So I’m on a humanities visa, lost my job 4 months ago and been job hunting left and right with no luck and want to try something else and its always been a dream of mine to live in NZ (LOTR fan here) and have distant relatives living there. I applied and have been shortlisted for a job in Wellington, NZ but I was wondering how different life there is compared to Japan (I live in Chiba). I love living in the suburbs but I also enjoy the chaos of Tokyo city. Can any New Zealanders here give some comparisons? Would you recommend moving there?
Edit: I was debating whether to post this in the NZ sub instead but then I don’t think that sub can give comparisons on living in Japan and NZ. This sub has foreigners living japan and I’m hoping there are Kiwis here who can compare the living conditions since they have lived both in Japan and New Zealand.
9 comments
Shouldn’t you go to a New Zealand sub for this?
Kiwi, lived in Auckland and Saitama. Wellington is my favourite NZ city.
Cost of living compared to income is much higher in NZ than Japan, public transport is much worse, beaches are much better, good access to outdoorsy lifestyle stuff, cities are less vibrant, there’s much more diversity.
Hi, I’m born and raised in Auckland but pretty familiar with Welly since my partner grew up there. Based in Setagaya atm.
Wellington is pretty small, even our biggest city Auckland will feel like a major downsize. Be prepared for a high cost of living, and the Wellington rental market is pretty crappy at the moment. Property prices are honestly on par with Tokyo. Please expect to be living with flatmates rather than on your own – and avoid Quinovic properties if you can.
Public transport is touch and go and also Wellington is having some unique issues currently with their bus providers not keeping up with demands for staffing. Due to the smaller size of Wellington you could mayyybe get away with not needing a car? Depends on your desire to explore the surrounding areas or towns.
If you go to the NZ subreddit the majority of people like to have a whinge so please take any information you get there with a grain of salt. The Wellington subreddit is probably better and is a lot friendlier imo.
It’s got a great vibe to the place (similar to Melbourne if you’re familiar), big on coffee and good food. Seems to be a lot more outgoing and friendlier than Auckland.
I’d say go for it, a lot of people tell us that NZ is a bucket list destination so why not!
This was a bit of a quickly typed up ramble but if you have specific questions I can come back with more info.
I’ve only visited Wellington a couple of times, it’s a nice city. You’re not going to see any Tokyo type chaos in NZ; the population of the entire country is only around 5M. Buses in Wellington from what I’ve read are a bit of a joke at the moment.
If the job offer you got has high pay then it could be a fun experience for you. The cost of living is not only higher but what you get vs here is lower quality with far fewer options.
If you are minimilistic and enjoy being outdoors then it can be nice.
Getting sick here or feeling unwell means you pop into a local clinic, get drugs from the next door drug store within an hour normally. Currently in nz long waits and depending where you are you might have a week or so wait in worse case scenarios?
Couriers/post sucks (if you don’t do much online shopping then all good).
Living in Japan is pretty easy, easy access to options, price options, cheap/easy medical care, cheap dentist, work pays your transport, postal system is fantastic. If any of these are big reasons you like living in Japan then you will find greater disappointment in nz. However, if you earn great $$$, enjoy outdoors and small cities then it can be great.
I recommend a holiday there if you can…
Edit: forgot to say it would take an offer of over $100k to even think of moving to nz. Even then…
Visited New Zealand twice for a few weeks each time. Nice people, lovely nature. Felt expensive, even before the weak yen.
Also, felt REALLY far away from everything. I felt like that might get oppressive after a while.
Have been in Japan for 2 years, in Saitama, and lived in Wellington for 10 years.
What others have said about cost of living, rent, size etc all hold true. Rent in a share house will be $350-$450/ week or a studio apartment for $650+. Food is astronomical compared to Japan, especially eating out.
Wellington feels isolated after a while as you have to drive hours to get anywhere. I would add that it’s not just the geographical size but social aspect that makes Wellington feel small. It’s quite a cliquey city and can feel isolating unless you’re an extrovert.
That’s said, Wellington is great fun. Lots to explore and the laid back nature of NZ is relaxing. I love it and enjoy visiting but wouldn’t live there again unless the job paid incredibly well.
Ignore comments on the beaches. Sure they’re more accessible, but the Wellington coastline isn’t great for swimming and it’s f$&@ing freezing compared to Japan. Peak summer is like October here… Oriental Parade is a great spot in summer though, and there used to be a fantastic gelato place in the middle.
I’m also finding it difficult to land a well paid job here so understand the frustration. I turned down a role in Wellington earlier this year paying $160k NZD as looking at the numbers it just didn’t make sense. I’d say that salary would be the equivalent of ¥7m in terms of net cash after core existence costs.
Kiwi, lived in welly for seven years, gunma for eight and yamaguchi for one.
This is very much going to depend on the things you like / dislike about Japan and what you look for in a city / place to live.
Welly is my home in my heart, and I love it for the nature, the WIND, the terrible weather, my friends, and for helping me grow. Many people have touched on the expense of living in welly, and that is a hundred percent the reason i had to leave. As a kiwi I was barely making ends meet and couldnt find a job – this was nearly ten years ago though.
What makes you say NZ is your dream country? What are the non-negotiables that you need to have in your vicinity? Why do you want to leave Japan? Are those reasons still going to be there if you move across the world?
Aaaaaaand I’m homesick again!
Surprised there hasn’t been mention of “can’t beat Welly on a good day” here yet!