Taiwan vs Japan? Which would you choose?

43 comments

1. Honestly, stay in Taiwan. Visit Japan for holidays.

   As you already mentioned, the cost of living in Japan would increase from what you’re paying now. Especially with health insurance, city tax, pension, etc.

2. I live in Japan and I don’t get personal space at all, the kids are always fucking touching me, even some adults will touch me as well. So go ahead and just X that off your list.

3. Job wise, its better to compare apples with apples. Eikaiwa (private language schools) like Berlitz or Gaba will pay around $1000-$1200 USD/month for those 22 weekly 40 min lesson.

4. You didn’t mention your social life in Taiwan. If you do, then PLEASE stay where you are unless you are adamant about learning Japanese to the point where you can converse comfortably (which will take years) and have no trouble being persistent and active to make genuine friends.

5. Out of curiosity, how does one find a job in Taiwan? I’d be interested in teaching adults, though, not kids or university.

6. Japan is a hard pass for English teaching. The industry is on it’s last leg and is teaming with corruption. There is not much money left to be made in Japan and this extends beyond just teaching.

7. “the food here is NOT GOOD”

   I’m not sure about your tastes or what you’ve been eating, but I’ve been to several countries and Taiwan is easily, one if, if not the best food country I’ve ever been to. Japanese food got old for me after a few weeks tbh, not enough flavor, spice, not objectively bad, but I suppose that “good” is mostly subjective, unless it’s something that’s been burned, has way too much salt, etc.

   Also, if you’ve been loving in Taiwan but didn’t try to study Mandarin, that’s on you tbh

8. “Would you rather make $21,000 a year or $28,000 a year?”

   I guess the latter but both are poverty choices

9. Which dollar are you talking about here? I’m guessing US dollars and you’re earning Y300,000/mo. That’s significantly higher than ALT dispatch company wages, a little more than a second-year JET Program participant. Dispatch ALT wages are falling fast and there’s no end in sight for inflation rise.

   Summer here is miserable, personal space costs extra, wood-frame apartments are noisy, and cheap restaurant food is okay quality but bland here. You want good food, you either pay for it or cook for yourself.

   About feeling refreshed – pre-pandemic, I was in Thailand a lot. Love the food, nice people, beautiful scenery. My brother (not an English teacher, btw) loves the people, has lifelong Thai friends but got fed up with bureaucracy, business culture, disregard for safety there.

   I’d keep the Taiwan job. Japan sucks for cost of living, you’ve got a good salary and an easy schedule compared to eikaiwa and elementary school ALT jobs here.

10. If you are getting paid better there, I would stay in Taiwan. You are earning more there and cost of living is so much lower there. I didn’t live in the big city in Taiwan, but I remember I was paying like $200 for rent and buying bento style lunch and choosing 2-3 items for under $2. It was cheaper for me to buy take out than cooking for myself, which was weird for me because usually it is the other way around. At the supermarkets here, healthy food like fruits and vegetables are expensive. In season, the cheap grapes are like $10 for one bunch, an apple cost $2, or an onion is $1.

    The cost of living is getting higher here and I am noticing on this /sub that the ALT salaries are getting lower here even though the price of things are getting higher with inflation and raising tax rates.

    There are accidents anywhere you live. There are a lot of seniors here and they still drive. I read on the news old people mistaken the gas for the brakes and kill people. This country is only getting older. The traffic situation wasn’t that bad in Taiwan when I was living there. I went to Vietnam last month and the traffic situation there is an absolutely nightmare.

    FYI: Japan is a lot hotter and has higher humidity than Taiwan in the summer. There is no personal space in Japan, especially during rush hour.

11. I’ve taught in Taiwan and japan. I’d choose Taiwan to save money, but that’s it. I have more holidays in japan, may not be the same for everyone, the food is better, transport is better, and it is immeasurably more beautiful. Save
    money in taiwan vs enjoy a much better country in japan.

    I dont wear business attire. And I earn as much or more than Taiwan. Only thing I truly miss is the much cheaper healthcare in taiwan. Although the healthcare is much better in Japan

12. Come on over to Japan! If you don’t you’ll wonder about if you had down the road. But you’ve got to bear in mind it’s hit and miss with teaching English here, but you can find cheap rent if you’re willing to live far from a big city. Though then you’d need a car more often than not to actually enjoy it to the fullest.
    Edit: But there are also employers that provide a car.

13. Taiwan is probably the better choice, but Japanese milk is off the HOOK delicious.

14. For sure take the Taipei job!

    Don’t ever take that ALT job in Japan unless you must scratch that itch to Japan for whatever reason. Unless ofc you can come here through JET.

15. All that pollution from mainland China. RIP Taiwan.
    Never been to Taiwan but I heard it’s more civil and mannered than China. Japan is the only asian country where you are safe to drink tap water. You want civility and peace I say go with Japan.

16. >I love how quiet and respectful the culture is.

    You are going to be in for a shock for actual Japan life, then – at least in the cities. Plenty of noise and pushing and people on edge.

    Japan’s weather is generally good but summer is no joke – very hot, and places are not well air conditioned. Cheaper places to live will have poor insulation as well leading to cold winters.

    I like Japan a lot, but living here is a lot different than visiting, and it’s not a great place to be poorly paid.

17. >Not the UHT cheapo third world country milk.

    One one hand, the only time I had UHT milk, I couldn’t taste a difference. On the other hand, coming to Japan for the milk quality makes no sense to me at all.

18. I agree about the food being bad. visited it and it was really oily … but it’s a warmer climate.. one of my past co-workers worked there for a few and liked it

19. I lived and worked in Taiwan for around that salary and I lived in Japan on the ALT salary when I first got here.

    $2450 a month in Taiwan, thats about 75,000NTD a month. That’s fucking solid money in Taiwan and you’ll have absolutely no problem doing anything (reasonable) you want, live in a nice apartment, and put money into savings each month.

    $1800 a month in Japan is about 230,000jpy a month. Thats really low. After rent, tax, insurance, and pension you’ll have about 140,000 left over. Honestly, you’ll be living paycheck to paycheck with little to no savings unless you are the super frugal stay at home type.

    I think Japan is better than Taiwan in most areas and has a lot more to offer. But on a monthly salary of $1800, you won’t be experiencing or doing any of it you’ll be pinching pennies and worrying about paying bills.

    Unless you have a burning desire to live in Japan and learn Japanese just stay in Taiwan and visit Japan a few times a year. On that salary in Taiwan you’ll be able to do that easily.

20. I have lived in Japan for over a decade. It’s just a hard country to work in. It’s great for vacations and language study.

21. I lived in Taipei teaching at a private school and I’m now an ALT Japan. I would go back to Taiwan tomorrow if I was offered a job.

22. In my opinion you should definitely stay in Taiwan

23. I’ve been in a crazy Taiwanese driver’s car, and I have also been literally nearly killed by a driver in Japan. There are crazies everywhere. Just the Japanese person might call an ambulance for you later.

    I really like Taiwanese food, but I agree about the milk. Not enough cows there.

24. Stay in Taiwan unless you’re planning on getting a more competitive job when entering Japan. I’ve lived in Japan two years (double majored in the language) and I’ve been living in Taiwan for almost 4 now.

    You can always visit Japan and it’s a 1-2 hour flight. This makes it easy even if you have only a 3 day holiday. Now that COVID is over there’s a steady stream of Japanese students, businesspeople and tourists coming into the country so you can socialize that way.

    What are your long term career ambitions? Taiwan lets you have an APRC after 5 continual years of working and then you can work in whatever business. If it’s just to enjoy Japan for a couple of years, you’ll be worked like a dog and make peanuts.

    Also consider living in a different city than Taipei. I enjoyed living in Taichung for two years. It was a lot more chill, yet still had all the same big businesses, bars, events, etc.

    It honestly sounds like you have a bit of a negativity bias against Taiwan. I would recommend changing habits or environment and giving it another shot. Japan will not magically be better, grass is always greener, etc.

25. Stay in Taiwan dude. Don’t think of coming here, living expenses are too high.

26. Everything you listed for Taiwan, can be applied to Japan depending on where you live.

    Everything you listed about Japan, can apply to Taiwan depending on where you live.

    Where do you want to be in Japan?

    For English teaching, metro cities will find you lots of work (private lessons, schools, eikaiwa), for usually meager salaries, Tokyo is saturated.

    But, if you build up your credentials, recommendations, and Japanese language skills, you can find a private school to hire you for that pay more but also expect what is to come when working there.

    You wanna get in somewhere and work your way up, if you can. Changing jobs, changing companies, but not having lots of language experience or networking, you are now entry level again and take a drop in salary. Our Japanese counterparts in the working world are usually making a fraction of what we make. My Japanese coworkers have told me the pittance they make compared to us instructors. They get “bonuses” based on our numbers and have quotas of sales for promotional classes.

    I am wondering who you are and how long you were in Japan. Because the daily nanpa and cult recruiters are annoying and noisy (and the trucks blaring music and drunken people screaming after classes/work) and chikan and tosatsu may be quiet but it’s sexual assault and definitely not respectful and rampant.

27. I’m Japanese. I’m happy to see your good reputation about Japan. But your anxiety of Japan is right. These days, Japanese can’t get enough money for living. Moreover, working environment in Japanese school is very very hard ( for example very long time, many things to do and not get over time pay). These problems become being saw serious problem now. But the problems will not be resolved for the time being.
    These reasons,if I was you, I choice Taiwan.

28. I loved in Kanto for years and went to Taiwan in summer. Not going to lie I sweated more walking to the train station, a 15 min walk, than I did for my 4 days in Taiwan in August.

29. I never visit Taiwan but damn, Japan is expensive as hell. My husband make around $2300, and we are poor. We can live okay, eat well (im a satm, so I cook), but we can’t save nothing for future.

    But look, we are 4 people and only my husband works. If you are alone, maybe could be a good change for you, since you don’t like Taiwan.

30. > Also, I’m sorry, but the food here is NOT GOOD! I’m sorry. Typical food is cheap but the quality is just not there.

    Never been to Taiwan but just sort I’d say that I agree with your vibe. It’s seemingly an unspoken rule that you don’t say the food’s shit in a country, but I can think of a few in Asia where I’d describe most food as pretty uninspiring. IMO there’s a significant gap between eating food from a street vendor to take a glam shot and well… having the said street vendor with its 1 or 2 relatively simple dishes as your best place in town for 2 years.

    Japan has some weird food and certainly has its fair share of little places that would be closed down for breaching food regulations in the west. However, I think they’ve also successfully modernised their cuisine to cater for all.

    I’m outta the game but um. Small-town Japanese food has served me well both when I’m feeling bright-eyed / adventurous and also when I’m sick as a dog, lying on my back going ‘fuuuuuuck you Japanese food, no I don’t want bony fish and seaweed for breakfast… or shitty white bread… I want real foooood!!!’

31. Looking at things with glass half empty will not make things any better. Taiwan is closer to something like Hong Kong while Japan is more like South Korea but with more influence of America. Taiwan seems more chill when I went for a visit. Of course Japan attracts die hard fans of it which for me brings both good and bad.

32. Stay in Taipei imo. I’m making a bit more then you would be, and live in Tokyo. Factoring in rent and utilities you have enough money to live comfortably enough. But I’m saving nothing, and don’t have the money to travel around Japan and see all the stuff the country has to offer. It is a nice place to live; it’s safe, quiet, and people mostly leave you alone (I guess some people find it cold but it doesn’t bother me so much). But I don’t know what life’s like in Taipei so you might have that already.

    If you stay in Taipei, you have a much higher paycheck AND lower cost of living, so you can save and/or visit Japan and really enjoy it when your on holiday.

33. I live in Japan and have for about 4 years
    Also an English teacher here and luckily I’m the top teacher in my school. Main reason I’ve stayed here. ALT jobs here are depressing where you’re essentially a glorified parrot

34. Third world country milk? Go f yourself

35. No brainer.. Taiwan. You’ll be dirt poor in Japan, guaranteed as an ALT

36. Why not just go to Japan do it for 2-3 years. If it turn out OK you will have made the right move. If not then just move back to Taiwan. Just accept the lower pay.

37. Don’t we all move to countries we like? I don’t think it makes sense unless you are interested in the culture of the country.
    If money is important to you, I think you would live in the West, not in Asia.
    Japan and Taiwan are completely different countries.
    Do you just have an Asian fetish and think any place in Asia is fine?

38. I actually want you to come and see you bang your head against the wall, regretting your life choices (disregarding everyone’s advice) after a year or two in Japan.

39. I would stay in Taiwan and keep Japan as a holiday spot. I lived in Shanghai for 6 years before i moved to Japan, and i had the same gripes with there as you do in Taiwan. BUT when you end up in Tokyo to live, it is totally different to being on holiday. I make around 2500 usd in Tokyo and it’s not really enabled me to have that much spare money to travel, unless you wanna live in a cheap, tiny apartment with no sound proofing (i could hear my neighbours sneeze and their microwave ping lol). In fact after rent, insurance, residence tax (a real bitch that you start to get billed for after working a year here, its about 2000usd a year)….. i am not exactly rich.

    I saw more of Japan when i lived in China and came here twice a year for holiday. Plus, depending where you have lived before, for me Tokyo is actually quite boring once i lived here a year or so. It might just be me, but i miss the kind of wildness of a city like Shanghai. The cleanliness, organization, food, all seem like paradise when you visit Japan, but after a while i feel like it effects the vibe of the place. Again, i am not interested in anime culture, don’t eat seafood, and not interested in seeing more shrines in my life time lol so maybe Japan isn’t a good fit for me personally. I am gonna bounce this year.

40. Stay in Taiwan man. After various tax, you won’t have much left. Japan is a good place for your sightseeing and enjoy but not great for career development. Is there an option for you to stay half time in Japan, half time in Taiwan (pay Taiwan tax) and work in Taiwan?

41. None. China

42. I’m currently in Taiwan and I would not give this up for Japan. In Taiwan we get a relatively high salary and an extremely low cost of living (aside from rent of course). In Japan, the cost of living in much higher.

    You also have to consider that Taiwan has the goal of being a bilingual country by 2030, so the market for English teachers in public schools, private schools, and buxibans is amazing! Meanwhile, Japan feels like a race to the bottom, where the salaries and professional expectations keep getting lower, but the competition somehow increases. The only way to get a good job in Japan is if you have an actual teaching license and go for international schools.

43. When you say that you currently work at a private school, do you mean an actual school or a language center?

    If it’s the former, you might be eligible to work in a private junior high/high school here. This would potentially some ability to make some decent money while living here – rather than working at an eikaiwa or as a dispatch ALT. I will say that it’s fairly competitive though, and being out of the country is a disadvantage.

    Comparing those two options that you have though, I would stay in Taiwan personally – while hopping over here on vacation. I initially came here from Vietnam where I was earning a very decent living compared to the cost of living, and it was quite an adjustment going from upper-middle class to being comparatively poor.