R
eal estate investor Manny Reyna and his family relocated to Tokyo in 2025. Before purchasing his first property, Reyna extensively read books on real estate, which instilled confidence when interest rates hit record lows in 2021.

    Reyna credits the business book "Blue Ocean Strategy" with changing his approach to portfolio management. When he struggled to find a tenant for one of his investment properties, he applied a principle from the book: shifting focus from competing in an existing market space ("red ocean") to creating an uncontested market space ("blue ocean"). He listed the property on Furnished Finder, a platform catering to 30-day plus stays, and targeted traveling professionals. This strategy paid off, with increased bookings due to high demand from medical, construction, and business professionals in the area.

    Reyna's self-education began during his time in the US Army, where he read extensively about business, real estate, and finance during downtime. When he left the military in 2021, he had $12,000 in savings and a family to support. He recognized an opportunity to buy property as interest rates dropped to historic lows and applied knowledge from books like "Blue Ocean Strategy," "Rich Dad Poor Dad," and "Profit First" to turn his idea into reality quickly.