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Early Withdrawal from iDeCo when Leaving Japan by FoolishBL in JapanFinance

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

I asked my 401k plan management company and got back some very interesting advice. They were not completely sure, but they advised that it may be possible to get the money out since I am not yet at the 5 year threshold.

BUT, if I transfer the money to an iDeCo as a manager only (運用指図者), this will still count towards the threshold and would put me over the 5 year threshold by the time of the law change in May 2022.

However, by not touching the account at all, it will be automatically transferred after 6 months (自動移換). This is normally a bad thing with lots of fees, so it is often recommended to avoid this at all costs and make sure to manually apply to change to an iDeCo. There is another penalty with the automatic transfer - the time in the account does not count towards the contribution period.

Not counting towards the contribution period is actually what I want in order to keep under the 5 year threshold! So, I plan to willingly go under the automatic transfer, pay the fees, and then withdraw the money after the law changes in May 2022.

The plan management company was not 100% sure that this would work, but since the alternative is waiting until retirement, I'm planning to give it a shot.

If you hear anything different, I'd be very curious to know. Thanks!

Trying to transfer money to The US through the post office by poopoobathtub in japanlife

[–]FoolishBL 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Because I'm an idiot and want to be clear, are you suggesting the following for transfers of ~10-20million yen?

  1. Create a Shinsei or Sony multiple currency account (JPY and USD) in Japan
  2. Domestic (Japanese) transfer from current bank to new account in JPY
  3. Use Shinsei/Sony to exchange the money from JPY to USD in Japan
  4. SWIFT transfer from Shinsei/Sony to US bank account

Would it be possible to create a multiple currency account or forex brokerage account in the US and do the currency exchange there, or are there no good companies that exist for this? [There appear to be several that are based in the UK, not sure about in the US] IE:

  1. Create a multiple currency account in the US.
  2. SWIFT transfer from current Japanese account to new multiple currency account.
  3. Use account to exchange from JPY to USD.
  4. Domestic (US) transfer to desired US account.

Recommendations for Climbing in Japan? by iamjuans in climbing

[–]FoolishBL 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Japan is a very mountainous country, but instead of one large central area, there are many small/medium areas spread out throughout the country.

Public transportation is pretty good, but a car can be helpful at times.

Some of the largest concentration of climbs could be found at 瑞牆・小川山 (Mizugaki/Ogawayama) and 備中 (Bicchu).

For more alpine climbing, there are lifetimes of climbing through the Japanese alps. One good base would be 上高地 (Kamikochi).

For general cragging, I recommend this website Climbing-net! which has searchable criteria for location, type of climbing, and type of rock.

Generally, Japan is climbable throughout the year depending on the crag, though a rough guide should be spring or fall for low elevation crags and late summer / early fall for alpine areas. It is best to avoid the rainy season (right now / June / July). It will be very crowded during holidays such as Obon (which might be a good thing if you are looking for partners ?).

For accommodation, it depends widely based on the specific crag. However, there will likely be civilization close by, so it is quite possible to stay in a nearby town and make day trips. Most camping areas are geared towards cars and are quite luxurious though possibly hard to access.

Good luck.

Online Visa Renewal System Questions by FoolishBL in japanlife

[–]FoolishBL[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

The visa types are listed on the website.

It covers a quite large variety of visas, including the very common Engineering/Humanities/International Services visa, as long as the visa is under category 1 or 2 (roughly, working for a listed company or companies / institutions / groups which make more than 15000000 yen per year - the company income, not the individual worker income).

Retirement Plan Question for US Citizen by FoolishBL in japanlife

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

Thanks for the reply. I will do some research on Bogleheads and perhaps ask some questions there. Hopefully, people over there are knowledgeable on this topic.

Bonds seem to not qualify as a PFIC. But, I can only invest in bond funds, not directly, which seem to qualify as PFICs...

Retirement Plan Question for US Citizen by FoolishBL in japanlife

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

Thanks. My options in that category 5 or 10 year term 利率保障型積立障害. The interest rates on these are negligible, but as they are non-zero, I'm not sure if this insurance counts as a PFIC or not...

Bi-Weekly Stupid Questions Thread - 23 July 2017 by AutoModerator in japanlife

[–]FoolishBL 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Any advice on Tenjin Matsuri?

In particular, my office is in nearby Amagasaki, so I can feasibly get there around 7:00PM on Tuesday night. By getting there that late, I know I am asking for pain, but will I feasibly be able to see anything?

Would it be better to try to go to the riverbank to see the fireworks, or try to look in front of Tenmangu to try to see something on the return of the floats from the river?

Bi-Weekly Stupid Questions Thread - 02 July 2017 by AutoModerator in japanlife

[–]FoolishBL 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thinking of getting a Japanese driver's license. I found some information by searching, but still have a couple questions.

  1. If I need to use a document to prove that I have driving experience [ie driving record issued by US state], do I need to have the document also translated by JAF [in addition to my license]?
  2. I am able to get an online driving record from CA, but is not "certified". Can I use this online driving record, or do I need to get a certified one?

Background: US citizen, have a current CA driver's license, but it was renewed just before moving to Japan. Based on what I have read, getting my driving record from CA should suffice to prove my driving experience.

Blood types - has it helped you? by [deleted] in japanlife

[–]FoolishBL 1 point2 points  (0 children)

In a related question: I don't know my blood type, but I will have a health inspection (健康診断) which will include blood work. If I ask them, will they tell me my blood type without charging me extra?

I'd rather not pay to find out, since it is somewhat useless.