The Monday Read: Leaving on a Jet Plane

My last trip outside Japan for a while (I hope)

I’m off to Europe again this week and will be away for the rest of the month. Family stuff. Not much fun.

I’ll be flying Sendai-Seoul-London again as the ticket prices on Asiana are very good. Interestingly enough they don’t show up when searching on Google Flights or similar, you have to go directly to the airline website and search there. I only knew to look because Asiana has a daily flight from Sendai to Incheon.

Compared to going to Tokyo from Sendai in order to take a more expensive direct flight, or even worse, an indirect one, this is a fantastic option for me.

You might have something similar from your local airport. Definitely worth checking out if you’re not in Tokyo.

I’m hoping to keep RetireJapan more or less operating normally while I’m away, so you should get blog posts and videos as usual.

Don’t break anything while I’m away (I should be back in time for the prophesied mega quake in early July).

Japan Real Estate Summit -Spring 2025 videos

You can see all the videos from the spring Japan Real Estate Summit here. Lots of interesting information about buying a home, getting a mortgate, running a minpaku business, buying an akiya, renovating a home, etc.

YouTube

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The Forum

Speaking of which, the Forum is doing well (41,781 posts so far). The forum rules are here. In essence, they are:

1. Be nice
2. Ask any question you like
3. Only answer questions when you have relevant knowledge or experience

Here are the latest active threads:

This week’s books

Waiting for the third book in Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Dogs of War series. It was supposed to be out this week, was delayed until next week. Bearhead was wild, had a really disturbing depiction of Donald Trump in it.

Started reading Mark Lawrence’s The Book That Wouldn’t Burn to keep me busy until it comes out. Pretty good so far.

I’m also reading More Everything Forever, by Adam Becker. It’s basically an argument against tech growth, colonising Mars, the Singularity, and all that stuff. Very convincing so far.

This week’s links

1. This was absolutely disgusting, and I’m disappointed there haven’t been more consequences for the people involved: Japan appeals court orders state, Tokyo to pay damages over false accusation
2. Seems like a structural problem: As I See It: How to seriously bring down rice prices in Japan
3. I’m also disappointed at the seeming lack of urgency on the part of the government on this one (not so much for AI but for electricity in general): A Crisis That Will Kill Japan’s AI Dreams
4. Ultra processed content. Ugh. Are We Too Concerned About Social Media?
5. Interesting. Might see some familiar faces in there (YouTube): What Is It Like to Start a Business in Japan As a Foreigner? | Street Interview
6. Now THAT is a cool idea: Japan Post launches ‘digital address’ system
7. It’s mainly the wages, stupid: JAPAN’S INHERITORS: NAVIGATING A PERFECT STORM OF CRISES
8. I thought this was really well structured (loved the intro). YouTube: Why Japan Will Disappoint You
9. I’m not a fan of the busywork, the bullying, and the refusal to accept that some parents are unable to join the PTA because they work full time. Time for some changes. Tokyo mom questions school collecting PTA membership fees before consent
10. Fewer people to move, I’m guessing. Resident Foreigners on the Move in Sedentary Japan
11. Incredible: Orange Mutual Aid Society: How to Steal an Election With a Fake Bank
12. Completely agree (the best things in life are free and not material) but can’t see how it happens: A post-growth future isn’t just possible… It’s inevitable
13. Probably a good thing. Workers have the power in 2025: How Japan’s youth are slowly changing the country’s work ethic
14. This seems like an overreaction. Using a sword under supervision inside a martial arts school? No more using real katana for tourism activities, Japan’s National Police Agency says
15. Japan needs to fix this. More demand requires more staff or better processes: Immigration Bureau wait times
16. Interesting. Wonder if they’d be paying a premium on the share price? For Toyota, More Akio Would Be a Good Thing
17. The only thing that would affect me is them possibly making it harder to naturalize: Japan eyes tougher rules and a tax hike for foreign residents and tourists
18. A 5.7% drop from last year is huge: Japan records lowest number of births in more than a century, as population fears grow
19. Not sure if that is a good or a bad thing… I guess it depends on whether you invest? It’s going up forever, Laura
20. The justice system in Japan is terrifying: Presumed Guilty Until Proven Guilty
21. An Australian worked in London then retired early (long) interview: FIRE-side chat: after the rollercoaster
22. A long form interview with Emil Gorgees, Tokyo mortgage expert and friend of RetireJapan: SURVIVOR TO A THRIVER: A FUTURE IN JAPAN
23. Very disappointing to still see this kind of thing in 2025: Teacher contributed to bullying by mocking student at east Japan junior high
24. Don’t have any problem with this, or cracking down on residents who don’t pay: Foreign tourists with unpaid medical bills in Japan to be denied entry
    

What do you think? Anything interesting in there?

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