Making a House a Home: Real Estate Investment in Japan Derek Hurst (Nagano) interviewing Bruce McCullough (Tokyo)
Anyone who’s spent time in Shibuya-ku may have seen a red Volkswagen Bus from time to time, driving around or parked in high-traffic areas of the trendy ward. The bus belongs to Bruce McCullough, and serves as the bootson-the-ground face of his new fashion venture, Shibuya Republic. Bruce, however, has a much bigger portfolio than just a VW. When he arrived from Canada some twenty years ago, he never imagined he’d end up where he is today: managing almost two dozen properties in both Tokyo and his hometown of Vancouver, running his own fashion brand, and all-around enjoying life with his two children and wife in their beautiful home in Shibuya. After graduating from Simon Fraser University in Vancouver with a degree in economics, Bruce spent the first part of his twenties as an entrepreneur, first selling cars and then starting his own nightclub/restaurant, Ankor, with friends. The nightclub eventually went bankrupt, but Bruce remained undeterred, and if anything, was enlivened by the failure of his first foray into hospitality. Bruce came to Japan soon after and began teaching at a private high school, where he would remain for the next fifteen years, all the while gradually amassing his own portfolio of condominiums and apartments in the Tokyo metropolitan area. By the time he finally left teaching, he had gained not just a monthly cashflow from his properties that dwarfed his teaching salary, but also permanent residency status in Japan. 18
