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There are some really effective systems available here, but I think the industry is still kind of in its ‘Wild West’ phase, without any kind of standard or even much awareness about what’s available. Since central heating still has an image of being a nonessential luxury, the local market isn’t great and Japanese companies focus on overseas sales.

The good news is it’s totally doable. There aren’t any laws preventing foreign nationals from owning property, or ‘special taxes’ or anything like that. The less good news is that a. property value doesn’t usually go up here (not good from an investment point of view), b. it’s very hard to get a bank loan unless you have permanent residency status and a stable income, and c, the process can be a bit complicated, especially if you aren’t fluent in Japanese and the seller isn’t used to doing things in English. Because of this I recommend going through a major real estate company who you can trust to walk you through the process step by step. I think if you do a quick search on line, you’ll find lots of options in this area. Well, good luck! And here are some useful vocabulary for you, just in case… Real estate - 不動産 fudо̄san Property - 物件 bukken Real estate agent - 不動産業者 fudо̄san gyо̄sha Deposit - 保証金 hoshōkin Loan for buying a house - 住宅ローン, jūtaku rōn Purchase - 購入する kо̄nyū-suru Contract - 契約書 keiyaku-sho Budget - 予算 yosan

@@Jordan-inJapan thanks for the tips mate, really appreciate you taking the time to reply. I’ll look into it and once again thank you! Ps. Thanks for the vocab.

@@eduardonavarro8959 No problem!

Noted. I’ll post a follow-up video when construction wraps up.

Well, my wife and I both work and saved up for about 15 years first…so we could afford a decent deposit. The rest was thanks to a (nearly-zero-interest!) bank loan.😅

@@Jordan-inJapan oh I understand. So you were 2 people gathering the money plus bank loan which I think it could be a big help to cover all the expenses needed. Thank you so much!!

@@kheiramakreloufi6209exactly. 👍

Luckily, none of my immediate neighbors do that. We can sometimes smell smoke from a farm a little further down the road, but it’s not a problem. Oh, but there ARE certain times we can smell manure though, when some of the neighbors are applying fertilizer. We close up the windows in that case. Just the cost of rural living… 😆

Thanks! 🍻

(And risk being run out of town?? 😆) Well, I’ve never heard of anyone eating it just as is. But the machines have a “genmai” (brown rice) setting that just polishes off some impurities but leaves most of the husk intact. It’s tasty that way too, and healthier I assume, but less versatile for cooking.

@@Jordan-inJapan I see, I would try it at least once, especially if there is a setting for Brown rice. ))) Thanks for answering anyway )

Thanks for the comment, and I do appreciate the advice! 🍻

Welcome to my channel! Why did we go with black… I guess it’s kind of a neighborhood ‘heritage’ esthetic. We have a lot of old agricultural storage warehouses in area, and the traditional color is black. For a while most new houses were built with a more modern or Western look, but these days that ‘warehouse aesthetic’ is just what’s cool here. (Shorter answer: my wife wanted it black. 😆)

I’ve heard that some wealthy Japanese people move to Malaysia for retirement. I guess this is one of the reasons!

@@Jordan-inJapan yeahh cause they can live like a china people even they have same culture but different

@@Jordan-inJapan 🙃 yaa we hope so many people stay in malaysia have so many race

@@afizi1213I’d love to visit Malaysia someday!

@@Jordan-inJapan thanks 😃

Thanks for the comment! I didn’t really do it justice though. You really need the experience of walking down (a flight of stairs) ‘into the pond’ followed by the contrasting colors of the hidden, inner temple to get the full effect.

Thanks! .This one took way too long to make. 😅 (I think I’ll stick to more fun topics like brew pub visits for a while…)

Yeah, for ‘delicious factor’, a good hazy IPA is hard to beat. 👍

Thanks for the comment! 🍻

There are so many cool things to introduce about that place, the hard part is just narrowing my scope. Cheers! 🍻

It was such a fun day!

Nice! How cold does it get in the winter, where you live?

@@Jordan-inJapan over winter we are generally below zero down to -5°C overnight and about 12°C during the daytime. This is helped because winter where we are is fairly dry. The sunny days make things bearable. That said our long-term forecast says this winter should be warmer than average.

Hey, thanks for stopping by! Yeah things are pretty good. What’s it like being back in the states after so many years in Japan?

@@Jordan-inJapan a bit of frustration from the first few years back. Trying to get a job that fits is still a good struggle even today after 3 years. Was told too qualified and then not enough experience. Working in IT now and trying to improve. Even that said, I am making more now barely than I did in Japan. It was cheaper to BUY a house than to RENT a 1LDK. I am spending time on it to improve it now. Looking for the next step up. I have taken 3 computer certifications since being back. CompTIA A+, Net+ and Sec+. I think next year will be better though. Hoping for some better interest rates and a better job market with some positions coming open. Well one can hope .... Hope things are going good for you!

Thank you! 😊

Very interesting. I and my wife are planning a new house at the moment, or it may be a combination of renovation (one section) and new (the other half - they're kind of separate to start with). I'm also from the "it's always T-shirt warm inside during *very cold* winters" camp, and we're trying to figure out what kind of insulation etc. we can get here. We're also getting older, and even though I got used to 4C in the morning and 14C during the day, with all heat sources blasting (and we don't like aircon, so in the summer.. wow), I don't think that's sustainable. In northern Europe it's now pretty standard with ventilation having to run 24/7, by regulation, but combined with heat exchangers, which seems to be a still mostly-foreign concept here (no pun intended). And we don't want gas. We've already changed to all-electric for cooking (induction).

@@tohaason Thanks for the comment, and good luck with the new-house planning! That part is so exciting due to the ‘sense of possibility’. We spent the better part of a year in that stage. Then we had the construction company architect look over (and adjust) our plans and after that left nearly everything up to our carpenters. How hands-on are you planning on being with the construction, btw?

@@Jordan-inJapan [Slightly editet] We're currently trying to figure out how to proceed. We have several options, but we don't yet know the cost or feasibility of each. However, we haven't moved back to Japan yet (though we're here at the moment), and we are still looking at how much of the actual building process we can monitor. But we're definitely going the design-our-dream-house route. Not a standard pre-designed house. On the other hand, not that big one either - we're planning single floor only, stairs aren't what we wish for when we get older.

A fair question. I also brought that up when we were choosing. The winning logic was that, “well, yes. A degree or two hotter in the summer. But also a degree or two warmer in the winter.” Plus…the black, ‘warehouse’ look is kind of a neighborhood heritage thing.

I know what you mean. Those old, classic houses are beautiful, but it’s just not what people in Japan want these days. I actually would have considered buying one and renovating, if there had been a good one on the market in our area. But I know for a fact that my wife (who’s Japanese) would have been against it. They have a reputation for being a lot of work to maintain, freezing cold in the winter, and just not suited to modern lifestyle. Also, you usually can’t find one within a reasonable distance from a train station, which is an issue if you have to go anywhere by train. (Like if you have kids who will be commuting to high school etc.)

Thanks for the comment! I have very specific interests and I know my style isn’t for everyone…so I’m always happy when people like you find my channel. (Feel free to make requests or suggestions for future content!) And on the topic of Japanese whisky… unfortunately it’s getting hard to get ‘the good stuff’ here as well. (Unless you’re rich of course.) Also, the Yamazaki distillery has gotten too famous for its own good and we even need a reservation for the tasting bar now. A few years ago I just strolled in…

@@Jordan-inJapan As far as requests go, I would love to see more of that awesome town you live in! I think the rural towns around Japan need more love!

@@kylepimentel5316 I should be able to manage that one! 🍻

I’m happy to get a comment about my use of music! Actually, I was a musician before I ever got into making videos, so it’s something that I take seriously. 🍻

Glad you enjoyed it! Yeah, that place is pretty amazing. Did you check out the associated full-length video? There’s also another version where you can explore other buildings and areas of the school grounds, but it’s a kind of ‘choose-your-own-adventure’ style so you have to follow the end screen links to navigate. czcams.com/video/bFtF7YWJi90/video.html

Actually we don’t tip in Japan anyway. 😆

That’s a good idea. I had been thinking along the lines of sound-proof curtains, but I suppose a sliding glass (or plexiglass) window-door would look quite a bit better.

@@Jordan-inJapan excelent house btw. Congrats on the project. Great taste.

@@clumsykoala3699 🍻

Thanks! 🍻

May is a great time for a visit! Usually nice weather, and not too crowded in Ise - unless it’s the first part of May, when we have “Golden Week” holidays. (Then it will pretty crowded.) As for the street food guide, I don’t know if I’ll have that one ready for you in time or not. But anyway, I don’t think you’ll have a problem finding something good!

Thanks for watching! Not so far. I’d say about 20km North-West from Matsusaka station…45 mins by bike? (Ichishi area.)

Now THAT sounds like good advice!🍻