How to Plan Your Retirement in Japan - For Planners: Free Checklist Included!
This post unpacks the practical, financial, and emotional steps to make it smooth and fulfilling, all from our real-life stumbles. Retirement gives you time, but relocating to Japan’s a big move—plan ahead! I’ve dropped a free checklist on the “Freebie Shelf” tab. Hope you can skip the stress and flops we hit. Let’s build your bridge to a new chapter—step by step, with confidence!
Step 1: Know Your Visa Options
Japan’s got no “retirement visa”. But pathways exist, just not work visas for retirees. Check MOFA’s details—stay periods, docs: mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/long.
Specified visa
Spouse or child of Japanese national (Examples: spouse of a Japanese national, biological child of a Japanese national)
Spouse of permanent resident (Examples: spouse of a permanent resident)
Long-term resident (Examples: persons with Japanese ancestry, Indochinese refugee settlers, the spouse or children of Japanese nationals left behind in China, etc.)
Designated activities (Examples: foreign nationals who wish to enter Japan as personal help privately employed by diplomats, etc., foreign nationals who wish to enter Japan for a working holiday or for paid internships, candidate nurses and care workers who wish to enter Japan based on an EPA, etc.)
Designated activities (Long Stay for sightseeing and recreation)
General visa
Cultural activities (Examples: unpaid internships, people studying the tea ceremony or Japanese flower arranging, etc.)
Student (Examples: college students, pre-college students, etc.)
Training (Examples: trainees in a local government, etc.)
Dependent (Family stays) (Examples: The spouse and children of a foreign national with working visa, etc.)
Start-up visa
Start-up (Entrepreneur supported by municipalities in Japan and the spouse or children of the entrepreneur.)
Visa process is time consuming. We leaned on IMS Legal (imsvisa.support/en)—English-speaking, Japan-based, clutch. It incurs cost, however, it saves a lot of time and headache. Hit your Japanese consul/embassy with docs—times vary by country.
By the way, no bias here—no rewards from the service providers, just my battle-tested recs after long struggles.
Step 2: Sell or Rent Your House
Selling our Chicago/Mundelein place was a nightmare—market’s a dice roll. But someone always needs a home. Here’s our playbook:
Agent Hunt: Snagged a networked real estate pro—price talks were brutal but fair.
Declutter: Renovated—new paint, fixed creaks—then sold/gave/donated heaps. Empty space sells
Rent Option: Considered an agent to manage it—might return someday. Your call.
Plan buffer time—markets don’t care about your flight!
Step 3: Choose Where to Live
Big cities like Tokyo and Osaka are exciting but can be costly. Consider:
Fukuoka: Modern and affordable with easy access to beaches and food. Recently a lot of typhoon though.
Matsumoto/Nagano prefecture: Peaceful mountain city with rich culture
Kamakura/Kanagawa prefecture: Historic and scenic, close to Tokyo (only 30 minutes by train)
Okinawa: Chill pace, mild winters—big vet community (60K U.S. expats, 2023).
Countryside is nice to retire—I’d pick Nagano’s calm over Tokyo’s. Nagano is only one hour away from Tokyo station by bullet train. Relative disaster free. Also Tokyo’s got affordable pockets too—check e-housing.jp, English-run by a young expat who gets foreigner woes.
Step 4: Financial Planning
Money’s your lifeline—don’t sleep on it:
Consult a cross-border tax and financial advisor.: CHI’s my pick (chiborder.com/blog)—U.S. citizens/green card holders file IRS returns forever. Expert saved us!
Your Investments/401(k): U.S. domicile needed—It is critical to consult your financial advisor to secure your asset.
Pension/Social Security: U.S. Embassy in Japan sends paperwork—$1=¥150.73 (March 2025) stretches it nicely.
Cost of Living: “Freebie Shelf” has a U.S.-Japan comparison
Step 5: Pet Relocation
Our wire-haired dachshund, Jager (7 y/o), came from Chicago—six months of chaos! Shots, rabies tests—U.S.-Japan rules clash (rabies shots yearly here, not there). Due to a missing doc, we needed to put off our flight. Triple-check with your vet—Arlington Heights Animal Hospital nails it, Japanese-savvy area.
More: mhlw.go.jp, maff.go.jp, aphis.usda.gov.
Jager’s here now—worth every hassle!
Step 6: Choose a Mover
Downsizing from a 3000 sq ft Chicago house—3 levels, garage clutter—to a 3LDK (800 sq ft) Japan apartment was big difference. Sold/gave/donated tons. It’s hard to part with emotional items like photos and gifts.So we digitized the pictures and gave the most meaningful gifts to our closest friends and family.
Nippon Express (nipponexpress.com/us/en) or Yamato (yamatoamerica.com) hauled the rest.
Step 7: Healthcare and Insurance
I highly recommend you get your medical record. My husband’s heart surgery data was clutch for his Japanese cardiovascular doctor. CD-ROMs flopped—unreadable here! Convert to USB/PDF—no beta tape case. Aspirin’s prescription-only; ambulances are free (public).
National Health Insurance (NHI) kicks in as a resident—covers heaps, top docs. Register at your city center within 14 days of getting address or arrival—NHI or My Number card (like SSN) awaits.
Step 8: Build Your Timeline
6-12 Months: Paperwork—visas, pets drag out. We started late—chaos ensued!
Visit: Scout neighborhoods
Jager’s delay pushed us one month—12’s safer than 6!
Step 9: Create a Support System
Me: Drop a line—I will support you.
Language: Basic Japanese classes—14% speak English. “konnichiwa” opens doors.
Friends pulled us through. Build yours—expat forums, locals, me!
Wrap-Up
Planning retirement in Japan’s your bridge to a new chapter—tough, but epic. Visa snags, pet woes, moving chaos—we’ve lived it. The “Freebie Shelf” checklist skips our stress—use it! I’ve got your back!