This might be a weird post and I completely understand that it might get removed. Also I wasn’t sure which flair to put this under so my apologies for that.
A while ago, I lived in Japan as an international student for about a year. For the most part, it was a great year for me and a time I often look back fondly on. Japan is an amazing country and I am incredibly lucky to have been able to experience it as a student.
That being said, it is true what they say about trading one country’s problems for another’s when moving abroad. I do remember at times not really enjoying how things were done in Japan (the amount of unnecessary bureaucracy), on top of it being an incredibly alienating atmosphere if you didn’t fit in or speak enough Japanese; I studied Japanese during high school and university and on arrival knew barely enough to survive. I was spared some of the xenophobia because I am Asian and as long as I kept my mouth shut, blended in a little. Summers were literally hell (mushi atsui) and having the sun set at like 4pm in winter really messed with my mental health.
Its been a few years since then and I have been back a couple of times as a tourist, where everything just seems super fun and exciting. It is making the reasons I stated above seem trivial and making me consider moving there.
I know I’m looking back on my memories with rose tinted glasses. I guess what I’m looking for are things about living in Japan that you dislike? Convince me why I wouldn’t want to live there so I can nip these feelings in the bud before I make any dumb decisions.
Many thanks in advance.
17 comments
Work culture is not rewarding. Low paid, long hours, bad treatment
I’m still going to move there again after a similar experience being a teacher. For me, the following things are still potential flags:
The racism (even the benign kind). It’s really exhausting to know that whenever you’re just out living your life, everything you do and say will be scrutinized, and people will always notice you. There’s no blending in as an obvious gaijin.
The way the government treats gaijin as second class citizens, including permanent residents. This includes things like not letting residents return to Japan during Corona, even with rents and mortgages piling up and families being split up.
The culture as a whole is deeply misogynistic.
The red tape on everything you need to do legally is really cumbersome and hard to navigate.
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That said, I love a ton of things about Japan, too. But it’s definitely a case of trading one set of problems for another. In my case I have strong reasons for wanting to live there and not just to visit, but it’s good to go in with your eyes open and understand what you’re signing up for.
If you’re from a rich country with a good history of civil rights for people like yourself, there’s no good reason to move to Japan, other than money. If you’re from a rich country with a history of poor civil rights for people like yourself, there’s no good reason to move to Japan, other than money. If you’re from a poor country with a good history of civil rights for people like yourself, there’s no good reason to move to Japan, other than money. If you’re from a poor country with a history of poor civil rights for people like yourself, yes that’s a good reason.
There’s a good chance that you can have a perfectly happy life here, but the vast majority of foreigners go home after a few years for various reasons. Maybe because the shine has worn off and they don’t see any avenues of bettering their lives, but I’d imagine there’s a whole host of reasons.
The human rights issues get me. And I find it awkward that my Japanese friends and even neighbours have a lower standard of living than me. It seems to be getting worse for them
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLt5qSm9U80](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLt5qSm9U80)
Something I don’t see mentioned much is Japan’s inheritance and/or gift tax policy. It probably won’t apply to most people, but if it does, it’s quite strict. Everyone should research about gift/inheritance tax before deciding whether to commit to japan long term.
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> having the sun set at like 4pm in winter really messed with my mental health.
You must have a hard time doing anything if you’re this much of a wuss.
You can search this group to find the many thinks to consider or be concerned about when deciding if you should move to Japan. I am going to focus on vacationing in Japan vs living in Japan.
Visiting Japan is wonderful because:
1. Your time is flexible and you can do things when it’s not as busy. When you are working you are only able to go at the busier times unless you are able to take time off of work or have flexible hours.
2. You have more time so traveling to places to get the best food. When you don’t have the time to travel you are stuck with the food in your area and you quickly learn that there is a lot of mediocre food places in Japan.
3. Everything is exciting because it’s not part of your day to day. Things in Japan become mundane and less exciting once you live here. For example: character cafes are fun at first, but after a while you realize many are mediocre food and drinks with a high price tag. Some events are hard to get tickets to or there are lotteries. Some events are just character cut outs. Food in general can become boring. Sometimes specialty foods frequently come back every year or a couple times a year.
4. You can come during the times when the weather is good and not have to deal with the hot humid, bug filled summers or cold winters with over heated places (businesses, trains etc).
5. You’re on vacation so you’re more relaxed and less bothered by things around you. When you live in Japan the obliviousness and passive aggressiveness of others will start to get to you as well as the crowds or the isolation.
A few other comments:
1. When you don’t live in Japan you see all of the wonderful things going on in Japan (events, special foods etc), but once you move to Japan you will see all of the special things you miss in your home country. For example: Taco Bell in the US had the triple chalupa, pumpkin spice drinks or foods don’t exist in Japan (although they don’t have Japanese pumpkin ones), the cheetos mac and cheese, there was a Stranger Things Drive-thru experience (I previously lived in Los Angeles and love trash food as much as fancy foods..so your experience might vary).
2. When you don’t live in Japan you see all of the wonderful things you can buy, but you can’t get it in your home country so easily. Depending on where you are from it’s possible that in Japan your space is much smaller and you can’t buy all of that cool stuff. Certain things are limited or lottery based so you can’t always get everything even if you want it.
Basically vacationing anywhere will always be a great experience. Personally I think you have to compare what your life would be like in each country. What type of work would you do? What would your work/life balance be? How much will you make? What is your living situation? Will you be able to afford to vacation in either place? What are your eating habits? How close are you with family? How will you feel missing holidays and any major events with friends and family? What is your dating life like and what could it be in Japan? Looking back I don’t regret moving to Japan, but in my case my husband has family in Japan so that was important to us. If we didn’t have family here in Japan then I think we would have regrets because we were in a good position in the US. We didn’t appreciate it as much until we moved. Moving has given us a lot of insight and different views on the world.
Because social interactions with locals will be very limited in depth.
Partly because the fact that you are a foreigner, which is kind of a big deal to many. Not necessarily in a racist way but it will dominate a lot of your conversations. You’re basically answering the same questions over and over again. This is also true for a lot of Japanese on Japanese conversations though. A lot of it is about going through the motions. I guess its like that in most cultures though. Don’t expect deep meaningful conversations frequently.
Another reason is that Japanese people generally take a lot of time trusting you enough to reveal their personality, and in my humble opinion Japanese social interaction stays on the surface a bit more than other cultures. Personally I’d call a conversation successful after deep topics are explored and opinions contested and adjusted, but for a lot of Japanese people it’s about making everyone feel comfortable and about laughter. The latter I find hard because after all this time I still don’t find the same things funny. If you can just laugh along though you’ll do great.
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Nothing is simple; everything is bureaucratic with paperwork and slow processes.
For me… it just feels like the right place to be, even several years in. I like my job, although I am from the US, where we also work long hours with little vacation. I’m satisfied with my salary, too, and while I might make more back home, it could potentially only take one serious hospital visit to ruin me there. I know that it’s not for everyone, but the little things (and big things) in the US bother me more than the little things here, so here is where I’m happy. Honestly, though, I fought so hard to get where I am. It was like becoming a kid again and having to start from there. It takes humility and patience and time, and if I had given up along the way I’d be bitter as hell too. I wouldn’t expect this to be the right path for many people, but it works for me because I’m extremely stubborn and comfortable being alone.
If you are someone who cares about their career, then you need think long and hard if Japan is really the country you want to move to.
* Learning Japanese is a huge (time) investment where you can spend that time more doing things for your career and enjoying life here. It’s not impossible but it is another huge commitment that you need to manage.
* If you are not fluent in Japanese then this is also a constraint on your career that may or may not slow down your chances of advancing here.
* If you decide not to become fluent in Japanese, then there will be only a handful of companies you can work for that don’t require Japanese language. (If excluding English teaching and recruitment industry).
* Raising a kid in Japan can be tough compared to where you are from. If you care about the education of your child then it will be very **costly** and time-consuming. Especially for your child. Private schools, cram school, child-care center. This is all stuff you need think about. (Although same for many countries)
* (Minor) Japanese apartments are generally quite small. If you are used to having lots of spaces then this is something you also need to adjust to.
One thing that helps a lot is being able to find a Japanese spouse. This opens a fast lane to PR, and with PR you can buy a house and significantly improve your living and working conditions in Japan. If getting a Japanese spouse would be for whatever reason impossible and you value your career and you future, I wouldn’t recommend moving to Japan.
The only way to know if life as a working adult in Japan works for you is to try it yourself. Honestly, a year abroad teaching English or whatever is not going to make a huge impact on your career trajectory, particularly if you are young.
**being an incredibly alienating atmosphere if you didn’t fit in or speak enough Japanese**
You just describe the problem yourself. I am from Hong Kong and lived in Japan for 2 years. I can give you some advices as through asian perspective . If you really want to live in Asia, this is something you should know first and this is not just apply to Japan but the whole continent. Asia cultures are so much different than the west. That’s why that many westerners cant fit in and then bitch about how terribe their life are in Asia online. What most people dont seem to understand is that only speaking the language is not near enough. There are many social norms and cultures differences here. If you not born and grow up here, you probably will never understand. So it’s not suprising to know why westerners come here then find themselves alienated from the mainsteam society. I met far too many these people irl and online. Those claims about “racism” or so called “microaggressions” tend to be overblown. Of course it exists but most of the times just cultural differences and misunderstandings. I witness that far too many times, in Japan and HK. I also observe people are becoming more and more defensive. Probably those accusations just annoy them too much including me. And that unfortunately reinforce the ideas of Asian dont like outsiders among westerners. (In some ways it is true but not the way most redditors think) So my advise is that try to speak better Japanese and learn as much the local cultures as much as possible. Dont stick in the “expat bubble”. Those people are the most bitter ones and every locals hate them. Most importantly, try dont be overly sensitive. Your life would be much easier that way and locals would treat you just fine if you dont act like an asshole.