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• ラテ
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• 2023/08/11 (Fri) 20:50
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Hi, I live in West Park, Irvine.
I am a long time US resident and not an expat, but I am a mom with an elementary school aged child. There are many Japanese expatriates and other Japanese people in West Park. I have lived in the US for a long time and am not an expatriate, but I know many Japanese expatriates and other Japanese people who live in Westpark. If your wife can drive a car right away, I don't think you have to worry. The West Park area is very livable and beautiful with many parks, and is close to Costco, Whole Foods, Sprouts, Korean supermarkets, Target, etc. It is very comfortable for housewives. Many people live a normal life even if they don't speak English. Our family also rents a condo. The West Park area is very popular and townhouses, condos and apartments are going up $200-$400 a month a year. Even if you try to buy a house, there are very few properties available and the price is usually $ $1,500,000 for a normal 4 room house.
Prices have gone up so much that it is hard to keep up. Prices have gone up so much that they can't keep up with it. There are people living in the Irvine Spectrum, but if you want to raise your children in a park, I wouldn't recommend the Spectrum.
In the Great Park area, new houses are being built all the time and there are many new families. But of course renting a house or condo is also expensive because they are new. It is the same in all areas, but I have known several people who had to move out of their apartments when their children were young because of complaints of noise from the people below them. I know that you are going through a lot of hardship since your wife and children are coming to the U.S., but at first it will be like you are on vacation and it will be fun, but when you live in the U.S., there are many things that will be different from Japan and you may get homesick, but please do your best.

• ESKA
• 2023/10/04 (Wed) 08:49
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Dear Latte

Thank you for your comments and useful information.
（ I am very sorry for the delay in replying ）
In the end, we looked at a lot of places and finally decided on the Great Park area. West Park never came up with any properties in the first place. I also liked Cypress Village and Oak Creek, but they already had several applications, and as a foreigner with no FICO, there was no way I could win. In the end it took over 3 months and a lot of hard work, but we found a good owner, the place of residence was confirmed, and my wife arrived in our area recently.
We still have a lot of work to do in the future, such as finding a license for my wife, finding a community for our children, finding a kindergarten, etc. We are floundering to start up our lives, but as Latte said, we will be homesick when we get settled. Thank you for sharing the information, including your support.

• 昭和のおとっつぁん
• 2023/09/26 (Tue) 10:48
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Is it an employee of an insurance company who only speaks well of his insurance company?

• ゲゲゲ
• 2023/09/26 (Tue) 18:50
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I'm not recommending the best part of the commission ？.

• 昭和のおとっつぁん
• 2023/10/01 (Sun) 15:24
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BLUECROSS applied from 2022 because they have NATION BENEFITS.
GROCERIE and UTILITES pay $50 each per month and are helpful with shopping.

• 70台前半
• 2023/10/02 (Mon) 18:22
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United Health Care HMO.

Cheap because it's an HMO （ Always free ） Bad （ Can't see specialists right away ）. But there are Japanese doctors in the network and the coverage is unlimited.

• ガセネタ太郎
• 2023/10/02 (Mon) 21:06
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Is a Japanese doctor important ？ Not that he's particularly good.

• SJDummy
• mail
• 2023/10/02 (Mon) 22:35
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If you search the Exchange Plaza by entering "contact" in the search box, you will find past topics on contact, which may be helpful.

• nuiloamama
• 2023/10/02 (Mon) 22:43
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I buy mine at Sam's.

The receptionist is English, but the medical interview asks if you take any medications, but you can fill out the form online in advance.
The pre-test is in simple English, such as "chin up".

The optometrist is a Japanese American and understands simple Japanese.
No.1 and No.2 are only words like which is easier to see ？ or
Read this character ～, so I always ask for Sams.

Optometry fees are covered if you have insurance.
I am about $ 60 because of my age and I get glaucoma, cataracts, intraocular pressure, etc. seen together I order my contacts from the glasses section next door, but
they give me a prescription and I can also buy them by mail order.

If you have insurance, your contact purchase will be covered.

I have also purchased from other ophthalmologists,
the prices are very different.

• SJDummy
• mail
• 2023/10/01 (Sun) 22:40
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You can stay for 90 days without a visa if you have a valid US passport （ one blank page ） for the duration of your stay, as described in the following website.
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/SouthKorea. html

• SJDummy
• 2023/10/02 (Mon) 10:25
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I made a comment yesterday, but it seems to have disappeared, so I will make it again.
As explained in the following site, US passport holders can enter Korea for 90 days without a visa, no K-ETA required.
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/SouthKorea. html

• hama
• 2023/10/02 (Mon) 16:00
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Thanks for letting us know ！.

• hama
• 2023/10/02 (Mon) 16:01
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Thanks for your reply ！

• Shakira
• 2023/09/29 (Fri) 20:53
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↑ I agree

TRADER JOE'S tote bag white is easy to use, because even Amazon （ Japan and US ） $ 10.00 more.

https://www.trip-attendant.com/bring/tips-bring-alcohol-on-airplane/
In case you're wondering, "What to bring home as a souvenir ＆ from your trip abroad. What to look out for when bringing back liquor as souvenirs on your trip abroad, and the duty-free coverage of liquor".

• え？
• 2023/09/30 (Sat) 08:37
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Wine has been turned into Trejo's eco-bag.

• ガセネタ太郎
• 2023/09/30 (Sat) 09:21
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14 The wines that anyone would consider good are the ones that have been sitting in barrels for years, but are expensive.
If you are concerned about taste, it is much smarter to go to the duty free store at the airport.

• 昭和27
• mail
• 2023/10/01 (Sun) 08:44
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When you go to France, there are many kinds of wines, but I have had the experience that you can't go wrong if you order Bordeaux wine, no matter how expensive or inexpensive it may be. Charles III of England was drinking Bordeaux wine the other day, wasn't he? Whenever I go to a supermarket in France and spend more than $10 for a Bordeaux wine, it is always OK.

If you are a member of Costco you can get a good 4 bottles of Bordeaux wine for about $30 something right now. I have already bought 8 bottles.
If you are going from California to Japan, but only if you are okay with French wine. California wines, cheap ones, will be sour.

• geko
• 2023/10/02 (Mon) 09:35
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Thank you all
for all your input.
I will use them as a reference.

• Halo
• 2023/09/30 (Sat) 22:34
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If so, then the insurance coverage varies from policy to policy, but it does not mean that you have to pay the full amount of your own insurance.
Full co-pay is for people who do not have insurance, for example.
There are usually three types of insurance, （ a doctor ） who is like the first clinic you see when you decide on a family doctor,
ophthalmology, and dentistry, so if you are living here, which one is the insurance you want to buy?
And by insurance that you can get in Japan, do you mean travel insurance or something like that ？
（ Travel insurance had a duration or something, right? ）
I don't know what you want to use the insurance for, so I think it is difficult to answer your question
if you don't have a clear idea of what you intend to use the insurance for.

• SJDummy
• mail
• 2023/10/01 (Sun) 23:10
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You say "enrolled in the US," but the insurance situation is quite different between Hawaii and the mainland US, so I don't think we can have a blanket discussion about the US.
I have HMSA's Medicare Advantage ™ (PPO ™) insurance here in Hawaii, but usually a family doctor, specialist, or even a dentist will see you first and send you a bill afterwards that takes your insurance coverage into consideration. Lab tests （ X － Ray or blood tests ） also get billed later. As far as I know, the only people who have to pay the full amount out-of-pocket at the time of the medical exam are those who do not have insurance here, as Halo mentioned.
For travelers from Japan who have travel insurance when they leave Japan, I think it is common for them to pay the full amount here at one time and receive payment for the portion covered by their insurance after they return home. However, there are some travel abroad insurance policies that sell "cashless ・ medical services," so in the case of such policies, you will not have to pay the co-payment.

• Pink Lion
• 2023/10/01 (Sun) 23:34
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＞ Halo and SJDummy

Thanks for the detailed explanation.
I understand now. I am relieved to know that my employer will provide HMSA insurance and I will be charged the amount after the insurance coverage.
I was suddenly concerned when I heard someone say that even if you have HMSA or other insurance provided by the company, you have to pay the full amount once you get it. If that is not the case, I am relieved. Thank you for your response.