RetireJapan

Do you have an agent working for you? They should know the market better than you and be well-placed to know what a realistic offer is. On the loan or savings question, I totally get why people would say it's better to take a loan in Japan but we bought our place outright. We were both already in o...

How old are you and what percentage of your income do you and your partner save on a monthly basis? How would that change with a mortgage? Selling down your savings when rates are so cheap would not typically be recommended. I'd very happily borrow at current rates and invest that money if they wou...

I think making an offer on the property depends on a few things, such as how long it's been available, how much you really want it, and how much you think it's actually worth. In our case the house had been put on the market the same day we saw it (not advertised yet, the agent phoned us about it),...

I am looking at some property, and I don't know what is the best way for us to buy the house. The property is old,( in Japanese eyes) about 32 years old. and valued at about 14,000,000 yen. We have about 20 million yen saved, and we could either buy it outright, leaving about 6 million yen left in o...

I have to say my local authority has been very quick on the replies regarding the voting register. I erroneously, believed they would automatically send out a ballot to my foreign address, and they replied within 12 hours so I was pretty impressed by that. Everything is all done, now it is up to the...

This has brought up a few questions in my mind. I assume the taxable event will be "when the money is brought over to Japan?" I assume it will be calculated on the "exchange rate" on the transfer day? No, the taxable event is when you receive the pension and the exchange rate on...

This has brought up a few questions in my mind. I assume the taxable event will be "when the money is brought over to Japan?" I assume it will be calculated on the "exchange rate" on the transfer day? Is it better to do one massive lump transfer or a monthly transfer? I would ass...

I think the best people to ask are the Labour Union or the prefecture's work/labour board. They understand the law and the rules, and can speak to them on your behalf.

Well, I can only speak from what I have heard from some others, Make sure all the city taxes, national taxes, health insurance, and pension payments are up to date and paid for. Then, stick it in, and wait. I have heard a few getting rejected because they have fallen behind on payments. Back in the ...

Read Die With Zero and Four Thousand Weeks. What about your three kids? Sometimes we don't need to give our kids much. It might be ok if you're a millionaire, but I have met many a poor grandparent, and a very rich child earning over $150,000 a year while their parents live on a state pension. We g...