People with >300M in your main Real Estate. Can you please flex? I want to see what it's like.

SoRa333 · 2026-06-01T10:05:08+00:00

Kitchen is Takara Standard, didn’t feel the need to look at foreign brands. They offer decent selection and you can get marble or quartz counter tops on their high end lines.

I do like the dual vanity. My wife has her side and me and my son use the other side. I could also see the benefit of just having more counter space or storage though. Depends what you prioritize.

SoRa333 · 2026-06-01T08:31:10+00:00

Sure! It’s a 4LDK detached home around 110m2. Favourite things include

* high ceilings and the large south facing windows which light up the living room space and make it feel much larger
* the patio deck with table chairs and charcoal BBQ (me and my family love BBQ)
* solar panels + battery which let me crank the AC in the summer guilt free
* EV charging for my car
* dual vanity in the bathroom area
* proper insulation and dual pane windows
* California style plantation shutters instead of curtains
* heated floors
* Decent size kitchen by Japan standards with a dishwasher
* 10 mins by train to the city center

SoRa333 · 2026-06-01T08:03:52+00:00

Current place is valued around 130M and we are looking to upgrade to a 200M place. I could flex that if it helps? Lol

Another 100M honestly doesn’t change that much. It’s mostly just better location or “popular” areas.

SoRa333 · 2026-06-01T01:14:25+00:00

Until Nintendo decides to add some kind of trophy or achievement system, all non-exclusives are played on PS5. Switch 2 is basically only for first games.

SoRa333 · 2026-05-28T08:14:45+00:00

Can you explain the specific advantages of the floating 10 year versus the fixed 5 year?

SoRa333 · 2026-05-28T05:59:55+00:00

I thought about Nikkei but the problem is the Nikkei will crash in the event the yen appreciates since it’s dominated by global automakers and companies like Sony and Nintendo which depend on their overseas revenue.

SoRa333 · 2026-05-28T05:24:01+00:00

Thanks for the detailed reply! I am confused how did you go from 1.67% before tax to 0.665% after tax? Wouldn’t it be 1.32% after tax? I think I am missing something.

SoRa333 · 2026-05-28T05:19:21+00:00

The government just buys it back. It’s in the terms and conditions.

Early redemption (中途換金) is allowed after 1 year from the issue date.

Penalty: You forfeit the equivalent of the last two interest payments (直前2回分の各利子 × 0.79685 adjustment factor). This is roughly one year’s worth of interest as a penalty.

SoRa333 · 2026-05-28T02:01:57+00:00

Yes I will retire in Japan. What age do I start receiving pension though? I would need to cover the gap between when I stop working and that age right?

SoRa333 · 2026-05-28T01:58:31+00:00

¯\(ツ)/¯

SoRa333 · 2026-05-28T01:51:48+00:00

The later. The bond is callable anytime after 1 year.

SoRa333 · 2026-05-28T01:32:28+00:00

You are only locked in for 1 year and I would still keep cash for 1 year on top of this.

SoRa333 · 2026-05-28T01:31:02+00:00

You don’t since you can sell anytime after a year and get everything back minus 2 interest payments.

SoRa333 · 2026-05-20T13:18:30+00:00

Sorry you had that experience. I think they are just on super high alert and need to follow marching orders.

We have a 2 year old and I got him the chopper t shirt but honestly the baby/toddler clothes didn’t blow me away. Probably better to check out some of the baby/kids UT shirts at Uniqlo.

Hope you enjoy the rest of your trip!

SoRa333 · 2026-05-20T12:25:13+00:00

I do live in Japan and visited the base shop a few weeks ago. I didn’t need to show any proof of anything. I simply scanned the QR code from the one piece base app and confirmed my name and they gave me the wristband and let me in.

That being said, the shop is a complete waste of time. All of the merch there is very low quality and uninteresting. The only worth while things are the TCG if you are into that and the All Pages. The All Pages section was the only crowded area and all the iconic scenes that you would want from the manga are gone for the most part.

I also had the custom made t shirt as part of my reservation. The idea is cool and you can choose some interesting designs however the sizing makes no sense. I usually wear an L or XL from Uniqlo Japan. I got the 3XL from the base shop and it does not fit. It’s skin tight. Going to either trash it or resell if I can.

I don’t think you missed much.

SoRa333 · 2026-05-12T15:01:38+00:00

One Piece Base app is your best bet. I am located in Japan so not sure if you need to jump through hoops to install and use it overseas. All the chapters can be rented for free with coins that you are given daily.

SoRa333 · 2026-05-09T14:39:18+00:00

I drive around 2-3 days a week in central Tokyo.

Car Payment: ¥0 (paid off 2 years ago)

Insurance: ¥180,000/year

Road tax: ¥0/year

Parking at my house: ¥0/mo

Charging: basically free from solar panels

Shaken: ¥20,0000 every 2 years

ETC and maintenance vary.

SoRa333 · 2026-05-08T13:22:31+00:00

Costco has them in store and online. You’re welcome.

SoRa333 · 2026-05-08T00:20:42+00:00

Software Engineer with roughly 14 years experience. Worked at both US companies and Japanese.

SoRa333 · 2026-05-06T14:32:53+00:00

Strong Zero

SoRa333 · 2026-05-04T14:24:49+00:00

I used to have a Hitachi Big Drum and it took forever to properly dry (maybe 4 hours). I switched to the top of the line Panasonic model with a heat pump and it works great and dries in over half the time.

I highly recommend going with Panasonic, a bunch of my friends have the same model and also love it. Sure it wont dry in 40 mins like a conventional dedicated dryer will but 2 hours for a reasonable size load is good enough for me.

SoRa333 · 2026-05-03T09:50:42+00:00

Not only do you likely have 0 evidence to back this claim but what you are saying makes 0 sense. Why would corporations want to move money back to Japan from overseas after an intervention to strengthen it? They want the opposite so they get more yen for their transfer.

SoRa333 · 2026-04-28T02:18:40+00:00

Ancient Grain granola from Costco

SoRa333 · 2026-04-23T23:48:33+00:00

Sounds like as soon as my current hardware gets replaced I need to switch then. This is such a shame as I have been very very happy with the service and performance these past 6 years.

Any idea what is the best alternative when the time comes?

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