Your First Ten Million Yen

Our 2025 cohort is now closed. If you are interested in taking the course next time, please join our mailing list to receive updates and priority access to the next course.


The knowledge, information, and encouragement you need to save and invest your way to ten million yen – and beyond.

Are you feeling uncertain about the future?

Do you want to get your finances in order?

Maybe you’ve realized you might not be financially prepared for retirement?

This course will give you all the information, encouragement, and resources you need to reach the goal of ten million yen in savings and investments.

Why ten million?

Because ten million yen is a number that could transform your life.

But ONLY if you know what to do with it.

Saving up ten million yen and squirrelling it away in a bank account isn’t enough money to live on for more than a handful of years at most.

But put that ten million to work by investing and the snowball effect of compounding interest means that money will grow and grow and grow and become enough to retire on.

But there’s something else special about ten million yen.

It’s a number most people are capable of reaching once they know how to manage their spending and saving. We’re talking about ordinary people like you and the 100+ people who have taken this course in the first three cohorts.


 

Imagine this …

You have 10 million yen in investments. Money stress is a thing of the past. You feel able to deal with any kind of money emergency.

Better still, your finances are on autopilot. You have all your accounts set up, and invest regularly according to your plan. Your investments are growing.

Once you have saved and invested your way to 10 million yen, getting to 20 million yen and beyond is much easier.

Life is so much better when you don't have to worry about money. And for that, all you need is:

- an understanding of some basic principles of money management

- the tools to put money to work in Japan

- the support to take action

The course includes all the specific details you need to manage your money and build a retirement pot in Japan. These same tools are also what you need if you want to achieve financial freedom and retire early or go part-time and live partly off investment income.

"Well-organized and incredibly useful. Retire Japan's info got me into much better retirement shape. I fully take advantage of iDeCo, NISA and invest in world mutual funds with extra money. We've saved and made enough for a basic retirement fund and 6 months of emergency. We actually needed it this last year. Super grateful!"

- Leslie

"I liked the structure, with material given in advance and then review together in Zoom session. It really allows to go "my pace" as they say in Japan."

- Sebastien, Cohort 3 participant

"I would highly recommend the course to everyone who’s starting to get into personal finance. The course covers a lot of content and even though you might have already mastered one aspect of it by yourself, there is a high chance you’ll learn something new and especially be able to see “the bigger picture” by the end of the course. The amount and the pace of the lessons were also great, allowing plenty of time to prepare, learn, and explore during the week."

Cohort 3 participant

"Always grateful for all the stuff I learned in the course. It has been a literal life changer. Really appreciate that there's follow ups. I look forward to more!"

Cohort 2 participant

"Life-changing course, I follow you on YouTube as well very diligently and I must say having this community and having your course has been of tremendous help in making me feel secure about my stay in Japan."

Cohort 2 participant

Your Instructor


Ben Tanaka
Ben Tanaka

Ben has been living and working in Japan for over twenty years, mainly in education. After losing his job at short notice in 2008, he became very interested in personal finance.

In 2013 Ben launched RetireJapan to share information in English about personal finance, investing, retirement, and life in Japan. He finished formal work in 2022.

Now Ben works mostly on the RetireJapan website and forum, courses, guides, coaching, and YouTube channel.


Go from uncertainty about your finances to having everything in order.

On this course, you'll learn

  • how to plan track and plan your finances so you can reach 10 million yen in investments and beyond
  • the habits you need for a strong financial foundation
  • which accounts to open in Japan, and which brokers to use
  • how to choose investments
  • everything you need to know about the new NISA accounts as well as iDeCo.

No more wondering what the difference is between NISA and iDeCo or how to work out if nenkin is going to be enough to retire on (it probably won’t be!).

I’ve lived in Japan for 24 years and run a forum that’s helped thousands of people learn how to manage their money here so I can walk you step-by-step through every system you’ll need.



"The course will pay for itself in less than 6 months."

- Shiru

"The course was great. I liked the fact that there was some interaction with the other participants so it was more interesting and motivating than simply watching material online. "

- Oliver

Course Curriculum


  Getting Started
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  Personal Finance Principles
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  Investing Principles
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Frequently Asked Questions


What happens if I can’t make a live session?
For this cohort, much of the content will be delivered using short videos, texts, and links that can be accessed at any time. In addition, we will record all the live sessions and make them available to watch later. You can also use the office hour sessions to ask questions and clarify anything you missed.
I work full-time, what is the expected time commitment?
If you want to cover all the material for the course each week, it would probably take 2-3 hours to review all the lessons and attend or watch the live session. The weekly assignments will take an hour or so but could take longer if you put a lot of effort into them.
What if I am unhappy with the course?
We would never want you to be unhappy! If you need to cancel before the course starts please let us know. If you complete the course (attend the live sessions/watch the recordings, submit assignments) and are not satisfied for any reason you can get a refund within 14 days of finishing the course.
Can US citizens take this course too?
Yes, we have had a number of US citizens take the course in previous cohorts. While some investing options in Japan are not available, the rest of the course is very relevant. Many US citizens have non-US spouses who are not restricted when investing in Japan. Our co-host, Jon, is a US citizen and is also available to answer questions.

"It was an eye opener. Reality was hard to face but now we are more conscious about where our money is going."

- Abdessamad

"It is a very useful course. It should be mandatory for anyone coming to live in Japan."

- Student in 2023

This course is closed for enrollment.