Dayan Michelle Sobel: A Jewish girl's move to Japan in her 60s

Dayan Michelle Sobel still seems surprised that she ended up in Omishima Island, a somewhat remote island on the Seto Sea in Japan about a two-and-a-half-hour trip from either Kyoto or Hiroshima. But after more than 30 years in Costa Rica, she decided to fulfill a long-time dream and move to Japan.

“Six years ago, I came back to Japan after a hiatus of 35 years to help a dear friend pack up and leave Japan,” she said, sipping barley tea and looking out at the Seto Sea. “I decided to do a bicycle camping trip.  I found out about this cycling route west of Kyoto, and it was gorgeous. Six years later I found myself buying a property on this island.”

She said that she looked at more than a thousand properties online before settling on the one that became her home. As the Japanese population ages, more and more homes in rural areas are up for sale. Called “akiya” there are today nine million homes, some in better condition than others, on the market. For less than $20,000 she bought a compound with four buildings including a three-bedroom house with tatami mats that was in very good condition. The house was filled with junk that she is gradually removing and trying to recycle. She bought the property without having seen it. But it just felt right, she says, and she has no regrets.

It’s a work in progress. On a recent visit, Sobel was living with no refrigerator and no shower, although she has since acquired both. Sobel, outgoing and warm, loves hosting. In fact, she’s been hosting groups of cyclists for free since she moved here in April. Her idea is to open a kosher BnB for older female cyclists who are looking for a community and a place for Shabbat.  Her home on Omishima Island is on a 70-kilometer cycling route called the Shimanami Kaido.

The island used to have a population of 25,000 but today hosts only 5,000 residents. She speaks a little Japanese and says her neighbors have been welcoming, bringing her flowers and vegetables. Another American couple has opened an upscale bed and breakfast on the island.

Dayan Michelle Sobel's life story

Sobel spent several years in Israel and one of her daughters has a degree from Hebrew University in Jerusalem. She was always attracted to Japan, she says, and spent a semester here during college. During Covid she decided she wanted to get back to Japan for a longer period. Japan is strict about issuing long-term visas to foreigners. She thought about a Japanese language school, but decided it wasn’t right for her. She briefly thought about teaching English but decided she didn’t want to work for someone else.

She has spent 50 years working in real estate, first in LA and then remotely from Costa Rica.  Opening a kosher BnB is just another type of real estate, she says.

She says that even just a few months of living in Japan has changed her for the better, she says. In many ways Japanese culture is the opposite of Israeli culture. Japanese culture is all about not inconveniencing other people and taking up as little space as possible. With a population of some 127 million, space is at a premium. In fact Tokyo itself has a larger population than the entire country of Israel!

Israel is about individualism – asserting your rights and not being a “freir” – a sucker. While Japanese take rules seriously, and public transportation is completely silent, Israelis are loud, informal, and friendly, calling each other “achi” or my brother. Sobel says Japan has been good for her.

“Japan makes me a better person,” she said. The culture here is based on harmony, how to get along, how to avoid causing problems for your neighbor. Even in the five weeks I’ve been here it’s rewired my brain.”■