Selling the farm

[oxymoron]

As part of our impending move back to Japan, to play the Inaka, subsistance lifestyle on a farm ( 1,000 squ. metres is a farm?), we have put our farm in Oz on the market. All our chooks are for sale, as is our plant and equipment.
While we wait for that to sell, we are moving to a house near the beach. We'll be sad to leave the farm, but the house has great coastal views, however, almost no land.
As soon as the farm has settled, we'll rent out the beach house and head to Japan.
Fun times ahead! I have to be bloody crazy to do this at my age.

[Antweazle]

G'day Oxymoron. Gutsy move, for sure. One door closes, another opens. Obviously there was no way you could rent the farm property to have something to return to should things not go as planned here in Japan.
As you know, there's a lot you can do with an informed management plan and a small lot. I have a garden space of around 700m2 with the house/s and shed about the same total again. You're sure to ease into the whole different spatial mind set here once settled in.
Find a productive 1000m2 in a setting that feels 'open' to you. For example, I compromised for a house that needs plenty of work but it's located between nashi groves and fields, so that the neighbours are some distance away. In front is the road, then rice fields and mountains. My property backs on to a mountain. It feels spacious enough to this Aussie.
About age- good to have tricks and treachery backing you up. Only 43 here but planning big moves myself. Much more confident to make informed decisions now than 15 years ago when I first arrived here.
Best luck to you. You'll be fine. Aussies aren't known for giving up easily, are we?

[rainbowtokyo]

Great to see people having a go on this thread. Good on you! Inaka life is lovely. I'm told some local governments bankroll wannabe farmers. But I think its mainly in rice and vegetable farming. Anyone know more?

Ken Elwood's thread on countryside living was very positive. Ken seems like a great guy, very "aware", who works damn hard to make a go of things.

[TJrandom]

Having lived in cities for my working life – a move back into the countryside, and being able to do for myself, grow some veggies, and have freedom to move around – has been a lot of fun.

It has also been an opportunity to sort, dispose, eliminate, find, and at times – upgrade – which should make it a lot easier on survivors to my eventual demise. I am glad that we started early – as now three years on, the task is yet incomplete. Had I waited another 10 years – my guess is that I wouldn’t have had the energy to do it.

We still have the house in Tokyo – and still use it three days a week, as I still work part time – but will either sell it or rent it out when the final move comes.

Planting “Maki” trees today, to form a visual privacy barrier to our still incomplete rotenburo. Now what can be more enjoyable than that?

[rainbowtokyo]

Having lived in cities for my working life – a move back into the countryside, and being able to do for myself, grow some veggies, and have freedom to move around – has been a lot of fun.

It has also been an opportunity to sort, dispose, eliminate, find, and at times – upgrade – which should make it a lot easier on survivors to my eventual demise. I am glad that we started early – as now three years on, the task is yet incomplete. Had I waited another 10 years – my guess is that I wouldn’t have had the energy to do it.

We still have the house in Tokyo – and still use it three days a week, as I still work part time – but will either sell it or rent it out when the final move comes.

Planting “Maki” trees today, to form a visual privacy barrier to our still incomplete rotenburo. Now what can be more enjoyable than that?

Be proud! You have a real life. Enjoy and inspire. But don't sell your Tokyo house - after almost a quarter of a century of price declines, the numbers are hardly likely to go anywhere but north from here. Hey post some pics of your rotenfuro for us to see!

[well_bicyclically]

.... I'm told some local governments bankroll wannabe farmers. But I think its mainly in rice and vegetable farming. ....

nothing could be further from the truth. for a season of hard work, forced to agree to JA set prices for seeds, agro chemicals and harvest product, rice farmers, if they are lucky, break even. JA makes money!

[Shakes Spear]

nothing could be further from the truth. for a season of hard work, forced to agree to JA set prices for seeds, agro chemicals and harvest product, rice farmers, if they are lucky, break even. JA makes money!

JA, the green thumb mafia.

[ruserious]

You may want to ping the guys over on the Countryside Living blog that Ken Elwood runs. bcountrylivinginjapan.runboard.com

Best of luck.

[Andun]

One thing is for certain. Selling the farm is better than buying the farm.

[YokohamaTommy]

I like the fact that I can have fresh, yummy eggs and milk.

I'm not so much sold on the idea that I'd have to touch various forms of poo on a daily basis.

[oxymoron]

I'm not so much sold on the idea that I'd have to touch various forms of poo on a daily basis.

You've never used toilet paper that wasn't finger proof?

[Chuck Sickens]

As soon as the farm has settled, we'll rent out the beach house and head to Japan.
Fun times ahead! I have to be bloody crazy to do this at my age.

No you're wrong, you're an idiot.

You sound like a 17th Century African who would willingly sells himself into slavery in the South so that his offspring could have a better life as a drug dealer.

Get a grip, Japan is the last place that you want to come to as an immigrant.

[oxymoron]

No you're wrong, you're an idiot.

You sound like a 17th Century African who would willingly sells himself into slavery in the South so that his offspring could have a better life as a drug dealer.

Get a grip, Japan is the last place that you want to come to as an immigrant.

Hey Fcukwit, this idiot lived in Japan for seven years, owns a house in Nara, vists at least twice a year, is retired and farms as a hobby, is financially independent and enjoys living in Japan.
If you feel so negatively about Japan, why do you live there? The world is a largish kind of place and I'm sure there's a rock that you'd feel comfortable living under, somewhere else.
I might also suggest that you shouldn't judge other people's motivations until you understand them, as they can obviously differ from yours.

[Chuck Sickens]

Oxymoron 2012-01-08, 02:40 PM
Imagine a group of Obasan, studying Ingurishu at a farm stay. Me..


Wow, 7 years.

A veteran and a fluent speaker. The streets are paved with gold.

WTF is 'Ingurishu'?

You'd have thought that after your supposed 7 years in Japan, if there was one part of Japanese that you would have gotten a comprehensive grasp of, it would have been katakana.

Come on, tell the truth, you've spent a couple of weeks every year, in Japan, after you married that J slapper, who was on study oor working visa in Australia, 7 years ago.

You wait for the change in the wife, once Japan becomes home again.

[oxymoron]

Oxymoron 2012-01-08, 02:40 PM
Imagine a group of Obasan, studying Ingurishu at a farm stay. Me..


Wow, 7 years.

A veteran and a fluent speaker. The streets are paved with gold.

WTF is 'Ingurishu'?

You'd have thought that after your supposed 7 years in Japan, if there was one part of Japanese that you would have gotten a comprehensive grasp of, it would have been katakana.

Come on, tell the truth, you've spent a couple of weeks every year, in Japan, after you married that J slapper, who was on study oor working visa in Australia, 7 years ago.

You wait for the change in the wife, once Japan becomes home again.

A quick muliple choice question for you.
Were you born a useless piece of sh!t?
Is it something you practice?
Or did your mother give birth standing up?

I won't ask you questions about your father, because I doubt you even know which football team it was.

[TJrandom]

... rice farmers, if they are lucky, break even. ...

As I now have a palatial home that was built by a rice farmer, and have seen many like it here in rice country - I have to disagree. With Japan's rice prices at 17 times (?) the world price - all supported by taxes - the rice farmers receive the last little tinkle of my sympathy pis_.

[YokohamaTommy]

You've never used toilet paper that wasn't finger proof?

Those incidents are firmly blocked from my memory.

[YokohamaTommy]

Come on, tell the truth, you've spent a couple of weeks every year, in Japan, after you married that J slapper, who was on study oor working visa in Australia, 7 years ago. You wait for the change in the wife, once Japan becomes home again.

What the hell?
What a Jacka$$ you are.
That was totally uncalled for.

[StarfoxPro]

As part of our impending move back to Japan, to play the Inaka, subsistance lifestyle on a farm ( 1,000 squ. metres is a farm?), we have put our farm in Oz on the market. All our chooks are for sale, as is our plant and equipment.
While we wait for that to sell, we are moving to a house near the beach. We'll be sad to leave the farm, but the house has great coastal views, however, almost no land.
As soon as the farm has settled, we'll rent out the beach house and head to Japan.
Fun times ahead! I have to be bloody crazy to do this at my age.

I am a teacher living in the country side. I like the cheap rent, fresh air and more friendly people compared to the city. The one disadvantage is if you lose your job, you probably have to move to find work.

[Sportsriders]

No you're wrong, you're an idiot.

You sound like a 17th Century African who would willingly sells himself into slavery in the South so that his offspring could have a better life as a drug dealer.

Get a grip, Japan is the last place that you want to come to as an immigrant.

Sad ____ in your miserable world, attempting to spread your misery. Pity you.