Mexico and Japan: Compare and Contrast

One of the questions we get the most is: “Why Mexico?“. Then, when we tell people that we’re living in Mexico, trying to immigrate to Japan, of course we the next question is: “Wait… what? Why Mexico… then Japan??“. I’ll be the first to admit that, on the surface, it does seem a bit counter-intuitive, so this is my best attempt at explaining our thought process.

I’ll preface this lengthy reflection post by first noting: We sincerely understand that we’re not experts in these two countries, by any means. We’ve been living and traveling in Mexico for fourteen months, and have seen many areas not frequented by tourists. Evan has visited Japan numerous times, and previously lived in Tokyo for one year. But, no matter how many friendly Mexican people call us honorary Mexicans, and no matter how many Japanese people are delighted by Evan’s rare depth of cultural understanding, we’re still ‘gringos’ and ‘gaijin’, respectably. I wouldn’t dream of writing this from any perspective besides our own, which is: foreign, appreciative, open, and curious.

Of course, prior to leaving the United States, we had much deliberation about the various countries we could reasonably envision ourselves re-building our homestead and raising our future family. We looked more closely at areas that met our criteria of an ideal climate, potential for our business (both Benton Homestead and Dani Benton Photography), cost of living, cost of travel, real estate opportunities, combination of rural living and modern amenities, immigration requirements, and of course: languages Evan can speak (and I can learn) for ease of integration and acceptance.

After looking at many countries that would potentially fit these parameters, we decided on Mexico or Japan.

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Common Ground:

Clearly, these two countries are very different in many ways, not limited to: location, culture, customs, regulations, cuisine, religion, societal norms, and punctuality (haha). But you may be surprised at some commonalities!

So, what do Mexico and Japan have in common?

Both countries are like a quilt made up of patches of many distinctly unique cultures; what I mean by that is: neither can be described as having simply one blanket culture or lifestyle, but rather, pockets of many different sub-cultures under one greater cultural umbrella. There is no one-size-fits-all description of either Mexico or Japan.

Both countries cover a great distance north to south, which gives both a wide variety of climates. Mexico has tropical wet, tropical wet-and-dry, semi-arid, arid desert, temperate with dry winters, humid subtropical, and Mediterranean. Japan has subarctic in the north, humid-temperate, humid subcontinental, Mediterranean, and subtropical in the south. Both countries also have many mountainous areas, which means the climate can change rapidly over a short distance.

Mexico » Northernmost latitude 32° » Southernmost latitude 14° » 2,000 miles north to south

Japan » Northernmost latitude 45° » Southernmost latitude 20° » 2,360 miles north to south

Both countries are a combination of super-modern major cities and rustic rural villages, plus everything in between. I can only speak for my own personal experience, but: Mexico City is both deeply historic and incredibly modern, with all the amenities one could ever want: great public transportation, walkable neighborhoods, diverse global cuisine, and a perfect mix of both upscale restaurants and bafflingly affordable food carts. In contrast, rural Mexico is delightful, with the true “village” lifestyle, tiny tiendas with local foods andproducts in simple (or no) packaging, friendly people, and a real connection. It’s my understanding that rural life in Japan will be similar to this, plus the added perk of various municipality incentives for young people and families to move to certain rural towns.

Mexico » Population 130 million » Mexico City 22 million » Guadalajara 6 million » Monterrey 5 million

Japan » Population 126 million » Tokyo 14 million » Yokohama 3.5 million » Osaka 3 million

Both countries easily have arguably better health care than the United States, which is the country with the highest total money spent by citizens on healthcare. Again, I can only speak for on own personal experience: I have almost nothing good to say about healthcare in the United States, while I only have enthusiastically positive things to say about healthcare in Mexico, including acupuncture, Chinese Medicine, Mexican herbalism, ultrasounds, fertility testing, bloodwork, dental, and state of the art medical treatments. Even though we paid out of pocket for our medical care in Mexico (as we always have) we were able to get many treatments done that we couldn’t afford in the US, plus significantly better wait times, turnaround times, and interactions.

Ok, but more specifically, what is drawing us to rural Mexico and rural Japan?

Once you get far enough away from the cities, I suppose life is essentially the same no matter where you are. In our years together, Evan and I have chosen to live a fairly simple life; we tend to live on a pretty small budget, compared to many Americans. Moving forward, our intention is to continue to decrease the speed and complexity of our lives. We’re specifically seeking a place to grow as much of our own food as possible, become more connected to the soil and seasons, and become less connected to the internet and “screens”. We’ve disconnected from Amazon and will soon add Google and Apple to that list. We want to raise our future children where there are no chain stores, no hustle and bustle, no strong media presence, and instead, a deep sense of community, family, and interdependence. We are searching for our “tribe” to surround our children with positive role models and learning experiences. Of course, I’m generalizing, but this kind of slow life is readily available in villages in both Mexico and Japan.

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Mexico:

After narrowing down our two ideal countries, of course, the next question we asked ourselves was: which one first? Naturally, Mexico is much closer, we could drive our car, and the cost of living is low enough that we wouldn’t be blowing through our savings very quickly. Moving to Mexico first was an easy decision.

How did we immigrate to Mexico?

The process of obtaining Mexican residency was fairly simple, especially compared to the immigration processes for some other countries. I’ve written about this process at great length before, so I’ll make this brief:

• After taking some time to gather necessary documents, and making two trips to the Mexican Consulate office in New Orleans, we were pleased to walk out the door with our Temporary Residency Visa entrance stickers inside our passports, good for one border crossing within the next six months.
• Our arrival date was one month later, and after crossing the border, we then had 30 days to complete the second step of the process: confirming our arrival with the Mexican Immigration officials (a different branch of government than the Consulate), which earned us one year of Temporary Residency.
• We recently completed our first Temporary Residency renewal, and we were awarded the maximum of three more years. Hooray! After that time has elapsed, at the end of 2025, we can then apply for Permanent Residency.

Why would we want permanent residency in Mexico, if we intend to immigrate to Japan?

• This is part of our long-term plan. The path to immigration in Japan is lengthy and a little tumultuous, so it’s possible that we’ll need to leave Japan (temporarily) before finalizing our Japanese visa process. If this happens, we have the option of coming back to Mexico, and booking more house-sits, until we can return to Japan. No worries!
• We love Mexico, and are considering the possibility of somehow bringing pieces of the cultures (most likely in the form of food, or a pop-up restaurant on our future farm) from all the places we’ve lived and loved: Oregon, Louisiana, and Mexico, together in Japan. This could involve semi-regular trips back to Mexico to import supplies (and, vacation).
• We’re strongly considering coming back to Mexico when we’re blessed with children, as we hope for a home-birth and midwife experience. This birth tradition has deep roots in Mexico, particularly in one of our favorite states: Oaxaca.
• Our intent to live in Japan permanently might eventually include obtaining citizenship. This is a little complicated, but, Japan does not allow dual-citizenship. So in order to become a Japanese citizen, it would mean revoking our United States citizenship. However, we will not have Mexican citizenship, only Permanent Residency, which is different. We would still be allowed to travel Mexico as we please, even if we eventually become Japanese citizens.

What is it like being a foreigner in Mexico?

Being a foreigner in Mexico has been surprisingly pleasant. I’m very aware that I stand out in a crowd just about everywhere, so from day one, I just fully embraced the ‘tourist’ aesthetic. I accessorize with a camera around my neck, blonde or pink hair, and a big smile on my face. Because, even though we have Residency, we are new here, we are tourists, we are foreigners, and there’s no hiding that!

But I like to think we’ve approached our fledgeling Mexican experience with gentleness, openness, and genuine curiosity. We’re not the typical American and Canadian retirees who want to make their own little English-speaking enclave, which, surprisingly seems somewhat common. In fact, quite the opposite! But, whatever, to each their own. Evan has described experiencing what he calls ‘culture shock’ while growing up in America, from the lack of multi-generational culture, and various aspects of society that don’t make sense. I wouldn’t go so far as to say I experienced that myself, but I often felt embarrassed knowing the stereotype of a typical American, as perceived by other countries. So I’ve kept that in the back of my mind, each time we approach a new experience.

Admittedly, although I’m studying regularly, and have been completely immersed in Spanish for over a year, my Spanish is still fairly rudimentary. But that hasn’t stopped me from being able to communicate and even make friends with people who only speak Spanish. In fact, just being a foreigner is often reason enough for strangers to approach me and start conversations, and most people don’t seem to mind my limited language abilities. Maybe I just have an approachable face, maybe they’re curious, or maybe some of them just want the opportunity to practice their own English skills. I’ve learned enough Spanish to be able to have simple conversations, use the appropriate greeting for the time of day, introduce myself, say how long we’ve been in Mexico, how many states we’ve visited, the names of the cities and regions we’ve stayed, and explain that we don’t have a house, just a car. I can order food and drinks at restaurants, ask politely for directions, and read road signs. I can compliment people’s cute Chihuahuas and Xoloitzcuintles as they trot around in their little sweaters. And I can explain to a police man that I don’t speak very much Spanish, but I have all the documents necessary to live and drive here legally.

What do we love about Mexico?

Honestly, I love Mexico so much more than I thought I would. That’s not to say that I had low expectations, but it’s so much more endearing than I imagined it would be. I’m thankful that we didn’t just pick a city and stay there. Instead, we’ve driven over 9,000 miles through 21 states. It seems that each region has its own unique charm and specialties.

The people here are the friendliest and most welcoming that I’ve ever met. Some of the best memories from our travels are the surprise conversations with people walking on the street, and our temporary neighbors. The history is much more fascinating than we’re taught in US schools, and although I’ve been reading diligently, I still have much to learn. Same goes for the climate, culture, and food; every new area brings diverse new delights to learn and explore. I’m constantly reminded that the negative propaganda regarding Mexico is often shockingly exaggerated, or outright false. I love it here. I will without a doubt miss Mexico the moment we leave, and will do everything I can to maintain a strong connection.

So, why have we decided that Mexico is probably not going to be our forever-home?

There are a few reasons that we feel Japan would be a little bit of a better fit for us. But the real kicker is: property prices. For the kind of farming business we hope to build, we need a fair amount of land in a specific warm and wet climate, and unfortunately, much of the property values for a small home and land in these parts of Mexico are just outside of our budget. Not to say they’re overpriced, they’re just beyond what we personally can afford. So while Mexico’s cost of living is low, property prices are not ideal. And while Japan’s cost of living is higher, rural property prices are incredibly low.

Here’s a YouTube video (not ours; it’s by our friend!) that shows the beautiful village San Andrés Huayapam, Oaxaca ⌄

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Japan:

In contrast, Japan is obviously much further, we cannot take our car, and can only reach it by plane. The cost of everyday living is higher, so once we arrive, we need to work quickly to purchase an affordable home, and launch our business. While the situation has now returned to almost normal, at the time we moved to Mexico, Japan’s borders were closed to anyone besides citizens and visa holders, so moving to Japan after Mexico seemed only natural. Now it’s only a few weeks until we get on the plane for Tokyo, followed by another short plane or train ride to our future home!

How do you plan to immigrate to Japan?

We went into this process knowing that Japanese immigration can be time-consuming and complicated, so our rough estimate was one- to two-years to achieve our goal of Japanese visas. In contrast to Mexican immigration, which is primarily consists of a quick financial review, Japan has a number of different kinds of visas available, called “visa tracks”. We did a lot of research about the different kinds of visas, and their different requirements. Eventually we settled on two visa options that might work for us: a Business Visa (with an accompanying Startup Business Visa), or an Artist Visa.

• Our first choice is to apply for a Business Visa, which basically allows us to start a business, and ‘sponsor’ our own visas. This is a super complicated visa route in the short-term, including drafting an extensive Japanese-formatted business plan, monthly budgets for the first two years, and much more, but, it seems to make the most sense for us in the long-term. In addition, some prefectures or cities offer a special Startup Business Visa, which basically gives us a six-month buffer in order to get all our ducks (or, chickens) in a row. The municipality would basically vouch for us to the Japanese government, which gives us the extra six-months to complete the things we’re not able to do with a Tourist Visa, such as opening a bank account, in preparation for launching our business.
• If this route doesn’t work for some unforeseen reason, our other option could be to apply for an Artist Visa as a photographer. Evan would need to get a Spouse Visa, which would allow him to work up to a certain number of hours at a part-time job (possibly, our own business). The downside to this is that there’s a minimum income requirement associated with the Artist Visa renewal, and even though I’ve been self-employed as a photographer for over 15 years, I’m not certain that I could meet the income requirement as a brand new foreign photographer in a rural area.

Shortly after moving to Mexico, we started doing extensive research in preparation for Japan. We started by contacting every single small-town municipality in the prefectures with our ideal climate. Then, we made a list of all the Startup Visa locations, and cross-referenced that list with our climate and tourism requirements. That narrowed it down to only a few prefectures. At that time, we contacted the Startup Visa officials in those prefectures, as well as realtors, other foreigners in the area, other farmers, and anyone who may be able to advise or assist in this process.

When we started this process, the Japanese borders were closed to anyone who wasn’t a citizen or visa holder. So, we were initially trying to obtain a Startup Visa prior to our arrival. Now, thank goodness, the borders have opened to tourists again! We’ve been advised that it’ll be easier to finish the process in person, which is why we’ve booked our flights, and are planning to spend three- or six-months as tourists to tie up all the loose ends. However, if we’re not able to complete the visa process in that timeframe, we have Mexico to come back to, temporarily or otherwise.

What are the main draws to Japan?

• I briefly mentioned that the cost of rural property prices are incredibly low. Without going into great detail, Japan is experiencing, for lack of a better word, a perfect storm to create this “reverse” housing crisis. The young folks are moving to big cities, leaving many elderly in the rural towns. The average age of a farmer is in their 60s and 70s. When they retire or pass away, many adult children do not want to deal with the hassle (or the very high inheritance tax) associated with inheriting their parents’ home. So the homes and land become abandoned ‘akiya’ and become the problem of the small town. Countless small towns have an excess of ‘akiya’ homes, which are obviously not good for the surrounding community, so they offer very low prices, or even monetary incentives, for anyone willing to live in and love the property. There is also a cultural stigma against things that could have been made unclean by other people; many real estate sites use the expression “used homes” or “second hand homes”. Their low birth rate and low foreign immigration rate is only exacerbating the problem. There’s much more involved in this very complex issue, but I think that gives you a general idea.
• I also briefly mentioned that Evan has a deep appreciation and understanding of Japanese culture. He first visited as a young teenager with his school band, building a relationship with his host-family that has been maintained over the years. He went on to minor in Japanese in college, which led him to live in Tokyo for a year while teaching English. During his time there, he felt welcomed and understood by the people he met, coming out of his shell, and even having the experience of an older Japanese man grabbing him by the shoulders and saying, “You understand us”. Something tells me that’s not an honor bestowed upon many foreigners.
• Japan has an incredible network of public transportation. While we will have our own vehicle, this network of trains is appealing. One of the big differences between rural life in Mexico and rural life in Japan is: in Japan, you can be in a very isolated, rustic area, yet you will be a short distance from a train that will take you to a bullet train. These trains are known for going anywhere and everywhere. As Evan has explained to me, it’s possible to take a train to go to a secluded camping area, which seems so different than what we know of trains in other countries.
• Japan needs farmers! As the age of Japanese farmers continues to age, they are having more and more trouble finding people to continue their businesses, which, oftentimes, people have relied on for decades. You can find countless articles like this one, telling the story of a farmer beyond retirement age who is giving his business away to anyone willing to succeed him. An excerpt from the article: “In 2021, government help centers and the top five merger-and-acquisitions services found buyers for only 2,413 businesses, according to Japan’s trade ministry. Another 44,000 were abandoned. Over 55 percent of those were still profitable when they closed. Many of those businesses were in small towns and cities, where the succession problem is a potentially existential threat. The collapse of a business, whether a major local employer or a village’s only grocery store, can make it even harder for those places to survive the constant attrition of aging populations and urban flight that is hollowing out the countryside.” You can easily see that this is an opportune time to step in and start our small farm business, then potentially purchase and incorporate other serendipitous small farms of those retiring around us.

Where in Japan did we choose to move to?

As I’ve already mentioned, we did a lot of research for areas that would meet our criteria. We’re pretty strongly drawn to Omishima Island in the Seto Sea, which is part of Imabari city, in Ehime prefecture. As a bonus, the municipality officials that we’ve been working with have been very friendly and helpful, so we hope that working with them will make the complicated Startup Business Visa process a little easier.

We’re excited about Omishima Island for many reasons:

• The location in the Seto Sea has an ideal climate. It may not be the subtropical jungle that we initially wanted, but the Mediterranean climate remains above freezing year-round, and the hills are a lush green. The island is known for growing citrus orchards, and recently became home to some avocado growers, which means it should be warm enough for our comfort and farming aspirations.
  • This is a great opportunity for honeybees, as the citrus blossoms and mountains covered in broadleaf evergreen forests provide plenty of nectar, it’s not too rainy to keep them from flying, and the winters are neither long nor cold. Additionally, we’d be one of only a small handful of apiarists on the island, so the orchardists should be very happy for the additional pollinators.
• The island is accessible by bridge, which in fact, is part of a series of seven suspension bridges called the Shimanami Kaido. This series of bridges connects the large islands Honshu (Hiroshima prefecture) and Shikoku (Ehime prefecture) across a series of six small islands in the Seto Sea. It’s a very popular route for cyclists, who ride the Shimanami Kaido in one day, or break the trip into multiple days, spending time on some of the islands along the way.
  • This is a great opportunity for tourism, as its location along a major thoroughfare along with its status as a tourism destination in itself will help us market our products as “omiyage” or edible souvenirs, and give a big boost to the AirBnb we plan to operate. Additionally, besides the island providing plenty of stunning backdrops for travel photography, it’s close enough to several big cities for me to market my services throughout Ehime and Hiroshima prefectures, as there are numerous medium-sized cities within an hour in every direction.

Here’s a YouTube video (not ours) showcasing Imabari city ⌄

Here are some YouTube videos (not ours) that show the seemingly endless possibilities for life in rural Japan ⌄

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If you’ve made it this far, thank you. I suppose I wrote this more as a public journaling exercise than anything else, but I certainly hope you got something out of it. We hope y’all continue to come along on this journey with us. And please remember, when we get settled, wherever we end up, our doors are always open!

In conclusion, we really do love both countries. We can envision ourselves being very happy living the rest of our lives, raising our family, growing our own food, building our business with the intention of being multi-generational, and incorporating the inspiring aspects of the culture into our own lives, in either Mexico or Japan. So here’s to whatever the future holds, and wherever it takes us!

How can you help?

Besides your constant encouragement and continued friendship, we can always use some assistance!If you feel compelled, you could consider becoming a supporter on our Buy Me a Coffee page, which is like Patreon. We have different monthly support levels, as well as one-time donation options. Of course, your well-wishes, sharing our various pages, or planning a visit to our future homestead, are also ways to support!

Our YouTube video covering this blog, comparing and contrasting Mexico and Japan ⌄

Thanks for reading,
Dani & Evan Benton