An American Bodybuilder in Japan

[Wynn]

In Nagano, $460 can get you seven rooms, a spacious garden, and a view of rice fields.

Got $500 to Spare? You Can Buy a House in Japan

In Nagano, $460 can get you seven rooms, a spacious garden, and a view of rice fields.

www.vice.com

 

[hawkmoon]

In Nagano, $460 can get you seven rooms, a spacious garden, and a view of rice fields.

Got $500 to Spare? You Can Buy a House in Japan

In Nagano, $460 can get you seven rooms, a spacious garden, and a view of rice fields.

www.vice.com

I have seen this, and it's interesting. Per the article though I'd probably prefer Sicily

 

[maldorf]

In Nagano, $460 can get you seven rooms, a spacious garden, and a view of rice fields.

Got $500 to Spare? You Can Buy a House in Japan

In Nagano, $460 can get you seven rooms, a spacious garden, and a view of rice fields.

www.vice.com

Thats awesome. It says the town is about 1 and a 1/2 hours from Tokyo when riding the bullet train. Too far IMO for someone commuting to Tokyo. I wonder if there are any good jobs closer to the town?

I looked a bit at the homes for sale in Italy for $1.00. Their only stipulation was you spend $X on fixing the place up and use local workers/supplies to do so. Great idea on their part. Good deal for all. If we were both retired, I think maybe we would go for it!

 

[Wynn]

 

[TheAnabolicFreak]

How big was your home?

 

[hawkmoon]

How big was your home?

If you are asking me directly, I currently live in a 70sqm two bedroom.
We might by property later, outside Tokyo, but my wife is Tokyo born and raised and is hesitant to leave. It's just so incredibly convenient here.

 

[alfresco]

If you are asking me directly, I currently live in a 70sqm two bedroom.
We might by property later, outside Tokyo, but my wife is Tokyo born and raised and is hesitant to leave. It's just so incredibly convenient here.

Do you live in a house with a backyard?

What are the prices for something you might want to buy?

Thanks.

 

[hawkmoon]

Do you live in a house with a backyard?

What are the prices for something you might want to buy?

Thanks.

6 story apartment building, we are on the 3rd floor. Newer building constructed in 2004.
No yard, but we do have a small park & cherry blossom trees and others on the grounds - very rare for central Tokyo. There is a tree outside my bedroom window that survived the WW2 firebombing.
Rent is about 2,500USD. To buy a similar "condo" in this area would be about 1-1.3m

Here are a couple pics of the view in the Spring

 

[alfresco]

If you are asking me directly, I currently live in a 70sqm two bedroom.
We might by property later, outside Tokyo, but my wife is Tokyo born and raised and is hesitant to leave. It's just so incredibly convenient here.

Hey Matt,

Do you live in a house with a backyard?

What are the prices for something you might want to buy?

6 story apartment building, we are on the 3rd floor. Newer building constructed in 2004.
No yard, but we do have a small park & cherry blossom trees and others on the grounds - very rare for central Tokyo. There is a tree outside my bedroom window that survived the WW2 firebombing.
Rent is about 2,500USD. To buy a similar "condo" in this area would be about 1-1.3m

Here are a couple pics of the view in the Spring

View attachment 153577
View attachment 153578

Thanks.

Lovely cherry blossom tree. If only it could speak.

I suspect you do not own an automobile, public
transpo in Tokyo being good. (I think I remember
you saying you ride a bicycle to work,)

 

[hawkmoon]

Hey Matt,

Do you live in a house with a backyard?

What are the prices for something you might want to buy?


Thanks.

Lovely cherry blossom tree. If only it could speak.

I suspect you do not own an automobile, public
transpo in Tokyo being good. (I think I remember
you saying you ride a bicycle to work,)

I love cars and used to work on my own German cars back in the US. Since I moved here I have not owned a car. I can walk to the office and do walk to the gym. The trains are excellent.

 

[whoremoan]

what an awesome read

you know when you read into someones life and their not an egotistical arrogant piece of shit and they are just one of those genuine honest nice people ? well thats you my friend

i know we could be best mates and ive only read 16 pages of your life hahah

anyway, why did you and your ex wife seperate ?

are japanese woman extremely loyal and 'family' types ?

would cheating be considered incredibly wrong as they have extreme family values as opposed to western woman?

 

[hawkmoon]

what an awesome read

you know when you read into someones life and their not an egotistical arrogant piece of shit and they are just one of those genuine honest nice people ? well thats you my friend

i know we could be best mates and ive only read 16 pages of your life hahah

anyway, why did you and your ex wife seperate ?

are japanese woman extremely loyal and 'family' types ?

would cheating be considered incredibly wrong as they have extreme family values as opposed to western woman?

While Japanese are more homogenous than many other cultures, they aren't all the same.
Be careful of the Western view of them or other Asians and the stereotypical views you heard about or see in movies or TV. Japanese women are not the submissive servants often depicted.

My ex actually cheated on me, which I don't forgive. She also had borderline personality disorder and swung from thinking I was the best thing ever to hating me in the drop of the hat.
After my daughter was born, my ex was not the sole focus of my attention and she flipped. She was very dependant. I came to understand BDP is a relatively common disorder here. Fortunately my daughter is very smart and knows the truth.

My current wife came from a divorced family - which is very rare here - and would never marry only to divorce. She is devoted and faithful.
Japanese women are less likely to divorce or cheat, but that's changing. Men cheat fairly regularly and many women just look the other way. As long as they have a home, kids, and funding, many don't care. They can be very stoic.
There are the occasional stories of wives divorcing their husbands after they retire. They enjoyed their life alone and when the husband retires and start hanging around the house, the wives want nothing to do with them. The husbands are of course shocked.

 

[whoremoan]

While Japanese are more homogenous than many other cultures, they aren't all the same.
Be careful of the Western view of them or other Asians and the stereotypical views you heard about or see in movies or TV. Japanese women are not the submissive servants often depicted.

My ex actually cheated on me, which I don't forgive. She also had borderline personality disorder and swung from thinking I was the best thing ever to hating me in the drop of the hat.
After my daughter was born, my ex was not the sole focus of my attention and she flipped. She was very dependant. I came to understand BDP is a relatively common disorder here. Fortunately my daughter is very smart and knows the truth.

My current wife came from a divorced family - which is very rare here - and would never marry only to divorce. She is devoted and faithful.
Japanese women are less likely to divorce or cheat, but that's changing. Men cheat fairly regularly and many women just look the other way. As long as they have a home, kids, and funding, many don't care. They can be very stoic.
There are the occasional stories of wives divorcing their husbands after they retire. They enjoyed their life alone and when the husband retires and start hanging around the house, the wives want nothing to do with them. The husbands are of course shocked.

i ask because alot of thai woman have extremely bad stereotype where i am (cheaters, liars, thieves) but what ive seen their polar opposite, extremely loyal
what i noticed is theyre either extremely bad and flirty or extremely loyal, like there is no inbetween

may i ask if she cheted with a japanese guy or westerner? and how did you find out ?

that would of been very hard on you and your daughter, sorry to hear

glad your doing great now

 

[alfresco]

Thats awesome. It says the town is about 1 and a 1/2 hours from Tokyo when riding the bullet train. Too far IMO for someone commuting to Tokyo. I wonder if there are any good jobs closer to the town?

I looked a bit at the homes for sale in Italy for $1.00. Their only stipulation was you spend $X on fixing the place up and use local workers/supplies to do so. Great idea on their part. Good deal for all. If we were both retired, I think maybe we would go for it!

Not to stray too far of the main topic . . .

The second stipulation is that you do not change how it looks from the outside.
And these old stone farmhouses / 'villas' are very dark inside, very few windows
and you can't put another one in. Inside anything goes. But don't be in a hurry.
Things happen very very slowly in Italy. The bureaucracy is crazy. Would love to
hear from some of our Italian members on this . . . start another thread.

 

[Nike22]

I understand that Tokyo is very cool and lots of job opportunities, etc. but for quality of life I would get out of the city if I were you. I've been in Japan for 21+ years, the last 18 in Gunma and I love it. Yeah, you gotta have a car to get around but just rent alone... $2,500 for 70sq m? The last time I lived in a house under 250sq m, Bush was still in office.
いなかがいいですよ！

 

[Muay Thai]

While Japanese are more homogenous than many other cultures, they aren't all the same.
Be careful of the Western view of them or other Asians and the stereotypical views you heard about or see in movies or TV. Japanese women are not the submissive servants often depicted.

My ex actually cheated on me, which I don't forgive. She also had borderline personality disorder and swung from thinking I was the best thing ever to hating me in the drop of the hat.
After my daughter was born, my ex was not the sole focus of my attention and she flipped. She was very dependant. I came to understand BDP is a relatively common disorder here. Fortunately my daughter is very smart and knows the truth.

My current wife came from a divorced family - which is very rare here - and would never marry only to divorce. She is devoted and faithful.
Japanese women are less likely to divorce or cheat, but that's changing. Men cheat fairly regularly and many women just look the other way. As long as they have a home, kids, and funding, many don't care. They can be very stoic.
There are the occasional stories of wives divorcing their husbands after they retire. They enjoyed their life alone and when the husband retires and start hanging around the house, the wives want nothing to do with them. The husbands are of course shocked.

people say the same thing about Mexican chicks, being submissive. all the Chicanas are tainted, unless you get a paisa from deep in Mexico this is a myth

my pt client is Persian, he said Persian girls are submissive, but you have to drive a Mercedes and make bank to interest one. same with the chaldeans

I just split with my gf of 1 year she was BPD also. Emotionally abusive and once in a while physical. Insane. I dealt with the same discards and "you're my favorite person in the world". I have talked to @OuchThatHurts a few times about it, typically its an incurable condition, good luck getting BPD to seek help in the first place

stoic is how I would picture the culture there as a westerner and based on my interactions living next to UCSD (Asian hub in san diego)

 

[hawkmoon]

I understand that Tokyo is very cool and lots of job opportunities, etc. but for quality of life I would get out of the city if I were you. I've been in Japan for 21+ years, the last 18 in Gunma and I love it. Yeah, you gotta have a car to get around but just rent alone... $2,500 for 70sq m? The last time I lived in a house under 250sq m, Bush was still in office.
いなかがいいですよ！

You went for the "slow life"

I know what you mean, but I love Tokyo.
The costs are worth the trade off in convenience for us now as our income allows it.

My wife is also a die-hard Tokyo girl, born in Ota-ku as well and would be very hard to move away. Speaking of cars, my wife never got her license as she never needed it

Maybe when I retire in ten years things will be different. I'm open to possibilities.

 

[alfresco]

You went for the "slow life"

I know what you mean, but I love Tokyo.
The costs are worth the trade off in convenience for us now as our income allows it.

My wife is also a die-hard Tokyo girl, born in Ota-ku as well and would be very hard to move away. Speaking of cars, my wife never got her license as she never needed it

Maybe when I retire in ten years things will be different. I'm open to possibilities.

Ten years until you retire? Where does time go. A lifetime fly's and a
minute drags.

I will speculate that you will never come back to live. Not new news to
you I am sure. It is in your blood now with family bonds and obligations.
You are 'spoiled' now in a certain way but not in a bad way. You are blessed
and can afford to live and work in a very special place.

The few times and the amount of time I have spent in Tokyo with relatives
(and branching of on our own for a week or two) was just delightful.
I think I have said this before, I can easily see why you like it so much.

When my cousin and husband moved to Tokyo, it was when he worked for
Tower Records (remember them? . . . I am dating myself), managing the
Tokyo store. They swore it was just for a couple of years. Then they had a
baby girl. Well, we will move back before she gets in kindergarten. Then
a baby boy came along. Same thing. Then it was we will move back before
they are in high school. Then it was after high school. (He was doing very well
then, opening and operating all the tower Record stores in the Asia Pacific.
And everything, and I mean everything was paid for. They had a huge house
with a yard. Must have cost a small fortune, Kids went to the best International
schools, etc. They never saw a bill. Ever.

Then things fell apart. Tower Records sold, Sony bought them and gave him a job
that had an short end date. Finally they could not afford to live there any longer
and had to move back to the US. Really sad. I have such wonderful memories of
Tokyo and other places we visited. Always felt safe and secure and welcome.

I remember going out with him in downtown Tokyo late at night to early morning,
visiting clubs, listing to music with him. What a a trip. He had by then started a
sideline business signing bands and copyrighting their music, hence the all nighters
in the clubs. Got to see an entirely different side of Tokyo that people rarely get
to see. But all good things must come to an end.

Sorry, I am rambling here. Please forgive the grammar and spelling errors.

Living here is good and bad as is living anywhere. Tradeoffs for certain. People
who have traveled know this. There is no perfect place as near as I can tell.

 

[hawkmoon]

Ten years until you retire? Where does time go. A lifetime fly's and a
minute drags.

I will speculate that you will never come back to live. Not new news to
you I am sure. It is in your blood now with family bonds and obligations.
You are 'spoiled' now in a certain way but not in a bad way. You are blessed
and can afford to live and work in a very special place.

The few times and the amount of time I have spent in Tokyo with relatives
(and branching of on our own for a week or two) was just delightful.
I think I have said this before, I can easily see why you like it so much.

When my cousin and husband moved to Tokyo, it was when he worked for
Tower Records (remember them? . . . I am dating myself), managing the
Tokyo store. They swore it was just for a couple of years. Then they had a
baby girl. Well, we will move back before she gets in kindergarten. Then
a baby boy came along. Same thing. Then it was we will move back before
they are in high school. Then it was after high school. (He was doing very well
then, opening and operating all the tower Record stores in the Asia Pacific.
And everything, and I mean everything was paid for. They had a huge house
with a yard. Must have cost a small fortune, Kids went to the best International
schools, etc. They never saw a bill. Ever.

Then things fell apart. Tower Records sold, Sony bought them and gave him a job
that had an short end date. Finally they could not afford to live there any longer
and had to move back to the US. Really sad. I have such wonderful memories of
Tokyo and other places we visited. Always felt safe and secure and welcome.

I remember going out with him in downtown Tokyo late at night to early morning,
visiting clubs, listing to music with him. What a a trip. He had by then started a
sideline business signing bands and copyrighting their music, hence the all nighters
in the clubs. Got to see an entirely different side of Tokyo that people rarely get
to see. But all good things must come to an end.

Sorry, I am rambling here. Please forgive the grammar and spelling errors.

Living here is good and bad as is living anywhere. Tradeoffs for certain. People
who have traveled know this. There is no perfect place as near as I can tell.

As your cousin found once you get used to life here it is hard to give it up.

I'm very fortunate to be able to work and live here. We live well ( though no expat comp lol) and I can walk anywhere I want to go. The gym, the office (no need since February 2020), shopping, movies, etc. I used to take my daughter to Tokyo Disneyland all the time - only about 45m away.

Rent is high, but with no car, and daily life prices low due to decades of stagflation it all works out.

After retirement I'll have to think of something else though as living. l costs will be proportionately too high without my high income.

 

[hawkmoon]

A quick shot from my window as Spring comes to Tokyo