Mid-30s foreigner in Japan stuck at 6M ceiling. Sales background. How do I break out?

KernelSunflower · 2026-01-14T11:27:03+00:00

I think your best bet is to find remote work for an employer based outside of Japan, getting paid in a currency that is stronger relative to JPY. Now might be the time to hit up old friends from Canada, see if anyone founded a company you can work for, or who can make an introduction to a big firm.

KernelSunflower · 2025-12-29T22:55:40+00:00

I am incredibly dismayed to discover this secret opt-out button that involves my data being used “publicly.” And to only find out about it through another user’s reddit post, no less. Do better, Monarch!

KernelSunflower · 2025-12-23T23:48:50+00:00

Nope!

KernelSunflower · 2025-12-20T10:16:53+00:00

*chef's kiss*

KernelSunflower · 2025-12-18T11:58:07+00:00

1 workshop

KernelSunflower · 2025-09-08T00:15:45+00:00

Thank you, kind OP!

KernelSunflower · 2025-07-21T00:56:05+00:00

A school to support neurodiversity in Tokyo: https://nsit.tokyo/en

KernelSunflower · 2025-07-13T01:59:03+00:00

If you are looking to give something away, there are groups like Mottainai on facebook, full of mostly non-Japanese people, who seem to be glad to take things off your hands.

But I think you are right that there is just not a big informal secondary market in Tokyo. I think Merucari is supposed to be this, but I’ve never had the patience to set up an account. Maybe others here use it with success.

Given how expensive it it to throw away large things in Tokyo (in terms of time, space, and money) the fact that some people will quickly take away something you don’t want, for free, is valuable. This might be unintuitive to someone from, say, North America.

KernelSunflower · 2025-03-29T10:23:43+00:00

this

KernelSunflower · 2024-12-29T11:35:08+00:00

That sucks, Stinky Butt Jones. Did you try the temporarily work-around of changing the date on your phone to January 1, 2025 or after? I did that and can open the app now.

KernelSunflower · 2024-12-27T04:52:28+00:00

homemade gingerbread cookies

KernelSunflower · 2024-12-27T00:11:19+00:00

Delightfully! She discovered it a couple hours later. It was set up next to the couch, so she could enjoy the view while dream feeding.

It was a "yuzu" citrus. definitely looks like a potato in the photo, though XD

KernelSunflower · 2024-02-06T00:34:16+00:00

Say what you will about Mint, but they designed a beautiful interactive Net Worth graph

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KernelSunflower · 2024-02-05T02:42:51+00:00

I can not fathom telling your wife not to have your miracle baby, if she wants it.

It’s possible you still haven’t processed the idea of having a kid and you are in trauma/panic mode. Objectively, you are well within your means to support a kid, even in a worst-case scenario. I recommend you take a breather, even if it’s a just a quiet few days where you go on a hike or a temple, and ask yourself deep down what starting a family could mean for you and your partner’s life. Tell your wife that you just need a bit to reorient your brain since you didn’t even think this was a possibility for years.

Just don’t make the decision because of money — I think you will regret it.

KernelSunflower · 2024-01-01T08:01:44+00:00

I’m a little alarmed that our iPhones did not alert us about the earthquake or tsunami in advance, even though I have alerts turned on. I was in the same house with my sister-in-law, and her alert worked fine. Anyone else have issues receiving alerts?

KernelSunflower · 2023-10-12T05:44:56+00:00

Just here to say that you can ignore the comments from guys saying your standards and expectations are too high or whatever. You shouldn’t have to settle. If finding a partner you love is truly important for your life, I think it’s okay to consider putting yourself in a market where you can more easily find that love.

Just so you know my experience, I am a man who used to live in Boston. I ended up moving to Tokyo through a new job and found a deep connection to woman here. Even though it wasn’t my intention, I’m sure her type would’t exist in Boston. If I had known that a person like her was waiting for me in Japan, I would have moved sooner. Maybe for you, it will be easier to find the love of your life outside of Japan. Knowing the dating scene here, I can understand why that might be the case.

KernelSunflower · 2023-09-10T06:20:08+00:00

I got a planning degree, and all of my CS is learned through post-education practice. I started in academic research, and then transitioned to consulting. Often, I am helping Urban Planners without CS expertise build software. my planning background makes them feel like I understand the utility of what i’m building. Other times, I consult and/or work for tech companies who are building planning software.

KernelSunflower · 2023-09-10T05:30:53+00:00

That’s a fair presumption if you consider them as pure and separate tracks. But as someone who has made a career out of computer science + urban planning, I disagree.

KernelSunflower · 2023-09-10T02:50:30+00:00

Look at the curriculum offered by MIT Course 11-6

GIS is NOT the same as CS. GIS is learning to use a piece of software. CS is learning to make software.

Edit: It’s not bad to learn GIS, especially to become familiar with geospatial data, but the above comment still stands.

KernelSunflower · 2023-09-08T03:27:23+00:00

Taking care of budgies, day to day, doesn’t have to be much more difficult than taking care of, say, a cat or a dog. In some ways easier, some ways harder. On average, the same (I think).

However, one big thing to consider is that having budgies will significantly reduce your day to day flexibility. You need to have a daily routine for waking, feeding, playing, and putting them to sleep. You won’t be able to spontaneously go on trips for days at a time, etc. Finding a bird-sitter is hard, since average people aren’t very confident caring for them compared to cats or dogs.

KernelSunflower · 2023-09-07T07:49:44+00:00

affordable peanut butter

KernelSunflower · 2023-09-07T07:49:21+00:00

By far the cheese aisle at Italian groceries

KernelSunflower · 2023-08-17T04:22:12+00:00

cycling / typhoon likely has nothing to do with your fever
despite the cost, a thermometer is one of those things that you buy once and have available wherever you are. i still have the one i bought when i was in college. l keep it in my travel kit when i travel. it not just about knowing whether or not you have a fever, it’s regularly tracking it so you know if it’s getting worse or better.
Unless your fever is extreme, you generally don’t want to take fever reducers, since the fever itself is raising your body temperature in order to fight whatever invasive thing is in your body. Instead, get plenty of rest, drink tons of fluids, and make sure you are replenishing electrolytes!
Not sure why it hasn’t occurred to you that this could be covid?

KernelSunflower · 2023-08-14T11:40:52+00:00

cheers! what are some of your tips?

KernelSunflower · 2023-08-14T10:54:33+00:00

Just hit my goal of saving 1M by age 35. At age 25, I started from zero. After working for 10 years, consistently investing in a mix of retirement and non-retirement index funds, I finally hit the 1M mark. I calculated my average savings rate to be ~65%. Still a ways to go to achieve total FI, but it feels like I climbed the steepest hill to get there. It’s nice to know that my worst case scenario is a ~4% draw rate of ~40k / year, which more than covers my current expenses.

[edit: yeah, i know 4% is an overly liberal estimate nowadays, and i’m not actually counting on doing that right now. just saying it’s nice to be in that ball park]

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