They sold their wedding house in Shanghai and bought a building in Japan | 100 people who don't work

Work occupies more than half of everyone's life. So whether one is happy at work will directly affect the quality of one's life.

In the past, people were satisfied if they had a "iron rice bowl" in a public institution that would last a lifetime; now, the upsurge in Internet entrepreneurship has shattered people's expectations for a stable career; at the same time, freelancers and the slash generation are becoming career choices that more and more people aspire to in the context of the new era.

It’s time to redefine work. If you don’t work from 5am to 9pm, how many other possibilities are there for work? How can a person who doesn’t work survive in the world?

Under this macro social problem, I try to find the answer from micro individuals. I will interview "100 people who don't work" one after another, hoping that you and I can get the answer from the lives of these people.

Today is the fourth episode of "100 People Who Don't Work", which shares how a Shanghai couple who sold their wedding house and opened a B&B in Japan live an ideal life without working in Japan.

Two years ago, I first heard the story of Zhuzhu and Fangfang buying a house in Japan from a friend. As a "Japan fan" who really wants to live in Japan, when I heard the description of "spending more than 3 million RMB to buy a whole building in a prosperous area in Osaka", I was shocked and excited. I still remember it vividly.

Two years later, when I started my independent interview project “100 People Who Don’t Work”, it was almost natural that I thought of this Shanghai couple who bought a house in Japan, so I got to know them through a friend.

Zhuzhu and Fangfang are both very enthusiastic and willing to share. After two and a half hours of chatting, "buying a house in Japan" was officially included in my life plan (laughs). I like their current lifestyle very much, and I have also gained a lot from their successful experience of moving to Japan and investing in buying a house.

So I sorted out the chat content and looked up some information on the Internet. I hope it will be helpful to those who dream of buying property overseas or living in Japan:)

From the dream of settling overseas to visiting Japan to look at houses

Before going to Japan to buy a house, Fang Fang and Zhu Zhu were a pair of freelancers in China who made a living by their respective skills: Fang Fang was a wedding photographer with ten years of work experience, and Zhu Zhu was a fondant artist.

At that time, the two of them, who did not have excessive material pursuits, lived a life of working two days and resting five days a week. But even so, the money they earned was enough for them to live a leisurely life in Shanghai.

"This kind of life sounds better than that of most office workers, so why would you want to buy a house in Japan?" I couldn't help but feel curious.

In fact, buying a house and settling abroad was something the couple had thought about for a long time, and Japan was not their initial target country.

"Because of my work, I often fly to different countries for travel photography. Abroad, I found that craftsmen are a very respected profession, whether they are street painters or music performers. I admire that kind of status, but it is not the case in China." Fang Fang said that settling abroad and living a better life has always been the common dream of the two. During this period, they went to many countries to learn about the local immigration and housing policies, but they always returned disappointed.

For example, although the United States allows foreigners to immigrate through investment, the funds will be frozen by the bank and cannot be used flexibly. This means that if they take out all their assets to invest in the United States, they need to be prepared to start from scratch. This is not only very stressful, but also does not meet the original intention of the two to "live a better life abroad."

After that, they went to Australia and found that there were indeed "beautiful mountains, beautiful waters and beautiful scenery" there, and people lived a very leisurely life, but it was really boring.

"We have two Chinese stomachs and have relatively high requirements for food. There are too few delicious foods in Australia, and there are almost no people on the streets after 6 o'clock in the evening. There is a lack of the atmosphere of fireworks," Fang Fang said.

Repeated disappointments almost dampened the couple's idea of ​​settling overseas. Just when they were about to give up this dream, by chance, one of Fang Fang's former bride guests suddenly asked him if he was interested in investing in buying a house in Japan.

It turned out that the bride's mother bought a building for her in Japan for the price of a house in Shanghai some time ago. Remembering that Fang Fang seemed to have been paying attention to information about overseas real estate, she contacted him.

Fang Fang was very shocked when he heard the news. How could he buy a building in Japan? He and Zhuzhu had traveled to Japan before and were impressed by this clean, orderly country. So he went to learn about Japan's housing policies, prices, and investment returns at the time, and his hope of settling overseas was instantly rekindled.

It is understood that in 2015, the exchange rate between the Japanese yen and the RMB was around 5, which was at its lowest point. It was not as cost-effective to invest in real estate as to buy luxury goods. At that time, the price of buying a commercial land + building in the central area of ​​Osaka was about 3 million RMB (the exchange rate was 5 at that time), and it had permanent land rights, and the annual yield was about 7% minus the cost. The only inconvenience is that the bank loan approval rate for foreigners to buy houses in Japan is extremely low, and the full amount must be paid in one lump sum.

After learning these basic circumstances, Fang Fang, Zhu Zhu and their entire family were very excited, so in March 2015, the whole family flew to Osaka for a trip and also visited a local real estate agency to look at houses.

After all the struggles, I became one of the first people to buy a house in Japan

Within one day, they looked at seven buildings and finally set their sights on a five-story red brick apartment building with ten households near Nihonbashi Station in Osaka.

The red brick wall exterior and a small literary slope lead to the bustling city area at the bottom of the slope and a quiet residential area at the top of the slope. The feeling of being isolated from the world yet in the city made them fall in love with it quickly.

But then there is a very realistic problem: the building must be paid in full for more than 3 million yuan in one go, where does this "huge sum of money" come from?

On the last day of the trip, the family discussed in the hotel room whether to sell the wedding house or the old house of the elders to raise funds for buying a house in Japan. But no matter which one to sell, everyone was shrouded in deep reluctance and sadness.

"At that time, everyone felt very insecure because houses mean a lot to Chinese people. If we chose this path, it would mean that our entire lives would undergo a huge change, and I had no confidence that this decision was right." Fang Fang said that once you decide to buy a house in Japan, there is almost no turning back.

What’s more, in 2015, there were no online cases of Chinese buying houses in Japan, which made them even more hesitant in making decisions.

That night, the two young people who were confused about the future hugged each other and cried in the hotel room. At the crossroads of life, they felt their own insignificance and helplessness.

Fortunately, Fang Fang and Zhu Zhu have a pair of very open-minded parents. Not only did they strongly support the couple in buying overseas properties, they also gave them a push when they were hesitant to make a decision. After returning to Shanghai, Fang Fang's father put the wedding house up for sale online. Three days later, almost miraculously, the wedding house was sold for 3.8 million yuan, and the full amount was paid in one go.

At this point, Fang Fang and Zhu Zhu's dream of buying a house and settling in Japan has finally taken the first step.

Arriving in Japan was stressful

With the recommendation and help of the intermediary, Fang Fang and Zhu Zhu applied for a business management visa in Japan. This visa requires investing in a property in Japan and registering a Japanese company to pay taxes according to the law. To continue to obtain this visa, the company must continue to develop. Real estate income can be used as a supplement to the company's assets, but the company needs to have a main business to ensure a stable income of a sufficient amount every year, and meet the number of days of stay in Japan (more than 180 consecutive days per year). After 5 years, you can apply for naturalization, and after ten years, you can get permanent residency.

Fang Fang and Zhu Zhu's original plan was to go to Japan to run their own real estate management company after their visas were approved. Before that, they needed to go to Japan to complete the property delivery.

Three months later, after completing many tedious procedures for buying a house, until the last moment of completing the house delivery, the couple still had a sense of unreality - "Does this building really belong to us?" This sense of unreality prompted Fang Fang to walk out of the real estate transaction center and go back to confirm again and again, until she saw their names on the property certificate and felt relieved.

But completing the property transaction is only the first step in buying a house in Japan, and there are still a series of trivial matters waiting for them.

For example, the first three months after arriving in Japan were the most stressful and financially constrained for the couple. Since all the buildings they bought were rented out to Japanese people, the couple had to rent a house outside, so the gifts to the landlord, 1-2 months' rent, one month's deposit, insurance, fire protection, home appliances and other expenses added up to a huge expense.

During that period, their account was losing money almost every day but no money was coming in, and their finances were at a point where their income was not enough to cover their expenses.

"If Zhuzhu and I didn't share the same faith and bottom line (Fang Fang and Zhuzhu both believe in Christianity), we might have quarreled in the first three months because of the pressure." Fang Fang said, and Zhuzhu smiled and added: "80% of all quarrels between couples are because of money, and then it's about attitude, and finally it's about whether you love me or not."

“Therefore, all problems that can be solved with money are not problems,” Fang Fang concluded.

The life of running a homestay is getting on track

Fortunately, after the three most difficult months, there were no more large monthly expenses, and life began to get back on track. During that period, three tenants in the building moved out one after another, so Fang Fang and Zhu Zhu decided to convert the three empty houses into B&Bs for residents.

After some renovation, they named the B&B "Light and Salt" and posted the news on their WeChat Moments. Unexpectedly, it became a huge hit instantly, with friends saying they must stay at this B&B when they go to Japan.

Just like that, their friends became the first wave of guests of their B&B. After returning, their friends recommended it to people around them. Word of mouth spread, and Fang Fang and Zhu Zhu’s B&B in Japan was successfully operated without any prior promotion, relying on word-of-mouth. It even reached its full capacity at one point, and reservations needed to be made two months in advance.

"We are also surprised that the B&B can be run so smoothly, and every time the guests come, we get along very well." Fang Fang said that they will personally go to the station to pick up and drop off every guest, and recommend them to nearby delicious and fun places.

In this way, from the first B&B that had a stable income, to the second B&B that began to break even, and finally to the third B&B that started to make a profit, Fang Fang and Zhu Zhu gradually lived a life in Japan without having to work and without having to worry about food and clothing by collecting rent and running B&Bs.

True freedom and happiness do not require much money

Their current lifestyle is as follows: they sleep until they wake up naturally every morning, go to the gym together after having breakfast at home, then soak in a hot spring and have lunch outside. In the afternoon, they pick up guests from the B&B, and after settling the guests, they go to explore nearby shops to discover new and interesting things. After returning home, they update their experience on social networks and share it with everyone.

When talking about these things, Fang Fang likes to tease Zhuzhu about her "lady-like" lifestyle, while Zhuzhu likes to make fun of themselves that they are two "literary losers" who yearn for all beautiful things but do not have excessive material desires and pursuits.

"Here, truly happy things don't cost money," Fang Fang said. When the weather is good, even if the two of them go to the park and lie on the grass for an afternoon, they will be very happy.

"Contentment is the greatest happiness", what I want to say is their current state.

As for the language and interpersonal relationship issues that everyone may be more concerned about, Fang Fang said that he and Zhuzhu still haven't learned Japanese well, but this does not affect their normal life in Japan, because after staying in a Japanese environment for a long time, they can understand some basic daily expressions, and Zhuzhu can already have simple conversations with Japanese people.

In daily life, apart from the Japanese grandfather who helps them with the accounting and some service personnel in public places, the people they interact with most are their Christian church friends living in Japan. As two Christians, the first thing they did after settling down in Japan was to find a church.

Now, apart from three days a week to take care of the B&B affairs and one day to rest, they spend almost all of the rest of their time in church: going to church every Sunday to worship, sing hymns, pray, and welcome new members; every Wednesday night they cook a sumptuous meal at home and get together with church friends, listen to everyone talk about recent events around them, and see if there is any way they can help each other.

A while ago, a Taiwanese couple who were also religious came to Japan for a trip. When they left, everyone burst into tears when they shared their experiences at a church event. Although they had only known each other for a year, they had already established a bond that was better than that of family. Fang Fang and Zhu Zhu said almost at the same time, "This is the truth of love."

"After personally experiencing this profound relationship, I realized that this is the happiest life. This kind of happiness is not brought by material things, but by love," Fang Fang said.

From selling their wedding house in Shanghai to looking at, buying, and renting houses in Japan, and then to opening a B&B, looking back on the road they have traveled, Zhuzhu and Fangfang deeply felt that their lives have been changed. They believe that this is the power brought by the common faith in their hearts.

Just like what it says in the Bible: "We have heard of you by the hearing of the ears, but now we experience you."

This year marks their second year of settling in Japan, and all the good things in their overseas life without working have just begun.

More tips on buying a house in Japan

1.Who is suitable to buy a house in Japan?

People all over the world, including Chinese, can invest in Japanese real estate. As the Japanese economy has slowly recovered in recent years, more and more overseas investors have re-entered the Japanese real estate market to invest. So, you can buy it. But there is a prerequisite, that is, if you can pay the full amount at once.

The loan will almost never be approved. First of all, not all banks are qualified to provide international loans. It depends on which bank can accept your loan application. In addition, each bank has different mortgage review requirements, such as whether you are a permanent resident, how much income you need to have, etc. The procedures will be very complicated and the approval rate is extremely low.

2. What is the rate of return on buying a house in Japan?

The building we invested in has a lease, and the annual yield is about 8%. The yield of Japanese real estate varies according to location, land area, age, etc. (Lin An added: The rental-to-sale ratio of Chinese houses is only 1%, that is, the monthly rent of a house worth 10 million is less than 10,000. The rental-to-sale ratio in Tokyo is about 4-5%, the rental-to-sale ratio in Osaka is 8-10%, and the rental-to-sale ratio of homestays is as high as 15%+)

However, if you buy a house for your own use and not for investment, you still need to have a regular job in Japan to support your living expenses, because such a house cannot be used for business, opening a store or running a B&B. The return rate for renting it out is not high, and if you sell it as a second-hand house in the future, the price reduction and various taxes may cause it to depreciate.

The building we bought was a commercial land with permanent land rights. From 2015 to now, the price has almost doubled (including the increase in exchange rates). But in general, there is little room for speculation in real estate in Japan, and the relevant laws and regulations are very sound. Especially after the collapse of the bubble economy in the 1990s, the Japanese government has also strengthened supervision on the real estate market, so there are no unreasonable situations such as the "building king" and "house sister" in Japanese real estate, and the growth of housing prices will be controlled at around 15%-20% per year.

Therefore, those who want to invest by buying a house in Japan can give up this idea. You must have an understanding that the rate of return on buying a house in Japan will not become apparent until at least 20 years later, so you must take a long-term view.

3. What taxes do foreigners need to pay when buying a house in Japan?

Consumption tax, stamp duty, real estate acquisition tax, fixed asset tax, urban planning tax, income tax and inheritance tax, etc.

4. How to rent out a house bought in Japan?

Japan's rental market is very formal and sound. Generally, real estate agencies are directly entrusted with daily management, including rent collection, property maintenance, water and electricity, cleaning, garbage collection, empty room rental, etc., and 5% of the rent is taken as management fee every month. As a landlord, you don't need to meet with the tenants, you only need to check the income and expenditure statements every month and collect payments regularly.

In Japan, tenants are protected parties. As long as the tenants do not request to move out, the landlord cannot evict them or raise the rent.

Therefore, Japanese people have no desire to buy houses, and many Japanese people live in rented houses. Only families with babies would consider buying a single-family house for their own use.

The government loan interest rate for that kind of house is very low, only 1%. An ordinary Japanese office worker basically pays half of his monthly salary and borrows the other half. After a few decades of loans, he can pay off the entire loan by the time he retires. Therefore, for most Japanese, the pressure to buy a house is not particularly great.

(Lin An added: Japanese young people do not have the habit of asking their parents for a wedding house when they get married. Therefore, to buy a house worth 2 million RMB, they usually pay 20% down and the rest in installments over 20 years. If you start buying in your 30s, you can basically pay off the last mortgage before retirement. This is a common routine for Japanese people to buy houses.)

What kind of house can you buy in Japan with 5.1 million RMB? (The following content is compiled by Lin An based on online information)

1 million RMB can buy a single-family house with a usable area of ​​about 70-80 square meters in a second- or third-tier city in Japan, or a 200-square-meter villa in Karuizawa, the filming location of last year's popular Japanese drama "Quartet".

Or buy an apartment of about 30-40 square meters in a non-central area of ​​Osaka, or buy an apartment of about 20 square meters in a non-central area of ​​Tokyo.

In addition to the above, I also talked with Fang Fang & Zhu Zhu about many interesting things, such as:

“Why don’t Japanese people like to buy houses?”

“Japanese Workplace Culture”

There are also some of their interesting life experiences, such as:

"A story of a flash marriage after being together for only three months"

“The Origins and Development of Christianity”

...

If you are also interested in these topics, please leave a message to let me know.

Finally, I set up a sharing and communication group called “100 People Who Don’t Work”, where everyone can exchange experiences and stories about “not working” in the group, and I will also invite guests to join the group to interact from time to time.

Friends who want to join the group can add Linan’s assistant’s WeChat: xtutux3.

In the next issue, I will share the story of a contracted author of Douban Reading, telling how he grew from having no income after resigning to becoming a freelance writer with a monthly salary of tens of thousands. Stay tuned.

Lin An, author of "Only Work, Not Go to Work"/host of the podcast "Reverse Life"/brand manager of Free Living Room.

His representative work is "100 People Who Don't Go to Work", which continuously investigates and tracks lifestyles such as freelancers, digital nomads, and remote work.

Weibo/Official Account/Xiaohongshu/Bilibili: Lin An's Living Room