I’ve lived here for a year and I feel really strongly that it was the right move for my MH. Overall I feel a lot stronger mentally due to facing challenges (navigating life in my second language, dealing with staring etc.) and have a much better social support network than I did back in my home country. I’d like to hear more people’s perspectives!
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I no longer have the fear of being shot if I walk in public, so that’s definitely helped
It is really improved my nerves. Not that I was ever nervous, but in the sense that I know my wife can go to the shop for a pint of milk without being raped and/or murdered.
Japan does things well.
Simpler/easier way of life. Less responsibility. Less work. Safer. No (Brexit) nutcases in pubs etc.
Don’t have to deal with family drama (or at least, am less involved) and live on my own, so that’s nice.
First year was definitely rough, though.
Not having access to party hard drugs like cocaine that are easy as hell to get and are the norm in a lot of night scenes in my country.
No psychotic family members trying to abduct me for the ###th time. (Bonus point: the bitch died!)
People are not confrontational here. In England I would get aggressive questions like “why do you dress like that?” “Why is your hair like that?” (I don’t even wear anything THAT outlandish, I just don’t spend my whole life in a tracksuit…) People will either compliment you here, or they won’t say anything.
Money goes further here. I have savings and my own apartment. I have a pension. In England I felt like I couldn’t ever afford to retire. My job would just about cover rent (in a share house, couldn’t afford my own place) food and bills/taxes.
Financial stability. Stability in general. You can do the same routine for 10 years without noticing anything changing, if you want to (which is both good and bad, of course).
My living conditions are stable and high-quality. My financial situation is healthy. I’m not living on the edge trying to scrape by or scramble to find an apartment.
8500 kilometers and 8 hours of time zone difference is a valid excuse to cut out a toxic family from one’s life for good. no more emotional or financial terror and blackmail. they couldn’t find out my address or phone number even if they wanted to, and even if they could, reaching me would be way outside of their budget. and good luck taking out more bogus loans under my name without knowing my MyNumber and banking details.
that, and the fact that I no longer struggle financially even though I’m doing the same job as in Europe for the same relative pay.
1. Family relations aren’t as extensive here so less family drama
2. Parks don’t exist where I’m from so nature’s helped a lot
3. Also have the chance to garden, which has been the most therapeutic exp for me
4. Lesser religion-based harassment
5. Infra supports safe walking, so more exercise
6. Personally, better access to fresh and healthy ingredients so improved diet
7. Social scene’s been lacking but Reddit and keeping in touch with friends back home has helped (Reddit’s banned where I’m from)
8. Increased privacy
I found that people here have higher expectations of me, and the reaction to meeting those expectations is positive instead of a mixture between being taken aback and pondering whether I’m stupid or have ulterior motives.
At the same time, I am no longer continually disappointed by everyone else.
It’s relatively safe, healthcare is much better, we don’t have to own a car, my crazy family is not here, and the food is good.
I no longer fear winter. I now fear summer
I was definitely at my lowest point in life in the states back in 2016 living in the states. Without divulging too much, it was pretty bad time for my MH. My first time moving to Japan in 2018 only lasted about half a year and it was sort of an emotional rollercoaster. Moved back to the states for a short time and figured myself out a little more. Been in Japan for about 3 years in total now, and they have been the best 3 years of my life. I’m recently married, have a well paying job, and a great group of friends. Can’t really ask for much else.
I lived in SF and was assaulted by homeless people a few times, once seriously.
It caused me a lot of problems so I moved here and my life has improved drastically.
The noise.
The constant, incessant, inescapable noise.
The sort of noise that spouts from so many people in the UK, whose political alignment / dietary preference / gender identity are literally their entire personality.
The never-ending debates about these things between people and establishments with no intention of trying to understand each other’s perspectives.
For better or worse, Japan is a LOT less noisy. Returning to the UK (or visiting the US, for that matter) is always an absolute bombardment of ideology and people telling you you’re wrong, no matter what your opinions are on anything.
Japan has a lot of its own problems. Banking, for one, should be a national embarrassment. But at least people are willing to listen to your opinions, willing to be friends with you even if they don’t share said opinions and willing to mind their own business when those opinions are not relevant.
Moving out of the UK and away from all the noise improved my mental health tremendously. I can even appreciate the good bits more when I occasionally visit.
First of all, Japanese racism towards Westerners is virtually non-existent compared to Western racism towards East Asians (ハーフ raised in Western Europe). Not having to deal with underachieving losers who think they can justifiably look down on me just because I belong to a different race: priceless.
The fact that humility is a virtue here, rather than “confidence” in Western countries which often turns into simple arrogance / obnoxiousness / pride in oneself despite not having all that much to be proud of.
The fact that people tend to be non-confrontational and polite rather than trying to have strong opinions about everything and anything—despite not knowing much about said subjects—just for the sake of having strong opinions about everything and anything.
The fact that the streets are clean; that I don’t have to worry much about the safety of my belongings; that even though I know how to fight, it’s highly likely that I won’t ever need to; that the people in this country tend to take care of their appearance—fashionable, healthy and generally pleasing to look at; I could go on. But basically, I find Japan to be an improvement on virtually every aspect compared to Western Europe. It’s only natural that I’d be happier here.
Was able to get assessed and on ADHD medication 3 weeks after walking into the doctor’s office for the first time, instead of waiting a year and paying low hundreds of thousands of yen. It’s changed my life
Lower rent, more financial stability a big positive point for me too.
Lived in a third world country before I moved here. The people there went out of their way to inconvenience others. Living there made me realize what would drive some people to go postal.
It’s refreshing to live in a country that’s the complete opposite, where people go out of their way NOT to inconvenience others. I can just live my life without anyone hassling me.
Funnily enough, a more individualistic lifestyle. Nobody is overly curious about my business.
Safer environment overall and wonderful public transpo. I can board the last train and walk the 10-minutes walk to my apato safely. No catcalling. Minimal noises. No honkings, no obnoxiously loud calls for prayers. Yesss.
Space for people who love walking.
Higher income than what I can dream of if I work in my field back home.
The fact that no one in Tokyo really cares what you’re up to is freeing. I used to be very socially anxious and constantly worried about people thought of me, confused about what the right and acceptable way to express myself was.
Here, I can do what I want and enjoy what I want, and there’s probably a little community of people somewhere who enjoy that thing too. In Tokyo, I can be myself.
Just living day to day. E.g looking forward for the little things like azaleas blooming.. fireworks in the summer, beach day and snowboarding in the winter or just looking at snow. I found stressing out about things outside of my control usually triggers me so i decided not to think too much…literally 🫣.
I came to Japan a few years ago with rose-tinted glasses. You know, from reading and watching too much materials made by tourists and stuff. After a few months, homesickness, culture shock, and disillusionment mixed with isolation brought by the pandemic kicked in. So the last 2-3 years were especially tough on me and I was consulting MH professionals here and there.
When I first moved here, I felt like I was merely existing. You know those typical stories about Japanese people waking up, going to work, eating, doing some shopping maybe, going to bed and then repeat? Yeah that happened to me especially during the pandemic. I didn’t feel like I was making the most of my time here.
Eventually, as my therapist suggested, I tried to look at myself from a different perspective. Constantly consuming Japanese media (arguably has its ups and downs) made me think about doing things that I haven’t done before, especially in my own country (for financial, physical reasons, etc).
Go to the convenience store in the middle of the night to go get some ice cream? Yeah, I can do that now because it’s relatively safer than any other country I’ve been to. Go travel alone as a 4’8” female who looks more like a middle schooler? Yeah I booked that flight to Hokkaido because it’s now possible for me to do that without going bankrupt (I get paid so much more than in my own country while doing the same job) and again, it’s safer.
Honestly, moving to Japan actually made me experience anxiety so much more than ever at one point. However, I stopped looking what I *cannot* do in Japan (so many unwritten rules here and there the social anxiety just built up), and started looking at what I *can* do with my current situation and state. I started travelling around Japan, watched a Japanese movie without subs, talked to locals so much more, learned how to make Japanese sweets, joined local communities, etc. I felt more alive than ever with all these experiences I got to have.
Yes, moving to Japan made my mental health worse… but *living* here actually made it better than it ever was.
I have a job where I can afford rent and food. I’m still not the happiest person you’ll ever meet but I’m no longer daydreaming my death.
Much, much nicer people. Better food. Always something to do on weekends without having to default to getting drunk. Money worth much more. Oh and the people are really nice and friendly, if I forgot to mention that.
Nobody talks to me about politics. I don’t have to drive a car unless I choose to. Taking the train allows me to read a lot more. In general, the place I live in Japan is cleaner and safer than NYC. From my experience, the people here are more respectful than what you will find in NYC. I eat a lot more seasonal fruits and vegetables when I’m in Japan which helps with my overall health. For the record, I don’t work in Japan. I remotely manage a small family business that is based in the US. I don’t think I could work an office job here…