Benton Homestead Japan

15/05/2026

We were recently interviewed for an article discussing the changes to Japan's Business Manager visa. It has some interesting insight, shared through the stories of three foreign residents of Japan trying to navigate the new requirements.

Immigrants in Japan struggle to keep businesses open after new visa rules: https://cronkitenews.azpbs.org/2026/04/29/japan-immigrants-businesses-new-visa-rules/

* * * * *
Help Benton Homestead meet the new increased Business Manager visa requirements, to continue our work in Japan » https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-benton-homestead-meet-new-visa-requirements
* * * * *
Subscribe » www.youtube.com/

Stay With Us » airbnb.com/h/bentonguesthouse

Shop Honey + Retro » bentonhomesteadjapan.myshopify.com/

Shop Vintage Records » discogs.com/seller/bentonhomestead/profile

Japan Real Estate Consulting » bentonhomestead.com/consulting

Photo Blogs » www.bentonhomestead.com

Support » buymeacoffee.com/bentonhomestead
* * * * *
#日本 #四国 #愛媛 #今治 #大三島 #しまなみ街道

Rules for obtaining or keeping a business manager visa in Japan were changed in October 2025, with a three-year grace period to meet the requirements for those who already have them. Some of these immigrants who own small businesses in Japan are no longer sure if they’ll be able to stay.

09/05/2026

Our most recent YouTube video is a quick tour of Benton Homestead in the springtime! Since we primarily grow Mexican summer crops, it's still early in the season. But we walk you through: our tomato & tomatillo garden, our Japanese honeybee hives, the Benton Guesthouse side yard, Honeybee Yard #2, our very young lime and avocado orchard, and lastly, our hot pepper field. Ponkan, Bosco, and Sumi all make special appearances.

Spring Homestead Tour » Small-scale Natural Farming & Beekeeping in Japan » Ōmishima, Imabari, Ehime: https://youtu.be/IUffrf_nVRk

* * * * *
Help Benton Homestead meet the new increased Business Manager visa requirements, to continue our work in Japan » https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-benton-homestead-meet-new-visa-requirements
* * * * *
Subscribe » www.youtube.com/

Stay With Us » airbnb.com/h/bentonguesthouse

Shop Honey + Retro » bentonhomesteadjapan.myshopify.com/

Shop Vintage Records » discogs.com/seller/bentonhomestead/profile

Japan Real Estate Consulting » bentonhomestead.com/consulting

Photo Blogs » www.bentonhomestead.com

Support » buymeacoffee.com/bentonhomestead
* * * * *
#日本 #四国 #愛媛 #今治 #大三島 #しまなみ街道

25/04/2026

数ヶ月間、毎月のライブ配信による最新情報をお届けするのを休止していましたが、5月に大規模なアップデート動画を公開する予定です。間もなく、ToDoリストの多くの項目が完了する予定です✍

* 新たに強化されたビジネスマネージャービザの要件に向けて、着実に前進しています。ベントンホームステッドの払込資本金がわずかに増加し、法人書類に記録されました。

* 小規模事業者向け補助金の建設および関連書類の手続きが完了し、（うまくいけば）最終承認と払い戻しを受け、さらに小規模銀行の「ブリッジローン」を返済する予定です。

* 2025年の蜂蜜収穫販売に関する最終計算が完了しました。1,365瓶（325kg）の蜂蜜はすべて完売しました。また、セイヨウミツバチ5群と野生のニホンミツバチ2群を迎え入れました。

* ゴールデンウィーク期間中、大三島で開催される今年のサンドマーケットフェスティバルにて、2回目のタコスポップアップイベントを開催します！

* 5月はベントンゲストハウスにとって過去最高の月となり、これまでの最高記録をすべて塗り替える見込みです！

* そして、今朝正式に発表されたのですが、日本の全国放送テレビ番組の撮影が始まりました！大勢のスタッフと大スターが参加するのですが、誰なのかはまだ秘密です🤫 とても楽しみです！番組名は5月中旬に発表予定です。放送は5月下旬頃を予定しています。

現在、テレビ撮影のスケジュールを調整中で、大三島のコミュニティを紹介する絶好の機会なので、できる限り多くの地元の友人や企業に協力をお願いしようと思っています❤️

というわけで！これだけ盛りだくさんなので、そろそろ大きなアップデート動画をアップするのにぴったりのタイミングだと思いませんか？あと、私たちも休暇が必要ですね😂

We're planning to share a major update video in May. Soon, we will have many big items checked-off our to-do list ✍

* Small but calculated progress towards the new increased Business Manager visa requirements: a small increase in Benton Homestead's paid-in capital, recorded on our corporate documents;

* Completion of the small business subsidy construction and paperwork, and (hopefully) their final approval and reimbursement, as well as repayment of the small bank "bridge loan";

* Final calculations for our 2025 honey harvest sales, as all 1,365 jars of honey (325 kg) are now sold out. Plus welcoming 5 western bee colonies and 2 wild Japanese bee swarms;

* Our second taco pop-up, which will take place during this year's Sando Market Festival on Ōmishima during Golden Week;

* May will be our busiest month ever at Benton Guesthouse, surpassing all of our previous busiest month records so far;

* And, officially as of this morning: filming for a national Japanese TV broadcast. They're sending a big crew and a big star but we can't tell you who 🤫 It's very exciting! We can tentatively announce the name of the TV show in mid-May. Then the episode will air end of May.

We're currently creating a schedule for the TV filming, and trying to showcase Ōmishima's community ❤️

So! After all that, it seems like it'll be a perfect time for a major update video. Don't you think?? Also, we need a vacation 😂

04/04/2026

Let's check up on the Benton Guesthouse new half bath room progress! The contractors have completed their portion, so now, the rest is up to us! The wood paneling on the walls, the insulation, the ceiling, the trim, the baseboard, the shikkui plaster, retrofitting the external sliding wooden door, and the internal door to the guesthouse. It's a heck of a lot more difficult to DIY renovate an existing structure than to just start from scratch.

How do y'all think it looks so far?

Today's Video "Retro Room Retrofit": https://youtu.be/aSYi99Wev2Q

* * * * *
Help Benton Homestead meet the new increased Business Manager visa requirements, to continue our work in Japan » https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-benton-homestead-meet-new-visa-requirements
* * * * *
Subscribe » www.youtube.com/

Stay With Us » airbnb.com/h/bentonguesthouse

Shop Honey + Retro » bentonhomesteadjapan.myshopify.com/

Shop Vintage Records » discogs.com/seller/bentonhomestead/profile

Japan Real Estate Consulting » bentonhomestead.com/consulting

Photo Blogs » www.bentonhomestead.com

Support » buymeacoffee.com/bentonhomestead
* * * * *
#日本 #四国 #愛媛 #今治 #大三島 #しまなみ街道

Let's check up on the Benton Guesthouse new half bath room progress! The contractors have completed their portion, thanks to the small business subsidy, whic...

03/04/2026

We planted our first (of several) orchards! We'll be growing Mexican avocados and limes. If you know Evan, you know he's been researching ideal orchard planting for some time, and this is the first opportunity to put his design to the test: a combination of fruiting trees trees and shrubs, nitrogen-fixing trees and shrubs, and perennial pollinator plants.

This investment in time and land may not help our business visa situation immediately, but planting trees now will help the farming side of our business in the future. We're putting our roots down as deep as we can, despite the uncertainty with the Business Manager visa currently. Reading between the lines: we're working hard to ensure we meet the new greatly increased requirements!

ついに（これから複数予定している）最初の果樹園を植えました！メキシコ産のアボカドとライムを栽培する予定です。エヴァンをご存知の方なら、彼が長年理想的な果樹園の植栽方法を研究してきたことをご存知でしょう。今回、その設計を初めて実践する機会を得ました。果樹や低木、窒素固定樹や低木、そして多年生の受粉植物を組み合わせたものです。

時間と土地への投資は、すぐにビジネスビザの状況に良い影響を与えるとは限りませんが、今木を植えることは、将来の農業事業にとって必ずプラスになるでしょう。現在、ビジネス・マネージャー・ビザの状況は不透明ですが、私たちはできる限りしっかりと根を張ろうとしています。つまり、大幅に引き上げられた新たな要件を満たすために、懸命に努力しているということです！

* * * * *
Help Benton Homestead meet the new increased Business Manager visa requirements, to continue our work in Japan » https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-benton-homestead-meet-new-visa-requirements
* * * * *
Subscribe » www.youtube.com/

Stay With Us » airbnb.com/h/bentonguesthouse

Shop Honey + Retro » bentonhomesteadjapan.myshopify.com/

Shop Vintage Records » discogs.com/seller/bentonhomestead/profile

Japan Real Estate Consulting » bentonhomestead.com/consulting

Photo Blogs » www.bentonhomestead.com

Support » buymeacoffee.com/bentonhomestead
* * * * *
#日本 #四国 #愛媛 #今治 #大三島 #しまなみ街道

27/03/2026

Soon, the garage at Benton Guesthouse will be transformed into a Retro Shop. The plan is still evolving. But the space may also include a small dining counter, where we can serve Mexican food or American breakfast food. We don't know when renovation will be complete, but we hope to open by summer.

When we started renovating our two 'akiya' houses, over three years ago, our goal was to save and restore as many of the retro and antique belongings as we could. The majority of the furniture and decorations inside Benton Guesthouse have been there since the 1950s. But our houses were filled with many more beautiful items than we could possibly use ourselves!

With our Retro Shop, we hope to find people who will love these belongings, and give them a second chance at life. We also hope to create a community space, for folks to connect. I suspect Ponkan will be a regular shop visitor as well, since he loves to greet everyone who passes by.

Shop Retro » bentonhomesteadjapan.myshopify.com/

All the items in these photos have already sold over the past few years. But we have countless more cool retro housewares to share in the future.

* * * * *
Help Benton Homestead meet the new increased Business Manager visa requirements, to continue our work in Japan » https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-benton-homestead-meet-new-visa-requirements
* * * * *
Subscribe » www.youtube.com/

Stay With Us » airbnb.com/h/bentonguesthouse

Shop Honey + Retro » bentonhomesteadjapan.myshopify.com/

Shop Vintage Records » discogs.com/seller/bentonhomestead/profile

Japan Real Estate Consulting » bentonhomestead.com/consulting

Photo Blogs » www.bentonhomestead.com

Support » buymeacoffee.com/bentonhomestead
* * * * *
#日本 #四国 #愛媛 #今治 #大三島 #しまなみ街道

13/03/2026

We're still working on the finishing touches for the new half bath room at Benton Guesthouse. We started hosting guests again last week, so renovation continues only during the time the guesthouse is empty. Let's see some progress photos!

We still need to insulate and install a wooden ceiling, which will keep those pretty beams exposed. And we need to put sparkly shikkui plaster on that drywall board, repurpose the vintage baseboards I've been saving from the scrap wood, install ceiling light fixtures, fix the exterior door so it seals properly, install a new screen door, install a curtain or accordion door for added privacy, and probably a few other things I'm forgetting.

So far, I'm really happy with the update. I think we managed to make it look retro and cohesive with the rest of our guesthouse style.

* * * * *
Help Benton Homestead meet the new increased Business Manager visa requirements, to continue our work in Japan » https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-benton-homestead-meet-new-visa-requirements
* * * * *
Subscribe » www.youtube.com/

Stay With Us » airbnb.com/h/bentonguesthouse

Shop Honey + Retro » bentonhomesteadjapan.myshopify.com/

Shop Vintage Records » discogs.com/seller/bentonhomestead/profile

Japan Real Estate Consulting » bentonhomestead.com/consulting

Photo Blogs » www.bentonhomestead.com

Support » buymeacoffee.com/bentonhomestead
* * * * *
#日本 #四国 #愛媛 #今治 #大三島 #しまなみ街道

03/03/2026

Please enjoy three photos of Benton Guesthouse driveway. Yes, each one of these photos is the exact same spot!!! Over three years ago, this is exactly how we envisioned cleaning up this area, and expanding the parking. It's all happening.

* * * * *
Help Benton Homestead meet the new increased Business Manager visa requirements, to continue our work in Japan » https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-benton-homestead-meet-new-visa-requirements
* * * * *
Subscribe » www.youtube.com/

Stay With Us » airbnb.com/h/bentonguesthouse

Shop Honey + Retro » bentonhomesteadjapan.myshopify.com/

Shop Vintage Records » discogs.com/seller/bentonhomestead/profile

Japan Real Estate Consulting » bentonhomestead.com/consulting

Photo Blogs » www.bentonhomestead.com

Support » buymeacoffee.com/bentonhomestead
* * * * *
#日本 #四国 #愛媛 #今治 #大三島 #しまなみ街道

28/02/2026

It's been a while since we shared some good before and after photos. I just took new photos to document "phase 3" renovation of Benton Guesthouse. It's almost complete! Looking super cute! We are happy to start hosting guests again next week.

久しぶりに素敵なビフォーアフター写真をご紹介しました。ベントン・ゲストハウスの改装「フェーズ3」の様子を記録するために、新しい写真を撮りました。もうすぐ完成です！とってもキュートですね！来週からまたお客様をお迎えできるのが楽しみです。

* * * * *
Help Benton Homestead meet the new increased Business Manager visa requirements, to continue our work in Japan » https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-benton-homestead-meet-new-visa-requirements
* * * * *
Subscribe » www.youtube.com/

Stay With Us » airbnb.com/h/bentonguesthouse

Shop Honey + Retro » bentonhomesteadjapan.myshopify.com/

Shop Vintage Records » discogs.com/seller/bentonhomestead/profile

Japan Real Estate Consulting » bentonhomestead.com/consulting

Photo Blogs » www.bentonhomestead.com

Support » buymeacoffee.com/bentonhomestead
* * * * *
#日本 #四国 #愛媛 #今治 #大三島 #しまなみ街道

24/02/2026

The last week of February is here, and that means we're getting closer to this month's guesthouse renovation update finish line. This week, we will focus on wrapping up any remaining projects inside the guesthouse, take new interior photos, update our listings, and get ready to swing back into hosting mode for the beginning of tourism season!

Here is a peek at what the contractors have been doing: We have a new expanded driveway! We have a fourth and final heating & aircon unit installed in the kitchen.

The final project for the small business subsidy will be completed by both the contractors, and Evan. We will turn a formerly un-renovated room inside the guesthouse into our new second toilet room, and pass-through side exit to the future guesthouse BBQ patio space. I think you'll be surprised at the transformation!

2月最後の週がやってきました。今月のゲストハウス改装アップデートの最終段階に近づいてきました。今週は、ゲストハウス内の残りのプロジェクトの完了、新しい室内写真の撮影、リスティングの更新に集中し、観光シーズンの到来に向けてホスティングモードに戻る準備を進めていきます！

請負業者の作業内容をご紹介します。私道を拡張しました！キッチンに4台目となる、そして最後の暖房・エアコンを設置しました。

小規模事業者向け補助金の最終プロジェクトは、請負業者とエバンの2社によって完了します。ゲストハウス内の以前は改装されていなかった部屋を、2つ目のトイレと、将来のゲストハウスBBQパティオスペースへの通路となる横の出口に改装します。きっとその変貌ぶりに驚かれると思います！

* * * * *
Help Benton Homestead meet the new increased Business Manager visa requirements, to continue our work in Japan » https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-benton-homestead-meet-new-visa-requirements
* * * * *
Subscribe » www.youtube.com/

Stay With Us » airbnb.com/h/bentonguesthouse

Shop Honey + Retro » bentonhomesteadjapan.myshopify.com/

Shop Vintage Records » discogs.com/seller/bentonhomestead/profile

Japan Real Estate Consulting » bentonhomestead.com/consulting

Photo Blogs » www.bentonhomestead.com

Support » buymeacoffee.com/bentonhomestead
* * * * *
#日本 #四国 #愛媛 #今治 #大三島 #しまなみ街道

12/02/2026

The past three weeks have been all renovation and major construction projects: we started working on the interior of the future Retro Shop, while the team of contractors started working on the projects partially funded by the small business subsidy.

Now we've shifted our focus inside Benton Guesthouse. We have a long list of big things and tiny things that we want to upgrade before we re-open for guests in March. This video shows what we managed to accomplish in six work days. 18 days to go!

Today's video "DIY Repair Phase 3": https://youtu.be/sPnid7C2mac

* * * * *
Help Benton Homestead meet the new increased Business Manager visa requirements, to continue our work in Japan » https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-benton-homestead-meet-new-visa-requirements
* * * * *
Subscribe » www.youtube.com/

Stay With Us » airbnb.com/h/bentonguesthouse

Shop Honey + Retro » bentonhomesteadjapan.myshopify.com/

Shop Vintage Records » discogs.com/seller/bentonhomestead/profile

Japan Real Estate Consulting » bentonhomestead.com/consulting

Photo Blogs » www.bentonhomestead.com

Support » buymeacoffee.com/bentonhomestead
* * * * *
#日本 #四国 #愛媛 #今治 #大三島 #しまなみ街道

The past three weeks have been all renovation and major construction projects: we started working on the interior of the future Retro Shop, while the team of...