I’m becoming increasingly dissatisfied with living in the US. Constant failure of separation of church and state, a basically non-existent and crumbling healthcare system, unaffordable housing, the looming realization that most of us won’t be able to afford to retire, etc. This has lead to a lot of mental burnout with my generation (Millennial) and Gen Z.
My husband and I are in our early 30s. We both have bachelor degrees. We would likely need to do TEFL in order to meet work visa requirements (the jobs we work in do not qualify for a work visa). We are both working on learning Japanese. We are not having children.
Some questions I have to decide if possibly pursuing this path is even worth it:
Is there less of a “me” mentality? Do you feel like you yourself and others around you are less in “survival mode” because of the action (or inaction of the government)?
How is your life/work balance compared to when you were in the US?
Do you find life generally more fulfilling now that you are out of the US?
I currently have a three year commitment with my job, this is just to help me gauge if this is even a viable path for us, or if it’s just as rough in Japan but for different reasons
Thank you all for your honest answers.
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**Honest feedback for those who moved from the US**
I’m becoming increasingly dissatisfied with living in the US. Constant failure of separation of church and state, a basically non-existent and crumbling healthcare system, unaffordable housing, the looming realization that most of us won’t be able to afford to retire, etc. This has lead to a lot of mental burnout with my generation (Millennial) and Gen Z.
My husband and I are in our early 30s. We both have bachelor degrees. We would likely need to do TEFL in order to meet work visa requirements (the jobs we work in do not qualify for a work visa). We are both working on learning Japanese. We are not having children.
Some questions I have to decide if possibly pursuing this path is even worth it:
Is there less of a “me” mentality? Do you feel like you yourself and others around you are less in “survival mode” because of the action (or inaction of the government)?
How is your life/work balance compared to when you were in the US?
Do you find life generally more fulfilling now that you are out of the US?
I currently have a three year commitment with my job, this is just to help me gauge if this is even a viable path for us, or if it’s just as rough in Japan but for different reasons
Thank you all for your honest answers.
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I recommend visiting other countries. You will soon realize that the U.S. is a pretty good place to live in.
* But for me, the biggest issue with moving from the U.S. to Japan is that the U.S. values individualism and Japan does not.
* Work environment is completely different. A study was published that Japan works more hours but are less productive than the U.S.
* Finally, there is a massive amount of discrimination against foreigners in Japan and the Ministry of Justice posted their studies on these issue.
>Is there less of a “me” mentality?
Yes, but it feels like it frequently goes too far the other way. Instead of “Me, me me!” Japan subsumes almost all individualism to the nebulous “group”. Almost everything in day to day life is weight against its impact on the [Wa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wa_(Japanese_culture)). (That’s a wikipedia link, as explaining the Wa is seriously tiresome)
>How is your life/work balance compared to when you were in the US?
Mine is fine, because I work from home for an American-owned company.
If you don’t have that luxury… Not great. Overtime is frequent and expected in many (most?) companies. But productivity is terrible.
>Do you find life generally more fulfilling now that you are out of the US?
Yes. Having ready access to healthcare is a big thing for me.
Unless you are working in a high qualified job and a Japan based company really needs your skills, don’t expect your finances to be better in Japan. Most americans that are earning really good salaries in the US have to deal more often than not with a 40% cut on them.
People say Japan is cheaper than America, and while that it’s true, you will reduce your lifetime savings by going to Japan, because the higher cost of living in the US is not proportional to salaries, that is to say salaries are way more higher than the cost of living, generally speaking.
Economically, for most americans it doesn’t make sense to live in Japan and I think most of them go there just for personal reasons like anime, different culture and such things.
Regardless, if you do move , you will enjoy your first years in Japan. Now, positives outweight the negatives? That’s something that only you can answer based on your personal situation.
Also, I agree with the other comment. America is literally one of the best places to live on earth, regardless of everything. Visiting other countries AND seeing how the people live there will get you an idea why the US is not that bad.
but fr moving to another country- i wonder sometimes if i did it to escape problems that were created due to me, my personality. People usually don’t realize that they are gonna have their insecurities, whatever no matter where they go. Its about managing the self that brings inner peace.
Since it sounds like you’d be teaching English, you probably want to check out r/teachinginJapan and read about people’s experiences. If you’re not someone who enjoys that type of work, it would be tough.
Honestly, I feel like if you enjoy your job, then you’ll likely enjoy your life a lot more than if you hate your job. A terrible job makes life really tough, no matter where you are, especially since jobs like teaching English pay so little.
Yes, the culture isn’t focused on the individual, but there are pros and cons to that. You may find the emphasis on group needs chafing or difficult to handle at times.
I enjoy my job and my life here in Japan, but I have a good job that pays well and has good work-life balance.
ETA: while Japan doesn’t not have the separation of church and state issue, it’s not necessarily a progressive paradise either. There are still very conservative laws here that are very worrying. Young people’s opinions on these are different, but they’re not in charge yet.
All you need to know is that the nail that sticks out gets hammered down.
It depends. I moved here with my family (husband and kids) and we really love it for the most part. My job is great, kids are happy in school, things are affordable (for us), and the vibe is generally pleasant and safe. But every situation is different and really only you can weigh the pros and cons. It will have a lot to do with the job you’re able to land over here IMO, and also comparing it with what you’re leaving.
sure come here. low wage, high inflation, you cannot stand out in a group they’ll shun you, and minimum 20 hours of overtime in a month.
We moved back to Japan after a decade in the US and have never been happier. If you don’t think Japan is for you, then look for another country. However your gut feeling that the US is not for you is absolutely on the mark. The whole country is on the decline. Get out now while you still can.
My two cents: I recently moved to Japan due to a lot of the reasons you mention. For background, I am also American and I was abroad (in various countries) from roughly 2013-2017, then back in the US from 2017-2023. I went back home because of things I missed, mostly the comfort of being surrounded by my native language and being close to family. I found that I prefer living abroad overall because even though I was making a lot more money in the US, I could not afford to have my own apartment (!!). For me, this is a huge quality of life NECESSITY. My job in Japan is a standard, low-paying, entry-level type ESL job. It’s not the best job I’ve ever had, but I have my own apartment, and groceries, etc. are pretty cheap here so even though I’m technically making less money, my quality of life is way better. What good is money if you’re not happy, anyway? Plus, Japan is way more peaceful than the US (I live in a smaller city). I notice it especially when driving. Road rage is basically not a thing here, and that dramatically reduces my baseline daily stress level. I didn’t even realize how much driving in the US contributed to my stress until I started driving in Japan.
TLDR: I am much happier here. I don’t care if I’m making less money.