I’m curious. I’m supposedly from a hotter country nearer to the equator compared to Japan but the humidity levels here make the heat in this country unbearable for me. This and the bugs are making me consider moving to whatever cold country that will accept me.
I notice though the amount of Europeans that moved to Japan (which isn’t much because I don’t really go out but still noticeable) that makes me second guess my intention and plans. Why move to Japan? Europe is supposed to be this place that attracts immigrants that locals start to complain.
How is Japan better?
EDIT: noticeable grammar mistake
30 comments
Hokkaido exists
I don’t think Japan has to be better than your country for you to want to live there.
Some people are just genuinely looking for a different experience. In my case (French that also lived in Canada for a long time) I just wanted to try living there for more than a couple weeks during holidays. Before coming I was quite sure I didn’t want to spend a very long time (5 years +);there either. And this feeling has been confirmed now that I lived here for a year.
I feel like the country being hot is pretty okay considering how much air conditioning is ubiquitous. For bugs I never really had any problem in Kobe so it might be overblown as well. It might be more of a problem in the countryside.
I’m from Scandinavia, it’s boring as fuck up there. Planning to move back eventually though. Also food.
Are there really that few people here that prefer the summer to the winter? I love summer here.
My family is originally from Norway and Iceland. I grew up in Reykjavík and while it’s a beautiful city, there wasn’t much to do. Japan is very different and I do miss my home. Granted, I live in the countryside of Osaka, so it’s pretty quiet here, too. The weather in Japan is unbearable but living here is just so damn convenient.
Swede here. Winters are very long, very cold and very dark.
I’m a Scandinavian living up in Hokkaido for the last 4+ years with my wife and kids.
So first of all, I’m living in Japan because I wanted a different environment than my home country, as well as I do enjoy Japan in a whole lot of way.
That said, there is of course a whole lot I **don’t** like about Japan / Hokkaido as well; The “Work-before-everything-else” culture absolutely taking the nr 1 hate spot, but also a few other things such as low to non existent holiday days (Since they more or less get used up when taking care of sick kids, errands that needs doing under work time or the occasional “mandatory” family visit which you need to attend; Among a whole bunch of other minor things.
But overall, other than wanting more/longer holidays and better childcare/ sick care support, I’m generally content with my life in Japan. Though I wouldn’t mind a pay increase, it would be very welcome indeed…. z.z
*There is a bunch of bugs in Hokkaido too, but I don’t really mind them all too much. You learn to live with ’em after a while.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marutei_Tsurunen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marutei_Tsurunen)
This article is about a man who was born and raised in Finland who moved to Japan in his 20s, became a citizen, and was ultimately elected to the Diet.
I thought the Scandinavian countries have an awful lot of bugs?
Not Scandinavian, but from an equally cold country. Winters can be depressing from one week with no sun in sight. Leaving for work in the morning and it’s dark, coming back home after 5pm and it’s also dark. I feel like people from my city are more grumpy when the sun is absent. I have also lived in the heart of Amazon Brazil (90% humidity and extremely mucky, don’t get me started on the ginormous, new-nightmare-unlocked bugs!) and South East Asia. So I can tolerate the heat and humidity to some degree. My only drawback here, is Tokyo is a heat absorbing concrete jungle with less tree cover, which makes the heat even intense. I can tolerate it though, but not a keen fan hehe. I definitely don’t miss the brutal winters back home though.
From Sweden here.
Living in Japan is just so much more fun. There’s so many places to travel, so much entertainment and my friends here are great!
Salary is slightly lower here to start but the ceiling is quite a bit higher than in Sweden. Cost of living in general is still lower here too so doesn’t matter too much.
Might go back to start a family someday but I’m enjoying life here.
The weather isn’t a reason to move/immigrate to a county usually but it can be a reason to leave the country.
I know a lot of people who are from countries which are colder than Japan. They just moved to Japan for some exotic experiences or they are interested in Japanese cultures. Many of them complain about the hot and humid weather in Japan but they also say the spring, autumn, and winter in Japan are better than in their home countries. It’s really cold even in spring and autumn there.
I’m just here to find out which commenter is pewdiepie hahaha
I wanted to live in quite a different country to mine that didnt speak English but wasn’t third world. That left basically only japan
I think it would be better to look at the ratio of Scandinavians in Tokyo versus Europeans and other countires in relation to their population. It might be lower? You may be correct in that fewer Scandinavians actually move to Japan or Asia.
Not Scandinavian but from Canada with similar climates. I love Canadian summer – it gets hot with in comfortable ranges. I also love Canadian winter because buildings are well suited and the humidity is still a lot drier than Japan. Japanese summers are brutal, and buildings in winter are prepared lacking insulation or gas heating as a standard.
I came to Japan for my wife who is Japanese. Our intent is to have a family one day. My goal was to better understand culture and language so one day I can help my future children embrace their heritage whether it be Canadian or Japanese.
Even though there are things I find less comfortable here, I find history, traditional culture and holidays, food, and mountain climbing very interesting.
Other than the terrible weather and horror story work culture Japan – is a pretty nice place. Lastly bugs are everywhere, some just hide better than others
Europeans are poor now and they became migrants themselves; recently I watched a documentary about french people migrating around world for better life and income and statistically the number is on the rise within the last 15 years
Head up to Hokkaido, it’s just the right temperature for you, crisp air and all, Russian climate with the Japanese culture.
Sure I’ll bite. I’m from Finland and been living here over 4 years now. I’ve also lived in a couple of other European countries (non-nordic) before moving here, so the plan to leave Finland was in my mind from early age.
OP already commented that his friend advised against to moving to Hokkaido because there’s nothing over there. That’s basically Finland. There’s nothing there. Helsinki, the capital, is the size of Fukuoka basically. You have your small city center and the rest is suburbs with malls, each containing the same damn chain stores.
Winter is too long and too dark, summer is too short but definitely the best season there is, if the weather just permits it. Spring and autumn are really short, often still dragging the winter bits for too long. I like the climate and the amount of sunlight more over here in Japan, despite the summer is hot as hell. Finland definitely has a bunch of nasty bugs which want to bite you in various places. Avoid forests or the country side in general if you’re not a fan of those.
Lastly I just didn’t like most of the people over there and the general attitude towards things. This probably applies everywhere though, because I don’t like people in general. But here I can be a dumb gaijin and tune out whenever I feel like it.
I could mention more things like the general high cost of living which limits for example things like eating out every so often, but I think the two things mentioned above are the main reasons for me. I also generally just like to soak in new experiences while living at a different place (think about traveling without moving type of way).
This probably wasn’t helpful in any sense.
Train yourself for summer. When April/May comes around, all Europeans tear off their clothes and walk around in t-shirt/shorts – because you have to back home, the summer is so short. Instead, wear that light jacket until you can’t stand it, then wear pants as long as you can. I usually make it into June, if only just.
Over the years I’ve trained myself from a “normal” room temp of 20, to being comfortable at 26.
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Comes with a price, going back home now sucks. I sit in pants and jacket in midsummer. 🙂
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I love it here, I ain’t going back.
Also. Food here is half the price, double the taste!
Because Europe has attracted too many unwanted immigrants, Japan is cleaner better and more civilized.
And most of all more safe.
These 2 photos are made at the exact same time.
https://preview.redd.it/bxhi5del28fb1.jpeg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f40d5ddfd218e911c4428089564b884bef6b8df8
I didn’t move 7000km from home to experience all the same.
Hate snow.
But if you prefer a colder climate, there are a lot of places in Japan with that. It’s not only Kanto out there.
“Why move from Europe when it is so attractive to immigrants?”
Personally I moved here for love and studies, but I feel you might have answered your own question.
Weather is hell during the summer, but hey, where I come from people pay good money to spend a little time in this kind of heat.
Your question makes me think of that quote, like from a French or actress or something, like that “I want to move somewhere they don’t allow immigrants”? I feel Japan is the closets thing to that oxymoron.
Scandinavia isn’t perfect. Nowhere is.
I know my friend from Norway likes the warmer weather and the women. Seems like as good a reason as any when sidegrading countries.
Not answering to your question specifically, as I’m not a Scandinavian, but the grass is greener on the other side. ”Better” is a subjective matter.
So I’m from Finland originally, but moved to Canada in 2004 (high school age). I moved here (japan) in 2014 from Canada.
I prefer Japan despite the hot summers. Snow is nice… but not for a huge chunk of the year. It gets depressing really quickly. I also remember growing up in Finland as a kid when I’d go to school it was pitch black out. Come back home, pitch black. (Edit: I mean in the winter)
I don’t know how safe Finland is now, so I can’t speak for Finland, but I definitely feel MUCH safer as a woman in Japan than I ever did in Canada. I feel like: I can walk home…at night? By myself?? I can sleep on the train??
I do miss a lot of food back in Finland though…
Scandinavian here.
I like the food, nature, and despite me bitching about it often I do enjoy the lifestyle I have. Tho I would prefer to not work as much as I do, just walking down an alley with izakayas with a cold beer in my hand whilst listening to a podcast. THAT! You just can’t beat. The smell, the heat in the night and the atmosphere… cause seriously, I might despise Japanese summer but I hate Scandinavian winters more.
Nothing is perfect and I do miss my country a lot but I’ve been here long enough that I consider this my home now. Even tho the bureaucracy kills me.
Do any of you know of a Japanese person that moved to Scandinavia? Im trying to eventually move to norway as an accountant but I currently only have experience with american accounting standards so im figuring out how to develop more skills besides learning the language to be useful in norway.