This is going to be a bit lengthy but I promise it is related to the subreddit.
So, to start off with, I’ll introduce my current situation. I’m a current college freshman who really didn’t want to come to college, but had to choose between that or going homeless. I have not yet chosen a major but have taken two semesters of Japanese because out of all the classes I could take, I was at least semi-interested in learning Japanese because I was semi-interested in later moving to Japan. The classes have been a bit challenging, but I ended the first semester with an A and I’m pretty sure I have an A right now. Pretty soon here we’re meant to be choosing classes for the our next semester, at the end of which we have to choose a major. The thing is, I really don’t know if continuing studying Japanese is the right choice.
The most obvious problem is that Japan isn’t just going to want people immigrating because they’re able to speak the language, but they’re going to want people skilled in a certain field. Unfortunately, I really just don’t find any of the fields offered at my college interesting. And on top of that, I’m fairly significantly mentally ill, which of course makes it even harder to find something I want to pursue as a career. I should clarify, I know the constant advice of “Japan isn’t like anime” and “Don’t go to Japan if you’re depressed.” I get it alright. I know that for some reason a lot of people seem to think it’ll fix their problems and whatever and it won’t. Luckily for you, the reasons I want to come to Japan are, at least as I see it, fairly based in reality. I like the geography, I like how it’s fairly safe, and I just find it an interesting place.
The second problem is that… I’m not sure if the downsides of Japan are worth it. The main thing that’s been bothering me, as stupid as it may sound, is that they have really strict laws on things like E-bikes, E-scooters, and EUCs. This is kind of a problem because these would be an ideal method of travel for me since I don’t want to deal with the expenses of having a car. Even outside of that, I’ve heard of people being stopped by police for inline skating (rollerblading). It just seems like there’s an overall lack of personal freedom and lots of regulations (like having to register bicycles) that really would annoy me. Obviously, the best thing to do would be to visit first, but I don’t think that’s going to be an option anytime soon, and like I said I have to choose my major soon.
The last problem, as if things couldn’t get any worse, is that I’m both a foreigner and transgender. From what I can gather, people aren’t super happy about foreigners, and definitely aren’t happy about trans people. I’d like to think I could just ignore both of these problems because they seem like the sort of thing that won’t bother me as long as I’m not being physically threatened, but it’s hard to say for sure.
A few miscellaneous things I should add on :
\-Other things I’m interested in studying include music (couldn’t get into the college because it’s competitive), fashion (no fashion colleges nearby), and game design (no options really)
\-Someone might be getting ready to say I should first seek out treatment for my mental illness, but that’s just really not an option right now because of a lot of circumstances
\-Despite all my complaining, I do think if I could choose to live anywhere I would still pick Japan, it’s (I.M.O.) a beautiful country, with very interesting history and culture, and a place that I don’t think anything else is like
\-Are the problems I mentioned likely to get any better with younger generations?
Do I just drop out and work at a Target for the rest of my days? Or should I take the risk, despite being uncertain?
4 comments
This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.
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**Need Advice On Future – Moving to Japan**
This is going to be a bit lengthy but I promise it is related to the subreddit.
So, to start off with, I’ll introduce my current situation. I’m a current college freshman who really didn’t want to come to college, but had to choose between that or going homeless. I have not yet chosen a major but have taken two semesters of Japanese because out of all the classes I could take, I was at least semi-interested in learning Japanese because I was semi-interested in later moving to Japan. The classes have been a bit challenging, but I ended the first semester with an A and I’m pretty sure I have an A right now. Pretty soon here we’re meant to be choosing classes for the our next semester, at the end of which we have to choose a major. The thing is, I really don’t know if continuing studying Japanese is the right choice.
The most obvious problem is that Japan isn’t just going to want people immigrating because they’re able to speak the language, but they’re going to want people skilled in a certain field. Unfortunately, I really just don’t find any of the fields offered at my college interesting. And on top of that, I’m fairly significantly mentally ill, which of course makes it even harder to find something I want to pursue as a career. I should clarify, I know the constant advice of “Japan isn’t like anime” and “Don’t go to Japan if you’re depressed.” I get it alright. I know that for some reason a lot of people seem to think it’ll fix their problems and whatever and it won’t. Luckily for you, the reasons I want to come to Japan are, at least as I see it, fairly based in reality. I like the geography, I like how it’s fairly safe, and I just find it an interesting place.
The second problem is that… I’m not sure if the downsides of Japan are worth it. The main thing that’s been bothering me, as stupid as it may sound, is that they have really strict laws on things like E-bikes, E-scooters, and EUCs. This is kind of a problem because these would be an ideal method of travel for me since I don’t want to deal with the expenses of having a car. Even outside of that, I’ve heard of people being stopped by police for inline skating (rollerblading). It just seems like there’s an overall lack of personal freedom and lots of regulations (like having to register bicycles) that really would annoy me. Obviously, the best thing to do would be to visit first, but I don’t think that’s going to be an option anytime soon, and like I said I have to choose my major soon.
The last problem, as if things couldn’t get any worse, is that I’m both a foreigner and transgender. From what I can gather, people aren’t super happy about foreigners, and definitely aren’t happy about trans people. I’d like to think I could just ignore both of these problems because they seem like the sort of thing that won’t bother me as long as I’m not being physically threatened, but it’s hard to say for sure.
A few miscellaneous things I should add on :
-Other things I’m interested in studying include music (couldn’t get into the college because it’s competitive), fashion (no fashion colleges nearby), and game design (no options really)
-Someone might be getting ready to say I should first seek out treatment for my mental illness, but that’s just really not an option right now because of a lot of circumstances
-Despite all my complaining, I do think if I could choose to live anywhere I would still pick Japan, it’s (I.M.O.) a beautiful country, with very interesting history and culture, and a place that I don’t think anything else is like
-Are the problems I mentioned likely to get any better with younger generations?
Do I just drop out and work at a Target for the rest of my days? Or should I take the risk, despite being uncertain?
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Any degree is better than no degree, but you’re right that you’re not going to have many opportunities if the only skill you have is being able to speak the language.
Your school should have some sort of career counseling available to help you figure out what you want to do with your life. So you’ll need to buckle down and figure that out. If you can’t find something you like then look for something you don’t hate and go from there.
Regarding your desire to not have a car… In the major cities cars are very much a luxury and are treated as such. I live on the border of a “no car required” area and don’t own a car, although I do use car sharing for my the times when I need a car. If you’re living in Tokyo or Osaka the public transportation is great. Just ride trains everywhere.
Regarding being foreign, you’ll find most people don’t really care. If you’re able to communicate you’ll be fine. Yes there are some racist assholes out there, but they are a tiny minority. Regarding being trans, you’ll definitely need to do your homework regarding any medications you may need, and your legal gender will always be what it says on your passport. Other than that most people won’t really care.
>Someone might be getting ready to say I should first seek out treatment for my mental illness, but that’s just really not an option right now because of a lot of circumstances
You mentioned that:
>I’m fairly significantly mentally ill,
Japan has a pretty outdated view of mental health in general, so getting the help you need may be even more difficult here. Are you at least able to speak to someone where you are now? Does your school have any resources you could leverage? Could you look into a domestic relocation to move yourself into a better part of the country that is more inline with your needs and values?
Japan isn’t a good place for people who can’t throw themselves into what is expected of them or be annoyed by small regulations.
Thanks for sharing so much in your post.
I’ll speak to the regulations in detail first:
– registering a bicycle is not hard, and is just done at time of purchase. If you buy one second hand, there’s a form that you can fill out; not a problem.
– e-scooters are regulated like mopeds, and need a driver’s licence… which has led to most rentascooter companies here renting out e-bicycles as well, which don’t.
– e-bikes are only regulated for their top speed, and in practice are easily purchasable.
– rollerblading etc is only allowed in certain limited areas, bring stopped by the police for it is something I personally consider normal (hazard to public safety if you’re doing it in an area with pedestrians, cyclists and other vehicles)
Re: personal freedom, you have a high degree of freedom here so long as you’re not being a nuisance. You can drink on the street without worrying, for one.
As for mental illness here, it will depend on your diagnosis and your meds. Certain medications aren’t available here, but a lot of them are and will be cheaper here than over there.
Re: foreigners, if you’re not being a nuisance no one will care. People may be curious or fascinated by you, but that’s not the same as xenophobia imo.
I’m going to choose violence now and say: most racism here is experienced by Asian immigrants doing low-paid, dirty, strenuous work. Some foreigners claim to experience racism here but in most cases it reads as people being shocked what the minority experience is in every country worldwide. “Oh, your English is so good! Where are you *really* from”, etc.
In any case, my personal test for “is Japan racist” is, “do Black people have a good time here”, and from what I see in my friend groups and on YouTube they prefer it here. No one’s getting shot except former Prime Ministers in this country.
As far as being trans goes, I know a few trans people, some of whom are quite high up in tech companies here. I don’t think it’s going to be a big problem for you here, there’s no bathroom or gendered sports moral panic here at all.
The big one: your choice of major and career.
I was a Japanese major myself, and after getting my BA, I had to go back to college to make myself employable. You’re right, employers won’t care about you being able to speak at the level of a precocious middle schooler – they’re going to want skills.
If you can’t find a better college with things you want to do, you may have to either settle for doing something you’re good at but don’t necessarily love. Look at the job boards over here and try and get an idea of what you could potentially do; the good news is you’re not coming to this realisation as graduation looms, you have time to course correct.
All the best.