We are a family of three living between Kamakura, Japan and Chiang Mai, Thailand. Everything here is what we actually did — the visa we applied for, the money we actually spend, the plan we were sold and the one we ended up using. Including the parts we got wrong.
I need help with…
Visa
I applied for the DTV through the Royal Thai Embassy in Tokyo and was approved on 2 June 2026. The waiting was not the hard part — gathering the documents was.
DTV Visa Thailand 2026: a first-hand application guide
Money
What a family of three actually pays each month, how we move money between two countries, and what our insurance really covered.
Living
The everyday things you only find out after you arrive. Connectivity, what is worth buying, what we got wrong first.
New here? Start with this
If you are still deciding whether Chiang Mai is right for you, this is the long one. It covers the order we made decisions in, and what we would do differently.
Moving to Chiang Mai: a first-hand relocation guide
Most useful so far
- DTV Visa Thailand 2026
- The cost of living in Chiang Mai
- Sending money to Thailand
- Health insurance for living in Chiang Mai
- The eSIM plan I was sold
- What Karen Hill Tribe silver actually is
Why I write this
Moving abroad was never the goal. Being able to decide where we work today and where we live next month — that was.
I write the parts that did not work too, because those were the ones I needed to read.