Cash crops.

[Maths Dude]

When I get back I'll buy about 300 tsubo's of land. Whats the best thing to grow for reasonable cash? I know wont be much, but atleasy can pay for somethin hehe.

[FG Lurker]

When I get back I'll buy about 300 tsubo's of land. Whats the best thing to grow for reasonable cash? I know wont be much, but atleasy can pay for somethin hehe.

I don't know much about farming, but I would say what you can or can't grow will depend a fair amount on where you buy your land. North of Tokyo or near Hiroshima are going to offer rather different options.

Oranges (mikan) are a good crop here, if you have the time and knowledge to make it happen. Back-breaking work to pick them though.

[Charles]

My old pal Timothy Leary told me that marijuana is the largest cash crop in every region of the world that has measurable agricultural capacity. Unfortunately, this information is unlikely to be of any practical use to you.

[Taro Toporific]

When I get back I'll buy about 300 tsubo's of land. Whats the best thing to grow for reasonable cash? I know wont be much, but atleasy can pay for somethin hehe.

In my "vinyl houses" with hydroponics, I grow strawberries and few THC tomatoes in Shikoku. Figuring out the per hour wage, strawberries pay about 20yen/hour.

[Maths Dude]

But you save money by using your produce as barter for other farmers products, so thats good about it. Was planning to grow about 3 ior 4 different things, including rice. Wonder what the going rate/ton is for rice. I think the yields are about 5 tonnes and acre...

[FG Lurker]

My old pal Timothy Leary [...]

This explains rather a lot Charles. You should have said so before!

[FG Lurker]

But you save money by using your produce as barter for other farmers products, so thats good about it.

Assuming a fair barter it doesn't change the overall hourly wage. I am not sure how common such barter is in Japan -- maybe very common or maybe unheard of.

Was planning to grow about 3 ior 4 different things, including rice. Wonder what the going rate/ton is for rice. I think the yields are about 5 tonnes and acre...

Japan usually produces too much rice and the gov't pays people to produce less... All rice in Japan is bought by the gov't at set prices and then sold into the market. This is why rice is so expensive in Japan.

[Taro Toporific]

But you save money by using your produce as barter for other farmers products...I think the yields are about 5 tonnes and acre...

Yes, almost the only thing I do with crops is trade the Farmers Coop. It's not worth selling.

Due to the WWII land reforms, most farms are still less than 3 hectares (ha) in size. Income from farming less than 3 ha of rice is a joke compared to other income opportunities, let's working at 7-11. Farmers have shifted to off-farmemployment, and rice cultivation has become a part-time hobby for most farms. And of course total rice consumption has been falling since nobody wants their diet centered on boring rice.


Rice yields are lower than you think since you are educated enough to know not to giving your money to Du Pont.

The stalinist-state goal is 8 metric tons of rice per hectare (9,352 pounds of rice per acre). My yield without chemical fertilizers (just pig shit slurry) and nearly no pesticides is less than 2.5 metric tons of rice per hectare.


Japan's stalinist prices for rice (in brown pre-milled state):

Government purchase price for rice, over the past five years has varied from 14,900 yen/60 kg to 18,000 yen/60 kg. The last government purchase price was around 14,600 yen/60 kg.

Government sales price for rice over the past five years has varied from 16,000 yen/60 kg to 18,000 yen/60 kg. The last government sales price was around 17,600 yen/60 kg.

[FG Lurker]

The stalinist-state goal is 8 metric tons of rice per hectare (9,352 pounds of rice per acre). My yield without chemical fertilizers (just pig shit slurry) and nearly no pesticides is less than 2,500 metric tons of rice per hectare.

Holy pig-shit Batman! Why kind of steroids are you giving your pigs to make shit that produces that volume of rice!?

[Taro Toporific]

The stalinist-state goal is 8 metric tons of rice per hectare (9,352 pounds of rice per acre). My yield without chemical fertilizers (just pig shit slurry) and nearly no pesticides is less than 2,500 metric tons of rice per hectare.

Holy pig-shit Batman! Why kind of steroids are you giving your pigs to make shit that produces that volume of rice!?

Sheeeee-it, that damn metric system. I had the pounds right: the target is 9,352 pounds of rice per acre 8 metric tons and I'm getting around about 2 or 2.5 metric tons.

[FG Lurker]

Sheeeee-it, that damn metric system. I had the pounds right: the target is 9,352 pounds of rice per acre 8 metric tons and I'm getting around about 2 or 2.5 metric tons.

After so long in Japan I would've thought you had more problems with imperial measures than the metric system!

But who am I to talk... I wrote "what" as "why"...

[Maths Dude]

Good advice! I'm pretty interested more from a lifestyle perspective as I want to get some land about an hour out Nagoya (in Gifu Pref), where land is dirt cheap (compared to the city), especially if its more than 15 km from anywhere. 15 km is nothing where I come from, so I reckon I can set up a very comf lifestyle, perhaps not even having to work full-time, who needs money ?

[FG Lurker]

who needs money ?

Who needs money? In Japan?

[Maths Dude]

If you own the place (which is doable because land was cheap), you get your own food for little or no cost, you set up solar power, get a tank to collect rainwater...what other major stuff is there? I'd say I could get by on 80,000 a month no problem. You just gotta make some sacrifices - I dont want to be a rat anymore or a slave to the 'system'.

[FG Lurker]

If you own the place (which is doable because land was cheap), you get your own food for little or no cost, you set up solar power, get a tank to collect rainwater...what other major stuff is there? I'd say I could get by on 80,000 a month no problem. You just gotta make some sacrifices - I dont want to be a rat anymore or a slave to the 'system'.

No offense, but you're coming to the wrong coutnry to try and live that way. In the backwoods of Canada it is very possible if you have the right outdoors skills. I don't know about Australia, but I guess it is much the same.

Japan has the title of the world's most expensive country for a reason.

(Oh, and don't forget some way to filter that rainwater. Nagoya rain isn't drinkable I'm sure.)

Also to be remembered... Land and residence taxes.

[Maths Dude]

I lived in Japan for 5 years, salary 250,000 yen, I lived off 100,000 yen NO PROBLEMS. Japan is only expensive for people with no money sense. Japan does not have to be expensive, I am naturally thrifty, I never drink or smoke, go to uniclo etc. 80,000 yen is MORE than enough if I dont have to pay so much rent, in fact im sure I could bring that even lower . I speak from experience. Even in Australia I can live off about 50,000 a month (yen). My advice to people who think Japan is 'expensive', go out a bit from the city, live a quite, peaceful, chaste life and you'll beat being a simple cog in the machine of consumerism.

[cenic]

Maths Dude, I just read, "Tokyo Underworld," by Rober Whiting (You Got to Have WA) Nick Zappetti had very similar ideas as yours a few decades ago and things didn't quite work out

[FG Lurker]

I lived in Japan for 5 years, salary 250,000 yen, I lived off 100,000 yen NO PROBLEMS.

I hope your wife shares your desire for the super-thrifty life. ]Japan is only expensive for people with no money sense.[/quote]
Japan is expensive no matter how you cut it. You pointed that out yourself when you estimated it will cost you SIXTY PERCENT MORE per month to live here than Australia.

There are also differences such as "shaken" for a car, paying a percentage of your medical care, higher insurance costs, higher costs of service if you need to get something repaired, probably all sorts of "membership" fees to pay just for being a farmer.

No matter how you slice it Japan is not a cheap country.

Japan does not have to be expensive, I am naturally thrifty, I never drink or smoke, go to uniclo etc. 80,000 yen is MORE than enough if I dont have to pay so much rent, in fact im sure I could bring that even lower . I speak from experience. Even in Australia I can live off about 50,000 a month (yen). My advice to people who think Japan is 'expensive', go out a bit from the city, live a quite, peaceful, chaste life and you'll beat being a simple cog in the machine of consumerism.

To each their own of course.

That said, now that you are married to a Japanese I think you are going to find this lifestyle very difficult to pursue in Japan. Your wife has obligations and things that she is compelled to do as long as she is living here. One small example among hundreds: If you go to a wedding of a family member, 30,000yen minimum gift, but as a married couple 50,000 would be more appropriate. Does that suck? HELL YES! But that is part of life in Japan, especially married to a Japanese. Can you skirt these things? Sure... But it is going to embarrass your wife and her family. You haven't just married a person...You've married a culture.