Should I retire to Tottori Prefecture

I have been to Tottori Prefecture many times to visit my wife's family. Now I am considering retiring to there from San Francisco with my wife. Any comments, suggestions, criticisms, etc. are welcome. I would do it sometime within the next 5 years as I will be 65 this year.

If I am you, I won't decide till I will try staying there long.
You never know how you feel staying and have a life there.
It will be different to visit or live there.
Don't you need to worry about VISA?

Tubu gives you a wise advice...

My parents looked for a place to retire for many years...(no tin Japan but in the European country where they were born). They chose a touristy village by the Pyrenees mountains where they had been many times in the summer and built a very nice house..

It took them only a couple of years, after actually retiring, to understand that:
1-in winter the place pretty much close down 2-in winter the locals aren't welcoming any more to anyone not born there.
3- in winter it either rain for days or it snows and one freezes...
They ended up renting an apartment in the big town--in another region--where they once worked many years ago and eventually sold the country house.
My parents also tried to live in the small place where his parents, lived, then the one where her parents lived, but it didn't work..

Regardless of the country and culture, the older people get the more they need to be close to many services and amenities--even if they don' t yet uses them.

I was amazed that my dad,who, all his life, preferred spending his days off in the countryside, hunting, fishing etc. became in love with shopping malls after they moved to the big city...
He said that on bad weather days he got his exercise walking all around the mall, then met lots of interesting people of all ages..

if you speak japanese and you enjoy japanese culture i think you'll enjoy it

but if you are very american and cringe at the thought of a lack of american food or tv etc. it may be really difficult to adapt. tottori is a pretty "inaka" countryside place, completely unlike san francisco. it's going to take 2 or 3 years before you really start to feel comfortable communicating with everyone completely in japanese and without feeling like a sore-thumb type foreigner rather than just blending in.

but, i'd say go for it if you're up for a fun challenge.

Also do you think you have enough money to retire there?

You need to find out if you can get the basic US pension and you own work pension automatically transferred to Japan. I assume that the US and Japan have reciprocity but you need to be sure.

What about health care coverage?
I have friends that live in 2 countries but they need to live in their original country for at least 6 months each year in order to keep the coverage.
This means keeping a small place back home and being able to afford a couple of trips back and forth each year.

Wow great response. Money wise is why I picked Tottori Prefecture. Certainly less than big city life. I also like the mix of seaside and hillside. Language will be an issue but I can give it three years to try to get far enough for daily communication. Let me say that I have been mostly in Kurayoshi and I truly loved the environment there. But indeed it was always to visit not to live.

Please any further comment will be appreciated.

Monkey see
I guess I got request frome you, yes??
lack of my English, I did read your post several times to understand,
but I didn't get your point or what is your concern.
I did understand your parents looked for place to retire for many years, and tried many places.

My understand from you post are;
Your parents don't live tourist village anymore where you pointed 3 ploblems and they sold it.
Then I don't need to concern about it.

It must be difficult to move around often to find place.
What does your parents wish?
Can they live place where they had most times to live, had life and job?
Can they live near you?

Apology for not understand your point and not any good advice.

tubu

From an American who has lived in Japan as a Expat from 1970-1977 --1979-1985, retired and moved back in 2004. presently living in my wife's home town in a semi rural area.
1- Does your wife speak fluent Japanese?
2- Is your wife a Japanese citizen ?
If the answer to the above questions is no, thats 3 strikes against you, There's no such thing as a retirement visa available.
If the answer is yes you may qualify for a spousal visa, First thing we did when we decided to move, my wife went to the local prefectural immigration office and talked to the head officer as to what was needed. Proof of adequate income was required. No matter what you've heard living in Japan is not cheap even in rural areas!
the number one problem for me was decent housing, Most Japanese houses are horrible, small rooms with little or no insulation, no central heat or ac. the only solution for us was to have a house costume built to our specks. If you'er looking for a cheap place to retire you're looking in the wrong part of the world. when i arrived the dollar yen rate was about 130 it's now around 80. all my retirement income in dollars.

Tubu, I was saying to the US guy that asked if he should retire to Tottori that your answer was 100% right.

I wasn't asking anything for my parents. Their story was that being someplace as a visitor is very different from being in that place full time.

Monkey see
Apology for my mess understanding your post.
Thank you for your reply.
My English reding level need to improve it, sometime....maybe I will or not.. always lazy. shame on me...

I see now why you said you picked Tottori because of the cost:
http://foreclosedjapan.com/openrealty/index.php?action=listingview&lis...
Too bad the US dollar is so weak now, everything is going to cost a lot more nowadays.