Oct 26, 2024
Has the length of your stay in Japan surprised you?
I saw an article online this past week about a Californian man who moved to Japan for a short-term work assignment back in the early 90s. Fast forward 32 years later, and he's still here, with a family, house, business, and so forth.
It got me thinking about my own situation in Japan -- we moved here in 2013 because of my husband's work. Initially that was going to be a one-year stint, which turned into a four year stint. That then turned into him studying here (the prospect of moving back to the States for us at the time was not appealing), and now we both work here. Our children were born here, and feel more Japanese than anything else, although they're not by blood nor by passport.
I wonder how many fellow City-Cost contributors have also been surprised by the length of their stay in Japan. Did many of you start out only anticipating being here for a short period of time and then seeing that extend significantly? Are there specific reasons you've opted to stay here rather than return to your home country?
For us it was primarily safety (we feel a lot more at ease raising children here than our respective home countries), but cost of living also plays a part too. It's very easy for us to have a happy work-life balance here without having to slog our lives away in an office cubicle, our rent is reasonable, and we have more time together as a family which is something you can't put a price on.
2 Comments
JTsu
on Oct 26
Same, but different. I came here to teach English for 2-5 years, however long it took me to get fluent in Japanese, and return to the states. 16 years later, I'm still not fluent and I barely study and I can't imagine trying to live on the states ever again. I met my partner here and he's from here. The racism here exists but the worst I usually see is someone scowling at me. Back in my home state I am sure my Japanese husband would get worse and move violently. My kid's school warns us of bears in the woods rather than armed gunmen. The cost of survival as we age and get sick and injured just doesn't compare. It is much cheaper to fall apart and get put back together in Japan.
TonetoEdo
on Oct 26
I came for a year and stayed for 24 more. Sometimes, I wonder how my life would have been different if I had stayed in my hometown, Vancouver, and then I start counting my blessings here. Transport infrastructure is great for non-drivers like me, food quality, availability, and prices are good, despite inflation in the last few years. Safe and clean accommodation at affordable prices is a huge one considering the housing crisis in Canada. An apartment comparable to where I live (within easy reach of Tokyo) costs a quarter of what I'd pay in Vancouver. The salary I get at a private high school here is okay by Japanese standards, but lower than ESL instructors in Vancouver earn. Still, I save nearly half my net income every month here. And I eat well, travel on weekends, and don't feel squeezed. I'd be scraping by in Vancouver despite the higher salary.