RetireJapan

I have a squarish leather zip up one by a maker in Saitama called Beau Dessin (plugging them because it’s a small business and fantastic wallet!). It holds my bills, work & zairyu IDs, trainIC card, cash and credit card, has a change pocket, and a keychain. It’s about 2cm thick and probably abou...

Thank you everyone for your input. It was helpful to hear about your experiences. Air B&B seems like more trouble than it’s worth unless we got a property in a hot tourist area (then it would be a lot of work still but potentially a decent return—still not something I really want to do). If we w...

As my one remaining parent is getting older I’ve thought more about some of the pros and cons of getting a home in the US in the future. I don’t have siblings and the family home (or funds from sale of it) will go to me. We would either simply invest all of that, or use some of it to purchase a smal...

Thank you Captainspoke. That was very helpful as always! The only reason I'm hesitant to take the parent's name off the account is concern about the brokerage deciding that they will close it since I am a Japan resident. That said, I do still have the same US address so can hope they would not close...

Hi everyone, I have a few questions regarding joint brokerage accounts (held in the US) and the declaration of assets as well as inheritance. I’m a US citizen, Japan tax resident but have my investments in US brokerages. I know I need to speak with a tax professional to get the best information but ...

I’ve been thinking about the personal effects of climate change more and more each year as we’re getting an increasing number of floods, heatwaves, etc. across the country. We hope to move out of Tokyo in the next 2 to 3 years and I’m wondering what parts of the country will most likely be more resi...

It's your lucky day or should I say maybe my lucky day. :) I'm a farmer that would be more than happy to directly sell my grapes and peaches to customers. If you or anyone is interested in supporting a farmer directly, you can send me a pm and I will send you a link to my website. Wilbur, thanks fo...

There was an item on the news a while back saying there's been a number of cases of thieves stealing veges from people's fields and selling them on Mercari. I'm sure it's a just a nasty few who are doing that, but perhaps it might pay to make sure you're getting those veges direct from the farmer a...

Since having a baby in the fall, my wife and I have discovered the cost and time saving joys of Mercari. It’s where we have bought nearly all of our baby clothes and many other non-consumables. Beyond baby goods, I’ve bought a few pieces of almost new clothing and a couple used games. I get the impr...

I’m now sure about international schools, but there are some bilingual IB schools in the Odawara and Mishima area I believe. I can’t speak for the local schools, but as someone originally from the US, most general areas have good public schools. For elementary and junior high it matters more what ne...