Japan Foreclosed Property 2015-2016 - Buy this 5th edition report!

Over the years, this ebook has been enhanced with additional research to offer a comprehensive appraisal of the Japanese foreclosed property market, as well as offering economic and industry analysis. The author travels to Japan regularly to keep abreast of the local market conditions, and has purchased several foreclosed properties, as well as bidding on others. Japan is one of the few markets offering high-yielding property investment opportunities. Contrary to the 'rural depopulation' scepticism, the urban centres are growing, and they have always been a magnet for expatriates in Asia. Japan is a place where expats, investors (big or small) can make highly profitable real estate investments. Japan is a large market, with a plethora of cheap properties up for tender by the courts. Few other Western nations offer such cheap property so close to major infrastructure. Japan is unique in this respect, and it offers such a different life experience, which also makes it special. There is a plethora of property is depopulating rural areas, however there are fortnightly tenders offering plenty of property in Japan's cities as well. I bought a dormitory 1hr from Tokyo for just $US30,000.
You can view foreclosed properties listed for as little as $US10,000 in Japan thanks to depopulation and a culture that is geared towards working for the state. I bought foreclosed properties in Japan and now I reveal all in our expanded 350+page report. The information you need to know, strategies to apply, where to get help, and the tools to use. We even help you avoid the tsunami and nuclear risks since I was a geologist/mining finance analyst in a past life. Check out the "feedback" in our blog for stories of success by customers of our previous reports.

Download Table of Contents here.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Japanese man put-down

Its interesting dealing with Japanese men; though I can't say I have strictly had any relationship with any. I've shared an apartment with one, talked to heaps, but with the exception of a few old men I've met with overseas experience, I can't say I'd want to be friends with them. One Aussie girl I used to work with had a pretty cool Japanese BF. My brother recently married a Japanese girl in Japan, and I was surprised that all her brother's friends were really cool! Having been married to a Japanese girl myself at some point, this was not the first wedding I went to without some form of prejudice. Usually its older arrogant men from the countryside. But if I was to sum up the attitudes I have crossed, its the following:
1. Cultural put down: Many Japanese guys like to put down my country because we are a small population. It does like this... 'Really..you are from Australia? Oh. Kangaroo, koala..he he. Really amusing when it happens several times in the same bar.
2. Nice guy put down: This is when strangers want to do nice things for you. e.g. A Japanese person is at a vending machine before you. He decides to give you a free drink. Maybe you are thinking..nice guy. Nope, arrogant dick. He did it because generosity is a sign of superiority in Japan. Older men treat younger men & women to drinks because they are arrogantly superior. The young Japanese employees or girls just like to get free drinks and take off, unless they feel compelled to be polite. One Japanese guy told me he had to pour his bosses drinks all night, at every session of weekly Friday drinks, but he was pleased to get free drinks none the less.
3. Runnaway Dave: These are the ones that wait until they pass you before they have their snickering joke with their disabled mates.
4. Throw Up Tom: These are the guys who carry on all the time and get excessively drunk, or pretend to, and then drop up anyway just to prove they are men. When he gets older, he is likely to require a loan from his parents to pay for the damage he did to your apartment because he drank & drove, drank more and fell asleep smoking a cigarette. Oh, and you had to drive him to the hospital to sew his burnt hand back on.
5. Silent Sam: This is the type of Japanese guy who is very quiet and just wants to take-take-take. Mummer's boy to be sure. Very insular, so very hard to relate or get humour from these guys. They are generally honest though.
6. Sly Stud: Stud is the guy who charms the lady and has a lot of confidence. He is usually successful in business and plays around with married women.
7. Working Jay: Jay is a son of the company president. He feels a great sense of obligation, so he feels obliged to work as hard as his father. He eats and drinks at the bars, often by himself. He has dates organised by his mother because she is concerned he doesn't eat well, and he needs to settle down. He probably has the most tragic sense of life.
8. Prancing Pete: Pet also has wealthy parents, but Pete can't stand to be around his parents because they are so pushy about him being a real man and facing up to his responsibilities. Instead he works a part time job selling cell phones in the city, or goes abroad and works in a Japanese call centre. He is gay or close enough, which is just another element of his 'tough dad's disappointment.
9. Korean Ken: Those tough minded men which remind you of tough-minded Korean men, through whom ideas will just not permeate. Ken is this type of man that Pete wants to escape. He is often a farmer, construction worker, lumberjack or real estate agent.

Ok, so let me identify the positive experiences with Japanese men:
1. Teddybear Ben: There are those old Japanese men who are soft, gentle and friendly. Nice people, often educated, often engineers.
2. Countryfolk: I have had some very positive experiences with Japanese country people. A lot of them have not had much interaction with foreigners, so they won't speak much English, but you can have a lot of fun over a few beers.
3. Suicide Joe: This is the guy who tells you his life story, how unhappy he is, how lucky you are, and just appreciates that you spent 30 minutes talking to him.
4. Downsyndromes: These ones tend to be confined to the outskirts of the cities, I guess where its cheaper and less possibility of a drive-by. All types of weird people on trains in Japan. Never had an experience like it. They are included in the census so we include them here. Not among my friends but good to observe.
5. Tecky Ted: Ted is the guy who wishes he was an American, or might be properly be identified as one. These are the types who are the most interesting to talk to because they don't possess the collectivist identity that maligns other Japanese men. They account for the creative, conceptual genius behind Japan, and highlight the point that if you have a population of 95 milliob people, you are bound to get a few hundred thousand ones like Ted. Great for a chat, and the only typecast I can respect.
6. Bureaucrat Bob: Bob is a very rigid fellow, very shy, no chance in hell of getting a girlfriend. He wants to be a computer programmer but spends only 1 hour a day studying compared to 8 hours for a housewife. He speaks like an android and wears all his buttons up, and he runs to the station at 5am so he's not late for work. And he liked Japanese history and literature. He just loves Japan because there are rules that he can count on. He'll never leave the country unless its to find a wife in the Philippines.

Well I wish I was joking, but this is the summary of the types of men I have met in Japan. Am I missing anyone?

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Japanese man's perspective on Japan

I had an interesting conversation with a Japanese man last night. It was special because I very seldom meet a Japanese man as insightful, intelligent and open. A true gentleman, and very honest. He was explaining that during WWII Japanese men studying at university were forced to enlist in the military. After the war these people had no money, and were living in very basic apartments with shared toilets, no heating, and bad drafts. It was typical for the parents to direct them into university. He wanted to make Japanese noodles. This was commonplace so its not surprising that he should begrudgingly accept his parents wishes. His account highlights the fact that it was parental expectations that their children should have an opportunity to study that many of them missed out on. I dare say many parents were living vicariously through their children, but I'm sure many other parents who didn't want their children to get a university education still wanted to cajoule their children towards prosperity because they were so poor.
He made the point that Koreans and Chinese people are so much like Japanese. I agree with that. Its particularly evident when you go to the Japanese countryside and you meet Japanese farmers who are just like Koreans. Mind you the educated elite in Korea are like city Japanese, and the same for the Chinese elite.
I disagreed with him on the next topic. He suggested that Japanese children today are obliged to go to extra-curricular activities in order to be competitive. I don't think that in itself is bad. One of Japanese strengths is that it is a highly organised society. The problem is two-fold:
1. Japanese kids are sometimes forced to do this. But often they enjoy the extra time with friends. I learned this from the daughter of my ex-GF.
2. Japanese children are given the same rot learning as western kids, just its more intense, and there is less respect for the kid's wishes, though that is changing.
3. Japanese kids are very innocent compared to Western kids. They really lack external experience. Outside of Japan is really a hostile world for them. They are so sheltered or protected. I readily saw the difference when I met 2 13yo NZ exchange students in Japan. Japanese would be inclined to talk about dolls, cute dogs, other frivilous matters, whereas the NZ'ers could have adult conversations. No wonder Japanese are perceived as being racist. Mostly I think its from intimidation and insecurity. The Japanese guy I met had no hint of racism or arrogance, maybe a little national pride, but not in an assertive sense. Only because he neglected to realise that his observations about Korean thinking was also true of Japan. He readily stood corrected. Its one of the nice qualities in Japan, mainly from the women because they don't feel the need to beat their chest. The problem I had with Japanese is the lack of ambition.

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Youth Hostels in Japan

Another great way to travel around Japan on the cheap is by staying at youth hostels. My experiences with youth hostels has mostly been in other countries, eg. Canada, NZ, Australia. In fact I have only stayed at a youth hostel once in Japan and that was in Nagoya. The reason I didn't like it was because this place has a 11pm curfew, so after clubbing until 2AM in the morning, I was unable to go to bed. Instead I was forced to walk around the city for 3 hours to keep warm. I dont know why I was unaware of the curfew. Maybe such information was in Japanese or staff neglected to tell me. Can't recall.
Youth Hostels are a cheap option and I would recommend them, particularly in the smaller cities and countryside where ryokans tend to be expensive and capsule hotels are absent. See www.jyh.or.jp/english/index.html for more information. I prefer capsule hotels in the city because I love a hot bath before and after going out, and also they have the advantage of being 24 hours and they are conveniently located close to entertainment areas (bars) in the cities, so I dont need to get an expensive taxi. Capsule hotels are similarly priced to youth hostels.

I guess both options should be tried as an experience. Capsule hotels are really only suitable for single men. There are a few I believe that cater to women, but they are rare. There are no private baths to my knowledge, so be prepared to flaunt you penis. I'm sure you'll put on a great show. The towels don't offer much shelter if you are not well endowed. But rest assured there will not be any Japanese walking around laughing at you in any language you understand. :)

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Travelling in Japan

The best advice I can give you if you want to travel around Japan is not to live there. The Japanese government for years has been fighting the perception that their country is an expensive place to live and travel. As a result they have for many years been offering foreign tourists a very attractive concession pass for travel on Japan Rail's network. The Japan Rail pass is only available to foreigners travelling on a tourist visa, so my advice is finish any work visa before you travel around Japan. Thus if you are based in Japan, you are better off to see neighbouring countries. I would cancel your working visa so that you can freely travel back (from say Pusan or Seoul, Korea) with a Japan Rail pass & tourist visa. Its a requirement that you purchase the visa outside the country.
My strategy was to get a pass for 1 or two weeks and to travel as much as possible. I would planeach trip at night using www.hyperdia.com, trying to maximise the number of lines I could travel on, but always attempting to return to a large city by nightfall so I could find cheaper accommodation. In the larger cities (Tokyo, Hiroshima, Fukuoka) I knew I could find capsule hotels for Y3500-4500/night, often with a concession attached to the 2nd night. They obliged when I asked if I could store my large locked case in their backoffice.
In the smaller regional cities on the west coast I was having to mostly stay in business hotels, though they were not so bad at around Y4500-5000. Occasionally I would come across an inn which was cheaper. The trick is to make use of the shinkansen fast trains to get to remote outposts before you get local trains. If I left Tokyo on the first train I might expect to be in Fukushima by 8:30AM, so I can get a local train inland, maybe spending just one night in the mountains or on the west coast. I found that the train timetables in the alpine areas were not so helpful if you were transferring to another line. You need to plan the trip before you head inland. The staff were always very helpful telling me the connections. Sometimes (say around Miyoshi, near Okayama), a line might just have 2 or 3 trains a day. This poses a slight inconvenience since you can always take a different line as I often did. On occasion the train services in remote areas has been replaced by buses.
I have used a Japan Rail Pass 4 times now - the standard pass 3 times (7 & 14 day passes) and the 5-day flexible pass (gives you 5 days in a month) offered by JR East. Each has its merits. The standard pass suits people in Japan with a fixed agenda, the 5-day pass suits people who want to travel out on variable occasions, or who might want to use it on weekends.
For more info on the Japan Rail pass - see my Global Rail Travel blog.

Thursday, January 31, 2008

Holidays in Japan

I have several other blogs that deal with my holiday escapades, and I intend for this blog to focus on my personal insights about Japan and its people. So for holiday tips please refer to my blogroll or refer to www.sheldonthinks.com.
After marriage I had a business trip to Japan, and it was not for several years that I would return. Travelling around Japan on business I had however decided that I wanted to live in Japan. On reflection it was not the best commercial decision I would make. There were several bad points:
1. I lost a regular income stream which meant that I have no basis for buying a property and thus benefiting from the property (asset) price boom
2. I lost a constant flow of information on listed Australian mining companies. Working as an analyst I got to review really good stocks first hand. Didnt have to go looking for them
3. I undermined my career credibility by going overseas. Perhaps it looked a little self-indulgent, but then I was not getting exposed to any quality Australian management either.

On reflection my personal life hads no doubt contamninated my working relationships. I was being misunderstood alot. Those experiences were cause for anxiety that tended to push me offshore. You can rest assured that by going overseas, you will not have a problem being misunderstood, as they expect foreigners to be at least slightly 'foreign'. Unfortunately there is really no market for mining analysts in Japan, and less so one that does not speak Japanese, and I did not have the head for that.
So having made good profits on mining stocks I headed off to Japan to teach English. Having divorced, being sponsored to teach English in Japan was one of the best experiences of my life. It helped at the time that I made a 3200% profit on Aquarius Platinum options.

My first Japanese experience

My interest in Japan was quite late. The first instance that I thought about Japan was in a conversation with a philosophy friend of mine. He was talking about Japan through the experiences of his brother, who suggested that having a relationship with a Japanese girl was a very unique experience.
As it turned out I went to work for an energy consultancy company that resulted in me travelling to Japan to collect research as well as to sell some of our multi-client studies. I did not know it at the time but I was wasting my time because I was just an analyst, and not the people to be talking to managers about buying a report. They clearly were none the wiser. Regardless Barlow Jonker had a good reputation, its just that they were not going to buy from me.
Of course I was impressed by Japan. Months later I would meet a very beautiful Japanese girl at the bus stop in Neutral Bay in Sydney. I was going into the city to work or to walk around the botanical gardens....likely both, as I often did my casual readings at work on the weekend.

I was intrigued after those much earlier conversations with my friend, so curious to find out what Japanese people were like. She was not a 'typical Japanese person'. Her cheeks were not drawn, she was dressed very sportingly, and her teeth were perfect. Approaching her was very awkward as she could not understand my English. The problem was not however her vocab but rather familiarity with my accent. She was living with a Japanese friend, and mostly talking to Japanese people at work. I was her first Australian friend. She was friends with a Nigerian guy, but he had distanced herself from her because a friend of his had jumped on her. So I think she had a trust issue with foreigners.

I inquired further on the bus and when the bus terminated at Wynyard Station, I asked her if I could join her. It must have seemed pushy, but she was ok with it. I walked with her to her trying to establish what she was doing? Where was she going? She kept on saying 'Rock', and I was saying 'What? Roll'n'Roll'? Finally 2km later we were at her 'work'. Anyway I met he boss and asked her if I could have lunch with her.

Alot of people might ask me. Why were you interested in a girl with whom you could hardly communicate? The answer is - I have always been incredibly curious, wanting to learn, but also I have always been very shy. In the week earlier I had convinced myself I was going to find a GF. Having been to a boys only private school I really had no idea how to talk to girls. How refreshing to meet someone who couldn't understand me anyway. It made it all so much easier.

Anyway in ensuing weeks I went to her workplace every Sunday for lunch, then on 5th week she called me, because instead I went to my father's place. So we got together Monday night with her Chinese friend. Anyway that was our first kiss. Just from observing her behaviour it was evident that she was very romantic about the occasion. She closed her eyes, and pressed her lips against mine. Much more innocent than any prior Australian experience.

In coming weeks our relationship quickened pace. Firstly my gay sharemate left, but not before stealing one of my shirts. It was a thin jumper which probably looked great on him. He had justified the theft by giving me one of his shirts that he didnt want. I guess he would call it a trade. It made me reflect on whether being gay was one big rationalisation, but actually I can't see anything wrong with homosexuality if you are so inclined. I think it doesnt matter what you do, so much as the motive for doing it.

The other event which transpired was that Kihoko - my new Japanese friend - needed to move out of her apartment because her friend was going back to Japan. I invited her to stay at my place. She agreed. It didnt take long before we had consumated the relationship. She was gorgeous.
In coming months we would spend more time with her friends since I really didnt have many good friends. I particularly liked the dynamic you get when you have 2 Aussie guys with 2 Japanese girls. It only works in a 4-way set. I couldnt relate to this guy if it was just the 2 of us.
I was at that time a very shy guy and Kihoko was a valued partner. Ultimately I would come to marry her, which was a mistake, but given my lack of meaningful relationships up until the age of 28yo, not surprising to me.
Philosophically I had a choice about locking in this relationship or attempting to find another. I decided to lock in the 'value (bird) in the hand is worth 2 in the bush' and marry her. She was really quite idealistic about it, whereas for me it was a piece of paper. Yep, it was a mistake to get married without more life experience. I was a wise man at 28yo, but in relationships, and understanding myself, I had alot to earn. It was clear I was not going to get any meaningful help from anyone else because I had never had any meaningful relationships.
Once we got married, things changed. I noticed that she was not so understanding. Before we got married she would hold things in. She would go to work and return home and say "Andrew, I was very upset with you today, but after thinking about it, you're right. I love you, etc". But after getting married, I noted a lack of patience. She suddenly felt entitled to press the issue and loose control, and sometimes it was over such frivilous issues.
The one which I will never forget was at Woolworths. Normally she would cook, as she was good at it, and not without appreciation. On this dayt however, having grown up with roast lamb, I decided to cook a roast 'like my mother used to cook it'. Clearly she had some issues of insecurity, because she thought belittled by my longing for a roast, likely seeing it as some preference I had for my mom's cooking. I was shocked by the magnitude of the slip, which was a total misunderstanding. The neighbours even called the police, and she was embarrassed to tell them. When I tried to explain the police say 'Wait we'll get her statement first'. After hearing her, they didn't even bother getting a statement from me.
Whenever I go to the police station, I know they are going to have a chuckle over that one. As it turned out, I was poorly equipped at that time to deal with her issues, and it was a good decision to leave her within the year. I didn't loose interest in Japanese girls. I've never had such an honest and supportive relationship in my life, so I went searching for another Japanese relationship. Not exclusively, just the feedback I got from Aussie girls was negative.
I have come to understand the reason why. I work through relationships, whereas I think western girls want to join up all the dots before they dive in. I think the 'scarcity' factor in my life, of possible relationships is a big reason for this choice. I dont see anything wrong with it, as I grow relationships.
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