I'm a 40-year-old software engineer, currently at a principal level in FAANG. My wife and 6-year-old daughter are Japanese citizens, with my wife having lived in Japan until her early 20s.
We visit Japan annually. This year, my family is staying for a few months, and my daughter joined a local public school as a 1st grader for about 5 weeks, until their summer break started. My wife's family is all here, and I've got a number of friends here as well. I'm conversationally fluent in Japanese and have been coming to Japan (for travel and family) for the last 15-20 years.
My wife and I are considering moving to Japan for a few years, especially while our daughter is young. We believe there's a lot for her to gain from spending her early years in Japan (though we're less sure about staying through middle or high school). We both like Japan and are realizing we're not all that happy in the US. I'm well aware of many of Japan's downsides, and while I love the country and people, I never thought I'd move here because of the work-life balance. However, lately, my time at FAANG has been poorly balanced as well – limited vacation and generally pulling 60+ hour weeks for the past year, with crunch weeks reaching 80 hours.
I'm trying to understand:
- What the higher-end SDE job market is like in Japan. Will my experience in the us market generally be considered for jobs in Japan?
- If I could make enough to support my family living in/near Tokyo (We recently stayed near Funabashi, which was nice but a bit far from Tokyo for a potential commute)
- Are we crazy for considering this move for a few years?
- What are the tax implications (both US and Japan) of working in Japan while having significant assets (investments) in the US? How easy is it to move money between the two countries?
- Any other major issues I should be aware of?
I know I'll take a large income hit. I'm currently paid well above average for my MCOL area, which has been great for accelerating my retirement timeline. I'm okay with slowing that down, as long as I'm not stunting my career or ability to return to the US job market later. I feel reasonably confident in my capabilities and background to secure another job in the US if needed.
by shikhan