Hello all – tia for any advice/info!
Basically, my spouse (Japanese/American) and I (American)are looking to move to the US in a couple of years – they think it would be good on their resume, and it wouldn’t hurt mine either (working in international schools). We both speak English and Japanese and are American citizens, so that’s not an issue – I’m moreso posting to ask about ballpark costs and about people’s experience with it.
Here’s some basic info:
– Two of us (mid/late 20s)
– Jobs/qualifications: teacher (licensed, M.A. in ed), Import/export (B.A. ed)
– 4 cats (international move came up recently, I had never planned to – will be bringing cats with us)
– We both have family on the West Coast
Does anyone have experience with brining cats over to the US, and/or just moving there from here? We plan on staying a couple years and coming back to Japan.
Big questions:
– Ballpark costs
– Experiences (Worth it? Pros/cons? Things to be aware of?)
– Suggested savings (I have some saved for a house, but would rather open a separate account and save up than use what I have now)
Thanks in advance!
6 comments
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Let’s assume you go back to US and bring the cats, work for 5-10 years, pad the resume and bank account and come back.
Cons
1. Moving cost x 2 (very different if you’re bringing furniture). Plane + anything you ship. $400 per pet each way + 1 way plane ticket.
2. Whatever time you won’t be earning while you move / get settled.
3. Setting up life in US costs + setting up life in Japan 2nd time again. (Think buying cars in US – selling them after depreciating, burning furniture in both, new appliances in Japan, key money, etc).
4. Social security / pension (retirement wise I personally assume these will be insolvent by the time I retire) if you are planning on these there are some things to consider. For social security you could work long enough to get 40 credits which qualifies you to receive when you’re old enough to collect.
5. Harder to put a specific number to but. Loss of seniority. With two moves you will lose seniority twice. In Japan it matters more. These can affect promotions and raises, for finances specifically in Japan your credit worthiness when you want a loan. Not a huge deal since I assume you will have PR, but is something that will be a con. Example 6 years at same company in Japan with steady raises vs 5 years in US and 1 year in Japan.
6. When you move to US I’m assuming you haven’t been using US credit recently. Ight have hard time getting access to credit, hopefully your parents can help.
7. Reverse culture shock. Old friends won’t have as much space in their life for you (sure some will, but most won’t). Will have to find people with similar schedules and interests.
8. Inflation: say it with me “I can believe ______ is $_____, it used to be $________”. We’ve been sheltered in Japan.
9. Safety, say goodbye to anshin.
10. You have to keep up your Japanese or it will get rusty.
11. Teaching as a career has not gotten better, it’s even more political than before and burnout is going to be high among your coworkers.
Pros
1. Net income increase. How much can you put away into savings / investments right now vs what you project in US. Hard to say for sure, but fairly confident you will do better in US.
2. Assets appreciate in US in general, you will have easier time buying assets in US if you can get access to OPM (other people’s money). With inflation relatively flat compared to US, because all your assets will eventually come to Japan when you come back you don’t even have to do that great to make a decent profit.
3. Us is generally more pet friendly and you can find places to live easier than Japan.
4. Your family and friends will be over the moon you’re back “home”.
5. Easily fitting in, it’s nice sometimes
6. Driving, I miss it sometimes in Japan
7. Space, everywhere and everything
8. Understanding all cultural references
9. Your spouse will get to do something they want to do.
I’ve done the move back to US and back to Japan, with cats.
Getting our cats to the US was pretty simple. We got the necessary vaccination documents in English, but they weren’t needed (they were needed for our dogs though). Brought the cats on the plane, in the luggage compartment.
The following should be all the info you need, but also check with your airline and see if your state has additional requirements:
https://www.cdc.gov/importation/bringing-an-animal-into-the-united-states/cats.html
Bringing the cats back was more complicated. You need to keep your cats rabies vaccination up to date and documented. We didn’t realize this and it took a year before we could bring our kitties back to Japan.
Costs for sea freight are still insane. Call 2-3 moving companies. Get their estimates. Make sure they know its self financed. Play them against each other to get the best price. Mid 20s consider getting rid of anything you can’t fit in a suitcase. Extra baggage charges are normally cheaper than shipping by air.
I just flew 2 cats into Japan, some notes:
– get your rabies in order 6 months before coming over
– do the advance notification online 40 days before
– I flew with them in the cabin as I think putting them in cargo feels a bit too stressful for them. In the cabin I could pet them and calm them down every 30 minutes when they would stress out.
– most airlines unfortunately only allow 1 pet per person so I had to get someone else to come with me on the flight
– get good baskets that they cannot scratch their way out of and line it with puppy pads in case they pee
Eventually it all went well and the arrival check with the animal quarantine went very smoothly.
Where in the West coast? Housing everywhere is insane right now