Discussion Forum

#1

• メアリー
• mail
• 2021/05/17 13:16

A friend of mine said that buying property in Texas is cheap, but the taxes are higher than in other states. Is this true ？
Total, is property in Texas a good deal ？?

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#2

• 麻子
• 2021/05/18 (Tue) 10:10
• Report

People who come from other states are surprised at how high property taxes are in Texas.
Although some states are higher.

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#4

• かのこ
• 2021/05/25 (Tue) 11:02
• Report

Yes, taxes may be high, but overall the house is new and clean.

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#5

• 富士瀬
• 2021/05/26 (Wed) 06:08
• Report

Are the above people writing from some other state ？
Texas has no income tax. I would much rather have no income tax than property tax, etc.
Property taxes are determined by city and district, not state. It also depends on the size of the property and the building coverage of the house. All districts with high property tax rates are upscale residential areas, and in the case of Texas, many of them are historic buildings. If you come from Japan, you would be surprised at how large the lots are and the houses are as big as castles.
The districts with low property taxes are where blacks, Hispanics, and other low-income people live as renters. If you are worried about property tax, you should buy a small house in Houston area or rent a house.

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#6

• 富士瀬
• 2021/05/26 (Wed) 06:23
• Report

Also, if you have lived in the US long enough to consider buying a house, you know that property taxes here are used for sanitation and schooling in the area, so the areas with high property taxes are very clean, safe and the schools are all progressive.

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#7

• メアリー
• 2021/05/26 (Wed) 09:58
• Report

Thank you all for your advice.

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#1

• かっこ
• mail
• 2021/03/16 09:21

If there is a place that not many people know about but that you think is good, please let me know.
Restaurants, parks, anything.

If you have lived here for a long time, please let me know!

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#1

• シャビー
• mail
• 2021/01/26 14:42

Which area is the best place to live ？

1 ・ where it is easy to get Japanese food
2 ． where it is safe
3 ． where rents are cheap
4 ． Family oriented area

etc....

I heard that there are many new houses in Dallas, but how is it really like? ？
Is there anything different from Japan in terms of house maintenance ？?

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#1

• ペネロペ
• mail
• 2026/05/23 08:49

I will be returning home for 3 months to take care of my parents. I would like a cleaning person to clean my house during that time, if you have any recommendations please let me know ！.

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書き込めなくなるまであと76日

#2

• Kame
• 2026/06/02 (Tue) 13:18
• Report

There's a Japanese cleaning company called Kito Kito.

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#3

• ペネロペ
• 2026/06/04 (Thu) 20:23
• Report

I saw the Review and it looks good ！ Thanks for the introduction ！

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#7

• Cleaning
• 2026/06/16 (Tue) 22:01
• Report

I am paying $80 for above service once a month. But I do vacuum. I also detail cleaning by myself. Cleaning lady spends total 2 hours which is $40 per hour. I do not need to vacuum but I want help her as much as I can . I want ask her to stay at least 3 hours but I feel sorry since it takes 40 minutes to come to my house.

Previous cleaning lady was charging $120 for 2 hours which is $60 per hour.

Since I am retired, I do cleaning by myself too. Fake plants, stove, 4 Japanese dolls glass cases, window glasses, kitchen fan, refrigerator, kitchen cabinet door, sink.., and so on. Endless!!!

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#1

• koo
• mail
• 2026/04/11 23:59

The owner of the house I moved out of has not refunded my deposit.
It has been over a month since I moved out of my previous house and my deposit has not been refunded.
I have also contacted them on line and have not received a reply.
The owner lives in Japan and I have no address or phone number and am very confused.

What should I do in such a case ？
Also, if you know what to do if the LINE is blocked, please let me know.

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書き込めなくなるまであと11日

#2

• デポジット
• 2026/04/12 (Sun) 13:24
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• Delete

Hello.
That is a very troubling situation.
I am an owner renting out a house in Hawaii.
Normally, you are obligated to refund the deposit within 14 days of the end of the contract.
It depends on what the rental agreement says.
If you don't have any contact information other than LINE, you were renting through an acquaintance
？
In the meantime, you should prepare the contract, proof of payment and messages you have exchanged
.
I think it would be a good idea if you prepare the proof of the contract, proof of the payments you have made and the messages you have exchanged .

You may also consult with the following places.
Hawaii Department of Commerce and
Consumer Affairs
General Consumer Affairs （ You can file a complaint online ）

Regulated Industries Complaints Office
Realtors ・ Licensed Contractor Trouble

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#1

• あーぼー
• mail
• 2026/01/27 04:06

Question about ADU's
Has anyone used the ADU system to build an addition or separation to their back yard ？
I am planning to build an addition to my house from the ADU program and would like some advice from someone who has done it before.

Please help me ！.

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書き込めなくなるまであと3日

#20

• たお
• 2026/03/04 (Wed) 14:37
• Report

Studio in 2024, 2bd in 2025, 1.5ba ADU built on home site.

Water will be shared, all other systems will be stand alone. We have also secured a parking space.
A city permit will be required at each step during construction. Real estate construction is done by a variety of contractors and the market prices vary, so we always recommend consulting with someone experienced in this field. If you would like to discuss this in more detail, please contact us.

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#22

• ごまぴん
• mail
• 2026/03/28 (Sat) 12:01
• Report

Illegal building should definitely stop. To begin with, building codes, Title 24 in CA, are written based on minimum standards for people's safety and should be followed.
Broadly speaking, safety, especially earthquake resistance and fire prevention, are the two main standards, and in CA, energy conservation is added to the list, with water saving, energy saving, and high airtightness.

ADU is a very powerful （ housing solution ） CA state law, so it can be used to override minor city ordinances, setbacks, etc.
The simple explanation is that it basically allows two houses to be built on a lot where only one could be built before.
To be more precise, you can now use SB-9 to split a lot in two and have one house
1+1(ADU) + 1 (JADU) x 2 = maximum 4 families plus ＋ 2 people can live in it.

Along the coast such as Newport Beach and other waterfronts or near them, you can easily sell it for MILLIONS or rent it for a higher room price, which is delicious.

Some American customers want to build ADUs as a stable income for their retirement.
It's one of the deepest and very good real estate investments if you dig it out.

Some Japanese people want to travel both ways between Japan and the U.S., but are worried if no one lives in the house, so they build an ADU and have people live there so it doesn't look vacant.
In Irvine, it's like $4,000 a month house rent, so building an ADU would help a lot financially.
If you already own a home, I highly recommend that you consider it as a way to supplement your stable income in retirement.


But it will take some money and time, so you should understand that as well.

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#23

• ごまぴん
• 2026/03/28 (Sat) 22:11
• Report

21When I wrote that I could design it, someone banned me and erased it ？
I'm not looking for customers, so that's fine.

As I mentioned in 22, the housing standards specify basic safety standards.
Meki's garage is not a good idea because it doesn't meet safety standards, it should have a bathroom at the very least, and it is either ignorant or a jerk to not build it according to the code ？

To turn a blind eye to the fact that he lives in a garage is, in a sense, to turn a blind eye to the abuse. ？
If it's near your house, you should report it because it's a bad environment.

In ADU, you can legalize your garage and turn it into a JADU.

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#25

• Box
• 2026/03/29 (Sun) 19:05
• Report

Mr. Gomapin
We are considering an ADU for guest use. 　My engineer/designer tells me that our home will likely require Soil Test due to city codes. We are considering a prefab like BOXABL to make the cost as predictable as possible, but I still think the Soil Test will be necessary ？.

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#26

• ごまぴん
• 2026/03/30 (Mon) 07:29
• Report

Regardless of the ADU, I don't think a Soil Report is usually required for a 500 SF addition on a single story building. You should ask the engineer carefully.
Wherever the city is, or where there are a lot of ups and downs, they may be more likely to require it.Soil is 4 ～ I think it's around $5,000. Not cheap, but it is one of the necessary expenses.

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#1

• Mee
• mail
• 2025/12/07 12:21

I want to move to Arizona. Which area is good and safe ？
I heard that Chandler.Scotlsdale and other areas are safe, but even there, which area is safe ？ Is there a Nikkei store ？?

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#1

• なな
• mail
• 2025/10/13 10:10

Hello.
We are a family with children living in the US.
I will be relocating to Los Angeles next year and would like to discuss the area where we will live.

We are considering
Redondo Beach
Cypress
Rancho Palos Verdes
Torrance
Culver City
El Segundo
I am thinking of

Preferences
• Not too many Japanese
• Some Asian presence
• Easy access to Asian grocery stores
• 6000-7000
• easy access to Century City where I work

From the above points, what is the best area to live ？ and what other areas should I look at? ！

Also, I know that many people recommend Torrance or Palos Verdes, but how many Japanese people are in each area? Can you tell me how many Japanese are in a class on average?

Thank you ！

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#3

• 不便
• 2025/10/14 (Tue) 20:22
• Report

El Segundo or Culver would be the best choice considering commuting.
The others are far from the freeway.
I don't know the Asian population of North Redondo, Torrance or El Segundo.
Manhattan Beach or Marina Del Rey.

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#4

• .倍金萬
• 2025/10/16 (Thu) 18:05
• Report

＞ Families with children living in the U.S.

Does that mean that your children are already living in the U.S.?

I don't know if they are studying abroad, but if so, they would probably be limited to within driving distance

of that school.

＞ • Asians must be present to some extent

Here in Los Angeles, "Asians" are everywhere, large and small.

＞ Easy access to Century City, where I commute to work

Morning and evening rush hours can be quite heavy, so

limited to a few miles radius from Century City. It will be limited to a few miles radius from Century City.

Not too far away, just over a mountain to the north, is San Fernando Valley

where I have lived for over 50 years.

Here in the valley, the mountains are about the same size as the hills above and the cool air from the ocean does not come here, so it gets very hot in the summer.

But since there is no humid wind from the ocean, the humidity is extremely low and the temperature is high but not so high that you sweat. However, in summer, the temperature sometimes exceeds 100F (38C).

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#5

• ハトヤ
• mail
• 2025/10/17 (Fri) 18:25
• Report

＞ It would be limited to about a few miles radius from Century City.

That's what anyone would normally think, even if they are not blessed with the intelligence of a former super elite expatriate like Mr. Double Kin Man.
Why is he even a candidate for Cypress, the next county over 30 miles away? It is like a person relocating to Tokyo renting an apartment in Ibaraki Prefecture. I am also surprised that Century City is not on the list. I would decide on Century City without hesitation.

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#7

• Lucy
• 2025/10/19 (Sun) 23:46
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I lived in WLA. Around here, there are a few Asian students per class, except in some schools.
Considering the morning and evening traffic jams, I think Culver City or El Segundo, as close as possible, would be a good choice. Other potential locations would take more than an hour each way to commute.
As for schools, you can check out Gratschools.
If it is a 4-5 bedroom, it would be a house, and rents are very high these days, so I don't know if you can rent it for $6000-7000.


The El Segundo school district is small and very nice, but too small to have much choice. I am told that it is mostly white.
Because it is a small community, there are few apartments or other rental properties, rents are high, and I think it would be difficult to find a suitable vacant house.

The Culver City school district is also small, but larger than El Segundo, and the schools on the north side are better.
Note that there are places where the address is Culver City but the school district is LASD.
Culver City has always been a predominantly black area, but there are also more Orientals on the north side, and more black as you go south.

The school district near Century City is not a candidate, probably because it is LASD.
LASD also varies quite a bit from school to school, and there are many good schools, so you could live within commuting distance of a school that meets your needs.
However, rent is also higher in the commuting area of good schools.

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#8

• プラヤ
• mail
• 2025/10/24 (Fri) 10:19
• Report

If you work in Century City, Culver City, West LA, Mar Vista area would be good.
There are Japanese markets and restaurants.
Torrance has a Japanese community and many Japanese, but Culver City, West LA, Mar Vista area has a good mix. （ I also live in this area ）

Depending on the age of your children, Culver City has a language immersion school elementary school where you can take classes in Japanese.

Torrance, Rancho PV, and El Segundo use the 405 freeway for commuting, and the northbound route toward Century City is congested in the morning.

Cypress is too far away.

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#1

• RinoRino
• mail
• 2025/05/13 02:41

I just arrived in J1.
I am in a dormitory right now, but
I am having a hard time finding a house and can't decide.
I found a room along the Ala Wai Canal that is available
but it is hard to fill, so I am considering whether it is popular or not.
Is it dangerous to walk home from work late at night ？?

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#22

• ひょろガリ(病気持ち癌)
• mail
• 2025/08/10 (Sun) 00:51
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I've been living in an old condo along Ala Wai for 10 years and I've never been in any danger, even at night ….
I think it's not popular or quiet, but it's nothing compared to Japan.
I would say it's just a matter of being on the lookout for danger, or at least being lightly vigilant.
In fact, there are as many Japanese as ogres living around here, but I haven't heard of any incidents.
Everyone is exaggerating, exaggerating, exaggerating. lol
Don't act like you know anything. lol

Please live your life in Hawaii with peace of mind.

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#24

• Amazonite
• 2025/08/10 (Sun) 23:53
• Report

#22 Hirogari

Maybe because you are a man.
Most of the victims are women. I can only recall a Japanese man wearing a Rolex watch who was the victim of a theft
on Kuhio Street.
I once had three young local women have their handbags stolen
from one local man on Ala Wai street, I guess they thought they were safe because there were only three of them.
I thought it was better for women not to walk around with others.
Even private lockers in Waikiki condos that are locked with security
are frequently broken into.
Hawaii has fewer incidents than other states, but I never felt safe and secure.
Tourists should be very careful.

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#25

• Lotus01
• 2025/08/11 (Mon) 13:53
• Report

Walking home late at night is dangerous anywhere in Hawaii. As a matter of probability, the Ala Wai area is high. But even around Ala Moana, where the probability is low, the probability is high in some places. And as for location, just like airplanes and car accidents, the more you ride, the higher the probability, and the more you walk around late at night, the higher the probability of encountering a bad guy. I think you can increase the odds of preventing it, though, by being a man, not wearing expensive things, etc.

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#27

• aikane
• 2025/08/19 (Tue) 01:26
• Report

I would recommend the Ala Moana area or Don Quijote area, as the streets along Ala Wai and from Kuhio to Kapahulu are not safe.

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#28

• 現
• 2025/09/19 (Fri) 00:27
• Report

Ala Wai street is dangerous. Rent is cheap though. Don't go there.

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#1

• せのびー
• 2025/08/19 14:06

Hi ！
We are moving within Honolulu.
I would like to have a cleaning service after I move out, do you have any recommendations for me ？
1 bed → It's a 1 bed so not a lot of stuff. I would be happy to keep the cost down if possible. （ Budget $ about 400 ？ )
English only is fine. Please let us know if you know of any, and if you have any experiences.
Thank you very much.

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#3

• 名無し
• 2025/08/25 (Mon) 20:23
• Report

The moving company is in the Town Guide here, though. Cleaning companies were probably
in the Town Guide here, too.

Truck （ Moving company ） was probably $ 200 to $ 300 for 2 hours minimum.

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