151–160 of 317 posts
These "digital nomads" who would travel to Japan for work+sightseeing aren't taking local jobs and don't have a Japanese bank account.
Does Japan want to tax income produced within its borders, regardless of where one is actually a tax resident? Most countries I'm aware of treat people as tax residents if they reside there for more than 180 days a year.
It's exciting to see progress, but I think 180 days is too short for this to be worthwhile for people who really wanted this. They've leaned heavily into the "nomad" part, but the issue is more of practicality. This visa doesn't come with a Residency Card, which means that getting a traditional lease in Japan is going to be difficult. For 6 months, you'll be on an uphill battle with some services like housing, which…
That may have been possible under the 90 day tourist visa (though I think that one may explicitly bar job hunting), but 90 days disappears surprisingly quickly and the flight out and back in to get the second 90 day period is a nuisance.
Most aren't aware of the situation Japan is in today because of the world we all grew up in, where Japan was at one point nearly the largest economy in the world. Japan has been in between a recession and stagnation for 30 years. Their GDP was higher 31 years ago than it is today. [1] Their GDP/capita is $33,950 with most wages well below that. They hit a record high for average wages in 2022 of ¥311,800 - about $2,1…
> go extinct Wouldn't this be more of a Ship of Theseus scenario than outright extinction?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
A night or two in jail doesn't sound the worst for that kind of savings. Especially if you have someone to pay 'rent' for a nicer cell space.
What kind of savings? I live in Switzerland now and barely spend more in a lazy month than I did in 'super cheap thailand'
Not to sound confrontational, but you must be horrible at managing your trip spending.
Most aren't aware of the situation Japan is in today because of the world we all grew up in, where Japan was at one point nearly the largest economy in the world. Japan has been in between a recession and stagnation for 30 years. Their GDP was higher 31 years ago than it is today. [1] Their GDP/capita is $33,950 with most wages well below that. They hit a record high for average wages in 2022 of ¥311,800 - about $2,1…
There's a lot of gloom and doom around Japan, but I think there are a few counter-points. 1) Yes, the economy is stagnant. But it's interesting to think about it from the point of view that Japan disproves the idea that a growth economy is the only way. Here is a country that increases worker efficiency and has a really high standard of living, but doesn't do it in a hyper growth kind of way. 2) Yes, Japan is super,…
People seem to underestimate how limiting tourist visas actually are. Imagine you sell digital products automated or something like that. You would have to literally shut your website down if you go somewhere on a tourist visa so you don't accidently make money. You might think there are exceptions, but no there usually aren't. And now imagine you actually live from a digital business you run yourself. You literally…
Are you a rich, white professional class person with a first-world passport? You have signalled that no one needs to bother with you. Things like visa regulations will be applied less strictly.
If you are from the wrong country or you are the wrong skin tone, your chances of having a bad time are much higher.
This applies not only to Japan, or countries like Thailand or Mexico, but also to the USA and Europe equally.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
What kind of savings? I live in Switzerland now and barely spend more in a lazy month than I did in 'super cheap thailand'
Switzerland is #2 in the CoL index. Thailand is #94. Not to sound confrontational, but you must be horrible at managing your trip spending.
However i still paid taxes, health care, a mobile contract, banking, etc in Switzerland.
The actual savings should be in living and food. On short term I rarely rented below $800/month for a single room flat. (Vs $1000 for a old house in Switzerland) for food I have to cook myself now Vs. Eating out twice a day in Thailand.
Without actually moving and centering your life to a cheap country (and giving up on a lot of luxury and safety) you dont easily safe money.
Digital Nomading was an absolute luxury for me. Not a way of saving money (at least looking back)
why are cities trying to attract nomads? They are almost by definition doing location arbitrage, thus paying less in both their country of origin and country of destination.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
So they only want high earning workers from developed countries, basically the kind of immigrants every other country wants but doesn't dare say it out loud. What's wrong with that? Their country, their rules.
Nothing innately "wrong" but I can see it fueling resentment among working class Japanese towards these foreign, exclusively-wealthy digital nomads.
or is this just a concern about “crab mentality”?
Most aren't aware of the situation Japan is in today because of the world we all grew up in, where Japan was at one point nearly the largest economy in the world. Japan has been in between a recession and stagnation for 30 years. Their GDP was higher 31 years ago than it is today. [1] Their GDP/capita is $33,950 with most wages well below that. They hit a record high for average wages in 2022 of ¥311,800 - about $2,1…
There's a lot of gloom and doom around Japan, but I think there are a few counter-points. 1) Yes, the economy is stagnant. But it's interesting to think about it from the point of view that Japan disproves the idea that a growth economy is the only way. Here is a country that increases worker efficiency and has a really high standard of living, but doesn't do it in a hyper growth kind of way. 2) Yes, Japan is super,…