How to sell everything, move to Japan, and keep a U.S. address

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You’ve decided to let go and move overseas. It’s time to sell as much as you can, if not everything! I sold stuff at a flea market, in the newspaper, using Craigslist, and on eBay, and I had a garage sale. I donated some household items and clothing, and the rest of my stuff I just gave away for free. These methods helped me get rid of everything I owned in the U.S.

But what about staying in contact with your home country? You know… a phone number, voice mail, and a mailing address? Sure you can use your parents address or another family members address and this would be the most affordable way, but sometimes it feels good not to have to rely on anybody to get things done. Here are some steps on how to make it happen on your own terms.

  1. Get a new address first using a 3rd party service. You could use the service Mailboxes Etc, but it’s not convenient. I recommend an online service such as Earth Class Mail. They’ll email you, scan your mail, even forward things to you. It’s important to do this first because once you decide where you’ll be getting your mail you need to get a notarized copy of USPS Form 1583 to authorize the service to receive mail on your behalf. Get this done at a notary or your local bank. But watch those fee totals! You’ll be paying a monthly fee + scanning fees + mail forwarding fees. Last year I spent a more than $1200 USD on this service. This year I’m estimated to spend about $800.
  2. Keep one credit card with a small limit. This is my recommendation so you can shop online more securely. You don’t want to become a victim of fraud where somebody drains your Bank Debit Card and you have to fight with your bank (while in Japan) about how to get your money back. You can check your credit score free at Credit Karma and they also can recommend credit cards based on your score.
  3. Get a bank account you want to keep for a long time or forever that offers nice online banking and minimal fees. You’ll need this to pay bills that may come up, etc. I have a checking account but I also bank with Capital One for savings (high yield money market account) and the cheapest withdrawals. I also just got a Charles Schwab savings account. They told me they don’t charge a conversion fee and reimburse ATM fees worldwide. I also signed up with mint.com to track all of my bank accounts from one login.
  4. Get a PayPal account and tie it to your bank account and any credit card you need to. Sometimes it’s a convenient solution to paying people or to buy products, but you should consider getting it even though you might not use it. I can access Paypal on my iPhone!
  5. I run my business online (from my ‘virtual office’ aka laptop) so I also have a fax number. I got a free fax number from j2.com so I can receive faxes. I also then use a  send-only service like Green Fax to send outgoing faxes using my email.
  6. More than 90 days before moving, renew your driving license for the longest time possible. This way you can use it to get an International Driving License, and when you return home it might still be valid. Why 90 days? Well sometimes if you have the proper visa it can be transferred to a Japanese license. Please don’t ask me about this, I have no idea how to do this or the rules because I use the subway. On a side note – make sure your passport is current!
  7. Secure your internet connection. When you do online banking, work, and even Facebook it’s a good idea to use a VPN. I use proXPN’s VPN service on my laptop and my iPhone. proXPN works great in Japan and gives me a dynamic USA IP address. They do offer a limited free version, but I pay for the premium membership for unlimited speed and server locations. Before using a VPN I’ve gotten locked out of my PayPal account a handful of times and my regular bank account. And wow, it is a pain to get the accounts verified and re-verified when you need your money asap. I’ve even had to verify orders I make in America or the UK over the phone because my IP was coming from Japan or wait for mail to be delivered and scanned. The benefit of using a VPN service is you’ll be able to encrypt your internet connection at home, at an internet cafe, wifi hotspot, and even on your smart phone. We’re talking serious business here… 2048 bit VPN encryption for my laptop and 128 bit for my iPhone at the same time (it’s basically 2 accounts for the price of one)! ProXPN let’s me choose the server I connect to each time (USA, UK, Singapre, Netherlands…) I’ve also been able to use geographically restricted sites like Hulu and U.S. network TV and even listen to Pandora online.
  8. Secure your laptop. Most likely you’ll have everything on your laptop (banking, contact info, important documents, photos, etc) and it’s stuff you can’t afford to lose. It’s a good idea to sign up for LogMeIn (even the free account) in case you lose your laptop or it gets stolen. I used to use 2GB of free online storage with DropBox and treat it as “My Documents” but then I switched to SugarSync that offers 5GB of free storage and multiple folder backup, then I back everything up using Carbonite in case my hard drive crashes.
  9. Get a phone number. One that you can receive calls to and originates from your home country. I recommend doing this through Skype. It’s a solid VOIP company and I haven’t had any problems over the last 3+ years. For $60 a year you’ll have a number your friends and family can call to talk to you, leave voice mails, and you can use it to call phones for an unlimited amount of to the US and Canada. If you’re from another country then visit their site for more details on what they offer. I can use Skype on my iPhone! So that’s an added bonus.

And there you have – those are my tips for moving overseas and living in Japan or a another country abroad while still having a presence in the United States. It’s all about living a location independent lifestyle! If I think of anything else I’ll update this blog entry. If you have any useful tips please post them in the comments section.

  1. Get a phone number. I recommend doing this through Skype. It’s a solid VOIP company and I haven’t had any problems over the last 3 years. For $60 a year you’ll have a number your friends and family can call to talk to you, leave voice mails, and you can use it to call phones for an unlimited amount of to the US and Canada. If you’re from another country then visit their site for more details. I can use Skype on my iPhone! So that’s an added bonus.

How to Help Japan: Tsunami and Earthquake Disaster Relief

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You can help Japan after the diaster! You can easily donate $10 or more by donating online or sending a text message (from the U.S.A.) – just text to REDCROSS or 90999 to make $10 donation by text message. Here are the many organizations set up to help Japan and those affected during their time of need. Most of the donations are tax deductible as well. Continue reading →

Japan’s 2011 Tsunami and Earthquake Videos & Photos

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March 11, 2011 – what a terrible day. The north coast of Japan was hit by a horrible tsunami after an 8.9 magnitude earthquake that occurred 80 miles offshore. And now there’s a fear of a nuclear disaster. I was contacted by Fox News, The Today Show, and CNN for an interview but I declined because I’m on Kyushu Island living in Fukuoka, and we’re all safe here because it’s far away from where the catastrophe happened. Even though this is true, people are buying up water and instant ramen noodles from the local supermarkets. Now that makes me worry!

If you are looking for a missing person in Japan or know something about a missing person, please visit this website. And here’s the link to the US embassy in Japan.

As a friend noted – The saddest part of this disaster in Japan is that it hit the poorest and most vulnerable people in the country. Most of the victims were fishermen, farmers, and the elderly. They did not live the high fashion, high technology, and trendy lives we see depicted in Tokyo life.

Thousands of people are dead, thousands are missing, over half a million people are homeless, and aftershocks keep creeping up. If you want to get involved, visit this link to learn how to help Japan!

Continue reading →

Asia League Ice Hockey 2010-2011 season cancelled due to Japan catastrophe

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After northern Japan was hit with the 5th largest earthquake in recorded history, many companies and events had to restructure their business and time frames, including sports leagues.

We extend our sincere condolences to the lives lost and express our deepest sympathy to those who are affected by the earthquake and tsunami that hit Tohoku region on March 11. We would like to inform you that, taking into consideration the devastating catastrophe caused by the earthquake, which has made it impossible to secure safety at the game sites, the Asia League Ice Hockey cancelled the playoff Final series and has completed its 2010-2011 season. We apologize for any inconvenience caused and would like to ask our fans and all those concerned for their understanding with this matter.
– Asia League Ice Hockey

In Koriyama Japan, about 50 KM (30 miles) south of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, the Tohoku Free Blades felt the rumbles of the earth quake and had to evacuate the arena during practice. The team and their rivals, South Korea’s Anyang Halla, were uninjured. Those die-hard hockey fans in Asia can continue to watch the National Hockey League (NHL) online instead in the rest Asian season. If you want to do this, just search Google for “how to watch hockey online”. An interesting side note: Sidney Crosby Jerseys and Alex Ovechkin jerseys lead the hockey jerseys selling in North America this last week.

Sneaker Washing Machine

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I saw this so I had to give it a shot! TWICE! At first I though hey, it’s a cheaper alternative than buying huge shoes (size 13) in America and having them shipped. The shoe washing machine has brushes that beat the hell out of your shoes, then a dryer that doesn’t work well. Maybe if I would have spent 1000 yen I’d have dry shoes, but I was too impatient.

Laundry Matt Shoe Machine

What a great idea! But after 2 washes it just gave me dirty wet shoes, that later smelled bad because of the moisture and humidity. Oops!

Q&A: Learning About Japanese Culture

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Question:

Chris writes in – Hi, Steve. I really enjoy your blog I’ve read it a couple of times and I am thinking of an adventure to Japan. My question is… is there a way I can learn more of the culture? What I mean is, I wouldn’t want to offend anyone if I do go there. Is there a way to prepare myself so that I don’t offend them the day I step off the plane?  Their culture is a more serious than living in the United States, I just don’t want to be a stereotypical clumsy American they seem to think of us as. I really enjoy their history and culture. So I may find myself over there sometime after I graduate next year.

Answer:

Hi Chris,

It’s great that you want to learn and understand Japanese culture before visiting. The culture is different than what I was used to, so it’s easy to offend somebody. For example if you slam a door by accident when you leave maybe somebody will think you’re upset with them and that will make them upset which results in them not talking to you for a few days for no reason. (This happened to me once)

Don’t forget who you are either, so if you’re awesome be awesome. Japanese guys seem to be shy or drawn back when you look at their body language but I think they’re strong verbally. Since I don’t speak Japanese well I can’t be strong verbally so I’m more aggressive using body language, but at the same time I’m not too invasive. I call this maneuver “just being myself”.

For learning about the culture you might search the internet or find a book about Japanese Culture. I read a book I bought in the travel section of a book store. If you can read Japanese already, you can find Japanese online newspapers here. Even when you’re ready you should be prepared to offend somebody on accident, it happens. Just stay positive and try to move on. In my opinion daily Japanese language and body language seems to land in the middle of the road, not an exact yes or no. Something I noticed is if somebody offers you something when visiting them, you should accept. If you offer somebody something (like food or a drink) and they say no, then offer it a few more times because they may be saying no to be polite. If you’re on a bus or train you should get up and offer your seat to women with children, older people. And if somebody says they’re going to do something with you, they might not follow through. It’s life. Hmm, what else, I bow when other people bow, and I use formal words most of the time because being super polite doesn’t offend people. There are a lot of silly and happy foreigners on TV, and I try to be happy and smile most of the time without going overboard. A few people have commented about this saying that it’s great because I’m happy like the people they are familiar with on TV, so you might keep that in mind. Nobody enjoys seeing grumpy, angry, rude, or sad people.

Also when you’re in Japan, look around at what others are doing and try to mimic their actions. People don’t liter and I notice people don’t often eat while walking or on public transportation among other things.

Relationships and marriage is another story. But to get you started in that area you could check out some Asian wedding favors.

Rocking the Kimono

(Photo from flickr)

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