I love how helpful and in depth you are with covering all of the information. This kind of stuff goes a long way in helping ease the anxiety foreigners can feel when navigating this process. Great job as always!
Thanks, that means a lot! The last few blogs, I just had to keep writing more and more, because I didn't want to leave anything out. I just keep in mind the kind of information I wish I'd had when I was starting the process...
Thanks for watching! I want to be as open with our process and numbers as possible, simply because when we were starting this, I couldn't find that kind of content anywhere. Please subscribe, and I'm always happy to answer questions :)
LOVE this video and your story. We lived 7 years in Japan and are ready to come back and buy and Akiya. We aren't sure about the process exactly as our past visas were always taken care of by our work. I'll keep watching and learning.
Wishing you all the best on your own journey back to Japan! If you plan to do the startup visa or business manager visa, I'm happy to share our experience, or at least recommend some professionals to help along the way. Thanks so much for watching :)
Very cool video! I have been looking at buying a house in Japan for a few years now, your video on the process was one of the most clear and thorough explanations on how to buy from start to finish. I love that you guys did a lot of the work yourselves, my wife and I have a few rental properties in the Northern Virginia/Washington DC area and we have done most of the work ourselves too!
@julioalvarez2836 Thank you for your two friendly comments! It seems we have some interests in common. I'm glad you found the video helpful, and wishing you the best of luck with your own journey to Japan! I think going into this with the intention of doing the work yourselves will be more enjoyable and affordable.
@@bentonhomestead Of course, I found your channel to be very informative and fun to watch! I love working with my hands and the feeling of satisfaction when all is completed. The airbnb market is something I have not done, and am curious to hear your journey on that :)
@patrishaharrigan4466 Thank you! We would be happy to host you on your trip. The decor will only get better over time, as I continue to restore antique decorations from our second akiya :)
@robinm3031 Wonderful! That's very exciting. If you find yourself in the area, please feel free to get in touch. We'd ba happy to meet, or show you around Ōmishima, or host you at the guesthouse.
@VickieC. Thanks so much! It's actually helpful for me to go back through and write this all down, because it happened so fast, I know I'll forget. I hope it helps others!
Thank you so much! I'm glad the video was helpful, and we wish you the best with your future retirement plans also. I think it's complicated, but, nothing is impossible! Please consider subscribing, and feel free to keep in touch if there's anything we can help with, or point you in the right direction :)
And yes, lots of gardening! Evan's got our front engawa filled with baby plants, a little makeshift greenhouse, and now that the weather has warmed up, some teenage plants have moved outside. A big part of our business plan is farming and honey, so we've spent the winter preparing for spring :)
Thanks for watching! I definitely plan to keep making update videos on our progress. Our first few months were a little slow because we opened in December, a slow tourist time for our area, and only had a few reviews, which gives travelers hesitancy. But! Once spring hit, we really started. March and April were 90% of our goal. May is our first month we'll surpass our goal! We hope the trend continues throughout the summer and late fall tourist season.
Yes, of course! We're working with a local small business improvement subsidy program for our air conditioners. The first two were ¥90,000 ($575 USD) each, for purchase and installation, and we're considering adding one or two more before next summer. I plan to continue being completely transparent with all business aspects, so will do an update video covering any additional renovations, as well as monthly utilities, and our very small annual tax bill. Thanks for asking!
Hey there, Thanks for your video it is a hidden Gem, I have been looking for this type of information for a while now, I’m a 22 year old wanting to save up money and hopefully buy my first ever property in japan and renovate it, I also did a little bit of research myself, but this video was by far the most informative, I want to know how expensive it is to hire people to renovate the house, and how do you get a residency in japan as well to apply for a bank account, how long does it take to be a resident? And how much have you guys earned so far from your airbnbs? You don’t need to answer if it’s private information, thank you :)
Thanks for your comment, and wishing you the best! I'll do my best to answer your questions briefly, but each one is really complicated with no simple answer. 1) How expensive is it to hire people to renovate a house? That is different for everyone based on region and quality of renovation desired. For example, you can have tatami installed for about $100 USD each, or upwards of $1000 USD each. Renovation really depends on many different factors. For our renovation, we did much of the work ourselves, but as you saw in the video, most of our renovation budget was spent on contractors (meaning you can save a TON by doing work yourself). 2) How do you get residency in Japan and apply for a bank account? There are many visa (residency) options, so you'll need to determine which one works best for you. The vast majority of foreigners achieve residency in Japan by working for a company teaching english, working for a Japanese corporation, or formally studying Japanese language. None of those options worked for us, so we opted for the Business Manager visa. I have a whole video about hat process! But, it's not for everyone. You can read about the different visas online, then connect with an immigration lawyer, to figure out the best path for your situation. The bank account involves going to a bank in person, after receiving residency and registering your address. 3) How long does it take to become a resident? That also varies depending on your visa route! We are residents based on the length of each visa renewal. In a few years, we will start applying for permanent residency, but estimates online say it can take 5-10 years of living in Japan before that's possible. I don't have any personal experience with permanent residency yet. 4) How much have we made from our guesthouse? As of now we've been operating 11 months and have earned over ¥2 million. Not bad, considering it's the first year operating, and we opened in winter (slower tourism). I'll do a full video covering this topic after we pass one year!
No problem, always happy to chat :) No, we were residents! Many of the things we've done cannot be done as a non-resident. I think there might be a little confusion on the meaning of the term "resident" :) Everyone with a visa (short-term visa or long-term visa) is a resident of Japan. We had Japanese residency as soon as we got our first visa. Our path was: tourist entry > Startup visa (6 months) > Business Manager visa (1 year) > Business Manager visa (hopefully we get 3 years next time!) > keep renewing until we apply for "permanent residency". Permanent residency means you don't have to keep applying for visa renewals (and not all visas are renewable!). But also, permanent residency is different from citizenship. I hope that helps clarify a little!
By the way, I just re-read your comment, and it seems I may have misread what you were asking (I didn't see the word "permanent"). So my apologies if some of my explanation was unnecessary information! But I hope it answered your question. Wishing you the best :)
@mohankumarm8164 We share all of our financials in this video/blog, as well as the other video/blog "Japan Data: Startup Visa to Business Manager". But, if you're asking about initial investment of the house itself: it was $38,000 USD to purchase the property (including fees and taxes), fully renovate, meet fire department regulations, receive the rental license, and furnish/decorate to the point of being a welcoming and functioning guesthouse. I will be doing a follow-up video soon, after our guesthouse has been open for a year, to look at the initial investment vs. the income and continuing expenses. So far, 10 months after opening, our return on investment (income) has been about $12,000 USD.
I love how helpful and in depth you are with covering all of the information. This kind of stuff goes a long way in helping ease the anxiety foreigners can feel when navigating this process. Great job as always!
Thanks, that means a lot! The last few blogs, I just had to keep writing more and more, because I didn't want to leave anything out. I just keep in mind the kind of information I wish I'd had when I was starting the process...
Very informative! Thanks for sharing the numbers
Thanks for watching! I want to be as open with our process and numbers as possible, simply because when we were starting this, I couldn't find that kind of content anywhere. Please subscribe, and I'm always happy to answer questions :)
LOVE this video and your story. We lived 7 years in Japan and are ready to come back and buy and Akiya. We aren't sure about the process exactly as our past visas were always taken care of by our work. I'll keep watching and learning.
Wishing you all the best on your own journey back to Japan! If you plan to do the startup visa or business manager visa, I'm happy to share our experience, or at least recommend some professionals to help along the way. Thanks so much for watching :)
Love this video and congrats!
Thank you so much for your comment!
Very cool video! I have been looking at buying a house in Japan for a few years now, your video on the process was one of the most clear and thorough explanations on how to buy from start to finish. I love that you guys did a lot of the work yourselves, my wife and I have a few rental properties in the Northern Virginia/Washington DC area and we have done most of the work ourselves too!
@julioalvarez2836 Thank you for your two friendly comments! It seems we have some interests in common. I'm glad you found the video helpful, and wishing you the best of luck with your own journey to Japan! I think going into this with the intention of doing the work yourselves will be more enjoyable and affordable.
@@bentonhomestead Of course, I found your channel to be very informative and fun to watch! I love working with my hands and the feeling of satisfaction when all is completed. The airbnb market is something I have not done, and am curious to hear your journey on that :)
Great information! Thank you!
Thank you for watching :)
Amazing work you’ve done! Looks like it was fun!
@Ronnie500 Thanks so much! It was a heck of a lot of fun and work :)
@@Ronnie500 Wow haha that's really kind of you! Thank you so much :) :)
Great information, looking forward to staying next month!
Thanks so much! We really look forward to meeting you two.
Absolutely love the decor! I will have to make a stay at your guest house a must do for my trip!
@patrishaharrigan4466 Thank you! We would be happy to host you on your trip. The decor will only get better over time, as I continue to restore antique decorations from our second akiya :)
Nice video very informative, as always
Thanks so much! I appreciate you taking the time to watch :)
@@bentonhomestead Soon I will be also following your steps too, so it makes sense watch all your videos, because are very informative
@@wanderercat6538 Wonderful! I just subscribed to your channel too. Wishing you all the best, and please let me know if we can help in any way :)
Another great video well done!
@RealRuralJapan Thanks! Evan is planning some puns just for you, for his next seed video ;)
@@bentonhomestead As long as they aren't too seedy, I'll be ok with it.
I see what you did there.
Thank you so much for such detailed and helpful information. I am heading to Setonaikai soon and may become a neighbour!
@robinm3031 Wonderful! That's very exciting. If you find yourself in the area, please feel free to get in touch. We'd ba happy to meet, or show you around Ōmishima, or host you at the guesthouse.
Another great one, I love your videos !
@VickieC. Thanks so much! It's actually helpful for me to go back through and write this all down, because it happened so fast, I know I'll forget. I hope it helps others!
Super helpful. Way to go! We live in Nagoya and may consider retirement in Japan and do the same as you have.
Are you doing a lot of gardening and being self sufficient?
Thank you so much! I'm glad the video was helpful, and we wish you the best with your future retirement plans also. I think it's complicated, but, nothing is impossible! Please consider subscribing, and feel free to keep in touch if there's anything we can help with, or point you in the right direction :)
And yes, lots of gardening! Evan's got our front engawa filled with baby plants, a little makeshift greenhouse, and now that the weather has warmed up, some teenage plants have moved outside. A big part of our business plan is farming and honey, so we've spent the winter preparing for spring :)
Hi. Great videos. I’d be very curious to hear if the Airbnb has been renting at the rates you had anticipated.
Thanks for watching! I definitely plan to keep making update videos on our progress. Our first few months were a little slow because we opened in December, a slow tourist time for our area, and only had a few reviews, which gives travelers hesitancy. But! Once spring hit, we really started. March and April were 90% of our goal. May is our first month we'll surpass our goal! We hope the trend continues throughout the summer and late fall tourist season.
@@bentonhomestead Thanks. That’s great news!
Great info, thank you for sharing
@nononono3421 Thanks for watching!
I noticed that your airbnb listing shows that there have been some air conditioners added. May I ask how much these cost to purchase and install?
Yes, of course! We're working with a local small business improvement subsidy program for our air conditioners. The first two were ¥90,000 ($575 USD) each, for purchase and installation, and we're considering adding one or two more before next summer. I plan to continue being completely transparent with all business aspects, so will do an update video covering any additional renovations, as well as monthly utilities, and our very small annual tax bill. Thanks for asking!
Great idea consulting!
It just wort of worked out that we had been talking about it, then our local realtor approached us with the idea, so it was good timing.
@@bentonhomestead cool, I got an email from a subscriber asking for assistance. I will forward it to you, maybe something can work out.
Hey there, Thanks for your video it is a hidden Gem, I have been looking for this type of information for a while now, I’m a 22 year old wanting to save up money and hopefully buy my first ever property in japan and renovate it, I also did a little bit of research myself, but this video was by far the most informative, I want to know how expensive it is to hire people to renovate the house, and how do you get a residency in japan as well to apply for a bank account, how long does it take to be a resident? And how much have you guys earned so far from your airbnbs? You don’t need to answer if it’s private information, thank you :)
Thanks for your comment, and wishing you the best! I'll do my best to answer your questions briefly, but each one is really complicated with no simple answer.
1) How expensive is it to hire people to renovate a house? That is different for everyone based on region and quality of renovation desired. For example, you can have tatami installed for about $100 USD each, or upwards of $1000 USD each. Renovation really depends on many different factors. For our renovation, we did much of the work ourselves, but as you saw in the video, most of our renovation budget was spent on contractors (meaning you can save a TON by doing work yourself).
2) How do you get residency in Japan and apply for a bank account? There are many visa (residency) options, so you'll need to determine which one works best for you. The vast majority of foreigners achieve residency in Japan by working for a company teaching english, working for a Japanese corporation, or formally studying Japanese language. None of those options worked for us, so we opted for the Business Manager visa. I have a whole video about hat process! But, it's not for everyone. You can read about the different visas online, then connect with an immigration lawyer, to figure out the best path for your situation. The bank account involves going to a bank in person, after receiving residency and registering your address.
3) How long does it take to become a resident? That also varies depending on your visa route! We are residents based on the length of each visa renewal. In a few years, we will start applying for permanent residency, but estimates online say it can take 5-10 years of living in Japan before that's possible. I don't have any personal experience with permanent residency yet.
4) How much have we made from our guesthouse? As of now we've been operating 11 months and have earned over ¥2 million. Not bad, considering it's the first year operating, and we opened in winter (slower tourism). I'll do a full video covering this topic after we pass one year!
@@bentonhomestead thanks for replying! That’s amazing, so all of your accomplishments so far are possible without being a permanent resident of japan?
No problem, always happy to chat :) No, we were residents! Many of the things we've done cannot be done as a non-resident. I think there might be a little confusion on the meaning of the term "resident" :)
Everyone with a visa (short-term visa or long-term visa) is a resident of Japan. We had Japanese residency as soon as we got our first visa. Our path was: tourist entry > Startup visa (6 months) > Business Manager visa (1 year) > Business Manager visa (hopefully we get 3 years next time!) > keep renewing until we apply for "permanent residency".
Permanent residency means you don't have to keep applying for visa renewals (and not all visas are renewable!). But also, permanent residency is different from citizenship. I hope that helps clarify a little!
By the way, I just re-read your comment, and it seems I may have misread what you were asking (I didn't see the word "permanent"). So my apologies if some of my explanation was unnecessary information! But I hope it answered your question. Wishing you the best :)
Pour of heart Ok , How much money did you Pour?
@mohankumarm8164 We share all of our financials in this video/blog, as well as the other video/blog "Japan Data: Startup Visa to Business Manager". But, if you're asking about initial investment of the house itself: it was $38,000 USD to purchase the property (including fees and taxes), fully renovate, meet fire department regulations, receive the rental license, and furnish/decorate to the point of being a welcoming and functioning guesthouse.
I will be doing a follow-up video soon, after our guesthouse has been open for a year, to look at the initial investment vs. the income and continuing expenses. So far, 10 months after opening, our return on investment (income) has been about $12,000 USD.