Transcript
Speaker: 4Runner sold as of yesterday or two days ago. Definitely putting more money into that car than I got back out. But there is an interesting parallel with Akiya's in Japan that I was sort of thinking about as I was selling this car. i had a lot of prospective buyers come to me and kind of be like, yeah, I'm looking for a real beater, you know, something I can smash up, like this is this looks perfect, like, you know, like kind of Talking negatively. And it's it's just such a turnoff as a seller to have someone talk about you know something that you put so much energy into that way. And it's like, I refused a few buyers because I was like, no, I just don't want to sell to this person. So I think the parallel with Akia's is don't talk negatively about the properties. you know When we're going in negotiations in the West, a lot of times we'll point out all the flaws and use that as like a negotiation tactic. It's their precious baby.
Speaker: Yeah, especially if it's old couple or maybe the sons or daughters that are selling it grew up there, whatever. They've got a lot of fond memories there. I think it's the same thing. No one wants you to talk negatively about potentially their childhood home or a house that they really do love. Me as the seller, I was like, yeah, I can totally see it. If you go into an Akiya and start saying all these negative things about it, they're gonna be like, I don't want to sell to this person.
Speaker: Welcome to the buying a house in Japan podcast, the number one Akiya podcast in the world. We're joined today with the three homies. We got Joey in the house and we got Eric's son, Eric Senpai in the house. Yeah. How's it going guys? so Good to be back.
Speaker: Good. You got some big news. Yeah. We successfully closed on the Ichi Ma-yen $69 home. Yeah. Congratulations. Wait, so so last time we we we chatted, I thought you had actually closed. Or in my memory, you had already closed. But no, you had to put an offer in? or i thought i I thought it was accepted. Or maybe I didn't close or it was accepted. ah who Who knows? Either way, and it's official for sure now.
Speaker: And I've actually seen it now. Like I only had pictures before, but ah jake was ah Jay was over there and kindly went and toured it. And he i have three bedrooms upstairs with three separate staircases to each bedroom.
Speaker: so just Harry Potter. Yeah, very. And maybe I can move him around. but What else does Jay say about your house? the Is he stoked or is he like, this is a piece of shit? There were some serious spiders that he was not a fan of outside the house.
Speaker: I think overall, though, he was like, Pretty good buy. He said I have my word for now. Do you think Japan has just more spiders in general? like I just feel like every single Akio we've ever been to, we've had to get a spider stick. and Joey's usually the one like waving it in front of him. There's definitely... Yeah. i mean Even in Misawa, where I grew up, there was always plenty of spiders. and Then as you went south or you went to like other bases on like traveling trips, they were they would have serious big spiders at other bases. Yeah.
Speaker: Like, you know, that, that park near the house in Tokyo, if you just go to like Taki, imagine the walk to the lookout, right? yeah When you're walking along that little boardwalk section of it and you look in the trees there, it's all spiders. Like it's all those big black and yellow ones. Like I do think there's a lot of spiders. When, when I was back in July for i think it was July or August for the fireworks festival in Nagaoka shout out number one fireworks festival in the world. Yeah.
Speaker: truly it is actually number one. We're like biggest fireworks in the world. But um we we had to cross the bridge. And while we walked across the bridge, the railing, nothing but spiders, just caked in spiders. And I would have to like warn people like, hey, don't touch the railing. You will get Klingons. The spiders don't bite though, I feel like, right? These are just like huntsman spiders or something. They're all chill. The ones that look really...
Speaker: black and yellow the black and yellow ones that are around are non-venomous but they look heinous so yeah yeah we um what's from call we went to go check out a property in in tosashimizu down in kochi and then like there was one tatami room where there's just like a fossilized dead spider it's a huge looking thing just looking at us i'm like oh that's so fossilized from half tarantula i i thought i saw tarantula on that property yeah yeah so wow you do they have tarantulas in japan definitely yeah Definitely. Okay. It's confirmed.
Speaker: Okay. I don't know. precise My eyes. Yeah. It might as well be a tarantula type of deal. yeah ah Okay. Okay. Yeah. i feel Looking at buying an Aki. Just be ready. I think the the insect game.
Speaker: is pretty pretty hardcore like cockroaches yeah geckos i'm not getting geckos as you get south okinawa geckos for sure we had geckos in our house in okinawa there's like giant hornets dude those are crazy like murder hornets yeah those i had a bunch of dried up ones in my first house that i bought just swept them up yeah so can you walk between your houses or like how close is this property to your old one again ah This one's about a seven minute drive. This one's port side and I'm inland. My main house, my other house, my sister's house, if you will, is about a two minute drive.
Speaker: So it's like a nice walk with a dog type of deal that I could walk to my sister's house. And that one is in between the other one. So I would be two minutes closer to the seven minute away house. Eric, for the listeners here, what where is this house? Give us a quick quick ah spark mode version of what what are you what what's happening. These houses are all in Teradomari Village, which is a small village outside of Nagaoka, Niigata, Japan, or outside of Tsubame Sanjo, Japan, however you want to look at it. But we belong to Nagaoka City, but we usually go to Tsubame Sanjo for our like train stop on the Shinkansen.
Speaker: What's around this porthouse? Is it like, are you kind of more downtown than the first house or? Yeah, I'm three blocks from the fish market. Like, and it's considered the fish market of Niigata, like high class crab town. That's what they, yeah, everybody, everybody around like Niigata prefecture. If you say, oh, I live in Tera Domari, they'll throw up two fingers and clap like a crab. And and they're like, oh, you're from Crab Town. Welcome to the Crab Town, baby. We got to go to Crab Town. I want go to to Crab Town. And then, yeah, there's just like when you're at the fish market or like the fish boardwalk, if you will. It's not even really a fish market. It's more like you walk along the main street.
Speaker: And it's on the port side, obviously. And there's all these stores selling fresh seafood and or having restaurants and stuff. And it's all really, really high high quality. so Have you had anyone come visit you in Terra Domare yet?
Speaker: Oh, yeah. Yeah, I've had to. Where do they stay? What's the what's the nicest hotel in Terra Domare? Oh, they stay with me. they stay with you? Yeah, I mean, I'm i' the nicest hotel in Terra Domare. Eric's the mayor, bro. You didn't realize this? Eric Domare, this is his town. It is kind of a tourist trap spot because we have the port, which I'm also two blocks away from the port, that you can take to Sato Island, right? Villa Voix looks nice. Yeah, yeah, Villa Voix is pretty premium.
Speaker: Eric, you have three homes there now, right? Yeah, three three houses. Three homes. $26,000, $13,069. Wow, down $69 here. Can you go any lower? I don't think so. But I definitely, with this last realtor that we worked with, he specializes in these Ichiman-Yen homes.
Speaker: Oh, for real. i yo yoshi and myself just told him like hey when you get another one you just throw it past us you know if you don't mind and yeah so hopefully maybe another one will come up oh sorry eighty d d moment spiders yoshi taught me something about the spiders in japan There's like i was here's like a general Japan rule is you do not kill spiders at nighttime. You only kill spiders in daytime. The nighttime belongs to them. And so if they're out and about doing their thing, it's like, oh, it's okay.
Speaker: But during the daytime, they shouldn't disturb you. And so then it's okay to like sweep them up and put them outside or whatever. In true Buddhist fashion to not kill another god creature, you know.
Speaker: You ever heard that? Never heard of that. i never heard of that i don't think i that wrong I'm killing the spiders. I'm a murderer. okay i just had him i don I just put them outside get rid of the mosquitoes. We'll remember that one, Eric. Don't kill them at night time.
Speaker: Back to the price, I don't technically, like I've been doing, you know, I've been scraping a bunch of Japanese real estate websites out there. Based on how the data is structured, I don't think you can put a price. If you're like a Japanese real estate agent putting a listing up on at homes or whatever, i think the minimum is probably Ichimayan.
Speaker: I don't think you can go lower than one month, just the way the system is built. I don't think you'll ever see a property Akiya Mart or the Japanese real estate websites for less than one month. yeah Unless we do it ourselves, Jerry. Ichi Ma Yen is free, right? like And we just absorb the $69. Is that what you're saying? I don't think they these sites let you put a non-positive price on it. But maybe like a smaller real estate website that's specializing in Akiya banks, you might see a zero-yen house. But I think for the major ones, you're not going to see anything less than one mon.
Speaker: They have to put a dollar holder. they Basically, they have to put a dollar. Yeah, I with eric what are you going to do with these houses, man? You got three houses. I know we'll talk about you moving to Japan. what's ah What's Beth think about all these ah this collection?
Speaker: I'm really hoping that the Tera Domari house is a solid like midterm stay home. Maybe short-term stay home. Maybe I get my Minpaku license and go for short-term stay.
Speaker: And then the other house, you know a $13,000 one that's my sister's, but she only uses it a little bit. I think she's interested in having me use it for midterm stay. For people want to try out Akia lifestyle, you know like you want to figure out what it's what it's like. Or maybe you want to test the area out and see if you want to buy an Akia in that area. then you i mean it's kind of it's kind of a big step to stay long term in a place right yeah if you could rent feasibly a midterm stay would people do that like would people pay a lot less for a month or two months try before you buy would you consider selling would your sister consider selling that place if we have a listener that wants to move there no no
Speaker: Okay. Yeah, I think we like our area. well There's another house there. If somebody wants, right next to me, two houses down from me. It's been for sale maybe, i don't know, two, three years. It's really nice. It's renovated. I met the selling agent, Sato San, and it's $55,000, but it's fully renovated, like turnkey, ready to go with four car parking.
Speaker: Okay. Quick plug, we have a purchasing program, Akia Mart Direct. Eric is kind of leading the charge there. So if you are interested in buying a property, specifically this property next to Eric's home, shoot us an email at contact at akia-mart.com. Like that ah yeah organic organic ad I threw in there. I'll show you the world.
Speaker: All right, so big news. You got the keys to the house, but even bigger news, you're planning a not a trip. Tell us about your move, Eric.
Speaker: Yeah, we ah we fly out in a few days to stay semi-indefinitely in Japan. Congrats, man. Thanks. Thanks. Yeah. it's ah I didn't say it with so much excitement, mainly because I have so much going on right before we leave. And yeah, we're taking boxes to the post office. I'm shipping one of my cars to try and figure that out. Plus, we just did the health check for our dog, but then we still have to receive the certificate and then send it, like email it to the quarantine office. And So there's just a lot of moving pieces that I'm that i'm trying to balance so that everything goes correctly. Meanwhile, also making making sure that clients are are really happy going through the the buying process and everything like that too. Can't let that slide.
Speaker: Million dollar moment for you, Eric here. What's stressing you out the most now? Your T minus what? One week? Visa approval. these but That is definitely like I can't do anything about it. I can't affect it, right? And it should already, in theory, if I would have applied at a different office, I could have already been approved by now. But because my...
Speaker: submission goes through the tokyo head office from nigata it takes longer so why move before you get that approved is it just like now it's the window of opportunity or what's it's winter time so we would be there anyways through the winter we never yeah we should have already been approved anyways so i'm figuring like within the next three to six months we'll get approved and if not I can always come back. Like it's not, I'm not selling my house just yet. Um, but I did sell all my vehicles. So yeah.
Speaker: So when you get the certificate of eligibility, you can, you don't have to leave the country and come back in. Correct. You don't have to, you can go to an immigration office for them to finalize everything inside of Japan. So My visa coordinator told me like, Hey, if we need to, she's like, even I can go do it if you want in Tokyo, or I can give you all the paperwork to do it in Niigata at that immigration. but So we got options.
Speaker: So for the listener, Eric is applying for the business manager visa and he, he hit the window before they made that $200,000 capital, whatever infusion change. Eric, give us the quick spark noted version. Like what's been the the journey thus far? When did you start this process?
Speaker: When did you submit your application? How long have you been waiting for? I submitted my application over the summer, maybe ah August. Yeah, like in August, when I was there for the fireworks.
Speaker: And it was a little it's bit on edge, right? Because everybody didn't know what was going to happen with the policies. And then it came out like, hey, they're raising the business manager visa. Cash injection that you need is to 200,000 US s dollars, roughly, and one full-time Japanese employee.
Speaker: um So we are grandfathered in with the old rules, but we have three years to meet the new rules, which is plenty of time. I'm not concerned about that at all.
Speaker: Yeah. It's interesting that like we've had other folks in our circles who have applied and gotten in the approval way faster. For example, Fukuoka. Yeah. It's strange that again, like I think you have both but but everyone that a lot of other people we know have like a lot more business valid reasons and more connections to Japan. And yet it's taken a long time. So it's it's strange that you haven't been approved yet.
Speaker: It's just Tokyo, I think is the the real issue here. Maybe they will deny me.
Speaker: Don't say that. But i think it is I think it's just Tokyo is backed up. And it's unfortunate that Hokuriku, like Niigata, those areas, they lean on the Tokyo Bureau instead of having one in... ah having Yeah, down your and it's a branch office. and Yeah, I like...
Speaker: When I originally applied, I thought that it would all go through the Niigata office. But then it goes through the Niigata office and then they batch it and then they send it to Tokyo. So it might even be – arguably it might even be slower than Tokyo because you're waiting for it to get batched and sent to Tokyo and them to approve it. Or maybe they fast stamp it once they get it to Tokyo. I don't It's a black box of visas. All right, Eric, if when you do get approved, shoot us a text message. We will take tequila shots.
Speaker: Yeah. matter Where we are. Sake bombs and tequila shots for sure. back bombs and tequila I've got to give them up. Tequila shots. I got a list of the immigration bureau offices.
Speaker: There's like 10 Sapporo, Sendai, Tokyo, Yokohama, Nagoya, Osaka, Kobe, Hiroshima, Takamatsu, Fukuoka and Naha. Yeah. and the husa rico and Nothing. Yeah.
Speaker: Sad. All right. let's Let's transition back to your move here. So you you're based out of Minnesota. Your background is different. You've ah taken off all your hats. like Is it hitting you now that this is all real, that you are moving to Japan potentially permanently?
Speaker: ah Yeah. I mean, I've already been in the mindset for a while. That's why I think it's most frustrating about the visa thing because I like – I want to do the rest of the stuff that I need to do, but im not I can't without that. So I'm like, I'm stuck in like purgatory of of sorts, right? Like i'm I'm already checked in, but they're like, no, you're you're in a waiting room, bro. Yeah.
Speaker: what How are you shipping your stuff over? Just like boxes, shipping container? I know you're bringing furniture maybe, maybe cars. so Yeah, furniture's waiting. um I'm going to wait a little bit longer, obviously, maybe until I get a visa approval or I have one year done with the visa and I have it renewed. I am shipping the car because it's very Japanese-esque. It's a 1967 Datsun Roadster.
Speaker: so And I really wanted to learn what it's like to ship. and what it's like to register a car like that from experience-wise. And it's like my little prized possession. So you're shipping the car originally from Japan back to Japan. Yeah. On the serial, the VIN plate, it says Yokohama, Japan right on it. And that will be the port that we are shipping it directly to. So I'm hoping they'll go easy on me and be like, oh, welcome home.
Speaker: Well, welcome home. So you didn't want to put it in storage in America and just get another in Japan? in japan No, this car is... I would say it's more rare even in Japan than it is here. ah Really?
Speaker: yeah And there was a lot of custom work done to it to the point where I think it'll be very unique. Like you don't see Haku Jin driving around 1960s classic. You get some head turns for sure. In Niigata of all places. Right. like They'll be like, what?
Speaker: Mayor's coming, baby. Yeah. They might actually think I stole it because it's just so far fetched that I would be driving that car in Japan. Right. And actually, big news, Joey. What's happening with your truck? Sold. Sayonara. So the 4Runner sold. The 4Runner?
Speaker: Yeah. Actually, there's that interesting parallel. I see. well Oh, sorry. The 4Runner is gone. This is a car that I've had for maybe past five years and I put a lot of work into it. Very first car I've ever owned and I held onto to it for a long time. I asked a bunch of people when I first bought it, like what, what car do you remember most fondly in your life? And everyone like 100%, 10 out of 10 people said their very first car. it was like, oh what do I do with this information? And i Held onto this car for a long time. It had a lot of problems, but you know, slowly over time, I put in the sweat equity and, and solve all those problems. And I believe it is running pretty good right now.
Speaker: That makes a really good point because I asked, Yoshi-san previously, hey, why don't people sell some of their old homes? Like, why do they just let them sit abandoned? And he's like, they want, they love to hold on to the idea that they might return and to the memories. They're like, the taxes are almost nothing, right? And if they sell it, they know they'll never return and their memories are gone, right? But if they hold on to it, even though it's abandoned and they never go to it, the idea is that they could return to it. And he said that is a reason for a lot of people actually still holding on to their Akias that have owned them or inherited them.
Speaker: Before we let go of the forerunner, I have, I think, my favorite story, Joey. bringing it back here. Joey had just bought the car and when we he was living with me in Hawaii and he was fixing it and his back window lock wasn't working and he's like working on it for like a couple of days in the garage and he comes into the kitchen. It was me and my roommate. He brings the lock and it's like the lock works. I just hit it with a hammer and it's it's working all of a sudden. and My roommate's like good life analogy. Sometimes you just got to hit life with a hammer.
Speaker: Wait, was it in Hawaii? Yeah, he bought it in Hawaii. And you shipped it back to Canada. So this was during like still pandemic was raging at this time. Like I just got the very first vaccination. Like it was still at that peak there and they had a deal, um whatever. can't remember the name of the company that was shipping cargo from Hawaii back to California, but they had some kind of promotion. It was like normally 2000 bucks. And they're like right now, $600 to ship a vehicle back to the mainland. So i was like on top of everyone saying, Oh, they, the car that they remember most fondly in their life was their very first car. I was sort of thinking, do I, I was leaving Hawaii and I was like, do I sell it, resell this car or do I keep it? And then I saw this promotion and I was like, okay, this is fair gotta to ship it. Yeah. So I shipped it.
Speaker: Car had good memories. I road trip with you across the United States, like broke down. You're like so stoked to fix it on the side of the road. Yeah. Joshua tree, it broke down on the side of the road and it was just like the, some accessory belt slipped off and just put the accessory belt back on and like took off again. We were with our friend. I remember she was like, Joey's so happy. You're like busting out your toolbox, getting in the car. He's like so excited that your car broke. I mean, especially like to be like a car breaks down in the desert and to be able to like fix it, get it back on the road like in a tiny minute. That's like, that's a life achievement. That's what we trained for. Yeah. That's why we trained. Yeah. You don't have to call AAA.
Speaker: What a win. All right, Eric, sorry for the segue here. So cars are gone. What's your car set up in Japan right now? like what's the What's the quiver? Oh, yeah, we've got our first car. 2008 Subaru Legacy Wagon GT.
Speaker: Sick. Snowboard rack ready to roll. um And we we purchased for Beth a bright highlighter green, yellow Suzuki Jimmy late model.
Speaker: And then we purchased a 2008 Toyota Alphard minivan all wheel drive. You got the Alphard? Yeah, we got we got a black Alphard ready. we're We're trying to get ready to be able to rent, obviously, any business manager visa so I can get my rental license and rent rent the minivans. And then the last recent most recent purchase to replace the S15 that I sold here, I bought another Sylvia S15 in Japan. Like literally the day after or the day of that I sold it here, I immediately bid on one at auction and scooped it up. so
Speaker: Did you just like come up big like by selling one in the like cost-wide? Did you come up or it was it about ah equal transfer? Yeah. I mean, I definitely came up because the one I have here is like really really dialed in, real nice wheels, all modified nicely. –
Speaker: ah So that one sold on the high end, but it's silver one here. And I've always really wanted a blue one. So the one I found in Japan and their blue ones are more rare. So I managed to get a factory like real, like nothing modified, nothing touched at all in blue spec are in Japan, which is much more desirable from like a collector or like a resale standpoint than the silver one that I already sold. So in theory, I probably came up like maybe i don't know.
Speaker: 16, 16 K on a, on a sale. Damn. That's sick. Joey and I, we have like one parking spot in Tokyo, so we have to be real, uh, real, uh, real strat strategic with our car. But actually now Joe, we have the, uh, parking spots. Oh, can you read, can you use the parking spots from the coin laundry to register? yeah It's not ours yet.
Speaker: But I mean like, but once it is, you could technically, Yeah, we actually and then the two sides of the building apparently the two side ones are the best. There's like five in front and then a big space on either side. No one really parks there because if someone could block you in a couple of weeks till you close.
Speaker: ah The current situation is the everyone's on board and we're waiting approval from the landlord. okay we've We'll do a full episode on this, but we've sent the landlord a handwritten letter with a Starbucks gift card. Starbucks gift card? You gave him Starbucks.
Speaker: Starbucks. Starbucks. Again, imagine you're selling your car that you loved and someone writes you a handwritten letter saying how much they love the car and here's $20 Starbucks gift card. Like that's the strategy we're employing. yeah Exactly. They can have it.
Speaker: i mean, because that would be the that would probably be the honestly the best offer that I would have received. you know Nobody came at me with a Starbucks gift card, but I would have taken it. right, Eric, what else are you prepping?
Speaker: ah We took a long segue on cars. said what What else are you prepping? What other things are you doing right now? You hair on fire with things to do? Yeah, I packed a snowboard bag full of stuff, packing all of our suitcases you know early. I usually like literally when I'm going to Japan, even for months on end, I usually just pack the night before.
Speaker: And in this case, i'm packing bro I'm packing days before. And I'm like, oh, this is so unnatural. um But I'm trying to figure out what I need to ship. And then for everything else, I'm just throwing it it in a box and taking it to USPS and shipping it. And it's like, I don't know, right around $100 a box, I feel like. so What do you have to do on the US side? I guess maybe it's not official yet, but like as a tax resident or something like that, any forms you need to fill out to be like, hey, US, I'm leaving?
Speaker: No, when I do file later on, I have to file... some there's a special form that basically i made i forget you know chat gpt told me what it was it's just basically that i have foreign earned income hell yeah so have you filed taxes yet in japan this next year is going the first official year you file personal taxes or yeah i think it'll be this next year when you were like when you first started the visa process and you're collecting documents how long was that before you actually submitted like what what how long does it take to go from zero to submitting an application
Speaker: I feel like it was maybe about three months time. Three months. you know You have to develop your CV. you have to fill out all the forms on like what your business plan is going to be. Set your salary.
Speaker: Yeah, like a lot of those things. And then send forms back and forth like passport or whatever official documents you have to send back and forth. I feel like it took about three months. Maybe it could be a lot faster, but we were pretty casual. I wasn't stressed at all.
Speaker: Casually three months, if this is like the only thing you're doing in life, you think you could rush it in in one month? Yeah, I think you could. As long as the the company you're working with is prepared to do that as well. Like if they're sending you the request for the information that they need right away.
Speaker: Yeah. What are you doing with your current house? Just kind of shutting it down for the winter? Yeah, I'm letting one of my guys stay here if he wants.
Speaker: House party at Eric's. Let's go. Yeah, and then my neighbors are kind of caring for it. And it's just like a communal effort to take care of Eric's home. And everybody's telling me that they're going parties, including Take. Yep, yep. Next, Aki Mart off-site, Eric's address. It's a pretty...
Speaker: dope house I think for parties which I don't really throw like I have a fire pit in the back and everything and a deck and tiki torches next offsite I've even yeah I even have a heater like one of those you know like those restaurant like big lamp flame heaters and stuff so I feel I feel like uh you can accommodate groups of people right, Eric, for the listener here who is thinking about, hey, America's too expensive. i want to buy a house in Japan and I'm going to move to Japan. What advice do you give that person or what should they start thinking about? It's a lot of lot of moving parts, right?
Speaker: Yeah. What advice when you're just starting? um Do it. Just do it. There we go. Do it, lady. No, and and I mean that, and like, what I mean by that is buy the house, right? That's what other than that's what I did, right? I bought the house, and then I had a place to work from.
Speaker: i had ah When I was applying for my visa, I had an address that I could register as my business and my house because I had two different buildings. So I did a couple things that I i thought would be strategically correct.
Speaker: By buying a house with a separate building that I could register the business to. um But then even if you didn't do that, just having a ah place to operate from and an office that you'd want to submit all your paperwork to in Japan for your visa. But it all starts from that point, right? That that house point.
Speaker: So when I say just do it, it means just... Start. Buy the house. Acumark Direct. Yeah. I do think like renting to go, like purchasing is like, we've been through the process it enough times personally, but also, you know, we've been helping a lot of clients purchase in Japan to check out our Acumark Direct program. We can help you buy.
Speaker: But I do think if you're trying to like move to Japan and not buy a house and like rent right away. like it's more I feel like renting is is more difficult in Japan than purchasing a house. like You're going to need to get your bank account set up and a Japanese phone number and a guarantor company and like got to deal Shikakin Reikin and like all those extra fees. like I just feel like if you can find an affordable house, like buying is the the simpler option if it's within your budget.
Speaker: I had a budget to do either. And I actually felt like renting might actually be... worse on my budget than what i I, mean, cause my house was, I don't know, all in maybe 4 million yen or something, right? Four, or four and a half.
Speaker: And if you're looking at a rental, you, what you have all the key, you know, you have all those different like move in fees and everything else. And then it's all gone too. I mean, on top we all know that. And it's like the the obvious, right? But yeah,
Speaker: Yeah, you might still be out like, what, 2 million yen or something? So you know how we're like, oh, there's no bidding wars in Japan. And like when you're purchasing a property, most of the time i have heard that Maybe it's changing, but most of the time it's first come first serve.
Speaker: But I've heard a lot that there are bidding wars for apartments, especially in Tokyo with the Shiki Keen Reikin. If someone's trying to rent an apartment, someone might come and be like, maybe the landlord saying, okay, six months rent for Reikin or whatever, right your way in six months gift. Other people will come and be like, I'll give you nine months rent or whatever, you know, as a gift to the landlord. So there are bidding wars with rentals in Tokyo.
Speaker: Yeah, and I guess if you want to be in Tokyo and you're comparing properties there, then yeah like maybe rental still makes sense because it's so expensive for a Tokyo property. i mean, what do you guys think is a what can you get a Tokyo property for in any of the wards or outskirts? 115, I think, for something immediately livable.
Speaker: Yeah. 115,000. I kind of think for like turnkey. I think I would even just push up to 200. Oh, really? You can't find anything in the 70 range? Oh, sorry. I meant outside the wards.
Speaker: Sorry. We're talking about house, right? Not a condo? House. Yeah. House. House in Tokyo Prefecture. So I'm saying outside the 23 wards. So like Tama, where we bought, I do think based on like what I'm seeing in the market, like 115, 20K for something that you can move in right away.
Speaker: Within the 23 wards, I think we've been looking, think 300. Yeah, two to 300. Maybe 400 at this point.
Speaker: Kondo's different though. I do think Kondo's within the 23 wards, you can't find it. You're not going to get Ebisu or Daikanyama, but you're going to get Adachi-ku, Kotoku for like 70k, 80k.
Speaker: Okay. But I also do think like, man, time again we've talked a lot about Tama pros and cons. I think our Tama house is a solid A now. Also from the aspect that like Tokyo is going to keep expanding further out.
Speaker: yeah you know I think, i don't i don't know how they determine the 23 wards, but Voting Tama to be the 24th ward if they do expand because it's coming. There's a lot of people there. Bought it as a B, turned into an A. It's definitely an A now.
Speaker: All right, Eric, with you leaving, what are you gonna miss about America? what are your What's your final meals? like i know you Mexican skin food, hands down. Minnesota tacos, Twin Peaks taco blog. I don't know if we're still running it. but i don't very much I don't do it very much. Okay, Mexican food, what else? Taco Bell? No Taco Bell. Is Taco Bell Mexican food? No. no What are you trying to do, man? You're California. I love Chilupas though. ah cheesy gordita crunch yeah i mean mexican food we're definitely trying to recreate as much as possible they're baking i don't have an oven yet yep i was going to talk to my gas company about getting an oven um so we can bake and share baked goods with our japanese friends because i know that's a pretty big thing for japanese they don't have
Speaker: are type of baked goods, like cakes and stuff like that. They have cakes, obviously, but they're different. They have different cuts of sugar and stuff. So they're always like pretty mellow, right? So they go crazy when you give them a high dose of diabetic American cakes. Let's go, baby. what what ah What else do you really? Gosh, I don't really miss much.
Speaker: What? You're not going to miss And what else are you going to miss? this is ah This is your last week in America. Like you, you've nothing. time goodbye america so farewell fluoride in my water i don't know water terrible internet connection um
Speaker: I'm struggling to find things that I'm with America. He's done fluoride in my water. was a joke. and Everybody just don't worry. Yeah. I'm just like looking around my office as you ask that question to try and get ideas. You're going to miss the trash situation. What's your trash situation? Just put everything in in one thing. yeah I've got two bins. I got a recycling bin and a regular bin. I load them up and I put them out and they're done. Yeah, i will miss I will miss trash. That's very fair. i Got him, Jerry. Good work. Dang it. I'm going to come back with my trash just to get rid of it so I don't have to do it in Japan.
Speaker: Final question for you. What are you most excited about in Japan? At this point, like when you get there on the ground, what's going to be like the first thing you're like, got to do this or eat here. i'm a foodie.
Speaker: Number one, you can't see me right now. I mean, you guys can, but the audience can't. I've been, i didn't get a haircut since I left Japan. So I've been back maybe six months.
Speaker: And I got ArtSpace by Ricky, ArtSpace Ricky in in in my town, like a little bit. Is that a haircut guy? Haircut guy. And I asked Yoshi the other day, I was like, hey, man, can you make me an appointment? And he's like, yeah, I got you. And I was like, I've never had a perm before, but Ricky does my own perms. So I'm looking forward to my my new perm.
Speaker: And I'm cutting this beard off and just basically a complete makeover. Maybe I'll look like a blonde Yakuza or something with ah with a perm. And then, and then food. Yeah. Number number one is food though, for sure.
Speaker: So. right. Podcast cover. We're not going release this for a few weeks. Eric, send us a killer photo of the perm. Oh, all right. Game time. It's going to be the podcast cover. Eric with blonde highlights.
Speaker: will I will use legally blondes. Get out of, if you know the reference, like if you wash your hair with right after your perm, it'll wash it all out. Cause the chemicals will get washed out right from a perm.
Speaker: So if I don't like it, I will wash it out. but you Joey texted me. He was up in Hokkaido. Joey, I don't know where you were, but Joey went to go get a haircut. He was like, it was so bad. I shaved my entire head. Oh, wow. I think my best haircut ever was the one that I had six months ago with Ricky.
Speaker: So that's why I was like, I'm going back. so
Speaker: Poor Joey. Hokkaido haircut. I have not had good hair. Once I had a good haircut in Beppu, but then I went back to the guy and it was a bad haircut. So I'm like, is that a fluke? So I've been learning how to cut my own hair.
Speaker: Hey, well, if you are in Niigata and you want a sick haircut, Ricky Arts, what's his name? What's the last plot here? Artspace Ricky. Artspace Ricky. We'll drop him a link in the show notes if you're happy to be in town. In Tsubame, Tsubame Sanjo area. There you go.
Speaker: Well, Eric, well, hey, best of luck on the move. I hope Frida, Beth, everyone makes it there safe and sound. Hopefully the Vita, do we get some good news there. And we'll see you in February, hope. And I want to check out that Yakiniku table. That looks dope.
Speaker: All right. Thanks, guys. See you, boys. See you, Eric.
Speaker: Thanks for listening to this week's episode of Buying a House in Japan. If you find the show helpful or at least entertaining, give us a five-star rating. Takes five seconds and really goes a long way. If you or someone you know is looking for a Japanese home, check out Akiyamart.com, our English-friendly site that lets you browse over half a million listings. That's A-K-I-Y-A-M-A-R-T.com to find your dream home in Japan.
Speaker: If you've got questions or feedback, drop us a line, email contact at akiamart.com. You can also find us on Instagram as well as TikTok, where we post properties, tips on the home buying process, and updates on our own purchases and renovations. Thanks again for listening, and we'll see you next week.
