trying to spend money recently. I find it difficult as we have spent so long saving and investing. Making that mental switch is really difficult, but essential if you want to break the habit of mindlessly accumulating more and more money you don’t use.
See Scott Galloway’s quote below.
So far we’ve done a lot of short domestic trips, we’re taking a longer trip to Europe with the grandkids in the summer (eye-wateringly expensive, but I think worth it -they will never be this age again), and we’re getting the bathroom renovated in our manshon while we’re away.
Baby steps, but it seems you don’t need to spend all that much as long as you enjoy your everyday life.
For me that has been the key: building a day to day I enjoy and actually want to come back to when I’m on a trip.
YouTube
Thank you for your support of the RetireJapan YouTube channel. Made a short video about the tax credits and benefit payments that are being paid out this year.
What do you think of the tax credit program?
The RetireJapan Guide to NISA 2024 edition
Will be published on June 30th. If you have bought a previous version of the Guide, you will receive a complimentary copy of the new edition when it is released.
If you haven’t bought the Guide to NISA yet, and would like a copy, the half price presale only runs until it is published.
If you buy the 2024 version you will also get free copies of new editions when they are released.
Please tell your friends and colleagues about this. The Guide will never be this cheap again.
The Forum
The Forum is doing well (35,986 posts so far). The forum rules are here. In essense, they are:
- Be nice
- Ask any question you like
- Only answer questions when you have relevant knowledge or experience
Here are the latest active threads:
This week’s books
Started reading Alan Wake (novel based on computer game) as recommended by the inimitable Daniel from RJTV. So far so good.
Quote of the week
Loved this quote (it’s from this video). And the psychology behind it is very powerful. It is so tempting to just up your number every time you hit it. Unless you take action to prevent it, you could easily just keep accumulating money you will never spend.
I’m going to have to think about this. I am not quite at the point where I would feel safe spending or giving away future money, but should get there at some point, and it would be better to have a plan before I do.
How about you? What would be your ‘really don’t need more than this’ number?
This week’s links
- Really enjoyed this video. But would never pay for this (YouTube): I Drank A $335 (£265) Espresso. How Did It Taste?
- I am in awe. Kanken 1-kyuu!!!! But his pronunciation is not quite there yet (YouTube): Kanji are story, art, and toy
- Not seeing many valid arguments on the other side of this ‘debate’: Allowing foreign trainees to switch jobs stirs debate in rural Japan
- I love this kind of story. The power of making your own work: AKIRA NAKAI: ON THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS
- People need to start getting fired for this stuff: Whistleblower alleges Japan city lowered exam scores of aspiring female employees
- Love this kind of story: 6歳男児が海に転落、飛び込んだ外国人実習生 命助け名前伝えず去る
- This is a good thing IMO. But they should do it for everyone in Japan: Japan to step up enrollment of foreign residents in pension system
- Seems there was more to this story: ‘Humans are no match’: Japan ‘karate master’ who fended off 2 bears advises caution
- Really enjoyed this from Derek: Immigrant
- In what universe are these people even remotely wealthy? They just need to stop spending beyond their means… Even moderately wealthy struggle to make ends meet in Tokyo
- Elementary, my dear Moneypenny: Bond investing – a simple guide
- Enjoyed this video. Very well done IMO (YouTube): Should You Buy Index Funds at All-Time Highs?
- Not now please: There’s no question H5N1 bird flu has ‘pandemic potential.’ How likely is that worst-case scenario?
- Ooof: More than 550 hajj pilgrims die in Mecca as temperatures exceed 50C
- And this is the first chapter of Ministry for the Future, just waiting to happen: Indian engineers warn of prolonged blackouts amid searing heatwave
- I agree with all of these except the first one. I hate the first one so much: Workout Cheat Codes I Know At 44 I Wish I Knew At 24
- This is a great analogy (Chris’ book is good too): On Ultra-Processed Content
- Not sure if I like this idea (2,000+ companies -> 1,200): Japan’s Topix to include broader range of companies, but fewer of them
- Great article with lots of stories (thanks, CS!): What Does Retirement Really Mean?
- This was a wonderful interview: Turning $1M Into $1B+: A Masterclass From The Indian Warren Buffett
- That’s an interesting stat: Japan’s abandoned houses wipe $25bn off nearby property value
- How much would you pay for advanced treatment? Food for thought: Is Japan’s Cancer Care System Sustainable?
- I’m glad this is getting reported. Hopefully he will also sue: Kyoto hotel’s refusal to accommodate Israeli man illegal: city
- And it’s good to see NHK reporting on landlords refusing to rent to non-Japanese residents in a sympathetic manner -will it help though? 「外国籍の方のご入居は不可となります」
What do you think? Anything interesting in there?
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#2: Why the nasty remark about his accent? Anyone living in their country of birth knows immigrants’ accents don’t disappear. Why do you think it’s a problem in Japan?
Wasn’t meant to be nasty! Just struck me as being at odds with his incredible (superhuman?) kanji ability. Food for thought though, thank you.
I have a question about frequent flying and climate change. When we get more money and more free time it is tempting to take more flights. Is this something we should be concerned about? Won’t the planes fly anyway if we’re on them or not? Should we try to offset our carbon footprint caused by flying? I think this would make a great topic for a video in the future!
Yes and no. If there were less demand there may be fewer planes in the sky. Planes burn more fuel if there is more weight (people) in them.
On the other hand emphasising personal responsibility for climate change is a strategy deliberately propagated by oil companies to reduce pressure on themselves. It is essentially meaningless. The only thing that could possibly move the needle is government or collective action.
So it doesn’t really matter if you fly or not. Governments are not taking meaningful action on climate change, so it’s going to happen anyway. Might as well see the world before it burns.
Thanks. Yeah, I think “collective action” is the key point. Not many people I know want to unilaterally sacrifice comfort, convenience and fun to help save the planet. I’m not just talking about flying, but things like driving unnecessarily, setting room temperatures inappropriately, using too much electricity (AI?), consuming too many products which are damaging to the environment, and so on. It would have to be forced upon them by the government. But such policies would be unpopular and would hinder the economy, so it’s not hard to see why governments seem so relaxed about it. A big shame for our grandchildren who will probably have to suffer in the future because of us.
“A big shame for our grandchildren who will probably have to suffer in the future because of us.”
I’m pretty sure we’re going to suffer too. Food shortages leading to inflation, even more extreme weather, more wars and instability, mass refugees in the hundreds of millions.
Hope I’m wrong on that though.
#19 — I started a [url=https://www.retirejapan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3844]thread in the forum[/url] on this a couple days ago, and a gift link there if you hit a paywall.
That’s a great thread!
A Cat?
I thought it was Carmen Meowanda.
I’ll get my coatにゃん..
You are banned from RetireJapan for life 😉
Interesting quote from Galloway. I assume he has made a ton of money over the years. I think most of us will have to keep earning in the post-Covid inflationary environment. I’m ok with that. Work is not a problem for me and I enjoy the social interaction it offers.
Yes, I think he’s a centimillionaire. But the concept makes a lot of sense.
#20 is missing a link for me
Ah, thank you! #21 is the link for #20 (it’s on the wrong line). I’ll fix it now 😀