Jeff Layfield spent years imagining where in the US. He and his wife would retire after leaving Hawaii. Instead, they now live in a traditional house overlooking the sea in Japan.

Before retiring, the couple lived in an apartment upstairs in their parents’ home on Oahu. Layfield worked in data management for the Marine Corps, while his wife, Mamiko, worked in retail.

Whenever they traveled to Nara, Mamiko’s hometown, to visit her mother, the couple found time to explore other parts of the country.

In 2018, they visited Asuka, a rural town that was once the former capital of Japan. Captivated by the landscape, the visit cemented Layfield’s desire to retire to the countryside of Japan.

“I told Mamiko this is where we’re going to retire,” Layfield, now 67, told Business Insider.

They returned to Hawaii, where life resumed much as before, but the thought of living in Japan remained in the back of their minds.

In 2022, a series of life-changing events convinced Layfield that it was time to take the leap.

Over the course of a few months, he had a skin cancer scare, survived a minor shark attack while surfing, and lost his stepfather. While she was processing everything, her employer ended pandemic-era remote work and ordered her to return to the office.

“The universe was talking to me. The universe showed me how short life can be,” Layfield said.

He thought about how he wanted to spend the next chapter of his life. The next day, he called his boss and told him he was retiring.

Choose Japan

With retirement underway, the couple began researching where in Japan they wanted to settle.

Attracted by its relatively mild climate and lower risk of natural disasters, they limited their search to the Seto Inland Sea.

They began exploring akiya banks, online databases of vacant and affordable housing in Japan. A list caught their attention. However, it wasn’t the house they first noticed, but the bright green bridge visible through one of its windows.

They looked for it and discovered that it led to Suo-Oshima, an island with long ties to Hawaii after many of its residents emigrated there in the late 19th century.

The unexpected connection piqued his curiosity. Before long, they were looking for properties and came across a two-story house by the sea. They couldn’t stop thinking about it.

They decided to visit the island, which is about an hour and a half drive from Hiroshima. When they passed by the city office, they encountered employees wearing aloha shirts and Hawaiian-themed decorations.

They knew they had found what they were looking for.

“I immediately fell in love with this place. The people at the town office took us everywhere and everyone we met was just amazing,” he said.

After purchasing the house for 4 million Japanese yen, or about $25,000, the couple packed their bags in Hawaii and moved to Suo-Oshima in August 2022.

Their house is about 30 years old and did not require any major renovations. The two upstairs bedrooms face the sea, giving the couple front-row views of the sunset each night.

“I wanted to live near some form of water since I had spent most of my life near the ocean,” Layfield said. “I was expecting a lake or a river, but instead we have the sea, which I find incredible.”

There are many restaurants and shops within a short drive, and the couple has become active members of the local community, joining neighborhood cleanups and other events.

“In Hawaii, I could never afford to buy a house, especially one with an ocean view. In most places in America, we would have to live in a very rural area to be able to afford a house,” Layfield said.

The lower cost of living has also helped stretch the couple’s retirement savings.

In a typical month, the couple spends less than 200,000 Japanese yen, according to a spending breakdown they shared with Business Insider. That includes about 80,000 yen for food and necessities, 22,000 yen for utilities and internet, and about 30,000 yen for dining out, entertainment and other social activities.

“In Hawaii, we couldn’t go anywhere to enjoy or even dine,” Mamiko Layfield, 59, told Business Insider.

Find your rhythm

At the end of 2025, there were 4.12 million foreign residents living in Japan, including 69,787 Americans, according to data from the Immigration Services Agency.

Several Americans who moved to Japan previously told Business Insider that they were drawn to the country’s safety and culture. Others were inspired by the opportunity to restore one of the millions of vacant homes in Japan.

While Layfield speaks some Japanese, he said adjusting to life in Suo-Oshima has been easier than expected. Many of the young people he met on the island, especially those in the hospitality sector, speak English.

Even his elderly neighbors welcomed him with open arms.

“I’ve made more friends here in four years than I have in more than 20 years living in Hawaii,” Layfield said.

Moving to Japan has not meant leaving Hawaii behind.

“Some of our neighbors have family in Hawaii and still visit us from time to time. When they do, Jeff and I help with the translation,” Mamiko said.

Mamiko’s mother has since moved in with the couple, while Jeff’s mother, a hula instructor from Hawaii, visits the island regularly to teach workshops for local schools and community groups.

Today, Layfield spends much of his time gardening, cycling the island’s coastal roads, and having beachside picnic lunches.

“I don’t have stress anymore. I always used to have stress. I said it before, this is the happiest I’ve ever been in my entire life,” Layfield said.