Meet Michael. He’s a 59-year-old Tokyo resident. On LinkedIn, he’s a “Consultant”, an “Industry Leader.” He has “35 Years’ Experience Changing The World One Treasured Client At A Time In The APAC Region”. His LinkedIn profile contains an inspirational quote: “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in [...]
When it comes to land, there’s no distinction between "old" vs. "new". However, when it comes to buildings, this is a decision that many new buyers face. Should you buy old (second-hand) property, or new property? Should you buy a second-hand house or a new house? Should you buy an old unit or a new [...]
There’s no doubt that Tokyo is a great city to invest in. Last year, land prices in Japan’s capital metropolis rose for both commercial and residential real estate, The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism announced in March. Land prices rose by 4.2% from 2018-2019. That was after the 3.4% rise from 2017-2018. Land [...]
An investment portfolio can contain many types of asset: cash, stocks, bonds, funds, and of course, real estate. How much of your portfolio goes into each asset class is referred to as “asset allocation”. Optimal asset allocation depends on three main factors: your goals, investment horizon, and risk tolerance. Therefore, the answer to the question [...]
The bank (or other money lending financial institution) wants to make sure that you're healthy and live until the end of your mortgage. If you passed away or became critically ill/disabled, you couldn't work and make mortgage payments. The result would be foreclosure. This would make everyone's lives more difficult at the bank. They're in [...]
Does Japanese real estate decrease in value? Well, it’s complicated. Some parts of Japanese real estate are likely to decrease in value, while others are likely to increase. Furthermore, the statement “Japanese real estate decreases in value” is a loaded one. It assumes that in other popular investment destinations, real estate doesn’t (or won’t in [...]
“Should I buy or rent in Japan?”. It’s a question on which even the Japanese themselves haven’t come to a clear consensus. 60% of Japanese own their own homes, and 40% rent. Among foreigners, 17% own. There are many pros and cons to both buying and renting, and that goes for both foreigners and Japanese [...]
Imagine, in your life in Japan, never paying rent again. Never being subject to the whims of a landlord. Having a home you can furnish and decorate, and a garden you can landscape and garden however you want. Perhaps even renting the place out when you aren’t there, and making passive income. This is the [...]
Investors from all over the world invest in Japanese real estate for a myriad of reasons. The most common ones are its high cap rates and low risk. Average returns on investment (ROIs) include 5.5% (downtown Tokyo) and 7% or more in Niseko, Hokkaidō and elsewhere. Higher-return properties also exist (usually with higher risk, of [...]
Click here to Take Me Back To Part One to find out how the system works... Previously, we learned that by law, those who live and work in Japan must join government insurance schemes. Most employees get ”Social Insurance”, which includes Health Insurance and Pension. Social Insurance is a fixed percentage and comes [...]