Hi, I plan to buy a holiday home in Japan and live there from June to August each year after I retire, but it seems hard to get a long-term residency permit in Japan. I don't want to work or run a business. I just want to relax and do a bit of sightseeing in Japan.
- Australians can enter Japan for up to 90 days visa-free. But if I do 90 days in Japan every year for many years in a row, will the border guy be pissed and decide to give me less than 90 days?
- As a foreigner, is there any extra fees/charges for buying property in Japan?
I understand I won't get public healthcare, and that's okay. If I get into deep shit, I will just come back to Australia to get treatment and/or die.
Thank you for your answers.
by Reading-Rabbit4101
19 comments
>But if I do 90 days in Japan every year for many years in a row, will the border guy be pissed and decide to give me less than 90 days?
As long as you’re abiding by the rules no one will care.
>As a foreigner, is there any extra fees/charges for buying property in Japan?
For the actual *purchase*? No.
But you’ll need to hire a property management company to maintain the property and pay your utilities/taxes. That will be a not-insignificant expense.
Why on earth did you pick those months to live here?
Have you actually lived in Japan from June to August or are you just insane?
Your plan seems solid but June to August is like the worst months to stay in Japan weather wise haha depends on where in Japan
Either this guy has never been to Japan in the summer, or planning to live in Hokkaido, or some kind of masochist. But I would be happy to buy your place for yen on the sen when you realize how impratical that arrangement becomes.
those are the worst months to be in Japan though
Start a company to manage the property or conduct other business activities, get a business management visa.
You’ll have no issues living in Japan 3 months a year. Houses can be bought cheap outside of the major cities. Leaving a house empty for 9 months a year is a little sketchy. Expect to spent time (or money) on upkeep. Do you have friends and family that can use it while you’re not there? Employing a Japanese speaking property manager will make life a lot easier re: bills etc.
You should have no issues if you stay 90 days as a tourist.
The other alternative is the sightseeing visa, which is 1 year. You have to prove tho that you have 200k in a bank or something like that.
Is there a reason you aren’t just getting an air B&B? Or hotel?
I have holidays from mid June to mid August – how about you buy a house and I’ll look after it for the rest of the year and then bugger off for the few months you are about 🙂
Are you aware of how unbearably hot it gets in Japan during those months lol.
That’s my exact plan! We should exchange notes.
I think your plan is cool but if you’re only staying for a few months each year and sightseeing is a big thing you want to do I’m not sure if getting a house is worth it. It ties you to one place and the maintenance is going to be expensive. Maybe years down the road you can find your favorite place to buy a holiday home or whatever but I wouldn’t jump into purchasing.
I’m an Australian resident who owns a small apartment in Nagano prefecture. I only use it in winter to ski. I love it.
It’s all very doable and cheap enough. Not that I do, but there’s no problem using a full 90 days – it’s a 90 day visa after all. I believe you should be able to leave the country and return (ie go to Busan by ferry) or some such to get an extension on that.
High summer does seem like an odd choice but each to their own. My place is vacant during that time.
June to August is a fantastic time of year, though I would choose July to September. Beaches, festivals, Obon, kakigori, fireworks, beer gardens, beaches, kakigori, the sound of semi, laid back atmosphere. Not everyone hates summer.
You can spend 90 days a year every year for eternity. No extra “foreigner” fees, but you’ll need someone to air out your house every now and again when you’re not here or it’ll get grim inside.
So for your question around going to Japan every year for 90 days, you should be totally fine to do this. There was a comment thread from another post that describes this in more detail:
https://www.reddit.com/r/movingtojapan/s/b3nl23y2rL
Essentially though, the visa rules for tourist visas are: Have you been in Japan for more than 180 days in the last 12 months from the date that you’re attempting to enter Japan again?
And the answer to that in your case would be no.
And so long as you keep to the 3 mth schedule every year, you should be able to do this with absolutely no problems (barring Japan changes these rules for whatever reason 😅)
You can get two 90 day tourist visa per year. They just have to be at different times… Which can be a weekend in Korea. So you COULD do a 3 month rolling swap.
But…..!!!! I think the pension can be effected if overseas for prolonged periods. But but if you move there there is a reciprocal arrangement and.you can get it paid to you there. That does mean residency though.
We have thought about the automating a home with smart devices so you can turn on aircon and fans.
Cheaphousesjapan on IG does the country straddle and they have a news letter.
Be careful. Japanese real estate isn’t like Australia’s. Outside of major cities, property values will likely to continue to drop due to severe population decline and migration of young people to metropolitan areas. Japan in the summer is crazy hot and humid unless you are in Hokkaido. Also, Japanese homes don’t tend to be well insulated so you’ll be cranking the A/C.
But if you must buy, be prepared for earthquakes and typhoons. I agree with the other post that renting may be the better choice.
No real downsides to buying a house here as a foreigner (we did it before moving here)
Maintaining a house for 9 months remotely definitely will take some planning.