Most “wealth journey” articles online are vague or unrealistic. I’m a 30-year-old company employee in Tokyo with no business, no inheritance, no rich parents. As of this month, my net worth is ¥19,620,000 (about $130,000 USD). Here’s the full breakdown, with every line item.
Full Net Worth Breakdown
| Category | Amount (¥) | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Cash (megabank + online savings) | 2,150,000 | 11.0% |
| Company internal deposit (Company Deposit) | 3,800,000 | 19.4% |
| NISA (eMAXIS Slim All Country + S&P 500) | 4,920,000 | 25.1% |
| iDeCo (target-date fund) | 1,180,000 | 6.0% |
| Taxable brokerage (US stocks + ETF) | 3,790,000 | 19.3% |
| Crypto (BTC, ETH, SOL, DOT) | 1,840,000 | 9.4% |
| JGB & corporate bonds | 720,000 | 3.7% |
| Loyalty points (Rakuten, ANA, etc.) | 120,000 | 0.6% |
| JCB / VISA balances | -300,000 | -1.5% |
| Net Worth | 18,220,000 + retirement plan vesting 1,400,000 = ¥19.62M | 100% |
How I Got Here (The Honest Version)
Income
Annual gross: ¥7.2M (typical for a 30-year-old at a large Japanese company). Take-home about ¥5.4M/year. Annual bonus around ¥1.5M of that.
Savings rate
About 35–40% of take-home, which is high by Japanese norms (typical is 10–15%). I do this by living in a smaller apartment than I could afford and cooking 5 nights a week.
The compounding
I started seriously investing in 2022 (age 28). In 2.5 years, my invested assets have grown from roughly ¥3M to ¥11.7M. About ¥7M came from contributions, ¥1.7M from market appreciation. The market did some work, but most of it was disciplined contribution.
What Worked
- Maxing NISA every year. ¥3.6M/year × 2 years + partial = ¥4.92M. Tax-free is non-negotiable.
- Company internal deposit (shanai yokin). My employer offers 1.5% interest on internal deposits, vs. 0.001% at megabanks. ¥3.8M parked here earns ¥57,000/year passively — better than any Japanese savings account.
- Boring index funds. 70% of my equity exposure is eMAXIS Slim All Country. Never sold during corrections.
- Small crypto allocation, never larger than 10%. Kept my hands off when it dropped 40%.
What I’d Do Differently
- Started iDeCo earlier. I waited 3 years to open iDeCo because “the lockup felt scary.” That cost me roughly ¥400,000 in tax-deductible savings.
- Built emergency fund faster. See my other article — I sold investments at a loss because my buffer was too thin.
- Skipped individual stock picking. My one foray into picking individual Japanese stocks underperformed an index ETF over 18 months. Lesson learned.
What I’m Doing Now (Going Into Age 31)
- Continuing ¥100,000/month NISA, never touching the contribution rhythm
- Maxing iDeCo at ¥23,000/month (the tax deduction is too valuable to skip)
- Building “dry powder” cash to ¥3M, ready for the next 20%+ market correction
- Rebalancing crypto to keep it at exactly 10% — selling on rallies, buying on dumps
- Saving 50% of every bonus, no exceptions
My Goal: ¥30M by Age 35
Assuming 5% annualized real return and ¥150,000/month average contribution, I should hit ¥30M around age 35. That gives me optionality — to leave my company, to start a business, to take a sabbatical. The number isn’t the goal. Optionality is the goal.
Summary for Anyone Starting Today
- Income matters less than savings rate. 30% savings beats a 30% raise that you spend.
- NISA + iDeCo before any taxable investing
- Boring index funds, not individual stocks
- Cash buffer first, then invest aggressively
- Track your net worth quarterly — what gets measured improves
I’m not exceptional. I’m an average salaryman who started 18 months earlier than my peers and didn’t quit when it got boring. That’s the entire formula.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is not investment advice. It does not recommend any specific financial product. Investment decisions are your sole responsibility, and you may lose your principal. Tax rules and financial regulations described here reflect the situation as of 2026 in Japan and may change. Please consult a licensed advisor or the official sources (FSA, NTA, MOF) for the latest information.