fyne retweeted
My Japanese coworker died. I barely knew him. Went to the funeral to be polite.
His BROTHER approached me after.
Brother: Kenji left you something.
Me: What? Why?
Brother: hands me keys, His house.
Me: I'M SORRY, WHAT?!
Brother: He had no children. Will says "to the foreigner at my company who always microwaved strange food."
Me: I microwaved LEFTOVERS!
Brother: Apparently that impressed him.
The house was in Saitama. 3 bedrooms. Fully paid off.
Worth ¥25 million (~$170k USD).
Me: This is insane! I can't accept this!
Lawyer: You legally have to. It's in the will.
Me: WHAT IF I REFUSE?
Lawyer: Then it goes to the government.
Me: ...I'll take the house.
Week 1: The house was FULL of stuff. Old furniture, books, boxes.
I started going through it.
Found a box labeled "FOR THE FOREIGNER."
Inside: 40 Tupperware containers and a note.
"You clearly don't have proper food storage. You're welcome. -Kenji"
Me: crying, He left me TUPPERWARE?!
Month 2: Found another box: "ALSO FOR THE FOREIGNER."
Inside: A rice cooker, proper knives, and a 10-page handwritten guide on "How to Not Embarrass Yourself in Japan."
Me: He was HELPING me from beyond the grave!
Month 4: I found a THIRD box: "FINAL GIFT."
Inside: ¥3 million in cash and a note.
"Taxes on the house will be expensive. This should cover 5 years. Don't be stupid with it. -Kenji"
Me: absolutely losing it
Month 6: I moved into the house full time.
The neighbors welcomed me.
Neighbor: Kenji-san talked about you.
Me: He did?!
Neighbor: He said "The foreigner is helpless but trying."
Me: THAT'S what he said?!
Neighbor: He liked you. That's why he left you the house.
Me: We NEVER had a conversation!
Neighbor: Kenji didn't need conversations. He observed.
Present day:
I still live in Kenji's house.
I use his Tupperware every day.
I followed his 10-page guide.
Last week I found ANOTHER box: "IF YOU'RE STILL HERE."
Inside: A bottle of whiskey and a note.
"Good. You stayed. The house suits you. Take care of it. -Kenji"
I poured a glass for him.
Best coworker I never really knew.
fyne retweeted
Moving somewhere cheaper doesn't automatically mean you'll save money.
You find a city where rent is $500 cheaper every month.
That sounds like a great decision.
But then you discover:
You need a car because public transportation is limited.
Your commute becomes longer.
Gas expenses increase.
You lose access to nearby family support.
Your job opportunities become more limited.
The cheaper apartment may save you $6,000 annually.
But your additional transportation and living expenses could consume much of that saving.
Cost of living isn't just about rent.
It's about the total cost of living somewhere.
