October Chat Live Q&A » Official Business Manager Visa Changes » Ōmishima, Imabari, Ehime, Japan

General questions are always welcome, and this month, our topic is: the NEW changes to the Business Manager visa, as they have officially been announced by Japan's immigration services

Please join us: the last Sunday of each month, from 8-10am Japan Time, for our our monthly Q&A 2-hour livestream :) Be sure to check what day/time that will be for your specific time zone :)

1st Hour: Introduction + Main Topic
2nd Hour: Open Q&A + Wrap-up

We consider this livestream our "public office hours" where we chat and answer questions. If you'd like a reminder notification for the livestream, pop over to the video link, and click "Notify Me".

Can't make the livestream? No problem! You can leave questions in the chat box beforehand. You can email questions, or send a message on social media. Those questions will be answered first! So you can easily find the answer when you watch the playback. "Super Chat" or "Super Thanks" donations are appreciated (but not required!) when asking questions for the livestream.

Have more questions? Want some one-on-one time to discuss your specific situation? We also offer video consultation calls, to share our experience with Japanese real estate, akiya houses, or immigration and Startup / Business Manager visa questions. In addition to that, we also offer in-person real estate and translation services, for those looking to move to the Shimanami Kaido area. More details at: https://bentonhomestead.com/consulting

Here are a few ways to directly help our small business and life in Japan:
1) It's free to like this video, comment, subscribe, and share!
2) Stay With Us on Ōmishima » www.airbnb.com/h/bentonguesthouse
3) Shop Honey + Retro » www.bentonhomesteadjapan.myshopify.com/
4) Shop Vintage Records » www.discogs.com/seller/bentonhomestead/profile
5) Japan Consulting » www.bentonhomestead.com/consulting
6) Support (one-time or monthly) » www.buymeacoffee.com/bentonhomestead

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Subscribe »    / @bentonhomestead  

Stay With Us » https://www.airbnb.com/h/bentonguesth...

Shop Honey + Retro » https://bentonhomesteadjapan.myshopif...

Shop Vintage Records » https://www.discogs.com/seller/benton...

Japan Real Estate Consulting » https://www.bentonhomestead.com/consu...

Photo Blogs » https://www.bentonhomestead.com

Support » https://www.buymeacoffee.com/bentonho...

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Videos covering commonly asked questions:
• "Startup Visa to Business Manager Visa Complete Process"    • Startup Visa to Business Manager Visa Comp...  
• "Abandoned House to AirBnB » Process, Expense, Return on Investment":    • Abandoned House to AirBnB » Process, Expen...  

Videos covering our second house (the former ryokan):
• "Abandoned Items in our 1940 'Ryokan' Garage":    • Abandoned Items in our 1940 'Ryokan' Garag...  
• "Unboxing Belongings Abandoned for Decades":    • Unboxing Belongings Abandoned for Decades ...  
• "Unboxing Four Guest Rooms":    • Unboxing Four Guest Rooms » Ryokan Akiya T...  
• "Unboxing the Kitchen":    • Unboxing the Kitchen » Ryokan Akiya Tour »...  
• "We Bought Another Akiya, Abandoned for 40 Years":    • First Look at our Second Abandoned House! ...  

Videos covering our first house (now Benton Guesthouse):
• "From Abandoned House to Guesthouse":    • From Abandoned House to Guesthouse » Ōmish...  
• "Remodel Finishing Touches: Phase One":    • Remodel Finishing Touches; End of 'Phase 1...  
• "Responsible Akiya Cleanup":    • Responsible Akiya Cleanup » Rural Japan » ...  
• "Sorting Items Left Behind":    • Akiya Renovation » Photo Slideshow: Sortin...  
• "We're Buying a House, Abandoned for 10 Years":    • Buying an Akiya in Japan » Empty for 10 Ye...  

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We are two foreigners living in Japan! We received a Startup Business Visa, which then earned us a Business Manager Visa. This essentially allows us to sponsor our own residency in Japan via our small business: Benton Homestead. We have an akiya-turned-guesthouse, small honeybee and natural farm, and consulting. It's been challenging but nothing is impossible!

Japan has an estimated 10-12 million 'akiya' abandoned houses, and we've purchased two of them! The first house was purchased for ¥1 Million ($7,500 USD) and abandoned for 10 years, which we've now renovated into Benton Guesthouse. The second house was purchased for ¥2.8 Million ($18,000 USD) and abandoned for an estimated 40 years. This one was a former 'ryokan' inn, and came with two pieces of nearby farm and forest land, sitting unused longer than anyone can remember.

I previously had no interest in creating a YouTube page or even really sharing our story beyond our friends and new neighbors. But the whole time we've spent immigrating to Mexico, immigrating to Japan, navigating the visa process, purchasing real estate as foreigners, incorporating a business, and settling in to life as foreigners, I quickly realized the information I've been looking for is not readily available. So, I'm making the exact kind of content I wish I'd had when I began. I’m documenting everything in hopes of helping others on a similar path.

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