I apologize in advance because this is another “Should I move back to Japan” post but I would really like some insight. I lived in Japan from March 2020 – September 2022 in the Kansai region and afterwards returned to the states. I worked for Interac at the time and it was a cool learning experience although it’s not something I would like to do for the long term. Around the 1 year and 9 months mark, I started to constantly ponder if I should stay or go back to America. Eventually, my mom begged me to come home and I reluctantly did. When I came back I was utterly miserable and I still want to go back to Japan but after a year, I miss Japan everyday but I don’t know if it’s a genuine desire or if it’s only the memories that I miss. After being home for a year now, all my friends/family members either got married, had kids, or moved somewhere else and now things just are not the same here. I miss the convenience, food, nature, restaurants, temples, public transportation, and overall safety in Japan. Being a foreigner didn’t really bother me and I accept that I’m not a Japanese person nor will I ever be. The only thing I’m worried about is money and a career. I’m aware that Japan isn’t the place to make good money nor is it the place to try different things for a career and considering that I’m 28 years old, I wonder if hesitantly moving back immediately just to be there would cause me to regret my decision 5-10 years from now. I’m just completely lost and I would like some insight on my situation.
by Solidus_snake28
19 comments
This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.
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**I’ve been struggling with whether or not I should move back to Japan.**
I apologize in advance because this is another “Should I move back to Japan” post but I would really like some insight. I lived in Japan from March 2020 – September 2022 in the Kansai region and afterwards returned to the states. I worked for Interac at the time and it was a cool learning experience although it’s not something I would like to do for the long term. Around the 1 year and 9 months mark, I started to constantly ponder if I should stay or go back to America. Eventually, my mom begged me to come home and I reluctantly did. When I came back I was utterly miserable and I still want to go back to Japan but after a year, I miss Japan everyday but I don’t know if it’s a genuine desire or if it’s only the memories that I miss. After being home for a year now, all my friends/family members either got married, had kids, or moved somewhere else and now things just are not the same here. I miss the convenience, food, nature, restaurants, temples, public transportation, and overall safety in Japan. Being a foreigner didn’t really bother me and I accept that I’m not a Japanese person nor will I ever be. The only thing I’m worried about is money and a career. I’m aware that Japan isn’t the place to make good money nor is it the place to try different things for a career and considering that I’m 28 years old, I wonder if hesitantly moving back immediately just to be there would cause me to regret my decision 5-10 years from now. I’m just completely lost and I would like some insight on my situation.
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Money was a big reason why I mostly live in the US now. Pay was ridiculously low in Japan compared to where I live in the US. Really depends how you want to live your life. If you value the experience more than money then go for it.
Do it. If you don’t you’ll regret it. Don’t listen to your family. You live for yourself. Good luck!!
Come back. I’m not going to say money is unimportant (because that’s a lie), but if Japan really has that grip on you still, I feel that everytime things aren’t going great you’ll blame yourself because you didn’t move back.
Honestly, life has so many points where you can start over, even if you decide 10 years down the road that Japan wasn’t for you after all.
If you come back, what are you going to do?
> The only thing I’m worried about is money and a career.
I mean, this should be a concern regardless of where you’re living. What is your plan for a career? As you well know, working ALT jobs is not a career.
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> I worked for Interac at the time and it was a cool learning experience although it’s not something I would like to do for the long term.
Again, what is it that you want to do for the long term? What did you study in university? Is that a field you’d like to start working in? What are you doing for a living now (or what were you doing before you came to Japan in the first place)?
>considering that I’m 28 years old
Still very young, plenty of time to do no things, make a new career.
I came back, and I don’t regret it, but if I was gonna do it over again, get some kind of masters or teaching certificate in the United States while you live at home. Then instead of having to perpetually work for jackasses like Interac, you’ll be able to get hired directly at a private school or university. Though you might have to do a quick contract with Interac just for the visa to get you over here.
I lived in Japan from when I was 26 (2011) to 37 (2022), I’m now back in the States.
I totally understand how you feel – Japan, on its surface, is a great place to be – so much to see, so much to do, so much to eat. I also made my best friends there.
But you have to ask yourself, what is it that you want to do in life? Will Japan give you that opportunity to gain a foothold into whatever profession you want to do?
Do you want to stay in Japan permanently? These are all questions you have to ask yourself because nobody will have the right answers for you.
For me, I’m glad I came back and sometimes I regret staying in Japan for so long. I could be a lot richer if I came back to the States a lot earlier…
I’d say come back to Japan. You were there for the COVID years, so it wasn’t the typical experience. Now that restrictions have been lifted, you can get a more genuine experience.
Additionally, I was in the same boat as you. I was in Japan from 2008-2014, then came back in 2023 after comparing my life in Japan to my life in the US.
Then come back, you simply did a choice you regret by returning to the states but you’re young and you shouldn’t worry about it as long as you can fix what causes you to stay in this mood, like moving to Japan
I was in your spot about twelve years ago, except replace “Japan” with “Korea”. Here’s what ended up happening.
* I did 2 years in Korea as an EFL teacher. Pay was fantastic, everything was peachy, it was one of my dreams come true. I decided to go back to the US and try my chances at my original career.
* I took a job doing work at a call center in the US. Pay was shit, hours were long, customers were abusive. I missed Korea for all the same reasons you do.
* I got TESOL certified and flew back to Korea for another teaching job. The pay was great, the people were nice, and I enjoyed my job for a time
* However, the sameness of the culture started to grate on me for the next six years, and my pay eventually hit a cap. I got tired of the uncertainty of each contract renewal, and the glass ceiling that all EFL teachers face. So, I decided to train on an in-demand skillset while still in Korea.
* I moved back to the US, again, and found a job paying 3x my teaching salary. I didn’t have to deal with the noise, lack of open space, the pollution, the alienation, and so on. Sure the healthcare and public transit sucks but there’s always going to be downsides. Changing careers was a risky move, but it paid off in the end, and I’m a better person for it.
You state that you’re fine with never being part of the foreign culture. The thing is, you were only in Japan for two years. Try being in a foreign culture for 8 years and constantly patronized, talked down to, and essentially NEVER fitting in no matter how well you speak Japanese or how well you try to integrate. That’s a tall ask.
Going back to Japan is career suicide without a clear progression plan in place. I know people who are still teaching English in Korea for 2.1m KRW (232k JPY) a year – that amount was great in 2008, just barely above minimum wage now. Do you really want to be that dancing EFL tape recorder for the next 10, 20 years?
Level up your skills while in the U.S. and have access to educational opportunities/resources in English. Make yourself attractive to employers in Japan so you can have a career and not find yourself in the same stagnant place five years down the line. Whether this means learning a new skill (ie: a coding language, a specific software) or obtaining some sort of certification, you’ll be using your time in the U.S. more effectively to set yourself up for a better life in Japan.
You can also study Japanese while doing this in the U.S., and maybe perhaps considering enrolling in language school back in Japan after you finish doing some enrichment in the States.
I feel exactly the same. In addition, I also have a Japanese bf who really wants to live in Europe. I came back mostly for him. I want to go back to Japan but I don’t want to break up, he wants to stay here. But if we break up and I move to Japan, I’m sure he’ll also move back 😂
Sounds like your heart is in japan not the usa. Never go back just for family. Stops working after a while
Living in Japan is great, but the money thing is real. If you care about money and career heights, that is a super real valid tradeoff that you need to engage with seriously.
Other than software, it is very hard to have a lucrative career in Japan without speaking business level Japanese. Even with Japanese skills, it’s hard for anyone to make great money in Japan. Money and career will always be better in America.
I’ve had six mostly great years in Japan, but I care about money and career stuff, and I realize I probably need to leave Japan soon if I want to maintain the ability to retire to America, send kids to American schools, etc. Especially since USDJPY slid to ~150, it’s very very difficult to save enough in Japan to afford an American future.
Whether that’s a big deal or not is a personal choice, but take it seriously.
> The only thing I’m worried about is money and a career.
What career options do you have in the US vs Japan? This is the most important question imo. If you can make a lot more money in the US, then stay in the US; however, if you just want to be an English teacher, then do that. There’s no shame in that.
Any advice for those that may seek to move to Japan as far as job hunting for a visa sponsor?
Get your masters degree if your background is in teaching. Get international school teaching certificate and experience. Apply to a international school in Japan. If you succeed, congrats.
What you don’t do is to keep teaching English forever, unless you be direct hired by the school, but you’ll experience overwork culture. Or if you can’t open your own English school as a successful business.
If your BA is not teaching, then improved your skills tremendously before going back to Japan. Then apply as a teacher while you look for the work that suit your skills.
Oh I forgot learn Japanese. Don’t be discouraged, I understand living in Japan is that sweet. Japan is not going anywhere take your time.
But if all you gonna be doing is work while in Japan and not exploring it then Japan is not really worth it for anybody.
My advice is this:
Make a business decision. Don’t simply follow your desires. Where do you think you will make the most money and a more stable life in your 60s? There is where you should be. Japan is career suicide as the market here has been deteriorating resulting in stagnant wages. Think long term. You don’t want to be in a situation where many are stuck here and can’t return to the States as your experiences here do not count to your resume. Value money over wanton experiences as money can buy experiences.
Salaries here are the lowest in the developed world. And many English teachers here cannot retire. They are working in their 60s and hoping to continue to do so in their 70s because they were complacent and ignorant about this matter. Sometimes, it is better to create the environment you hope to inhabit in or the community you wish in your own country. That way you can find peace as you’re actively creating it.
Ultimately asking for advices doesn’t help because everyone’s experiences are very unique. I know folks who are here because they are unhappy with certain things in their home country and came here to seek out visceral peace and then end up struggling to survive in old age here. I know two brothers: one with no degree and another with masters. The second one chose Japan while the other, US. Both are Canadians. The brother who stayed in Japan couldn’t retire. He had to move into his in-laws extra house and rent out his former house to survive retirement and he is working in his 60s and his children did badly in Japanese schools. He sent his kid to Canada and the boy returned failing his college exams. The other brother with no degree retired decently in the states.
Think wisely and all the best.