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NISA & iDeCo
NISAとiDeCo
The honest guide for international couples — NISA, iDeCo, and what investing together actually looks like when you hold two passports.
Personal Finance · Japan · International Family
Real money talk for couples lost in translation — and in the Japanese tax system.
A Japanese-American family figuring out NISA, iDeCo, taxes, visas, and rural life — one bureaucratic form at a time.
“We are not experts of any kind. We are a Japanese-American family trying not to accidentally commit tax fraud in two countries.”
Everything here is our honest personal experience. Always consult a professional for your situation.
What we write about
The six things consuming our life right now
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PR & Visa
永住権・ビザ
Real-time documentation of Japan's permanent residency process. Timeline, documents, costs, and bureaucratic absurdity.
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Rural Relocation
地方移住
We moved from Osaka. The government subsidy didn't come. Here's what it actually cost.
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Taxes
日本の税金
Furusato nozei, FBAR ($10K threshold — not the mythical $18M), and surviving two-country tax obligations.
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Bilingual Kids
バイリンガル子育て
Raising two boys in two languages in rural Japan. They switch mid-sentence without noticing.
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Daily Money Tools
日々のお金ツール
Bank accounts, international transfers, credit cards — the practical tools we actually use and honestly recommend.
Featured Articles
Where we've been lately
Can My American Husband Open a NISA Account? (Yes, But It's Complicated)
The good news: he can. The bad news: most brokers won't let him. The interesting news: Interactive Brokers Japan is currently the best path — and even then, we had questions.
Read article
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Month 3 of Our PR Application: What's Taking So Long?
Spoiler: it always takes this long. We just didn't know that.
We Moved Out of Osaka: The Subsidy We Didn't Get, and What It Actually Cost
The wife was told she was 'too old.' She is in her 40s. The government has opinions.
FBAR Explained: My Husband Thought This Only Applied to Rich People. He Was Wrong.
$10,000 in foreign accounts. Not $18 million. We filed.
円と禅
国際夫婦のリアルなお金の話
About Us
🇯🇵🤝🇺🇸 A Japanese-American family figuring it out
She's studying for her FP license and genuinely enjoys reading tax documents. He filed his first Japanese tax return with Google Translate and prayer. Together, they're running NISA and iDeCo while navigating FBAR obligations, PFIC rules, and a permanent residency application that involves explaining why he has two middle names.
They have two bilingual boys, ages 5 and 3, who have no idea this is unusual. They recently moved from Osaka to rural Japan. The government relocation subsidy they researched for months? Didn't qualify. The wife was too old. Osaka wasn't the right city.
This blog is our honest record of all of it.