I wanked really hard at the map and this is where I hit.
Have been trying to get out of Tokyo station for last 10 years
Best combinis in Japan only.
In general, for whatever reason, my life here has been in somewhat a sweet spot.
Be it relationship, work, financially, residential status (somehow I was eligible for PR within 3 yrs of my stay, and no, I don’t have a JLPT).. Now I’m raising kids and recently Tokyo upped their game in child support related things regardless of income level, so that’s another nice move.
Society wise, of course no country’s perfect but compared to what I’ve experienced, I vibe with Japan the best.
I feel safe
I have lived in several other countries previously and like it here. Not to mention established with career and family here.
Everything relating to my hobbies is here and I have fewer worries here than in my home country.
Always loved Japan, been my dream since I was a kid. Took a bit of detour getting here though, but things have worked out so far. Oh and I love Japanese girls too.
My wife is Japanese and if we move back to America then I won’t be an expat anymore I think. We want to move back though if the cost of living goes down. We enjoy both countries very much.
wife, kids, house. Wouldn’t want to uproot them now.
​
regardless of godzilla, constant earthquakes, a partial nuclear meltdown, dramatically aging society, summers that are truely unbearable, it’s chill
During the first 5 years:
* Love for multiple points of the country * My girlfriend * Decent prospects to land a job doing something I like with a decent salary
During the following 5 years:
* Love for less points of the country, but still a few * My wife * A decent job doing something I like
During the last years:
* Love for my comfortable livelihood, which overweighs the negative points that torture me everyday * My kid and wife * A job that I can only do here * My house loan
The longer I stay here the less chances I have to go somewhere else, for both reasons in and outside of my control. I could have gotten somewhere else during phase 2, but I was lucky to find my place, despite the shiton of crap I despite.
When I first came here;
a/ beer in vending machines!
b/ can still get a cheeseburger
c/ drinkable water
Those were the criteria. Ruled out China, Saudi Arabia, etc. Still here but the vending machines are disappearing…
I have zero ability to go anywhere.
Getting kicked out of here soon (remember to get your pr before your relationship breaks down fellow neets)
Please explain what “expat locations” mean.
>why
Seemed like a good idea at the time.
>have you considered and decided against other expat locations?
I’m not an expat, I’m an immigrant.
But I’m not married to Japan either, so you know, someone wants someone with my skill set somewhere else, they’re welcome to make an offer.
I like Tokyo.
On my first day at my company in 2016 I asked to do something without having a meeting prior and caused an almighty teeth suck. That teeth suck has a gravitational pull that keeps me from leaving this office, where I’ve been trapped for 8 years.
Once you have been in a place for awhile, it gets sticky. You have a network, or a partner, or children, etc/
I was offered HK after 9 years, but turned it down because the job wasn’t really just a lateral move and I like Tokyo and at the time was just married to my wife.
A few months ago, we turned down Brussels because what does Belgium really have to offer us specifically? We have a child now learning J/E. And we both work in Tokyo. So…
These low-as-nonexistent-effort posts really brighten my day.
got married, had kids, bought a house, i’m sure thats 90% of gajins who have lived here 10+ years on this subreddit.
I just forgot to leave. It’s really hard to fail here and very easy to get complacent. This place is a motivation and ambition killer.
The more I think about other countries the more points I find which I would miss if I leave Japan. The safety, the silence, the conservatism, combinis, things just work, my job is great, …
Sorry to hijack, but I’d really like to hear from the 7+ years, but not yet 10 years crowd.
Expats are temporary, the companies usually only keep them here for two years.
28 comments
Low effort post, low effort response.
I wanked really hard at the map and this is where I hit.
Have been trying to get out of Tokyo station for last 10 years
Best combinis in Japan only.
In general, for whatever reason, my life here has been in somewhat a sweet spot.
Be it relationship, work, financially, residential status (somehow I was eligible for PR within 3 yrs of my stay, and no, I don’t have a JLPT).. Now I’m raising kids and recently Tokyo upped their game in child support related things regardless of income level, so that’s another nice move.
Society wise, of course no country’s perfect but compared to what I’ve experienced, I vibe with Japan the best.
I feel safe
I have lived in several other countries previously and like it here. Not to mention established with career and family here.
Everything relating to my hobbies is here and I have fewer worries here than in my home country.
Always loved Japan, been my dream since I was a kid. Took a bit of detour getting here though, but things have worked out so far. Oh and I love Japanese girls too.
My wife is Japanese and if we move back to America then I won’t be an expat anymore I think. We want to move back though if the cost of living goes down. We enjoy both countries very much.
wife, kids, house. Wouldn’t want to uproot them now.
​
regardless of godzilla, constant earthquakes, a partial nuclear meltdown, dramatically aging society, summers that are truely unbearable, it’s chill
During the first 5 years:
* Love for multiple points of the country
* My girlfriend
* Decent prospects to land a job doing something I like with a decent salary
During the following 5 years:
* Love for less points of the country, but still a few
* My wife
* A decent job doing something I like
During the last years:
* Love for my comfortable livelihood, which overweighs the negative points that torture me everyday
* My kid and wife
* A job that I can only do here
* My house loan
The longer I stay here the less chances I have to go somewhere else, for both reasons in and outside of my control. I could have gotten somewhere else during phase 2, but I was lucky to find my place, despite the shiton of crap I despite.
When I first came here;
a/ beer in vending machines!
b/ can still get a cheeseburger
c/ drinkable water
Those were the criteria. Ruled out China, Saudi Arabia, etc. Still here but the vending machines are disappearing…
I have zero ability to go anywhere.
Getting kicked out of here soon (remember to get your pr before your relationship breaks down fellow neets)
Please explain what “expat locations” mean.
>why
Seemed like a good idea at the time.
>have you considered and decided against other expat locations?
I’m not an expat, I’m an immigrant.
But I’m not married to Japan either, so you know, someone wants someone with my skill set somewhere else, they’re welcome to make an offer.
I like Tokyo.
On my first day at my company in 2016 I asked to do something without having a meeting prior and caused an almighty teeth suck. That teeth suck has a gravitational pull that keeps me from leaving this office, where I’ve been trapped for 8 years.
Once you have been in a place for awhile, it gets sticky. You have a network, or a partner, or children, etc/
I was offered HK after 9 years, but turned it down because the job wasn’t really just a lateral move and I like Tokyo and at the time was just married to my wife.
A few months ago, we turned down Brussels because what does Belgium really have to offer us specifically? We have a child now learning J/E. And we both work in Tokyo. So…
These low-as-nonexistent-effort posts really brighten my day.
got married, had kids, bought a house, i’m sure thats 90% of gajins who have lived here 10+ years on this subreddit.
I just forgot to leave. It’s really hard to fail here and very easy to get complacent. This place is a motivation and ambition killer.
The more I think about other countries the more points I find which I would miss if I leave Japan. The safety, the silence, the conservatism, combinis, things just work, my job is great, …
Sorry to hijack, but I’d really like to hear from the 7+ years, but not yet 10 years crowd.
Expats are temporary, the companies usually only keep them here for two years.
The Hub is keeping me grounded.
Other places don’t have green tea as available.
I’m the loan ranger!
Inertia.