Reutter's Life in Japan

Probably one of the least things you hear talked about when exploring the world of social media and foreign countries is how it affects your taxes. Now I’m not a tax expert, but my dad is! Ha ha. And this isn’t professional advice, but this is practical advice from one who’s been living outside of my home country since 2007. (Seriously, my dad’s professional was as a CPA or Certified Public Accountant).

We get a good amount of questions about the logistics of living abroad, and one of the biggest questions has to do with taxes. For years we did our own taxes in the U.S., and it felt fairy straight forward. Eventually we went to a quick and cheap pop-up accounting service to get our taxes done. But when we moved outside of the U.S., all of that changed. At first we moved to Brazil, and with the help of several others we were able to file taxes there as well as in the States. As a U.S. citizen, you still file taxes even when living abroad. We managed things on our own for years, until we moved to Japan.

In Japan, most Japanese employers take care of your Japanese taxes for you. Since we don’t work for a Japanese company, we had to file our own Japanese taxes. Japan and the U.S. have a tax treaty which allows what you pay in Japan as taxes to be discounted in the U.S. (in essence). So we did our best to figure that out, but it was quite complicated. There’s social security (pension) here, national health care, city taxes and the list goes on.

At that point, one of our close friends started using a tax service called Taxes for Expats and recommended them to us. He said they knew all the tax laws in the U.S. and how it related to Japan. They helped him do his taxes and make sure they were done right. This really sounded good to us, so we checked it out.

While it was more than we paid for the pop-up tax services we knew when we were in the States, the service was on another level entirely. They really knew their stuff. We were shocked (in the best way possible) to find out we were not receiving tax-benefits that we qualified for. Our first tax return with Taxes for Expats found us getting thousands of dollars back! And that was after paying for the services. They have personalized service, so you communicate with the same agent throughout the whole process. The agent recommended we go back and refile previous years, because we would also be entitled to a refund. And so we paid them to go back and refile, and it was well worth it!

Since then we’ve been using Taxes for Expats every year for our U.S. taxes. We personally recommend them to so many people that this year we joined their affiliate program and asked if we could get a special discount to offer to our friends. Normally you get $25 off your first tax return done within Taxes for Expats referral program, but they’re giving us (and you) and $50 discount if you sing up with them by April 30, 2025, then it will revert to the normal $25 discount (which is still nice). Use our link for the discount: https://www.taxesforexpats.com/ref/278

This can be such a confusing part about living abroad, but hopefully this helps makes your tax season go much more smoothly.

It’s taken us 10 years to get to this point, but now we are gathering all the appropriate documents in order to apply for permanent residence in Japan. This should come with a number of key benefits, mostly that businesses, banks and individuals treat you more like a typical Japanese person (you get access to the same types of loans, offers, investment opportunities, etc). Also there may be certain tax benefits in doing so as well. And not having to renew our visa every couple of years is a big deal as well.

People often ask us “Do you plan on staying in Japan forever then?” Our answer has always been the same: we have no plans of moving from Japan, at least not at this point. We’re planning on being in Japan for the long haul, in fact our kids have all grown up in the Japanese school system, which means we’ve always been planning for a long-term stay here. But as anyone knows, life can always send you a curve ball and change your plans.

Like so many other people who have moved to Japan, we moved because of work. Our work is with Paz International, a non-profit that specializes in starting Paz Churches all over the world. We came with a team and continue to work together with that team to this day and love it. Parts of our work (and Paz Church) often show up in our videos, but that’s because it’s such a big part of our life and passion. It’s simply a great place to be, and if you’re ever in the Tokyo area, you have to come visit us, no matter your religious background, affiliation or nationality!

Big Family 🔥 Big Passion

But we’re also passionate for healthy, loving families. I grew up in one, and so did my wife. Our dream has been to build our own, and it comes with many challenges along the way. But there’s nothing like the dynamics of a big, thriving family. When I tell people we have four kids, the typical response (here in Japan) is “Oh how difficult!” But to me it’s quite the opposite. A large family is a source of joy, stability and purpose. It gives you a foundation for interacting with the world. It teaches you to be responsible and how to get along with other people. It gives you a safe place to call home, a place that should be a little piece of heaven on earth.

So as we look towards the future, we don’t know what all it will bring. But we do know we’re looking forward to what’s in store around the corner, because we’re only getting started! We want to see more and more families experience the same kind of loving dynamics we do, because we believe society will be transformed through it. How has your family impacted you in a positive way?

Today marks our ten year anniversary in Japan! Wow! I can hardly believe we’ve lived here 10 years already, and in some ways it feels like we’ve always lived here. For our kids, Japan is more than just where we live — it’s their home country! That’s a crazy thought. Ruth grew up a similar way, because although she is American and has American parents, they moved to Brazil when she was a toddler and she grew up in Brazil with both Portuguese and English as native languages. Now our kids are repeating the pattern, but instead of Brazil, it’s Japan. It can almost be confusing at times!

We are so thankful for these last 10 years, with all of their ups and downs and sideways turns. Through it all we have strengthened our bond as a family and made a lot of new friends along the way. Never would I have imagined all that has happened in the last 10 years, from having a little boy (Joshua) in Japan to starting a coffee shop, or seeing Paz Church grow like crazy or even starting a little YouTube channel called Life in Japan only to see it flourish. Or how about finally finding a large house in the city to move into?! Wow! What blessings! We are truly living a dream come true.

We are thankful for all these things and more, but most of all we’re thankful for the people that are a part of our lives because of living in Japan. We’re so thankful that you’ve been a part of this journey. And as we look forward to the future, I have a personal feeling like we’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg. If the last 10 years were that eventful, what will the next 10 years bring? Only the best I believe! It’s time to find out!

YouTube is one of modern society’s most powerful tools, and it’s literally in the hands of anyone. YouTube’s popularity is so much more than just the fact that it’s a place to stream videos, and it’s more than the fact that anyone can create and distribute content there for free (although that’s huge, for sure). The true power of YouTube is in creating community. And community is created when people converse with each other, creators with their audience and creators amongst themselves.

Every once in a while I come across a video or channel with their comments turned off. That to me is perhaps one of the fastest ways to kill any chance that channel has for true community to grow. Yea, it takes time to filter through and read comments, but through doing so I have not only created a stronger connection with my audience, but I have also learned so much along the way. Here are some things I have learned.

1. You never know what videos are going to connect with a bigger audience.
   You can research and plan a video. You can film an epic video with the most amazing footage. You can have the best experience in the world. You can spend weeks making the perfect edit. But you never know which video is going to take off. If you make videos long enough, you will find there are certain subjects that a bigger audience than your typical audience really likes. And that is a HUGE clue to you of how to connect to your audience.
   
   In our channels’ case, whenever we post a video about our family’s experience in Japanese schools, it typically reaches bigger audiences — like our recent video about the girls’ Japanese Junior High School experience or the kids’ backpacks. These videos almost always connect in a big way.
   
2. A popular video doesn’t mean it’s impactful
   Just because a video is popular, it doesn’t mean it’s having a big impact. And the reverse is also true — just because a video isn’t getting a lot of views doesn’t mean it’s not a powerful video that is really touching somebody. I love asking people what their favorite video is from our channel. So often it’s one of the more obscure ones that didn’t even get many views compared to others, like on parenting or our video on Brazil (these are all real examples that people have given). If you just follow what is popular, ironically you could actually move away from creating content that truly touches and changes people. This leads to the last point for now…
   
3. YouTube is a terrible boss, but a great employee
   If your goal is to make a career out of YouTube, get ready for a huge up and down journey of chasing after an audience, creating content that will get their attention. And if you’re one of the few that actually do build an audience, then the stress of trying to keep that audience’s attention while growing a larger audience is enough to make most people quit. Creator burnout is a very real thing, and even though YouTube is not my full-time job, I have felt the same effects of a YouTube lifestyle.
   
   If you put half of the effort it takes to run a YouTube channel into any other career, you will do much better! YouTube is a terrible boss because it depends on your audience’s response, and an audience response can often be fickle and lackluster. However, if you have an entrepreneur spirit and have something deeper to share with an audience, YouTube is an incredible tool to employ! And in a very interesting way, it’s the people that have something to say who aren’t afraid to say it that often do really well on a platform like YouTube. No other platform I know of gives you quite the same possibilities. I hope it continues to grow in all the right ways!

An important thing to realize is that behind each number, each username and online persona, there are real people who are letting you into their lives. It is a humbling and powerful thing. People are choosing to go on a journey that you have created, either to learn from you, be entertained or a combination of both. For years we have created our Life in Japan series as a way to share our lives with our audience along the way. As we meet more and more people whose lives have changed because of the channel, the reality of what is happening sinks in more and more. In fact we received one message at the end of last year I wanted to share here:

Hi, I’m Megumi* and first of all merry Christmas! I’ve watched Life In Japan for a few years now, and I started watching as an atheist during COVID in the UK. I loved your videos so much as I’ve always loved different cultures and was studying for a Theology qualification. I thought I’d message in support of the channel but also to say that i was Saved nearly two months ago now, and became a Christian. I truly believe that God showed me your channel years before I accepted Him to soften my heart, and I applaud everything you do out in Japan, but also want to let you know that your channel is such a beacon of hope for so many. I hope you all have a blessed day whatever time it is for you, and that you keep doing what you’re doing!

Megumi (not actual name)

These kinds of comments make my day and charge my creative batteries! This is why we work so hard and do all we do — because at the end of the day, or episode, or whatever it is we’re doing, we want people to experience real life, no matter their background, beliefs or nationality. It might be something as simple as bringing a smile to someone, or exploring something in a new way, but when life is given, it’s a win-win situation for everyone.

Normally we would be wishing you a very happy new year at this moment, and in fact we do wish you a happy new year, but for many here in Japan New Year’s Day was anything but happy. A huge earthquake struck near the Western coast of Japan (several hours away from us here in the Tokyo area). While I am thankful that we are all fine and nothing in our house or area suffered damage (that I know of), we are just beginning to see how bad the damage is in the affected area. If you or your family were affected by this earthquake, our hearts go out to you. We are praying for your recovery.

But prayer is just a part of our response to tragedy. Our Paz International team sent several relief and aid teams to help after the infamous Tohoku earthquake on March 11, 2011. Years later, when the Kumamoto earthquake struck, we sent a number of relief teams into that area and I was blessed to be a part of it. If need be, our Paz team would once again mobilize our members towards another relief effort to do whatever we can to help those affected by this disaster.

Living in Japan you become very conscious of the fact that you can’t take anything for granted. We are so thankful for all of the prayers and concern of everyone who has messaged us, asking about our safety. We ask that you continue to pray for those affected by the earthquake.