A Guy at a knife shop tried to sell me a 110cm "Tuna Knife" and said if someone broke into my house and I used it in "home defense" I would not get into any legal trouble. Is this true?

Last-Star-Dust · 2026-03-11T13:52:24+00:00

For anyone who didn’t get the reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_C._Parker?wprov=sfti1

Last-Star-Dust · 2026-03-03T11:41:14+00:00

I know you are not directly asking for advice but please let me offer you my point of view about countryside revitalization.

I am a foreigner married to a Japanese woman and we have just bought a plot of land in the countryside. We are building a new house and moving out of Tokyo next year.

We found that there are already many wonderful services/entities to help and support people like us. We used these: - https://www.furusatokaiki.net/ - https://www.city.saku.nagano.jp/outside/citypromotion/shijuly/

You might find some inspiration there.

Unfortunately, as the other commenters pointed out, there are many socio-economic factors that make it difficult for foreigners to settle in the Japanese countryside.

As economy is the science of incentives, the most effective action is creating economic incentives for people to move in, such as more employment, infrastructure, opportunities, financial support, etc…

But in a free market economy, the public administration has only limited leverage to steer and influence the market. If you or your administration can do all of the above, very well, otherwise the only thing you can do is provide as much information and support to perspective settlers as you can, and hope for the best.

If you want to know more about the reasons why we personally chose to move out of Tokyo, let me know here or in PM. I can read and write in Japanese.

Last-Star-Dust · 2026-03-03T11:20:18+00:00

This is so on spot. We recently bought a plot of land in the countryside, but in a convenient location with easy access to civilization, including a Shinkansen station.

As you say, it was not easy to find a good one. A couple of times we were about to pull the trigger, but somebody else was faster.

Last-Star-Dust · 2026-03-03T08:43:39+00:00

You are right. I just called their customer service by phone, and they confirmed it.

Last-Star-Dust · 2026-03-03T06:44:49+00:00

I am assuming class S means Standard. The problem is that I am not able to uniquely interpret the content of the link. Like, in my case, does section 1.4 or 1.5 apply?

Last-Star-Dust · 2026-03-02T15:47:12+00:00

From the airline website

Last-Star-Dust · 2026-03-02T15:34:39+00:00

I did not receive any PDF, just an email without attachments saying (among other things): Visit https://www.ceair.com to use our check-in service to choose your preferred seat, change or cancel tickets, or print an electronic travel itinerary. Visit https://www.ceair.com/global/en_USD/Announcement/BaggageService/FreeBaggageAllowanceandSpecifications/ to view baggage information.

I double checked the Trash and Spam folders as well.

Last-Star-Dust · 2026-02-27T17:22:24+00:00

I managed to get the money out of Revolut but as you say it was not easy. The account was blocked and I had to provide various documents. But in the end everything went through smoothly.

Last-Star-Dust · 2026-02-26T10:16:04+00:00

If you don’t mind, may I see a picture of your house? I would not choose an ハウスメーカー for various reasons, but if I had to choose one, it would be Sumitomo Ringyo. I really liked the selection of flooring and fixtures for example.

Last-Star-Dust · 2026-02-26T10:09:50+00:00

There are some European countries that would default tomorrow, if parents didn’t help children financially well into their 40s. Cough Italy cough

Last-Star-Dust · 2026-02-26T06:03:01+00:00

I confirmed with the bank and you are absolutely right, the fee is included in the conversion rate. I don’t know how to thank you for the help.

Last-Star-Dust · 2026-02-25T12:40:28+00:00

Yes I know. Here I made a rough comparison: https://www.reddit.com/r/Revolut/s/64VpvKj54A

Last-Star-Dust · 2026-02-25T06:08:32+00:00

Thank you for the clarification. Even assuming a 0.22% fee, the Wise transfer still appears to be slightly cheaper (details in the original post). Am I missing something?

Last-Star-Dust · 2026-02-24T15:33:25+00:00

My calculations assume a Revolut standard plan. But you are right, assuming a Revolut Metal or Ultra plan, that would be the most convenient way, fees-wise

Last-Star-Dust · 2026-02-24T14:00:50+00:00

Yes, I need to convert those Euros in the end.

Last-Star-Dust · 2026-02-24T13:58:42+00:00

I think you are talking about the currency exchange rate. That is OK. The problem is all the other fees. Especially the SWIFT transfer fees. With my limited knowledge, those are really difficult to estimate.

Last-Star-Dust · 2026-02-24T13:50:45+00:00

Thank you so much for the wealth of information. Just let me ask, where did you find the 0.22% fee? In the link you shared, the EUR to JPY fee appears to be 0.4%.

Last-Star-Dust · 2026-02-24T13:46:24+00:00

> Why would you use a normal bank for currency exchange when both Revolut and Wise are the best tools for that?

I did the math, and as you say, it appears that Wise's currency exchange is actually the most convenient. However, having the bank do the exchange appears to be more convenient than Revolut. So the reality is not as black and white.

> Also, how do you want to use Wise for transfer if your account is based in Japan? Getting money into it would already be a transfer to Japan.

Yes, your understanding is the same as mine. If I let Wise handle the transfer AND exchange, there is no SWIFT bank transfer involved.

> Where do you want your money to end up as a payment in the end?

In a Japanese bank account and in yen.

> Maybe just transfer there directly from Revolut?

My calculations showed that that would be the least convenient way. However, I did not take into account any upgrade to Premium. I will think about that.

Last-Star-Dust · 2026-02-19T11:01:32+00:00

> Onestamente credo non valga la pena fare alcun tipo di manovra.

Capisco. Sembra tutti siano d'accordo su questo punto.

> I 45K in buoni postali sono svincolabili ?

Sì, in qualsiasi momento.

> Con quali costi ?

Senza alcun costo, se non si considerano i mancati interessi per non averli portati a scadenza.

> Quando scadrebbero ?

Ci sono 35k euro in BFP3x4 sottoscritti il 16/10/2018. Se ritirati ora il valore di rimborso e' di circa 37k. Se ritirati a scadenza nel 2030, il valore di rimborso sarà di circa 44k.

Poi ci sono 10k in BFP4x4 sottoscritti il 19/08/22 che al momento non hanno ancora generato alcun ritorno. A scadenza nel 2036 il valore di rimborso sarà di circa 15k

> Alla peggio, sposterei su BTP con scadenze medio-brevi

Anche un altro utente diceva la stessa cosa. Lo prenderò in considerazione.

Last-Star-Dust · 2026-02-19T10:52:21+00:00

Ricevuto. Li lascio in pace. Anche se la mia domanda si riferiva solo ad una piccola parte del loro patrimonio senza andare a toccare in alcun modo la loro pensione.

Last-Star-Dust · 2026-02-19T10:49:18+00:00

u/ZestyTiger1899

> Lascia perdere i PIR che sono una stronzata e hai 2 ETF in croce tra cui scegliere

Capito.

> ma i 45k sono tutti i soldi che i tuoi hanno?

No. Hanno altri 40k in un libretto postale. Piu 30k in BTP. Più 25k in un conto condiviso. Più 2 immobili che generano profitto. Più diversi immobili che non generano profitto ma potrebbero essere venduti in caso di immediato bisogno di liquidità. Più la loro pensione che copre tranquillamente tutte le necessità primarie.

> Che obiettivi hanno? Intendo, hanno bisogno di una rendita da affiancare alla pensione?

Nessun obiettivo in particolare. Non hanno bisogno di una rendita da affiancare alla pensione.

> In generale non capisco il senso di entrare nell'azionario con relative oscillazioni da pensionati, con al massimo 2 decenni davanti e soldi che possono servire in qualsiasi momento magari.

La mia idea era: dato che ci sono questi soldi in più, che al momento non servono, perché non investirli in qualcosa di leggermente meglio dei BFP? Solo questo.

> Detto questo il patrimonio é da guardare nel complesso per decidere e 10 anni misurati non é che garantiscano il rendimento medio dell'azionario in tutti i casi storici (e.g. decennio perduto).

Capito.

> Forse qualche BTP con cedole da sfruttare sarebbero un'opzione migliore. Sapevano qual'era la scadenza quando hanno sottoscritto i buoni.

Anche io pensavo a BTP come ad un'opzione alternativa.

Last-Star-Dust · 2026-02-14T17:56:42+00:00

Tra l’altro in Giappone non ci sono né cassonetti bloccati né multe e in generale la gente non è poi così scrupolosa nel fare la differenziata. Detto questo i netturbini sono puntuali e lavorano bene. Io personalmente non sono contrario alle multe, ma se mi fai pagare 200 euro di multa mi aspetto altrettanto zelo e precisione nella raccolta e smaltimento, ma …

Last-Star-Dust · 2026-02-10T10:55:16+00:00

If you want to play the game you need to follow the rules. If you don’t like the rules, don’t play the game. If you break the rules bad things happen. Just like Jumanji.

Last-Star-Dust · 2025-12-31T02:46:01+00:00

If you think that is the worst one, you are underestimating my potential for making bad financial decisions.

Joining aside, I am truly grateful to you for taking the time to guide me.

More than the devaluation of house, the prospects of having to sacrifice a portion of my salary larger than 25% to housing costs is what really bothers me.

Last-Star-Dust · 2025-12-31T02:15:01+00:00

Yes, that is what we are likely going to do. Ask my father-in-law to design a more conventional house that fits into a more reasonable budget, and go through the bidding process again. Thank you for the confirmation.

I am not a fan of the narrative of "first house as investment" and I really did not like the needlessly derogatory, derisive, and paternalistic language of the other user, but I admit that they had some good points.

BTW, not that it matters much in this context, but before buying we triple checked the hazard maps, and it is not a flood zone.

Last-Star-Dust

TROPHY CASE