\-Mexican, 23 F / ENTJ (<- for fun lol)
\-Graduated on July 2023, B.A. Accounting & finance (did 11month internship in audit before graduating)
\-After graduating, I decided to travel around the world and confirmed **I want to live in a better, more developed country**
\-After doing an analysis, Japan and Australia are my best options according to my preferences, but I’m unsure which country to try out.
**\*\*Note:** My vision mid-term is working for a company as long as needed for me to save up money and get permission for a permanent residence, however, my long-term vision is owning a business that helps me have financial freedom and allows me to have time for my hobbies, and taking care of my family if I end up marrying and having children.\*\*
**\*\*Note2:** My parents own a small office furniture business, which I’m trying to migrate to online platforms and make online sales, so I could get vendor commission to support me in this journey.
\-Reasons why I want to move out of my city and country: normalized violence, lack of good education options, lack of infrastructure, lack of cultural emphasis, pollution (air pollution mostly), inefficient transportation, political instability IMO, boring.
\-Factors I look for in the country I want to move to: safe, good infrastructure, “clean cities”, no/little pollution, efficient transportation, access to nature, friendly, good education options (for when I have children), enjoyable weather (4 seasons or mild weather), dynamic (fun things to do), and opportunity to make business.
My plan for Japan is applying at a language school this January for July admissions, while studying the basics of Japanese before starting classes. The length of the course would be long-term (1 year) so I would use the student visa to stay in Japan. On my first months I would focus on adapting, and later on, my mission would be getting an internship in finance/accounting/audit sectors since I can work part time while on student visa. If I could get a job in those sectors after the year, I would work until getting permanent residence while studying Japanese on my own. If it is impossible to get a job with the level of Japanese I would have after that 1 year, I would keep studying Japanese for 6months more with student visa and hope to get a job afterwards since I would need a work visa to remain in Japan. BTW my aim is an international company in Japan, not a national company.
**Finances:**
14,000 – 17,500 dlls
2,020,000-2,520,000 yen
240,000-300,000 mxn pesos
Doing a budget, I come to realize I can pay the whole year of expenses plus the costly language tuition, however, if I don’t find a job after that year, I would need to ask my parents to help me a little bit until I find a full-time job (which is not desirable).
**Japanese culture:**
I see many people try to live in Japan and end up hating it and leaving after a while, I like to think it would not be my case. Before my trip around the world ended, my last stop was Japan, I traveled for one month and 1 week around popular places like Tokyo (and prefectures around it), Kyoto, Osaka, and other not so popular places around Kumamoto, Oita, Fukuoka, etc. The first days in Tokyo I was so excited to be in the country I dreamt of traveling one day, but the next days… ehhh, let’s say I didn’t feel that tourist sparkle anymore. Because I was traveling for 3 months already, I guess I was a little tired, so naturally, my experience was less exciting. On the other hand, that helped me see the country for how it is, not biased. I observed the culture, and I generally liked it. I loved the customer service oriented to be extreme friendly, although I know it’s just a double face. When talking to strangers or as a client, double face doesn’t bother me at all, it is on the contrary actually. I do draw the line with close friends, I don’t need a lot of friends, just a few authentic will do. I also like the internal rules, it makes life easier. Don’t speak loud on the metro, follow the order, respect others, wait for your turn, etc. Ahhh, as someone who likes organization, it makes me feel peaceful. I liked how children go to school on their own, how the transportation is very reliable and easy to navigate, the amount of diverse places to explore, and how similar prices are in my country (both pretty reasonable). BTW, I like anime, but that is not the reason I want to move in, it’s just a plus because it’s my hobby.
**Now, the controversial.**
Some of the things I dislike is how normalized pedophilia and sexual harassment is. Also, on my trip, I saw plenty of bars outside red districts with images of naked or half naked ladies (prostitution sites) and everyone, including children and teens could see them if they would pass around those streets which looked pretty normal to me. Even some of the budget hotels (not motels) I stayed had porn channels on TV (with a little bit of censor but still…). What if a family had stayed on those hotels and turning on the TV is the porn channel? Is that common or was that just because it was a cheap hotel? Whatever the reason is, I don´t like how prostitution or sex related things could be so open to the underage. Now a very controversial thing is the acceptance of foreigners. I mean… if 2% of the WHOLE country is foreigner, of course someone who is not Japanese will always stick out no matter what. And IMO, that’s OK. I will never be Japanese because I’m just not Japanese. As long as I can make few authentic Japanese and foreigner friends, and receive a mostly friendly treatment, I’m comfortable. I do expect a little bit of discrimination tho. At the same time, being foreigner means I don’t need to follow the internal rules (which I will follow anyway), so mistakes on my part are expected and pardoned easier. This means that since I am always going to be an outcast, I don’t need to stress out with the enormous pressure of fitting in society. I wouldn’t be sad if a Japanese doesn’t want to sit next to me in the metro, but I would definitely be sad if I don’t manage to fit in a community. At the end, we all need friends and a “sense” of belonging, right?
**THE STRUGGLE**
I do find a lot of opportunities in Japan, but Australia is my other option, and it has everything I want, with the exception of the cost of living. I already know English, the culture is similar to mine and expats are way more accepted. Thing is, I have NEVER been to Australia before. My conclusion is that both countries seem great to live, but I need to try living in them to see what is better for me. I’m between 2 options.
**OPTION A**
\-Do 1 year studying Japanese in TOKYO, consuming 100% of my budget. If I like the country, I keep on studying until finding a job in my sector. If I don’t like the country to move in forever after 1 year, I try to find a job in Australia that can sponsor a visa. This scenario is unfavorable since that 1 year is an investment, so money and time would be my cost opportunity. If I do like the country at first and manage to get a job but after few years I realize Japan is not for me, I would, again, try to find a job in Australia that can sponsor a visa. This option is risky, but since it is long term, I could really know if Japan is for me or not, although that means it is more time-consuming and costly if I fail.
**OPTION B**
\-Do 6 months studying Japanese, consuming 50% of my budget, trying to see if I like the country. After those 6 months, I would travel to Australia for up to 2 months with 40% of the original budget. I would visit mainly Sydney and Melbourne, but since there is time, I would open my horizons to other cities to see if I like the way of living, and to have fun myself as well. After my trip, I would go back home, meditate on which of both countries I like, and with the remaining 10% of the original budget, I would buy a ticket either to Japan or Australia and try to move to that country for real. In this scenario, the risk is diversified, but I would need to ask my parents for financial help when I decide which country to move, since I wouldn’t have more money. (Actually, I do have more money but my crypto portfolio is still red lol).
Please, someone help me with tips and guidance.
Thank you for the feedback,
*Melissa*
by melissaaseff