Startup Visa to Business Manager Visa Complete Proces » Japan Data » Ōmishima, Imabari, Ehime, Japan

!!! PLEASE NOTE! Japan's Startup visa is going through some big changes! As of January 1, 2025: the program will be nationwide and offered for a two year timeframe (once new applications start being officially accepted). This is very different than our Startup visa experience in early 2023. This blog can still be a resource for you, but please keep in mind the new changes that will slowly start going into effect over the coming weeks and months. Please refer to my updated blog about new 2025 Startup visa changes !!! Please view the updated Video "Startup Visa New 2025 Changes!":    • Startup Visa New 2025 Changes! » Business ...  

Let’s take a detailed look back at our complete experience with the Japanese Startup visa process, all the way through to receiving the Business Manager visa! I know many of you have been waiting for this for quite some time, so to start, I’d like to to thank you for being patient with me. I really wanted to outline all of the steps, and be as articulate as possible, so this could be considered a valuable resource for others.

It’s important to note that this is ** our experience **

We are not experts on this subject by any means, as we only have our limited experience to share. We completed this process, received a 6-month Startup visa, incorporated our business into a ‘kabushiki gaisha’, purchased two ‘akiya’ abandoned houses, renovated one house into Benton Guesthouse, received our ‘minpaku’ rental license, met the Startup visa requirements within the timeframe, and successfully received our extension for Business Manager visa.

Accompanying Full Blog + Timeline "Japan Data: ‘Startup visa’ to ‘Business Manager visa’ Complete Process":
https://bentonhomestead.com/archives/...

Full Blog: "What We're Looking For in Mexico or Japan":
https://bentonhomestead.com/archives/564

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Videos covering commonly asked questions:
• "Startup Visa New 2025 Changes!":    • Startup Visa New 2025 Changes! » Business ...  
• "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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