So...Assuming we're considering the advantages for American's to invest in Japan, I personally think it only makes sense in a select few situations. 

During the slow season, do you personally focus on getting more rentals, focus more on family/personal life, or do you do something else?

Gordon is the owner, I doubt whether he could completely hide behind his LLC to protect personal liability. 

Real estate investing is forgiving; the average person can still make money even with some big mistakes.

The person worked for H&R Block, now works for TurboTax Live and is being honest about their skills: NOT QUALIFIED.

With enough knowledge you can make a educated decision on which approach you take.My experience:I personally don't sign up for any program who take you aside during events and try to sell packages that is just blatant sales strategy.Once you sign up there is every attempt to make you sign for their programs for bookkeeping, registered agent, LLC or corp setup fee which have ridiculous even with platinum membership.Basic standard structure they suggest to take advantage of multiple deductions can be easily achieved by proper education or work with a good firm like https://wcginc.com  who is local to you.A umbrella C-crop to manage all other LLC properties and take advantage of many tax deductions that are not available with a llc, its also used to take losses up to 100K as startup expenses and dissolve the entity after few years.Few LLC entities for investing in Real Estate, etc preferably in Wyoming or Nevada ( you can find many companies online who can do this for $150 compared to anderson $1500-$3000) , they will claim they have a secret Operating agreement which is bogus.They certainly try to take advantage of tax loopholes and claim to be smart people, my view they are just taking advantage of numbers as per their own statements.

What appears to be great "curb appeal" to one person might be overwhelming to another. 

If one project slows down, others can keep moving.Stagger Projects: Start planning your next project while finishing the current one to keep your pipeline full.DSCR Loans: These loans focus on the property’s income, not your personal income, which can help you finance more properties.StrategyFlip and Hold: Flipping one property while prepping another for rental keeps cash flowing and builds your portfolio.BRRRR Timing: Since BRRRR is slower now, using DSCR loans to get multiple properties might be a good hedge.Good luck with your flip and future investments! 

If you wanted to fund a portion of the down payment would you suggest a hard money lender, personal loan, etc.?

Me personally I look at my rental as a business everything is paid for by rental.