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.
9 comments
This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.
—
**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.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/movingtojapan) if you have any questions or concerns.*
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.
Well it sounds like you came back to the States because your family asked you to, not because you chose to. And you probably will regret staying in the states 5-10years down the line since your heart is still in Japan and from the sound of it, never wanted to leave in the first place.
Yeah you are right about Interac though, you’re not going to have any career or money growth from doing that again. Well since you’re in the states have you thought about getting some sort of IT certifcation, or skill here then go back to Japan again and look for work? Also what’s your Japanese level?
You know what you have to do. Come on back friend!
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.
​
> 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.