A Great Place To Live Outer Boso
Posted by chibaking on Jul 25, 2013 in Blog | Comments Off on A Great Place to Live. Outer Boso!
We feel pretty confident to say that Chiba Prefectures outer Boso Peninsula is pa wonderful place to live. A moderate ocean climate, great beaches, fishing and golf, fresh produce and still affordable real estate all within an 60-90 minutes from Tokyo Station makes it hard to find a better place to enjoy your life while still being connected to Tokyo.
Portugal Open For Us Citizens
Its no wonder that Portugal has topped the charts for the best places to retire through the years. This tiny country in the southwest corner of Europe has something for everyone. Vibrant cities full of Old World charm, miles of golden sandy beaches, green, rolling hills, some of the best healthcare in the world, low cost of living, and safety.
But for me, the best part about living in Portugal is the people. The Portuguese people are warm, friendly and greet everyone with double-cheeked kisses. Since English is taught in the schools, many Portuguese speak some English, which makes retiring here a little easier.
Last year my husband Clyde took our car into a service center for an oil change. To pass the time he went next door to a family-run café for a cup of coffee. The lady of the house was in the next room preparing to serve lunch to her family and insisted that Clyde join them. Since he had already eaten, he declined but had to smile about her generous offer.
If you are looking to retire in a city full of Old World charm, check out Lisbon. The city comes alive with colorful tiles, museums, palaces, nightlife, and a tram system that navigates the steep, cobbled roads. Take a deep breath and inhale the sweetness of the pastries that are all around. Sample an original custard tart in the famous bakery of Belem that has been baking these delectable treats since 1837.
How Are Americans Retiring In Portugal
Thanks to Portugals attractive Golden Visa Program, American expats can get temporary residency permits in as little as 3-6 months, provided that they make a qualifying investment.
The easiest way to invest is to buy a property worth at least 500,000 in Portugal, maintain the investment for five years, and then achieve Portuguese citizenship. Key Portugal Golden Visa benefits included free movement within Europes Schengen Zone, affordable investment options with high returns potential, and the opportunity to live as a resident in Portugal.
Learn more about this option in our ultimate guide for the Portugal Golden Visa Program.
Another way Americans are retiring in Portugal is that they can also apply for Portugals D7 Visa program. The D7 visa allows foreign citizens who wish to retire and live in Portugal to do so, provided that they live on their own income or pension. The D7 residence permit is an excellent option that provides special tax status for a ten-year income tax break, plus full residency rights in Portugal.
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The Best Places To Retire Abroad In 2020
When Richard Detrich and his wife, Nikki Steele, started contemplating where to retire, they went about it methodically. The couple had already agreed to move abroad. Next, they each drew up a list of the 15 most important factors to them and then compared notes. Turned out their lists were pretty similar. The Ventura, California, residents both wanted to live in a place with warm weather and a lower cost of living that was convenient for their adult children to visit. The new home also had to be in a country that had a stable government and economy and whose residents were welcoming to newcomers. After poring over lots of data, the pair settled on Boquete, Panama, a mountain town near the narrow countrys western border with Costa Rica. Fifteen years later, they still live in that same town they selected all those years ago. Its worked out, says Detrich, now 77.
Below are our picks of favorite spots to consider retiring. We highlighted 25 countries and up to three specific locales in each, for a total of 65 places. One of them is Boquete, Panama, the town that Detrich and Steele chose. You can find more details on Detrich, retiring abroad and this list here. Forbes 25 favorite domestic retirement locations are here.
Affordable Real Estate Near Tokyo

How Chiba and especially the Sotobo of Boso Peninsula has stayed off the map for so long is anyones guess but those days are changing. Affordable real estate and hour or 90 minutes away from Tokyo station is found here in Chiba. More and more Tokyo residents and foreigners are chosing to join us. For the above mentioned reasons, and of course the drastic reduced price of daily life can make a Boso retirement or home a wise value and great for your spiritual and mental health. Affordable real estate near Tokyo, look no farther than with us.
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How We Compile The Annual Global Retirement Index
Each year, we use our ever-expanding network of editors, correspondents, and contributors all over the world to give us the on-the-ground information and recommendations we need to put our index together
All these people were once in your shoes. All of them wondered if they could nd a better life abroad. Many of them were former International Living readers who took the plunge, and now want to share their love for their new home with the world. These are the people we draw upon to put together our index each year.
We rank and score each of the 25 countries in the Index across the following 10 categories:
Note: Weve given Nicaragua and Bolivia low scores in the Opportunity and Governance categories. Theyre still viable retirement locations, but because theyve experienced political instability in recent years, proceed with caution.
Japan: An Enchanting Place To Retire
Rapid changes and breakthroughs that happened to Japan in the past three decades have rebuilt its image to become one of the best places retire. It is indeed the land of the rising sun for no other nation in the world that has gone through such extremes of expansion and contraction endured the way this famous country did.
Let us take a glance at possibly one of the best places to retire in the world Japan.
More deliberately and efficaciously, Japan, though a modern and very progressive nation, remains to be full with warm, colorful, and very interesting ways of life. Its people especially are polite, good natured, honest, hard working, intelligent, progressive, family loving, good food loving, and highly respectable.
In terms of beauty and scenery, Japan as one of the best places to retire has a lot to offer including its famous and most visited mountain, the Mount Fujiyama. Also Japan has short rapid rivers, copious forests of pine, sandy beaches, lots of long stretches of rice paddies, and those known lakes and national parks. Of course theres the divine taste of popular Japanese foods such as tempura, sushi, and other sea foods.
Though prices in Japan are relatively high, still it manages to offer visitors or tourists who wish to spend their retirement in this very hospitable country, the breathtaking natural beauty of the place.
Japan currency :
United States Dollars Japan Yen
For more information:
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Boso Beaches And Mountains
Nearly the entire Sotobo of Boso Peninsula is either beautiful beaches, fishing ports or majestic and rocky mountain shores. This variety of geography provides great opportunities for fantastic views for your home. Whether you want to be situated upon a mountain looking down upon the ocean or near the beach to enjoy the unique feeling and lifestyle that comes from being near the water, we can find the right spot for you.
Canada’s Tfsa Vs America’s Roth Ira
Canada’s Tax-Free Savings Account is fairly similar to Roth IRAs in the United States. Both of these retirement-focused vehicles are funded with after-tax money, meaning there’s no tax deduction in the year of the contribution. However, both accounts offer tax-free earnings growth, and withdrawals are not taxed.
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Healthcare Wont Be An Issue
Healthcare in Japan offers residents state-of-the-art medical attention from highly-qualified health practitioners in advance, well-equipped hospitals. One can either obtain health insurance in Japan through the Employees Health Insurance for employees in private companies or through the National Health Insurance for public workers. Any working-visa holder can obtain health insurance for which one must contribute a monthly premium as ones contribution of 30% of the coverage, the rest being shouldered by the public employer.
Japan External Trade Organization, "Section 4. Human Resource Management 4.9 Japan's social security system"
Where To Stay In Saitama
Wadoh Riverside Ryokan , you can choose the room with a private open-air bath with a great view!Comfort stay Miyabi Walking distance to Matsuri no yu and Chichibu shrine, easy access to the popular touristic places Ryokan Matsumuraya The best location for walking around Kawagoe, located right next to Ichiban-gai, traditional ryokan which has over 100 years of history
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Japan Wonder Travel Tours
Japan Wonder Travel is a travel agency offering guided tours in Japan.From private walking tours to delicious Food and Drink tours, we will organize the best tours for you!If you want to explore around Japan to learn more histories and backstories of the area, our knowledgeable and friendly guide will happily take you to the best spots!Also, we can provide you with any assistance for your upcoming trip in Japan, so please feel free to contact us if you have any questions/need some help!
Cost Of Living In The Japan Cities Compared

For the table below , weve used numbeos cost of living data as a guide to work out the estimated cost of living in different Japanese cities. The 12 cities featured below including all of the largest ones in the country plus a couple of smaller ones that have proved popular with foreigners looking to experience life in Japan.
While it is based on real data from people living in these cities, everybody is different and your actual cost of living may vary considerably. As a means of comparison, this table should be a useful tool and you can see that Nagoya is way clear as the most expensive city in Japan to live in.
Tokyo, as you might expect, is also pricey but you can find some cheaper destinations as you work your way down, although truth be told itd be an exaggeration to say anywhere in Japan is genuinely cheap to live in. By almost all global standards, Japan is an expensive country to live in.
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Getting A Japanese Visa
Not only is Japan a popular tourist destination, but its easy for Americans to enter Japan as tourists. Americans can enter Japan without a visa and are able to stay up to 90 days visa-free and are assigned Temporary Visitor status. This is a single-entry visa, but tourists can apply for two trips within six months if they want.
If you want to stay longer than 90 days, you will have to gain a working visa or a spouse visa. This means you must either work in Japan or marry a Japanese citizen.
The final way to get a permanent resident visa takes many years. First, you must stay in the country for three years on one-year visas. Then, you will be able to apply for a long-stay visa. This visa requires a Certificate of Eligibility from the Ministry of Justice. To get this certificate, you must meet several criteria of the Immigration Control Act.
The long-stay visa lasts three more years. After the first six years, you can apply to become a Japanese permanent resident. You must go through a testing process to prove that you are fluent in Japanese and have a strong understanding of Japanese culture.
Retirement In Hua Hin
One of the most laidback, interesting places also regocnised as the best place to retire in Thailand is the quaint coastal town of Hua Hin.
Located a 3-hour drive south of Bangkok on the coast of the Gulf of Thailand, Hua Hin is predominantly known as a Thai seaside town that is popular with Bangkok residents looking for a weekend getaway from the metropolis.
The town is a very interesting retirement option when compared to Thailands more developed and commercial holiday destinations such as Pattaya and Phuket. Hua Hin also has a small foreign and affluent expat community that is friendly.
Hua Hin is home to a number of bars and Western style restaurants, shopping malls, quality beaches, lots of modern amenities and a number of Thailands best golf courses. The seaside town is a retirement location you need to take seriously.
What else makes Hua Hin the best place to retire in Thailand?
Hua Hin is a great place to retire if you are looking for somewhere that retains lots of modern facilities, bars and beaches, while enjoying a peaceful serenity you wont find in some of Thailands other built up destinations. This destination merges modernity and relaxation in copious amounts.
Some of Thailands best golf courses are located in the stunning Hua Hin countryside such as Black Mountain GC and Banyan Golf Club. If you are a golf lover, Hua Hin and Pattaya are the two best places to retire.
Places to Live in Hua Hin: City Center, Cha-Am, Khao Takiab
Expense Level: $$$$
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Tokyo As An International City
Tokyo is home to many foreign companies with foreign employees living there. In recent years the government initiated programs and plans to promote Tokyo as an international business center and a foreigner friendly place. Some of the plans that are currently underway are the plan to reinforce Tokyo as an international business center, and the foundation for special districts for inviting foreign companies.
At the same time Tokyo improved their transportation networks infrastructure for the Olympics that was held in 2021. To further their goal of becoming a foreigner friendly city, the Tokyo government has changed guide displays and signs to be accessible in multiple languages. They have been also increasing multilingual facilities and services throughout the city to facilitate foreigners visiting and residing in Tokyo in living more comfortably and conveniently than before.
Ira Contribution Age And The Secure Act
The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act was signed by President Trump in December 2019. The Act eliminates the maximum age for traditional IRA contributions, which was previously capped at 70½ years old.
However, Americans who turned 70½ years old in 2019 still needed to withdraw their required minimum distributions in 2020 or they incurred a hefty 50% penalty of their RMD. Those who turned 70½ years old in 2020 are not be required to withdraw RMDs until they are 72. The first withdrawal needs to occur before the following April 1, so individuals who turned 70½ in 2019 could have waited to withdraw their RMD until April 1, 2020. They were then required to take another RMD by the following Dec. 31, and every Dec. 31 thereafter.
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How Are Americans Retiring In Spain
If you want to retire in Spain, Spains Golden Visa Program is an excellent option. The program invites non-EU citizens to apply for the program and obtain residency permits in a short timeframe, in exchange for a qualifying investment.
The most typical way to get a Golden Visa is to make a real estate investment of at least 500,000. This will grant you your own property along with a Spanish residency permit. You can then get permanent residency after five years, or Spanish citizenship after 10 years .
For more information, take a look at our Ultimate Guide to the Spain Golden Visa.
Things I Will Not Miss About Living In Japan
- THE FOOD!
Specifically? Almost everything both traditional Japanese cuisine and Japanese adaptations of Western or other Asian cuisines.
I dont even know where to start complaining about this but really its quite simple: Japanese food is dull.
The food scene is so dull and boring that its by far the biggest disappointment I have about Japan. Japanese food is bland, overly simplistic, and completely underwhelming.
When going out to eat, there is literally no creativity or variation from one restaurants menu to another. Cafe food is, without exception, always gross. Food stands, festival food, and bar food are the same at every stand, festival, and bar. Even when you travel to a new city and search for that citys famous dishes there is almost no variation.
Imagine traveling to a new city and finding out that they have a famous type of ramen, only to find out that its the same exact ramen as everywhere else but with a half-boiled egg on top. This is the Japanese food scene in a nutshell.
I could go on and on, complaining until the cows come home, but I think Ive made my point. And to be completely honest, Im fucking tired of complaining about this. Sorry to all my friends in Japan who had to deal with my relentless grumbling I got tired of it, too.
- Not being able to eat most fruits and many vegetables on a daily basis because they are too expensive or unavailable.
- Japanese housing
Be ready for all of these issues and more:
Sounds harsh, but where is the lie?
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