I can only speak for Japan but it makes a huge difference being able to rent an apartment for a year for a fraction of a price of hotels/airbnb, and also get a

I can only speak for Japan but it makes a huge difference being able to rent an apartment for a year for a fraction of a price of hotels/airbnb, and also get a proper Japanese phone number which is practically a requirement for all kinds of interactions here. Not to mention having a full year instead of having to do a visa run every 3 months and risk being rejected.