Could You Retire in Japan? Visas, Healthcare & Cost of Living in 2026

Making content in the sun is thirsty work. Buy me a beer? https://buymeacoffee.com/mikecritchley Join my mailing list for future meetups and updates: https://thecodingtravelbug.substack.c... Could you actually retire in Japan? I lived in Japan for 23 years, and although I now live elsewhere in Asia, I still think Japan has an enormous amount going for it. So this video is about whether Japan could realistically work for you — and how it compares with the idea of retirement in Asia more generally. Japan can be an amazing place to live, with excellent public transportation, affordable healthcare, incredible food and one of the safest environments in the world. But there's one rather large problem: Japan doesn't have a retirement visa. In this video, I look at what retiring in Japan might realistically involve for someone in their 50s, 60s or beyond. What visa options are available? Could you study Japanese or find work as a way of establishing residency? How does Japanese healthcare work for foreigners? How much Japanese do you really need? And perhaps most importantly, what is it actually like living in Japan as a foreigner once you're past the tourist stage? I also get into the practical side of moving to Japan: making Japanese friends, finding an expat community, dealing with social isolation, learning the language, using the healthcare system, getting around without a car, and some of the challenges older foreigners may encounter when trying to build a new life here. Then there's the cost of living in Japan. Using my hypothetical retiree "Bob," I work through what housing, food, transportation and everyday life might cost outside central Tokyo, and whether Japan can actually be an affordable place to live in retirement. And if you've been watching videos about buying property in Japan, cheap Japanese houses or akiya (空き家) and imagining yourself renovating an old house in retirement, there's an important distinction to understand: being able to buy property and being able to legally live in Japan long-term are two very different things. If you're considering retiring abroad, moving to Japan, living in Japan long-term, or buying property in Japan, hopefully this gives you a more realistic idea of both the advantages and the obstacles. Chapters 0:00 Could You Retire in Japan? 1:39 The Problem: Japan Has No Retirement Visa 3:01 Visa Options for Living in Japan Long-Term 4:18 Working or Studying in Japan 6:14 Healthcare in Japan for Foreigners 12:20 How Much Japanese Do You Need? 16:03 Making Friends and Building a Life in Japan 24:01 Finding a Community as a Foreigner 27:03 Cost of Living in Japan 29:19 Is Japan a Good Place to Retire?