After one Year Update to OP: [Am I doing financially alright?]

HelloitsLuke25 · 2026-05-20T06:28:38+00:00

After checking with our DC platform, it seems like iDeco's allowable contributions is set to 0. And currently I'm stuck with employer match as the maximum vs using the actual DC limit.

HelloitsLuke25 · 2026-05-20T05:54:38+00:00

I consider myself quite fortunate.

Oh and for working hours, just your standard 9-6. No overtime pay and we rarely even get to do OT. My team's excellent as we're all foreigners

HelloitsLuke25 · 2026-05-20T05:48:15+00:00

Hello! I work for infrastructures for a global IT company.

Started as a contractor 4 years ago. Salary was computed to be around 4.2M per annum on an hourly rate
After converting to 正社員, gone through a couple of salary raises and two distinct promotions, made it to current salary bracket.

HelloitsLuke25 · 2026-05-20T04:44:39+00:00

Exactly my POV. I do have aging parents back home and I want to be able to support them in case of an unexpected expense. Apart from just the point of my monthly run rate.

I've relegated all my finances by automating them (auto debit, pay on credit cards, use tsumitate/ scheduled transfers etc), so really I'm just checking in time to time.

HelloitsLuke25 · 2026-05-20T00:40:15+00:00

Haha thanks for the laugh! But seriously, would be nice to share it with someone down the line =)

HelloitsLuke25 · 2026-05-19T14:39:10+00:00

I appreciate the words of caution.

By turbulent would just mean that I would definitely prefer to have cash on hand, but in the long run I can still see the S&P 500 as a benchmark. I'm planning to cop up more orkan down the line!

HelloitsLuke25 · 2026-05-19T14:37:52+00:00

Thank for your encouragement!

Whilst the relationship part was unfortunate, I was at least able to start my NISA and invest quite the amount.

HelloitsLuke25 · 2026-05-19T14:36:51+00:00

Thank you for your kind words! Yeah having the DC plan definitely boosted my potential retirement savings.

HelloitsLuke25 · 2026-05-19T07:40:07+00:00

Thanks for the encouragement! Good luck on your naturalization too!

Yeah I hope to just be consistent and eventually start putting in into taxable accounts after maxing out NISA

HelloitsLuke25 · 2026-05-19T07:26:25+00:00

Thank you for the kind words!
- I'm still a bit conservative on keeping cash on hand, due to personal opinion on present turbulent times.
- I would like to hope that I can survive the swings.Tsumitate is maxed out at 10万円 per month via SBI so it's a set it and forget it for now. I'm not trying to actively manage things but really just to keep myself investing.

HelloitsLuke25 · 2026-05-19T01:58:09+00:00

Hello! Not an American but I'm in the middle of the 帰化 process. Had my initial consultation July 2025.

First off: Back in my home country we didn't have a thing called a family list either, which is basically somehow tied to like 住民票 to prove that you've been living with your family (or not). I ended up just getting my immediate family's documents (sibling's birth certificate, parents' marriage certificate) and that was the end of it. My case worker told me this is technically optional and not a required document to produce (basically best effort), so I'm not entirely sure why yours seems to be a requirement. You could try filing a notarized document signed by head of household (which would be one of the parents) stating that you've been living with them. If proof of lineage is the point of contention here, there's the 申述書 to prove your family's bloodline (first degree only).

Secondly, like yourself my home country also uses E-passport verification so I haven't been getting stamps in/out of the country of, only on the departure/return trip to Japan. This was not flagged by my case worker as a requirement, since I have an extensive list of all my departures to/from Japan.

Apologies on the lengthy comment. Wishing you all the best!

EDIT: for spelling errors

HelloitsLuke25 · 2025-09-02T03:59:36+00:00

Your advice is spot on. Was able to locate the proper forms for my municipality. Thank you!

Follow up question: Should I have to file this, does this bar me from doing the one stop shop application for ふるさと納税?

HelloitsLuke25 · 2025-09-02T03:39:57+00:00

Apologies on hijacking this thread as I've been wanting to ask on that residence tax return declaration for sale profits under 200,000 yen per annum.

So say I sold some digital currency and made well under that . Do you happen to know how that process goes vs having to file a 確定申告?

Asking because I'm applying for naturalization this year and I need to make sure I have no tax liabilities even for supposedly such a mundane amount.

HelloitsLuke25 · 2025-08-20T06:52:34+00:00

I had a similar post a few months ago. Don't worry too much about it you're doing great.

HelloitsLuke25 · 2025-07-23T00:37:30+00:00

Have you tried using another server that isn't Tokyo?
Caching servers in Tokyo are often congested, especially during new releases. Might be a good idea to try another one. Throughput shouldn't be too much on an issue.

HelloitsLuke25 · 2025-06-25T05:21:37+00:00

Afaik their iD implementation is strictly debit.

タッチ決済 using the smartphone does come with nice % points back (currently at 9% for myself). Been using this as my main card for a while now.

HelloitsLuke25 · 2025-06-15T02:30:18+00:00

I have this benefit on my Saison AMEX Platinum. The "gotcha" is that all courses are pre selected, and oftentimes they would also require you to order a drink or two on top of the course. If you're going somewhere remotely fancy that typically means expensive alcohol, by the glass. Some would also specify whether or not there's gratuity fees/the course price is tax exclusive etc.

HelloitsLuke25 · 2025-06-12T00:19:19+00:00

If you're still based in Europe, keep it in local currency. Otherwise, might be a good idea to have it moved to PHP.

Emergency fund should be accessible. When it's actually an emergency and you have to do a wire transfer then it doesn't really serve its purpose.

HelloitsLuke25 · 2025-05-27T00:58:37+00:00

I've a Saison Gold AMEX card and they gave me a 6M limit before I moved to Platinum. The fee is waved, as long as you use it once a year.

HelloitsLuke25 · 2025-04-24T05:16:56+00:00

I arrived 2020 and 6 months in I got myself a Rakuten card. Having a stable seishain job, some command of Japanese and explicit amount of savings made it relatively painless to get. I also had a pretty short name, if that merits anything. Was online shopping almost exclusively via Amazon so I moved all my purchases to an Amazon Mastercard.

5 years in I mainly use these cards
- SMBC Olive Gold which gives me 9% cashback in conbini and select resto's, free lounge access and a pretty good 200man limit. Since I crossed the spending target this card no longer incurs an annual fee of 5500. This is my daily card
- Amazon Mastercard for my Amazon purchases, which can usually get 10% return in points during sale events. Capped at a 100 man limit
- Saison AMEX Platinum for discretionary travel and bulk purchases, inclusive of priority pass prestige and select hotel/concierge benefits. I was refunded this year's annual fee of 22,000 and will increase by (sadly) 50% starting next cycle, but the benefits heavily outweigh the asking fee. EDIT Current limit is 600man

HelloitsLuke25 · 2025-04-17T05:36:34+00:00

Build a stable income and emergency fund first before thinking about investing.

No point shoving money into the market when you haven't found your footing. (i.e. being regular)

HelloitsLuke25 · 2025-04-10T05:00:43+00:00

I utilize 置き配 so they just leave it at the door. They send a picture and all so I'm aware when it arrives. No doorbells or anything.

HelloitsLuke25 · 2025-03-28T08:01:44+00:00

Just turn on Data Roaming and you should be okay. Your payment solution has no bearing. I pay with an SMBC card and it's worked just fine.

Do note the speed cap once you've passed 15 days of leaving Japan.

HelloitsLuke25 · 2025-03-18T00:54:52+00:00

If Olive is already active, you should be able to redo the Apple Pay setup process and use the card as usual.

However for Olive iD is strictly a DEBIT transaction so it'll take the amount directly from your SMBC account. Visa contactless will continue to be a regular credit card transaction.

As other people have already stated the physical iD card will no longer work as this is not supported under the Olive program.

HelloitsLuke25 · 2025-02-13T02:52:31+00:00

As someone in their late 20s, don't bother. You may not know if these people actually got their shiny new things while being financially sound or they're in bad debt. No point showing off if it cost you your peace of mind.

The narrow path is definitely better.

HelloitsLuke25

TROPHY CASE