are you content living in Japan?

[hanasims]

I am considering moving to japan for awhile with my girlfriend and was wondering if most of you guys are happy there? Is a lifetime in Japan as a foriegner possible? Please let me know what you think. I already have heard alot about what it is like being gaijin, but I need more info. Thanks alot.

[ramchop]

Anything's possible. What's "a while"? You could PM Ted Bundy I'm sure he'd give you a positive response.

I say, sure, come on over. Don't get too hung up on researching what it'll be like. Get over here and experience the life for yourself. Keep your options open, have fun.

[Video-Link Japan]

I am considering moving to japan for awhile with my girlfriend and was wondering if most of you guys are happy there? Is a lifetime in Japan as a foriegner possible? Please let me know what you think. I already have heard alot about what it is like being gaijin, but I need more info. Thanks alot.

Hey, anything is possible..!!! Maybe take some time surfing through the Japan Bloggers Ring to see what some of those people 'here on the ground' are saying.
http://www.souzouzone.jp/japanbloggers/index.html
I would think a little recon trip for a month visit would be a good way to start, reading what other people say about something.. and living it for yourself can be totally different. Ganbatte Masho

[kotatsuneko]

come here sure, but dump the gf first! youll realise why once you get here....

[Taro Toporific]

Is a lifetime in Japan as a foriegner possible?

"Possible?" Sure. Desirable? Maybe.
I'm on vacation and in a good mood so I can say "nice" things today. For my 20 odd years here in the Land-o-Concrete(tm) I've literally dropped everything, walked out the door and got on the train to Narita airport a half dozen times. I'd say Japan for me is half-&-half, good and bad. HOWEVER, I am making a minor fortune here; I've haven't a clue why the just-scraping-by FG stay.

[Gaisaradatsuraku!]

Is a lifetime in Japan as a foriegner possible?

"Possible?" Sure. Desirable? Maybe.
I'm on vacation and in a good mood so I can say "nice" things today. For my 20 odd years here in the Land-o-Concrete(tm) I've literally dropped everything, walked out the door and got on the train to Narita airport a half dozen times. I'd say Japan for me is half-&-half, good and bad. HOWEVER, I am making a minor fortune here]

Taro, when did you move out of the fetid bowels to the butt plug? How much key money for the butt plug? Did you need a guarantor to move into the butt plug? Is it a 6 mat butt plug or bigger?

These and other questions our knew friend will understand the meaning of.

[Big Booger]

take it day by day pal. Somedays life here is shit, others are tolerable and yet others are enjoyable. I guess it is about the same anywhere, except when you are foreign in Japan, you know it, and you can moan about it.


Japanese have different rules, some good, others bad, and some just annoying. Overall I'd say your experience here depends on your character. If you are a lazy sack of shit in your home country, don't expect to come here and become some kind of super hero. It doesn't happen that often AFAIK.

[Taro Toporific]

Is a lifetime in Japan as a foreigner possible?

"Possible?" Sure. Desirable? Maybe.

Taro, when did you move out of the fetid bowels to the butt plug? How much key money for the butt plug? Did you need a guarantor to move into the butt plug? Is it a 6 mat butt plug or bigger?

These and other questions our knew friend will understand the meaning of.

From what I understand, NYC has a similar bribe structure for "good" rentals (NYC rent bribe is hearsay: I'm from Colorado via Chicago). One thing is for damn sure, nobody should move to Japan for the butt-plug scenery or the constipated corporate culture of "fetid bowels".

[Gaisaradatsuraku!]

Is a lifetime in Japan as a foreigner possible?

"Possible?" Sure. Desirable? Maybe.

Taro, when did you move out of the fetid bowels to the butt plug? How much key money for the butt plug? Did you need a guarantor to move into the butt plug? Is it a 6 mat butt plug or bigger?

These and other questions our knew friend will understand the meaning of.

From what I understand, NYC has a similar bribe structure for "good" rentals (NYC rent bribe is hearsay: I'm from Colorado via Chicago). One thing is for damn sure, nobody should move to Japan for the butt-plug scenery or the constipated corporate culture of "fetid bowels".

Well, I haven't heard anything about bribing to get a good rental but I can tell you that buyers still need to move pretty quickly and had to offer ABOVE the asking price to have a chance (to show you are a serious bidder - because there will be bidders). Lately, however, things seem to have cooled off a lot.

Re the current rental market, the new dodge is to give renters the first month and last month free. That's a good effective discount. However, they lock you into the higher rent and can work their increase off the higher amount should the market turn.

[jim katta]

New York rental market is brutal. I live in lower manhattan and all the talk about 9/11 lowering the rents...that lasted for about 2 seconds. Best way to find a great place: know the right people, make the right friends. Second best way: under the table bribe. Third best way: just have a lot of money, shuts everyone up and get things moving. In my opinion these methods, and their order of importance, also hold true for Japan.

As for Japan, I agree with Video Link, definitely do a one month recon trip first. It's so different you reaally need to check it out first before you sign on for a long haul. Many gaijin I know of have done the sight unseen moving to Japan with girlfriend move and most resented her for it later. At least if you do recon first, if you hate japan later, you'll only have yourself to blame. Again, review the name of this site.

Of course you could go to Japan and make out like a regular Debito and never want to leave. Weird place, so weird people tend to like it more. Are you weird? That would help. Good luck!

[Naniwan Kid]

Without reading anything but the original post (suman!) let me say that you better come here with something set up. I assume your GF is Japanese. Come here and visit first, 2 weeks with the parents may be enough....especially if you don't speak the language.

Take the opp to TEST THE WATERS before you make such a life choice.

I LOVE my life in Japan (though I am lucky that we kind of do both) but I know a lot of people go totally nuts. It is hard being a "gaijin" if you don't know what that means. It is GREAT on some levels and it is TOTALLY DEMEANING on others. It takes an open mind, and then takinf that mind and opeing it bigger.

I'll keep checking this thread, and hope to give more detailed advice....

[japslapper]

I have been here nearly 3 yrs now....just settling in.

Japan as I like to say is the "Land of the Bizarre" doesnt mean bad or doesnt mean good Its unique.

I mean you can put all the nations of the world Armenia to Zambia in one group. The rest are all in one group. Japan is unique. Off the scale- bonkers - weird-great-fantastic-interestin-etc

I like to say Japanese people are how an alien would turn out if they tried to study human by correspondance course! The effects of isolationism are still presesnt - frustrating at times but interesting.

It depends on why you came here as to what you get out of it. Just look here on this site and you`ll see some GF who are just frustrated and stressed(everyone has uniques ways of dealing with this - like screwing around and bragging) Japan can very rewarding and frustating (gaijin concept). Its not a land of honey - (just sushi)

Life in the concrete but-plug and Inaka is very different. Actually where I am living is very remote. I am an hour from the nearest gaijin cluster.
- the landscape is beautiful(Nachi waterfall 10 mins from my house) but here I am culturally isolated. No one who understands western ideas for miles. Last year I went nearly 6 months without seeing another gaijin! City dwellers - overcrowding ,expense etc. Varied as anywhere.

having lived in Uk(12 years) France (2years) Kenya (2years) New Zealand (5 years), Jordan( 6 months) and japan (3 years) - this place is the safest in terms of personal crime but in terms of social things and ultimately mental health Japan is the toughest by far.

Make your own adventure and good Luck!

[canman]

I've been here ten years, and everyday I find something else new to like or hate. By the way, started having minipanic attacks, went to my doctor/student, who at first wanted to prescribe anti-depressants, I told him I would try yoga and relaxation techniques. But the gist of our conversation was that he felt that foreigners here, or maybe just me, have a higher level of stress than the average person. Now we may not know it, but he felt that living in Japan has a tendency to stress people out. I'm wondering if its the same for others. Like when Japanese move to the US or Canada, do they feel pressure or stress. I don't think so. A lot of the Japanese I know who have lived or travelled a lot don't want to come back. Anyway the yoga is doing wonders I recommend it to anybody who is interested.

[kotatsuneko]

for some reason, in hokkaido , you dont pay key money.. just a months deposit, and around ni man cleaning costs upon leaving, which i still think is bad as they didnt do much of a cleaning job when we moved in...

stress, yeh its a bitch, some people find it easier to settle in than others, god knows why i didnt/dont.. i even gained a bald patch since moving here.. im only 31!!! doctor said it was def stress, tried giving me pills, i didnt like the idea of prozac or whatever, so he suggested doing stuff outdoors, so i chose photography/filming..

give it a go! if you hate it, theres always korea or thailand nearby, hk even.. if you dont get on with them, you could chill at oz/nz, they arent that far away..

when i go home to see my family i'm def stopping over at holland and italy along the way...!

[ramchop]

if you dont get on with them, you could chill at oz/nz, they arent that far away..

If NZ isn't that far away then neither is England.

Tokyo - London (13 hours flight time)
Tokyo - Auckland (11 hrs... but seems a fuck of a lot longer with kids)

The arse-end of the world isn't close to anywhere.