☀️Kurt Bell ✓

[video] A week after receiving our surprisingly high National Health Insurance bill here in Japan, Yumiko and I were still trying to understand why the premium came in so much higher than expected. Earlier paperwork seemed to suggest that foreign income would be treated differently, so

[video] Japan has updated their requirements for those of us foreigners hoping to stay here for life. In this video I’ll explain the changes as I understand them, as well as my plan to hopefully one day become a permanent resident here. #RetiringInJapan 🇯🇵

[image] Today I’m voting from overseas for the first time in years. 🗳️🇺🇸🇯🇵 I contacted my former California county elections office and requested an overseas ballot. Once my request was processed, I received secure electronic access to the voting instructions, my ballot, the required

[image] Checking out a 112-year old farm house we found for sale by the river where we like to swim. We’d like get a place like this up here in the mountains to escape the summer heat. It’s alright if the condition of the house isn’t so good, as it would just be for weekends and

[image] Every opportunity… will never come again. ☀️

[image] Today we visited the Taishō-era (1912–1926) home of a Japanese dentist in Kambara. I especially liked the dentist’s study, which sits above the stairwell and is reached by a small wooden “drawbridge.” The gardens surrounding the old home are simply beautiful. 🏡🌿🇯🇵

[image] It doesn’t happen much anymore, but today I ran into a viewer at a Japanese flea market. My friend Dirkun and I were chatting about #GardeningInJapan 🪴 when Lydia and Shinobu walked up and introduced themselves. They’re currently in the process of planning their own move from

[image] My watermelons are coming in nicely. I hope the nets can carry their growing weight. 🍉🤔

[image] I’m about a week away from my orthopedist hopefully clearing me to get back into the garden after I fell down our stairs and fractured my foot in three places. To prepare, I stopped by the hardware store today for a good pair of garden boots with steel toes. 😅🥾 I can’t wait

[image] Lunch today is at a rice ball place in Fujieda. It’s the Japanese equivalent of a high-end peanut butter and jelly sandwich place that sells cheesecake too!

[image] Mt. Fuji is holding on to summer strong today! 🗻🇯🇵

[image] First afternoon back at the Shizuoka Prefectural Library since I fell and broke my foot last month. My doctor cleared me yesterday for the ten-minute walk here from our house, and it feels good to be back. 📚🙂

[video] Introducing my three-dollar guitar. #RetiringInJapan 🇯🇵

[image] After a year and a half of hard work reclaiming our garden from the forest, I’ve begun spending my days pruning and clipping rather than digging and chopping. #JapanGarden 🇯🇵🪴

[image] During our lunch outing today, Yumiko and I drove past the site of the house where Lafcadio Hearn stayed during his summers in Yaizu. The sea is only a short walk away, and Hearn was an enthusiastic swimmer who is said to have gone into the water several times a day while staying

[image] It looks like God Photoshopped Mt. Fuji right out of the Shizuoka skyline today. #NoAI #NoFilter 🗻😄

[image] One of our favorite antique shops in Japan, Rakudaya in Yaizu, recently acquired from a Japanese estate a remarkable collection of naturally shaped stones resembling Daruma-san—Bodhidharma, traditionally associated with the early lineage of Chan/Zen Buddhism. It’s easy to

[image] This lovely old bookshelf caught my eye today at the antique shop. I especially like the decorative woodwork along the top, the ornate metal hardware, and the deep, rich patina of age. #JapanAntiqueRoadshow 🎎🇯🇵

[image] And no weekend would be complete without a big of #JapanAntiquing 🎎

[image] Yumiko is sorely tempted by this little treasure… I can’t quite tell what it was meant to be—a stool missing its cushion, or perhaps a small side table or stand? #JapanAntiqueRoadshow 🎎🇯🇵

[image] ☀️ The Good Life - 09/29:2026 Tuesday 📆

[image] ☀️ The Good Life - 09/30/2026 Wednesday 📆