Not sure where the best place to post this is. My Japanese fiancé is a professional athlete, I won’t say in what sport for privacy reasons. We met while he was in America playing at the University I went to. He’s trying his luck with pro in America right now, but he will likely be moving back to Japan to play on a professional team there and is going to bring me with him. We’ll be married by then.
I’ve been taking Japanese classes 5 days a week for a year, so my Japanese is alright but not fully fluent. I love Japanese culture, food, and the language. My fiancé’s family loves me, they’ve visited us in the U.S. a couple times and had me stay with them for a few weeks in Japan to see how I like it. My experience in Japan was absolutely amazing, but I wasn’t sure if it was because it was more “touristy” and not fully what life would be like living there.
I’m a little unsure about the social aspect of things if/when I move to Japan. Would it be hard to make friends? I have no idea what sort of social circles I would be a part of. My fiancé says some of the people who play this sport professionally in Japan have foreign wives, and I could be introduced to them. But would they likely be my only source of community?
I’m also not sure how I would be received. There have been a few articles written about me in the Japanese media, and they’re all very positive, but they seem to be romanticizing the fact my fiancé is seeing an American while playing his sport in the US. I wonder if when I go to Japan, that narrative would change and he would then be judged for marrying a foreigner.
In addition, what sort of things could I do to occupy myself? Making money would not be a concern, I just would like something worthwhile to do with my time. It might be nice if it could involve animals in some way.
Overall I just have no idea what my life is going to look like, and if anyone has any insights it would be much appreciated. I don’t have any friends or family who have had similar experiences, and none of my fiancé’s Japanese friends have married a foreigner, so I don’t know where else to go for advice or insight. I just want to be mentally prepared for how my life might change.
by puzzling-isnt-it