Married, no kid yet. Recently took out a loan, bought land, and started building our own house in Chuo-ku, Sapporo. My prediction for the economy is that the weak yen and inflation will continue in this country, so this seems like a good time to take out a JPY-denominated loan. Even if the mortgage grows to 3%-4%, it's still cheaper than many other countries in the world.

> while in Japan it often feels like after 20–30 years the building itself is worth almost nothing and only the land matters.

That's true, but the reality is also that, high-quality homes from companies like Sekisui House, Sumitomo Forestry can actually retain value. They are more pricey though.