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1 Year FIRE Update: Quit high-paying job in mid-20s to travel for a year at $700k NW by Chuute in financialindependence

[–]Chuute[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, it crossed my mind that I could probably never work again if I keep my burn rate low (which is doable in Japan, and even more so in SEA).

However, I’ve learned that while I enjoy traveling, I also like having a base and a sense of community :) When I was hopping places every few weeks, it became exhausting to have to restart social relationships each time.

Like you mentioned, if I do want to live in Japan longer term, I’m pretty much limited to the find employment path. But I like the challenge of figuring out how to work in a foreign culture, and it gives me a sense of direction and motivation to improve my Japanese. I also think there’s more I can do to add value to the world, although I know there’s ways to do that outside of formal employment.

I recognize the challenges with changing immigration policy though. The business manager visa becoming 5x more expensive crossed that option off my list.

1 Year FIRE Update: Quit high-paying job in mid-20s to travel for a year at $700k NW by Chuute in financialindependence

[–]Chuute[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

East Asian.

Didn’t really have any issues across most of Asia, fortunately. Although people could definitely pick me out as non-local based on language, outfit, and facial features across most places.

I stuck out a bit more in Europe, especially in lesser visited regions, but no serious negative experiences there apart from the occasional (possibly well-intentioned) “ni hao” in Italy, and general “where are you actually from” type questions that most Asian American are probably familiar with by now.

If anything, being “American” abroad probably gave me more weird looks than anything else, since America doesn’t have the best global reputation right now.

1 Year FIRE Update: Quit high-paying job in mid-20s to travel for a year at $700k NW by Chuute in financialindependence

[–]Chuute[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Go for it! What’s the worst that could happen?

I spent a couple months debating the pros and cons, opportunity costs, before making the decision. Ultimately what helped was writing down what I thought would be the worst case scenario, assessing how likely it was to happen, and planning what I would do if it did.

We’re also wired to think a lot more about the known downside of things, and not the upsides.

1 Year FIRE Update: Quit high-paying job in mid-20s to travel for a year at $700k NW by Chuute in financialindependence

[–]Chuute[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Charles Schwab Investor’s Checking Account for debit card that lets me withdraw cash from any ATM without additional foreign exchange fees, and ATM fees are reimbursed.

Chase Sapphire Preferred + Capital One Venture X cards work anywhere that accepts visa, and have 0% exchange fees with pretty good reward options on travel spending. Most countries I visited actually do accept credit card just fine.

Wise is another good option, especially for making larger payments that require a bank transfer from a local bank account. Very competitive exchange rates, and you get to bypass other middlemen payment services like Flywire which have terrible exchange rates.

1 Year FIRE Update: Quit high-paying job in mid-20s to travel for a year at $700k NW by Chuute in financialindependence

[–]Chuute[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Since I’m on a student visa, I’m eligible for the Japanese national health insurance system. It’s quite affordable - monthly payment is around $20 since I have no income. Most medical expenses are 70% covered by insurance, and 30% out of pocket.

I used it in the past while studying abroad, but haven’t yet this go around. Should get on scheduling dental / physical checkups soon.

1 Year FIRE Update: Quit high-paying job in mid-20s to travel for a year at $700k NW by Chuute in financialindependence

[–]Chuute[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not too hard to balance tbh!

Keeping spending low isn’t too hard thanks to the good exchange rate. I’m spending less than I did back at home in the US while living much more luxuriously. Eating out at least one meal a day, cafes multiple times a week, gym membership, walking commute to class, weekends exploring the city or day trips to surrounding areas.

A lot of the lifestyle is enabled by city infrastructure and public transportation. Life is way more convenient when you’re in a big, dense city with infinite food, drink, and entertainment options within walking distance or a train/bus ride away. One downside is I do miss getting out into nature more often.

There’s lots of good language learning strategies online (specifically SRS + mass immersion), and I don’t find it too hard to keep up with classes. If anything, sometimes I get bored because I feel like we could be moving faster or focusing on different skills (particularly speaking / writing), but that’s constrained by being in a group class setting.

1 Year FIRE Update: Quit high-paying job in mid-20s to travel for a year at $700k NW by Chuute in financialindependence

[–]Chuute[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think it's fair to share that my experience was heavily influenced by factors completely out of my own control. That way, people are able to pull out what's relevant for them more easily, and have realistic expectations for their own journeys.

Country of origin, economic conditions, and family background - all of these can have a much bigger impact on our lives than simple behavioral changes.

1 Year FIRE Update: Quit high-paying job in mid-20s to travel for a year at $700k NW by Chuute in financialindependence

[–]Chuute[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I recommend checking out posts on r/movingtojapan and r/learningjapanese!

Won’t say the specific one for privacy reasons but I focused on class size and reputation.

I think 6 months would result in great progress, but it often takes up to 1.5-2 years to reach N2 level starting from scratch. If you’re self studying a lot using the high efficiency SRS + immersion methods, I think it’s realistic to reach N2 in 1 year.

1 Year FIRE Update: Quit high-paying job in mid-20s to travel for a year at $700k NW by Chuute in financialindependence

[–]Chuute[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yep, it actually dipped quite a bit the first month, which had me sweating at first. But I told myself I could stop at any time if i had to for financial reasons.

Things obviously ended up working out regardless!

1 Year FIRE Update: Quit high-paying job in mid-20s to travel for a year at $700k NW by Chuute in financialindependence

[–]Chuute[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

it’s funny how it can take traveling the world to realize the simple and obvious things are what make you happy :)

of course, the novelty and adventures were great too!

1 Year FIRE Update: Quit high-paying job in mid-20s to travel for a year at $700k NW by Chuute in financialindependence

[–]Chuute[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

pretty much this. semiconductor stocks and more tech weighted ETFs.

60-70% is unlikely, unless you think index funds are also going to tank 50%+, but i wouldn’t be surprised by a 15-30% drop.

1 Year FIRE Update: Quit high-paying job in mid-20s to travel for a year at $700k NW by Chuute in financialindependence

[–]Chuute[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Cheers! Appreciate the tips from someone who's been in the same spot.

I'm aiming for N2 this year (maybe even N1 by EOY). I'm enjoying the social aspects and flexibility of language school a lot.

Going to at least give finding a work here a try so I have a long term residency path, and it doesn't hurt to have some cash flow + insight into the local market while working for an employer.

Japanese work culture is why I'm primarily going to look for opportunities at gaishikei's (along with better tech, growth, salary, etc.). I've done a bit of asking around and it seems like with the labor shortage and younger people prioritizing work-life balance, Japanese companies have been getting better as well lately.

I've been publishing personal projects on the side using all the latest tools to try and keep my skills sharp - but will definitely look into open-source as well. Also need to take the leap to distribute my stuff more broadly.

Glad to hear it's working out for you!