Michael Cash wrote:
> On 13 Jan 2005 05:48:56 -0800, "John W." <worthj1970@yahoo.com>
> brought down from the Mount tablets inscribed:
>
> >Ryan Ginstrom wrote:
> >>
> >> One form of investment she thinks is worth it is land, and despite
> >the crash
> >> in land values in the 90s, enough fellow Japanese seem to share
her
> >opinion
> >> that she is probably right.
> >>
> >A few years ago I would have said it's crazy to buy land in Japan,
but
> >it all depends on the location I suppose. Does Japan offer tax
breaks
> >to farmers? I know several 'farmers' in the US that benefit from
some
> >IRS breaks, though I'm not sure of the specifics. But if so that'd
be a
> >good reason to buy land and then either lease it out to farmers or
> >plant some apple trees and call it a farm.
> >
> >Investing is something I'm terrible at. Luckily in the US a regular
> >savings account (hell, a checking account for that matter) earns
more
> >interest than in Japan.
>
> Burying it in a hole in the back yard comes damned close to earning
> more interest than putting it in a Japanese bank.
>
That's why money washing temples are so popular. You have just as much
chance making your money grow by washing it in holy water as you do
depositing it in a bank. I had a couple thousand yen that sat in
Mitsubishi Ginko for about four years (I was in the US and for some
reason just didn't close it out; I mean, in Japan 2K yen isn't that
much), and it earned about twenty yen.

John W.