Boycott Thai Altogether and Try Japan, Superior Visa Alternative

[keemapoot]

3 minutes ago, DaveCali said:

I am living in Tokyo last 4 months, I am in Tokyo right now.  I go Life, Tokyu and other markets everyday .. I know what I am talking about .. I spent a year in Thai on an off, so I am in a great position to compare the two places. Most grocery items cheaper in Japan, fruit and vegetables are exception 

I know that digital nomads like to hang around in Japan because the internet is so good among other reasons, but clearly this is one of the most expensive countries in Asia to live in.  Below is the nomadlist total rating for Tokyo, and you can see it's pricey.

 

https://nomadlist.com/tokyo

 

[Brad103]

I’ve read you can only stay as a tourist 180 days per year in Japan. And it’s enforced. The only long stay visas are marriage and work. After 3 years of marriage it’s supposedly easy to get permanent residency.

[Mel52]

I am living in Tokyo last 4 months, I am in Tokyo right now.  I go Life, Tokyu and other markets everyday .. I know what I am talking about .. I spent a year in Thai on an off, so I am in a great position to compare the two places. Most grocery items cheaper in Japan, fruit and vegetables are exception 

Ok well I lived in Tokyo for 5 years and I’ve been living in Thailand for 5 years now.

[Denim]

Been there done that. Preferred Taiwan any day of the week. Although to be honest it was only a month in the Tokyo suburbs,

whereas with Taiwan I went all around the Island with a girl I met on day 2. Free accommodation in her apartment plus she was very accommodating. Probably gives me a biased view.

[Mel52]

I was actually living in Tokyo during the March 11th 2011 9.0 magnitude earthquake the 3rd most powerful earthquake in recorded history that was an interesting time to be in Japan then we had months of aftershocks, rolling blackouts and the nuclear meltdown up north in Fukushima. I still loved it there but the cost of living between Japan and Thailand there’s no comparison it’s a mathematical fact that Thailand is cheaper.

 

[DaveCali]

15 minutes ago, Brad103 said:

I’ve read you can only stay as a tourist 180 days per year in Japan. And it’s enforced. The only long stay visas are marriage and work. After 3 years of marriage it’s supposedly easy to get permanent residency.

Thanks for that info, I did not know that as i am still new here .. Stayed so far roughly 4 months 

[CNXexpat]

6 months a year rainy and/or cold. No thanks. 

[Mel52]

Thanks for that info, I did not know that as i am still new here .. Stayed so far roughly 4 months 

By the way you still have about one month left to climb Mt. Fuji until they close it for the winter it’s open to non-professional climbers in June July and August. Mt. Fuji is about 70 miles outside of Tokyo I’ve driven there many times but unfortunately I never got a chance to climb Mt. Fuji which is the only thing I regret not doing when I lived in Tokyo. I did run the Tokyo Marathon in February 2011 before the big mega earthquake when I could still do all the extreme physical stuff. I’ve got a lot of pictures near Mt. Fuji and there’s a cool wildlife refuge near Mt. Fuji as well.

Mt. Fuji is about 12,500 feet at the peak or rather the top where the crater is from the last time it erupted over 300 years ago. You can rent an oxygen bottle if you’re gonna climb it which is recommended. Mt. Fuji is known to erupt every 300 years or so and currently it’s actually over due for it’s next eruption I hope it never happens in our lifetime.

Japan is really nice but their cost of living is way higher than Thailand which is a fact. There is absolutely no comparison. I really want to get back up there and see it again and we also know a lot of people in Tokyo and around the Zama and Sagamihara areas which is in the Tokyo area as well.

[Mel52]

When I lived in Tokyo I was still working and my COLA cost of living allowance was absolutely enormous because of the extremely high cost of living in Japan.

 

 

 

[Sujo]

I have no idea of cost of housing but was in tokyo last year for a few weeks.

 

Very expensive place I thought. But I loved it, clean and organised. My friend arranged a girl to show me around, as usual was so stunning. Japanese and korean girls are beautiful.

 

If i had the money i would move to japan or korea in a heartbeat.

 

Looking forward to the olympics in 2020, tho wont be able to see much as will be in the olympic village 

[mike787]

Thanks for the heads up.  Vietnam and Japan are on my list next.  I had a similar experience as you with Thai immigration.  Perfect record, but you get the wrong one that is in a FUNK...and no more LOS.  Thats fine.  Japanese girls are way more kinky, they even have lactation bars????

Edited July 29, 2019 by mike787

[Mel52]

I have no idea of cost of housing but was in tokyo last year for a few weeks.
 
Very expensive place I thought. But I loved it, clean and organised. My friend arranged a girl to show me around, as usual was so stunning. Japanese and korean girls are beautiful.
 
If i had the money i would move to japan or korea in a heartbeat.
 
Looking forward to the olympics in 2020, tho wont be able to see much as will be in the olympic village 

I used to travel TDY to Seoul Korea from Tokyo Japan all the time and the cost of living there in Korea is almost as cheap as it is here in Thailand.

[Mel52]

Just avoid the Nigerian “club owners” in Shinjuku and Roppongi areas of Tokyo and in other parts of Tokyo because they’re trouble and they’re almost always involved in something illegal.

 

 

 

[Genmai]

I spent about 6 years in Tokyo, worked and studied there, spoke Japanese and was even married to a Japanese at one point. It’s an interesting place but also has a few glaring issues for long-term expats.

 

Visas. if you ain’t married or sponsored by an employer then visas are an absolute pain in the ass. There is nothing approximating the Thai retirement visa or Malaysia’s second home program or Vietnam’s business visa there. Maximum of 180 days as a tourist per year allowed. The upside with Japanese visas is that there are clear requirements and all the IOs will follow them and not dick you around for no reason, so if it says 180 days per year then you can be sure it’s 180 days per year. 

 

Foreigner-restrictions. Just like in Thailand as a foreigner there are many restrictions on what you can do. Opening a bank account is only possible with a residence card. Purchasing agricultural land is impossible. Many landlords will specifically have a no foreigner policy because they can’t be bothered with the language/cultural barriers. It’s a hassle to teach your tenants that plastic bottles are collected on Tuesday only, and burnables on Friday, recycled plastic on Wednesday, etc. If planning to work you’re basically stuck with teaching English for peanuts. 

 

Inflexibility. The same factors which make things convenient and reliable are also the ones that make things excruciatingly inflexible. If you need a specific paper for something there is no workaround. If a lunch set at a cafe comes with black coffee but you really want latte and are willing to pay extra then tough luck cos black coffee it is! Many times these are odd requirements that make no sense whatsoever but nobody rocks the boat by asking “is this necessary?”. Example - to rent a place you absolutely need a guarantor. Do you need to know them for longer than 5 minutes? No. You can literally grab Mr Taro Tanaka from the street to guarantee that you are an upstanding citizen. Another example - want to rent a small farm plot to grow vegetables? Can't do that unless you register your occupation as a farmer and get an agricultural license! This is despite an overabundance of empty farm plots and a population of farmers who are almost all elderly and would love to rent out their land so they wouldn't have to come and cut grass every month to avoid paying tax.

 

Prices. They are eye wateringly expensive. The upside is that you know quality will be there every time. I find the comment about groceries other than fruits and vegetables being cheap really funny. Sorry but that’s like 70% of what constitutes groceries! $400 a month apartments exist but at least 20 minutes walking from the station and you wouldn't want to live in them. Taxis, eating out, shopping, look this is not debatable - Japan is one of the most expensive countries on the planet and your money will not go further than in Thailand. 

 

Rural depopulation is a real thing! All the talk about saving your yens by moving to the countryside has to be looked at realistically. And the reality is that Japanese countryside is interesting to live in for about 5 minutes before you realize that everybody is over the age of 70 and all the smart young pretty driven people moved out a long time ago. Yes, some prefectures will give you a free house because they desperately need people. It’s in the middle of nowhere with 0 economic prospects. Many hospitals in the countryside don’t even have staffed maternity wards anymore. I lived in a village for some time during an exceptionally snowy winter where over half of the houses got broken roofs from the unexpectedly heavy snowfall. A year later their roofs were still broken. Nobody could afford tens of thousands of dollars in repairs from their pension and having to call out a carpenter into the boonies. Contrast that with this tropical clownland banana republic where you can get a qualified (sic) chang pretty much anywhere for cheap. Questionable quality? Maybe, but as they say "up to you".

 

Social integration (or lack of) and annoying xenophobia. This was a biggie for me and ultimately together with my marriage turning sour was the primary reason for leaving Japan. Some people don't mind living for years in a different culture and learning the customs and language despite being consistently reminded that local residents will always forever until the end of time regard you as a fresh-off-the-plane farang. I'm not one of those people. These things matter to me. Your mileage may vary. 

 

And finally the only part that anyone really cares about: the ladies! ???? If you dress sensibly and are in shape then they’ll sleep with you same as everywhere else. The game differs from Thailand in that economic differences are not a factor which can be played to your advantage. Foreigners in Japan have the interesting image of a hopelessly low-paid yet charismatic English teacher who's in touch with his feelings and is from some whimsically picturesque Swiss mountain village. The upside is that if a girl wants to date you then you can be sure it’s got nothing to do with your money. Playing up your foreignness is a great strategy. Knowing Japanese language is a massive plus but the worst thing you can do is adopt Japanese cultural norms in your mannerisms. This is a cringe move that breaks her fantasy. Also, Japanese guys are horrible when it comes to chivalry and expressing emotion, so even doing things like holding the door open and sincerely commenting on how her hair is so beautiful today while making steady eye contact will go a long way. On the topic of Japanese guys - they will cockblock you in their typically passive aggressive way (bumping into you "accidentally", making the girl uncomfortable with looks, etc) but 99% of them are total pushovers and will **** off if you tell them to.

 

There is also a massive number of bored middle-aged housewives in a sexless marriage whose hardworking salaryman husbands come home tired at 11pm every night. They typically occupy their time taking some craft classes and also private language lessons. For those of us with flexible morals and a "why not" attitude this is a fantastic mostly still untapped pool. 

 

Lots of clubs available, some are even after-hours clubs that open at 6am and go on until mid-day if you really want to party. They are fun but because public transport shuts off for the night and taxis are way too expensive clubbing means you're committed to staying out all night which means more money spent and a day wasted to get over the hangover. Also most girls in clubs aren't there to hook up with foreigners (those clubs exist but good Lord are they seedy horrible places). Personally I've had much better luck in after-work salary workers bars, small quiet 15-20 counter seat places and events geared towards international mingling.

 

If I were to go back then I'd live in any secondary city other than Tokyo. I've heard very pleasant things about people from Osaka - apparently they are very different from Tokyoites and speak their mind more frankly and can be a bit more hot headed. The further South you go the better the weather gets. 

 

Ultimately though I found Taiwan to be much better. It's a very good middle ground between Japan and Thailand. Almost an amalgamation of the two countries' best aspects. Lots of pollution but the entire East Coast is pristine, you can surf, the exotic factor is definitely still there and a dash of Portuguese/Dutch DNA means girls have some nice curves. I'll probably go there later this year when I've managed to pull out my money from this hole and hopefully never come back here.

 

[sunnyboy2018]

This contradicts every report i have about japan. The only cheap place I have heard of is Okinawa.  This report does not really cover dining out or streer food, booze or girl P4P scene. But it looks promising for a three month trip.

 

[sunnyboy2018]

18 minutes ago, Genmai said:

I spent about 6 years in Tokyo, worked and studied there, spoke Japanese and was even married to a Japanese at one point. It’s an interesting place but also has a few glaring issues for long-term expats.

 

Visas. if you ain’t married or sponsored by an employer then visas are an absolute pain in the ass. There is nothing approximating the Thai retirement visa or Malaysia’s second home program or Vietnam’s business visa there. Maximum of 180 days as a tourist per year allowed. The upside with Japanese visas is that there are clear requirements and all the IOs will follow them and not dick you around for no reason, so if it says 180 days per year then you can be sure it’s 180 days per year. 

 

Foreigner-restrictions. Just like in Thailand as a foreigner there are many restrictions on what you can do. Opening a bank account is only possible with a residence card. Purchasing agricultural land is impossible. Many landlords will specifically have a no foreigner policy because they can’t be bothered with the language/cultural barriers. It’s a hassle to teach your tenants that plastic bottles are collected on Tuesday only, and burnables on Friday, recycled plastic on Wednesday, etc. If planning to work you’re basically stuck with teaching English for peanuts. 

 

Inflexibility. The same factors which make things convenient and reliable are also the ones that make things excruciatingly inflexible. If you need a specific paper for something there is no workaround. If a lunch set at a cafe comes with black coffee but you really want latte and are willing to pay extra then tough luck cos black coffee it is! Many times these are odd requirements that make no sense whatsoever but nobody rocks the boat by asking “is this necessary?”. Example - to rent a place you absolutely need a guarantor. Do you need to know them for longer than 5 minutes? No. You can literally grab Mr Taro Tanaka from the street to guarantee that you are an upstanding citizen. Another example - want to rent a small farm plot to grow vegetables? Can't do that unless you register your occupation as a farmer and get an agricultural license! This is despite an overabundance of empty farm plots and a population of farmers who are almost all elderly and would love to rent out their land so they wouldn't have to come and cut grass every month to avoid paying tax.

 

Prices. They are eye wateringly expensive. The upside is that you know quality will be there every time. I find the comment about groceries other than fruits and vegetables being cheap really funny. Sorry but that’s like 70% of what constitutes groceries! $400 a month apartments exist but at least 20 minutes walking from the station and you wouldn't want to live in them. Taxis, eating out, shopping, look this is not debatable - Japan is one of the most expensive countries on the planet and your money will not go further than in Thailand. 

 

Rural depopulation is a real thing! All the talk about saving your yens by moving to the countryside has to be looked at realistically. And the reality is that Japanese countryside is interesting to live in for about 5 minutes before you realize that everybody is over the age of 70 and all the smart young pretty driven people moved out a long time ago. Yes, some prefectures will give you a free house because they desperately need people. It’s in the middle of nowhere with 0 economic prospects. Many hospitals in the countryside don’t even have staffed maternity wards anymore. I lived in a village for some time during an exceptionally snowy winter where over half of the houses got broken roofs from the unexpectedly heavy snowfall. A year later their roofs were still broken. Nobody could afford tens of thousands of dollars in repairs from their pension and having to call out a carpenter into the boonies. Contrast that with this tropical clownland banana republic where you can get a qualified (sic) chang pretty much anywhere for cheap. Questionable quality? Maybe, but as they say "up to you".

 

Social integration (or lack of) and annoying xenophobia. This was a biggie for me and ultimately together with my marriage turning sour was the primary reason for leaving Japan. Some people don't mind living for years in a different culture and learning the customs and language despite being consistently reminded that local residents will always forever until the end of time regard you as a fresh-off-the-plane farang. I'm not one of those people. These things matter to me. Your mileage may vary. 

 

And finally the only part that anyone really cares about: the ladies! ???? If you dress sensibly and are in shape then they’ll sleep with you same as everywhere else. The game differs from Thailand in that economic differences are not a factor which can be played to your advantage. Foreigners in Japan have the interesting image of a hopelessly low-paid yet charismatic English teacher who's in touch with his feelings and is from some whimsically picturesque Swiss mountain village. The upside is that if a girl wants to date you then you can be sure it’s got nothing to do with your money. Playing up your foreignness is a great strategy. Knowing Japanese language is a massive plus but the worst thing you can do is adopt Japanese cultural norms in your mannerisms. This is a cringe move that breaks her fantasy. Also, Japanese guys are horrible when it comes to chivalry and expressing emotion, so even doing things like holding the door open and sincerely commenting on how her hair is so beautiful today while making steady eye contact will go a long way. On the topic of Japanese guys - they will cockblock you in their typically passive aggressive way (bumping into you "accidentally", making the girl uncomfortable with looks, etc) but 99% of them are total pushovers and will **** off if you tell them to.

 

There is also a massive number of bored middle-aged housewives in a sexless marriage whose hardworking salaryman husbands come home tired at 11pm every night. They typically occupy their time taking some craft classes and also private language lessons. For those of us with flexible morals and a "why not" attitude this is a fantastic mostly still untapped pool. 

 

Lots of clubs available, some are even after-hours clubs that open at 6am and go on until mid-day if you really want to party. They are fun but because public transport shuts off for the night and taxis are way too expensive clubbing means you're committed to staying out all night which means more money spent and a day wasted to get over the hangover. Also most girls in clubs aren't there to hook up with foreigners (those clubs exist but good Lord are they seedy horrible places). Personally I've had much better luck in after-work salary workers bars, small quiet 15-20 counter seat places and events geared towards international mingling.

 

If I were to go back then I'd live in any secondary city other than Tokyo. I've heard very pleasant things about people from Osaka - apparently they are very different from Tokyoites and speak their mind more frankly and can be a bit more hot headed. The further South you go the better the weather gets. 

 

Ultimately though I found Taiwan to be much better. It's a very good middle ground between Japan and Thailand. Almost an amalgamation of the two countries' best aspects. Lots of pollution but the entire East Coast is pristine, you can surf, the exotic factor is definitely still there and a dash of Portuguese/Dutch DNA means girls have some nice curves. I'll probably go there later this year when I've managed to pull out my money from this hole and hopefully never come back here.

 

interesting informative post.

[keemapoot]

4 hours ago, sunnyboy2018 said:

This contradicts every report i have about japan. The only cheap place I have heard of is Okinawa.  This report does not really cover dining out or streer food, booze or girl P4P scene. But it looks promising for a three month trip.

 

Okinawa is cheaper than the mainland, but still considerably more expensive than Thailand. One of the reasons you hear that Okinawa is much more livable is because it is a beautiful big island, and also because many (most) of the foreigner living experiences come from the 50000+ US military or military attached civilian contingent there on frequent rotation. Most of these folks have generous housing allowances, which takes a lot of the bite out of the cost of living in Japan, as well as Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) increases in pay. These COLA adjustments vary by region in Japan and go up and down, but add considerably to the pay package. Add to that the advantage of being able to shop at the commissary and BX, purchase and drive cars at special prices and conditions, and the cost of living can truly be manageable.

 

But...on your own in Japan, it's a tough slog and not attractive financially.

 

*Just to finally put this discussion to bed, here is an online estimate of the difference in cost of living between Japan and Thailand:

 

Quote

Cost of living in Japan is 71.15% higher than in Thailand (aggregate data for all cities, rent is not taken into account). Rent in Japan is 63.79% higher than in Thailand(average data for all cities).

https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/country_result.jsp?country=Japan

Edited July 29, 2019 by keemapoot

[OneMoreFarang]

19 hours ago, owl sees all said:

What about the Japanese ladies?

[OneMoreFarang]

7 hours ago, sunnyboy2018 said:

This contradicts every report i have about japan. The only cheap place I have heard of is Okinawa.  This report does not really cover dining out or streer food, booze or girl P4P scene. But it looks promising for a three month trip.

I guess you can get great deals in Fukishima. ???? 

[owl sees all]

4 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Very pretty indeed. But, are they insecure, jealous, greedy, untrustworthy and uneducated? Or are they just raving nutters beneath the surface; like the Thai girls?

Edited July 30, 2019 by owl sees all

[transam]

On 7/29/2019 at 12:57 PM, NCC1701A said:

may i ask what is your age?

And what model Zimmer frame....????

[OneMoreFarang]

3 hours ago, owl sees all said:

Very pretty indeed. But, are they insecure, jealous, greedy, untrustworthy and uneducated? Or are they just raving nutters beneath the surface; like the Thai girls?

I don't know. The girls in the picture are superstars.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AKB48

I saw (some of) them once in Bangkok and I was happy they smiled at me (from a distance). ???? 

[daveAustin]

On 7/29/2019 at 7:05 PM, Genmai said:

I spent about 6 years in Tokyo, worked and studied there, spoke Japanese and was even married to a Japanese at one point. It’s an interesting place but also has a few glaring issues for long-term expats...

Good post, thanks.

[daveAustin]

On 7/29/2019 at 7:51 AM, simon43 said:

Marcus, do you mean me?  My only serious physical issue is a rusted-up willy, through lack of use ????

 

In Myanmar I was recorded last year as the fastest 10,000 metre runner in the country in my age group.

 

Perhaps it was mental issues that you thought I had? ????

Snappy comeback, Simon, but don't feed the troll  

[fusion58]

I thought about Japan for a minute, but when I left California, I told myself I was done with earthquakes.

[thaibeachlovers]

On ‎7‎/‎29‎/‎2019 at 5:47 PM, owl sees all said:

What about the Japanese ladies?

OP does not mention them. I'll bet anything they aren't available at Thai prices though.

The Japanese have much to commend them, Ghibli, cleanliness, orderly lives ( except for the Yakuza ), beautiful women and apparently amazing sex lives ( if one can believe the internet ), but I like anarchic lifestyles and affordable women. It would be no contest for me- LOS is the cheese.

[thaibeachlovers]

19 hours ago, owl sees all said:

Very pretty indeed. But, are they insecure, jealous, greedy, untrustworthy and uneducated? Or are they just raving nutters beneath the surface; like the Thai girls?

Ah, Japanese girl groups- they make a living out of titillating rich young geek guys, but I have no doubt out of reach for all but the mega rich, if even that. Japanese women are realising that life can be rewarding even if not married to some guy that works all day and parties long.

[thaibeachlovers]

16 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I don't know. The girls in the picture are superstars.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AKB48

I saw (some of) them once in Bangkok and I was happy they smiled at me (from a distance). ???? 

I saw a documentary about Japanese girl groups once. They cater to rich computer industry geeks, but only to tease. Seems like a lot of Japanese life consists of teasing- check out the maid business where beautiful girls dress as maids and pamper rich guys in restaurants, but that's as far as it goes.

I prefer guaranteed happy endings and no tease.

[OneMoreFarang]

47 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I saw a documentary about Japanese girl groups once. They cater to rich computer industry geeks, but only to tease. Seems like a lot of Japanese life consists of teasing- check out the maid business where beautiful girls dress as maids and pamper rich guys in restaurants, but that's as far as it goes.

I prefer guaranteed happy endings and no tease.

Not only in Japan...

http://maidreamin.co.th/en/ 

[owl sees all]

1 hour ago, thaibeachlovers said:

OP does not mention them. I'll bet anything they aren't available at Thai prices though.

OP does say that "rides range from $1 to $2.5". That's about the same as Thai prices. At least up here in buffalo land.