Search found 10 matches
- Mon Mar 25, 2024 8:45 pm
- Forum: Real Estate
- Topic: Detached House in Tokyo - Does and Don'ts
- Replies: 13
- Views: 1024
Re: Detached House in Tokyo - Does and Don'ts
Shop around a lot. It will take time to find exactly what it is that you value and what you are willing to sacrifice for your budget. In terms of the market value, houses will always fall in value (some less so), but the land itself in the 23-ku retain or increase their value primarily based around:...
- Sun Mar 24, 2024 11:40 pm
- Forum: General
- Topic: Japanese Credit Cards. What’s in your wallet?
- Replies: 33
- Views: 2000
Re: Japanese Credit Cards. What’s in your wallet?
I just signed up for the revamped Amex Gold card. High annual fee, but lots of perks that make up for it. There's also a new account bonus that is US-like in its largesse (120k points).
- Mon Feb 26, 2024 11:55 pm
- Forum: Spending and Frugality
- Topic: On Installing Solar Array and Battery (Tokyo)
- Replies: 20
- Views: 938
Re: On Installing Solar Array and Battery (Tokyo)
Anyone with a standalone house living in Tokyo should seriously consider installing a solar array. The city government subsidies for batteries covers 2/3 of the cost, and separate wards also tend to offer their own subsidies on top of that. There are also green subsidies like the こどもエコすまい project w...
- Mon Feb 26, 2024 10:04 am
- Forum: Spending and Frugality
- Topic: On Installing Solar Array and Battery (Tokyo)
- Replies: 20
- Views: 938
Re: On Installing Solar Array and Battery (Tokyo)
I think the bigger reason to have a battery must be to store electricity produced when the grid doesn’t need extra power and then release it when it does? Exactly. You can actually set it to various functions depending on your preference. Like if you want at least half a battery charged at all time...
- Mon Feb 26, 2024 10:01 am
- Forum: Spending and Frugality
- Topic: On Installing Solar Array and Battery (Tokyo)
- Replies: 20
- Views: 938
Re: On Installing Solar Array and Battery (Tokyo)
the ability to run off the grid during a blackout Is this because of the battery? When I was looking at solar a few years ago, I was told that if you were connected to the grid the panels wouldn't power the house during blackouts (other than one plug or something). Always struck me as strange, as t...
- Sun Feb 25, 2024 11:29 pm
- Forum: Spending and Frugality
- Topic: On Installing Solar Array and Battery (Tokyo)
- Replies: 20
- Views: 938
Re: On Installing Solar Array and Battery (Tokyo)
Anyone with a standalone house living in Tokyo should seriously consider installing a solar array. The city government subsidies for batteries covers 2/3 of the cost, and separate wards also tend to offer their own subsidies on top of that. There are also green subsidies like the こどもエコすまい project wh...
- Tue Dec 13, 2022 7:09 am
- Forum: Legacy NISA (~2023)
- Topic: NISA change proposals
- Replies: 109
- Views: 14646
Re: NISA change proposals
They know how much you've put in so it would be trivial for them to start your "Lifetime NISA allowance used" to have a value at the start. They'd have to figure out how to handle the people who have it beyond the maxed out limit but I don't think that's possible (NISA started 2014 so its...
- Tue Dec 13, 2022 12:42 am
- Forum: Legacy NISA (~2023)
- Topic: NISA change proposals
- Replies: 109
- Views: 14646
Re: NISA change proposals
Limiting it to 12 million for "growth investments" really makes this change next to useless for those who have been investing in NISA since its launch, as continuous rollovers mean that anyone maxing out their account is probably already close to or exceeding that limit with how the market...
- Fri May 28, 2021 11:46 am
- Forum: Real Estate
- Topic: First results are in for our solar panels!
- Replies: 13
- Views: 5981
Re: First results are in for our solar panels!
Would be interested to know as well! Am in a similar situation, deciding between Ichijo and another house builder.
- Thu May 06, 2021 3:38 am
- Forum: Legacy NISA (~2023)
- Topic: SPDR S&P 500 ETF (1557) through NISA (一般) for U.S. nationals
- Replies: 8
- Views: 1426
Re: SPDR S&P 500 ETF (1557) through NISA (一般) for U.S. nationals
This is correct. SPDR 1557 is the only legal way for Americans to invest in US market-tracking ETFs in Japan. I’ve used this method since 2013 when NISA first appeared, and it also works for regular, non-NISA accounts too. The 10% withholding tax on dividends is punitive, but not a big deal to me as...