Moving to Japan
The move itself: what happens to your accounts, your retirement money and your coverage when your address becomes a Japanese one.
HSA after leaving the US: the account everyone forgets when they move to Japan
Your HSA survives the move to Japan with tax-free growth. You lose contribution rights, but qualified withdrawals work for medical expenses with receipts.
Working remotely for a US employer from Japan: who taxes your salary (hint: Japan, and it's not the 5-year rule)
Remote work salary for a US employer is Japan-taxed if work is done in Japan. Covers permanent establishment, FICA, and Foreign Tax Credit implications.
Moving your savings from the US to Japan: wire vs Wise vs just leaving it
Compare ways to transfer US savings to Japan: Wise for small amounts, SWIFT wires for large transfers, and the option of leaving money in the US.
Opening a Japanese bank account as a new foreign resident: what actually gates you (and how to bridge the first weeks)
Open a Japanese bank account as a foreigner: residence card, address registration, and phone number requirements, plus bridge strategies for new arrivals.
529 plans when you move to Japan: keep it, cash it out, or hand it to grandpa
Japan doesn't recognize 529 tax benefits. Decide whether to keep your account growing, cash out and pay the penalty, or transfer it to a US-resident relative.
Japanese pension for Americans: enrolling, the totalization exemption, and the lump-sum trap
Mandatory pension enrollment if registered in Japan. The US–Japan totalization agreement combines coverage periods. A Certificate of Coverage can exempt seconded employees.
Health insurance across the move: the coverage gap, COBRA, and the second-year premium spike nobody plans for
Navigate the insurance gap when moving to Japan. Bridge with travel coverage, enroll in mandatory NHI, and prepare for the second-year premium spike.
Buying a home in Japan as a US person: the mortgage, and the yen-loan tax trap nobody warns you about
Buying a home in Japan as an American: mortgage access, ownership costs, and the hidden IRC §988 tax trap when the yen weakens on your foreign-currency loan.
401(k) and IRA after moving to Japan: leave it, roll it, or cash out?
Understand your US 401(k) and IRA options when moving to Japan: leave in place, roll over to IRA, or cash out—each with different tax and withdrawal implications.
Changing your brokerage address to Japan: what actually happens at Schwab, Fidelity, and Vanguard
What happens when you change your US brokerage address to Japan. Account restrictions, fund purchase limits, and the safest sequence before leaving.
Can you keep your US credit cards after moving to Japan? The address, payment & login reality
Moving from the US to Japan and want to keep the US cards you spent years building? They don't auto-close — but three things get in the way: a US address, a US bank to pay from, and the SMS 2FA that dies with your US number. Here's the real picture.
Can you keep your US brokerage after moving to Japan? I compared Schwab, Fidelity, Vanguard & IBKR
Moving from the US to Japan and wondering if your US brokerage survives the move? A first-hand comparison of Schwab, Fidelity, Vanguard and IBKR — the 'held but frozen' trap, the US-address myth, the 2FA problem, and how to open an escape hatch before you go.