Living in Japan: Plusses and Minuses

All in all, Japan is a fairly easy country for an expat to live in: people are friendly and interested in English, the country has low crime and it seems like there’s always an interesting experience to be had somewhere. You have access to entertainment — theatres show Western movies in English with Japanese subtitles, not dubbed over as in most foreign countries — and having the best Internet in the world means you never feel that far from friends and family members back home. Another nice thing about Japan is public transportation, and if you live near a reasonably large city you can probably get by without the expense of a car. But there are some challenges to living here, as well. Japanese homes are not up to the quality standards of the U.S. (I’m cold all the time in mine), and moving into any rented home or apartment requires 5-6 months rent up front, what with the “thank you money” paid to the landlord and other charges that are customary. Another challenge for newcomers to Japan who haven’t already studied the language is not being able to read. Although you can find signs written in English near train stations or on major roads, it’s quite easy to find yourself in a place where everything around you is in Japanese. The good news is, nothing helps you learn like necessity!

All-in-all, Japan is an easy country for gaijin to live in.