Hi everyone,
Accidentally posted this on japanlife, thinking I was on movingtojapan. Rookie mistake, I know…
Long-time lurker here. Was on the fence about posting on this subreddit but I’ve been reading through posts here and this community seems helpful and supportive enough. I need advice from people who’ve made the move to Japan. Try not to judge my naivete too much – I’m sure you’ve seen countless posts like this.
For context, I’m a 24-year-old University of Toronto grad (International Relations) with 2ish years of all-over-the-place work experience in sales/BD/marketing roles in investment promotion, fintech, and alcohol (sake) sales. For the past year, I’ve been dreaming of a change of scene and career, because as much as I feel at home in Canada, having lived here practically my entire life feels like more than enough time and I’ve been having my doubts about how academic, lifestyle, and job opportunities here compare to those abroad. I recently received offers to study law at UCL/KCL in the UK as well as the Masters in Public Policy at the University of Tokyo. To put it lightly, well, I’m torn.
Law firms, international organizations, management/strategy consulting, venture capital, and government are all options I’ve considered for work after my next degree. I’ve lived in both countries, have status in the UK and am eligible for work visas in Japan like the new 未来想像人材ビザ. It’s also probably worth pointing out that I’ve been on exchange in Tokyo for a year and (hope) I’m not just a starry-eyed foreigner looking to escape it all. I went on exchange at UTokyo for a year where I did my best to assimilate – brought my Japanese up to N2ish, made local and foreigner friends, and really started to feel at home. I love Tokyo – the 24-hour buzz, wealth of things to see and do, affordable and excellent food scene, safety, the historic spots tucked away in the modern cityscape, and the access to green spaces, mountains, onsen, and ocean. It’s probably a story you’ve heard a million times before but it was hard to go back to Canada after experiencing Tokyo. I have also briefly lived in the UK and, while I enjoyed London and everything it had to offer as a world-class city, couldn’t help but feel put off by the issues it shares with my hometown – exorbitant cost of living, crime, dirtiness, bad weather, rapid gentrification (more global chains and coworking space than local businesses), and did I mention the weather?
If you were in my shoes, where would you go? Hoping some experienced Redditors could chime in. Waiting to hear back about scholarships, but UTokyo and Japan in general are much more affordable than the UK options. I loved my time as a student in Japan, but I am a bit nervous about the prospect of committing to a life and career as a foreigner in Japan with decent but not fluent Japanese skills.
I get that a choice like this is probably a good problem to have but I have no idea how to even begin deciding and worry about making the “wrong” choice. When I list out pros and cons, the two places are pretty much neck and neck – Tokyo feels like more of an adventure and I can easily get excited about the idea of returning but London feels like the better overall place to kickstart a career as a foreigner. I need a reality check. Would I be crazy to throw away opportunities in Canada and the UK for a shot at a content existence in Japan?
Any insights would be appreciated!
by sakeholism