@have2fly
have2fly wrote: ↑October 16th, 2022, 1:30 pm
Yohan, thank you for your posts. Amazing old school clear experienced posts, very insightful.
How expensive is it to live in Japan? Can you also live comfortably for $2-$3k per month?
The issue about Western foreigners in Japan differs from foreigners in Thailand and Philippines.
It is easy to enter Japan for short-time as a tourist for 3 months, (for some countries even up to 6 months) - but to stay in Japan for long-stay is a different matter - to get a visa for long-stay (minimum 1 year) requires either employment, or student, marriage to a Japanese national, or a person who can prove some relationship with Japan (like Japanese Brazilians) etc.
There is no retirement visa...
1 year visa or longer includes always full health care insurance, which is really important and the working permit.
The problem is the first long stay visa, after that extensions are easy and given for longer stay, 3 years, 5 years, later on permanent.
Also be aware, that Japan is not a cheap place considering taxes, they are almost as high as in Western Europe.
About how much money you need, it depends where in Japan are you living, big difference in renting or buying your own home in the big busy cities or in smaller silent places.
I am a permanent Japanese resident and living in Japan since more than 40 years, my visa is independent (not a spouse or working visa), there is no restriction for me to buy land/house (I am co-owner with my Japanese wife of a condominium unit, my name is in the land title), no restriction to do any kind of work. Almost same as citizenship, but without voting rights.
How much money do you need? If you have a proper visa for long-stay and work for a Japanese company expect from your USD 3000,- income about 20 percent will be deducted remaining USD 2.400,-, which is not bad at all.
You can basically buy all what you need in a supermarket, home center etc. for the same prices and quality as the Japanese - you live in a tipless society which is very honest and crime against foreigners are more or less zero.
You need not to worry about medical bills (including dentist) and no waiting time if you need a medical doctor... everything is really functioning - no trash around as frequently collected, best drinking water supply, perfect electricity with no brownout or blackout, any public bus and any train will be ready on time...etc.
Japan is likely by my opinion still the best country in Asia for sure, better than Korea or Taiwan...but on the other side I have to say, many try to stay and many are leaving again after a few years. Not so many who prefer to stay.... there are about 96 percent pure Japanese, 2 % Koreans, Chinese etc. who are born in Japan and biligual and 2 % people like I myself. Totally around 126 million people. Most foreigners who prefer to stay are with Japanese family and able to communicate in Japanese.
Keep in mind, without some knowledge of spoken and reading Japanese you might walk around here like an illiterate.
Living in the large cities like Tokyo/Yokohama, Osaka/Kobe, Fukuoka is not so nice, too many people and fairly expensive for housing - however there is hardly any job available for a foreigner outside of that area. - Life in smaller cities, like I myself now in Okayama/Kurashiki (small? about 1.2 million people) is much better, with a lot of greenery around, less traffic, and much cheaper regarding housing only (but otherwise prices for your daily needs are more or less the same in all Japan) - I am retired since about 5 years, no need to work anymore...so we moved out of Tokyo.