Why All Foreigners LEAVE JAPAN 

How I Met My Wife in Japan (She's Not Japanese!) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-QNworgD2IXA.html

Let me guess, You didn't search for this?

I think two other reasons foreigners leave is doing no research before going, and having unrealistic expectations.

Even Japanese want to leave Japan like me. So I left Japan to Australia 10 years ago, but found it difficult to live for long time. Then I realized the keys of good life are cultural fit, relationships and job. Before I left my home country I had not appreciated these factors. I am living happily in Japan now. I hope all of people here can find the best place to spend good life.

Japan is a fantastic country to visit as a foreigner. Not a good place to live as a foreigner though.

I like to imagine that he's just following a stranger on a bike while loudly trying to engage in conversation.

Hate to say this but, this would be a heartbreaking news for all the weebs who want to study Japanese and planning to get a job as a English teacher and live there permanently.

I wanted to move to Japan since I was 14, in 1995. Eleven years later, I made it. I lived in Tokyo for 4 years and it was truly the highlight of my life. When I was 29, riding the train out to work in the suburbs (I was living in Harajuku), I really started to think more deeply. "Once I start a family, I'm going to be locked down here and be less able to transition careers...and I *don't* want to be an English teacher forever." I had to pull the pin and come back to the US...and I'm glad I did, because my 30s were a time of personal growth....but the mind is strange. All my memories of my previous life play on the screen of my mind with the sweet ochre haze of nostalgia...I'm 40 now..and sometimes I think about going back. I'd say one of the biggest reasons to go back is because now I'm smarter, more professional, understand how businesses are run, and have a confidence that I could build a successful enterprise in tourism...but things like COVID travel lockdowns are terrifying and no entrepreneur should take them lightly. Talk about throwing cold water on a HUGE number of people's livelihoods in Japan...

I’ve been living in Japan for more than 30 years now. I have my own job and bought a house. Life is not easy and there are obstacles in some ways but I get by. I think fulfillment doesn’t come from where you live. Fulfillment comes from witnessing your own growth!

I feel like you missed one major reason, which was the main reason I left Japan after 8 years: The work culture is crappy in most places. I basically had all the good stuff you mentioned, and while I still miss a lot of that stuff back home in America, the piss-poor work culture really ruined it all. I think Steve Martin's long post in the comments says it all pretty clearly.

I lived/worked in Japan for 10 years. I considered being a lifer, but then I hit my 30's. As you said, many companies only give short term contracts. Sure you can try to change companies. But when you get older, you realize that they age discriminate for new workers. Mid 30's should be a supervisor. After getting married, not getting any full time contracts with benefits, and realizing that I will not be strong enough to do 4 freelancer jobs to make a living after I'm 40, I decided to leave. That and back then the gaijin bs really got old for me after 5 years. I wasn't having much fun there anymore. Just work work work. After a couple of years of being on the fence, family reasons convinced me to go home.

My view: Yes Japan looks amazing in photos and videos and many people wish they could be apart of that culture but... We have to remember it still has flaws and bad parts too. It's great to explore the world and discover everything it has to offer, but we also need to take into acount the problems and disadvantages of certain places. People cant let their fixation on something blind their view of everything else if that makes sense.

22 years here , no intention of leaving to go back to high crime and rude people. Only came for a year, too. :)

If you want to become a citizen, you have to work and live in Japan for 5 years. Contract Visa: _Best I can do is 4._

I grew up in Japan, and I am tired of constantly being asked when I’m going to “go back to my country” despite here being the only home I know. I can only imagine how stressful being in jpn is for ppl who weren’t raised in the culture, as it’s a very difficult place to be happy even for jpn ppl. With every day i feel more tempted to leave, even though jpn is my home, bc the mental health in his country is ridiculously bad. I hope everyone else in the comments is doing okay, bc I have seen so many foreigners come to Japan and, after the initial “honeymoon” phase, have a full on mental breakdown bc of negative culture shock and leave.

Went to Japan for 10 days. I’m 23 years old and did a solo trip there. It felt like the home I’ve always wanted and after being back in America for two weeks I can no longer look at it the same. I feel uncomfortable and as if something is missing, I compare everything to Japan. Japan isn’t perfect and yes I know I was there a short time but out of all the places I’ve been so far, it was the place that felt like home for some reason. I felt as if all the things I thought mattered so much were simply distractions and Japan allowed me to be truly alone and sit with my thoughts and I think the combination of that allowed me to see a place where I could really form my life the way I wanted to.

Most Japanese People are introvert and shy while in my country Indonesia the people are friendly and easy to make friend with them.

For the first time in my life, I don't regret reading RU-vid comments for more than 1 minute.

I’m actually in the process of leaving Japan. I’ve been working as a software engineer for 5 years and it’s terrible. I’ve reached a point of depression and even had suicidal thoughts at some points. I grew up in a Japanese community in the States, so language has never been an issue. The insane working hours and not getting overtime payment, strange office politics, and low wage makes it hard to really enjoy my life. If I’m spending 10 -12 hours working, when the hell can I live? I think it’s great to visit Japan, but I honestly don’t recommend living in Japan long term. I can’t wait to go back to Michigan and enjoy my life again.

I lived there for just under 11 years and carved out a whole life there for myself. I intended to stay there, but ended up having to return to New York because my father was terminally ill, and as an only child, there was no one else to care for him. I miss my friends and would return in a heartbeat.

Maybe it’s just me, but I’ve been living in Japan for 6 years now and I love it. I went back to the US to visit family for a month and I was ready to come back by the second week. I’ll make the side statement that I don’t have traditional employment in Japan - I worked as a US contractor and now I’m getting into tech (as a self-employed individual working with US clients remotely), so I can’t speak for the horrid Japanese salaryman life but I know that it causes mental health issues with a lot of people. I didn’t realize the English teaching positions paid so little, I’m sure that plays a lot into standard of living and overall stress.

My husband is japanese and we both live in USA for more than 10 years. He said he makes money in US more than he was in Japan. He’s musician and he said no way he can buy a house if he continuously lives in Japan. Our goal is to earn US dollars as much as possible and live in Japan cheaply after we retire. The healthcare system in USA is expensive, so that’s what we are trying to do.

Westerners are moving to Asia and South-East Asia. Asian are moving to western's countries.

It is not easy to find "the right place for you" in the country of your birth, and of course not so easy in a foreign country either. In any case, I think he is happy enough because he has a wife he can trust, and most importantly, he looks healthy. People always want what they don't have. We should try thanking first.

I've been in Japan for about 5 years. My Boss has been in Japan for nearly 35 years. I help him (along with about a dozen other older Japanese guys) run 6 little businesses. Some parts of living in Japan can downright suck, I miss my family, My Japanese still sucks, but I LOVE Japan. I'm committed to Japan for live. I have zero desire to live anywhere else, including going back to the US. You've gotta ignore the negative, and stone-face power through the language barriers, the cultural differences, the exclusion, the discrimination, the financial situation, the social isolation, and everything else. Japan graciously gives me the opportunity to live in their country, and I whole-heartedly respect the opportunity that I've been given. I want to be an Asset to Japanese society and the Japanese economy. I want Japan to be a better place and Japanese society to be better because I live here. I guarantee I'll still be here 40 years from now. If you want to live long term in Japan, you need dedication, commitment, and sheer willpower, and you can make it happen.

Here's my thoughts. Japan isn't the only country in the world. There's so much more to this world and it's better to spend time exploring other options than to fixate on the country that has brought me manga and anime. I could live in Japan if I put in enough effort to plan out how I'm going to live, but there could be other places I might have worked better in. The point im making is that if all seems lost when your dream of moving to Japan isn't as true as it seems, there are most definitely other options, and you can still visit Japan anytime!

Its very simple, if you have a lot of money, Japan is great. Propably one of the best countries to live in, in terms of quality of life. Problem is, if you don‘t its quite the opposite. And recent years haven‘t been good years to make money in Japan, you have to bring yours into the country.

The key to living in Japan as a foreigner is making sure you get income from outside Japan. With remote working you can do this in a thousand ways. But never ever seriously go work for a Japanese company unless you like to have some unique life experience.

Many thanks for this very informative video. Japan was and still is one of the countries I always wanted to discover for myself. All the best and stay healthy.

I have been to Japan as a tourist. I enjoyed it a lot in the first few days, it's a really nice country with nice people. The only problem is, if you notice hard, people there are tensed. IDK why but I feel people there don't live with happiness although they are nice to you but inside they just feel sad for some reason.

From what I’ve experienced in Japan, I believe this is orchestrated to achieve the very ends it incentives. They don’t want permanent resident aliens in Japan, but they need the labor and foreign experts.

I been living here since 1975. No plan to leave.

This "cycling video" gave me more insights into Japanese life and society than many other dedicated Japan videos. Congrats.

I am a Taiwanese working in Japan as a mechanical engineer. Though the salary isn’t too bad, I still started to consider whether I should stay or leave. I work in the countryside of Aichi, my private life is so boring😂. I really miss my family, friends, and night markets in Taiwan.😢 Anyway, Happy Birthday to you!🥳 *21/08/12 updated Thank you for all the advices below. Never thought this comment will get these much replies.😂 Btw, I switched to a new job and kind of satisfied with my new life now. So, I guess I won’t leave Japan in near future. Just hope the pandemic can get over soon, and we can all travel freely just like before.🙏

It’s no secret, Japanese love gaijin to visit, but not stay forever.

I’ve been to Japan, primarily Tokyo, four times, always had a blast and have Japanese friends I still chat with to this day; but it also changed my mind about living there. The attention of being a foreigner is novel at first but eventually really wears off. There’s so much I love about the country and it’s people but I realized I could never feel at home there. I had never considered all the financial reasons you mentioned but those make me even more sure of my decision. Great video!

I lived in Japan for 3 years, when I first got there I thought i might stay 5 but after 3 I really wanted to leave. There are sooo many reasons for this, I am not able to pin it down to a single factor. But I got really homesick among other things, so I went back to my country. Now I've lived in my homecountry for a bit over 4 years, and I quite like it here. And I have finally decided what I want out of life, going to japan certainly helped me with this :) since leaving japan ive only been back once (because corona happened...) and i am really longing to go back now. If i could I would go back every year for like a few months at a time! But I dont have that money, haha. I miss the food and my friends. Even though Japan wasnt a great fit for me to live fulltime, I still love the place and plan to go back many times! :D

weebs: I want to go to japan later on weebs : mum pick me up.

I've worked with plenty of foreigners who have been in Japan for much longer than a few years. Usually in finance, technology or management. Both companies I've worked at here have hired me as a full-time employee, with no contract limit. I'm making an admirable salary by Australian standards. I think you called out throughout the video what the problem is; English teaching in Japan is not a long-term sustainable career. It's a commodity here. Not saying you were misrepresenting things - you were very careful to communicate that the commentary around salary and contract length at least was in the English teaching vertical, however I'd hate to see people in other industries be overly discouraged.

A very informative video great points thank you GL

You made this as easy on the eyes and ears as possible while telling a great story. Thank you.

I lived in Japan for 5 years when I was younger. I was studying Japanese in the morning and teaching Italian and English in the evening. I was blessed to meet extraordinary people, sincerely friendly, kind and generous. I had a great time, I relaxed in an honsen and I lived in a small community in Kyoto, north of the botanical garden. My neighbours were so kind, they often cooked for me knowing that I was coming home completely exhausted. My students and one of my teachers used to treat me like their own sister. May all Japanese be blessed with Peace, Love, Joy and abundance. Thank you! 💖🤗🙏

I left Japan after two years. I'm basically a loner and don't have any close friends anyway so I thought that I wouldn't feel lonely in Japan but I did. I guess the way people in the US in general treat me as a fellow American is good enough that it satisfies whatever needs I have for being happy and not lonely. In Japan people who don't know me well treat me of course as a foreigner and this got to me. It seems like common sense right. I really miss Japan though and think about going back but all the things you describe like the falling wages for English teachers.. I'd likely end up leaving all over again. I think I might copy you and make some cycling blog videos. It's a nice change of pace and I love cycling.

Great video I really enjoyed the info and scenery!!

Japanese citizens that work in U.S. have same requirements, to my knowledge. At least that is how it used to be years ago. It may be even tougher now? With pandemic and all? I can say, the Japanese people are some of the most wonderful, gracious, fun people I have had the pleasure to know and work with. I love their food, and love their culture! I wish I could have had the opportunity to go to Japan, Absolutely Beautiful Country! 💞

I visited japan for 15 days, got depressed while there, people in japan have a great pain on their hearts and they cant talk about it because the culture is "keep it for yourself" and there is no such thing as "I love you". I live in Brazil and people here don't work like crazy and don't need to be drunk to show any kind of emotion

My search: how to go live in Japan. Video titles: why not to live in Japan, why foreigners leave japan...

Very interesting. Thank you very much. Sincerely appreciate your video

Here's what I've noticed: foreigners who have completely dedicated their lives to training martial arts or Japanese Buddhism (who have basically become monks), manage to stay in Japan for decades.

And in the opening frames of the video we see something that we can’t find elsewhere: A construction worker bowing to you

I am Japanese and have a master's degree from US university. What you say about relatively low salary for my qualification, if you work for a Japanese company, is absolutely true. I lived and worked in the US for few years and at that time I was making around 1.5 times more. I came back to Japan for many reasons other than finance but such financial reward elsewhere sometimes gets me think to move out Japan.

I am Japanese. What you are saying is very valuable not only for foreigners but also for Japanese people. So I hope you will make more videos like this. Thank you for being honest.

Thank you so much for sharing to us your wisdom. Stay safe both of you and have blessed day!

What I first noticed is that there is not ONE piece of trash in the street NOT ONE. That's clean

Same shit here in the UK; salary going down and cost of living is going up.

Thanks for your videos cruise, intertanning and formative

I've been in Japan for 33 years now and don't expect to leave. My wife, daughter, and four grandchildren are all here.

It's getting tough to live in Japan now

This is probably the most honest video on Japan I've seen. I'm not dunking on channels like Abroad in Japan I love that channels content but I think they glamourize Japan too much and aren't objective enough while still keeping it fun. This video resonated with me as someone who's been there for 3 years and just wasn't getting anywhere.

Good to hear from a midwesterner in Japan! :) My husband and I are from Wisconsin and now live in the DC area. I spent a year in Japan. Great topic and points here, thank you! It was really interesting to watch you both cycle too haha. I felt like I was there again. :)

It's a very informative video. Thanks a lot

I've lived in Japan for one and half year. (1986) Spent one year in a zen temple in the hills of Fukui Ken. One off the best years in my life🧘‍♂️

looks like those buildings are just coming in never-ending loop

Lived and worked in Japan for about 5 years. Eventually left back to America because I felt like I was swinging from contract to contract, never had peace of mind because of visa renewals -- it was stressful. I own a home now in California and generally worry free. Despite that, I look back fondly on that time in my life with an adventurous nostalgia. Miss the healthcare for sure. It nags me to sell everything I own here in America to give it another go. I think Japan gets in your blood.

What I did in Japan was working online as a freelancer. I got to enjoy what the country had to offer and avoided the toxic work culture. Working from home allowed me to get away from the city too so I visited around half the prefectures in under a year. Of course I understand not everyone can do this, but if they can it's the best way to go. I also picked the places I lived carefully. My favorite spot was Shimokitazawa in Tokyo where people were extremely open minded and it was probably the only place that gave me a semi-European, bohemian vibe. Street musicians, vintage stores, good coffee and tatted-up people were everywhere. I can't say I had any bad experiences in Japan, the only thing that comes to mind is a guy bumping into me at Ikebukuro Station cause I was walking with my head inside my phone and cursed him out in broken Japanese and some drunk people in izakayas asking my dates why they would date a foreigner, but we would usually just make fun of them until they left. I'll head back again as soon as the country re-opens without a bunch of stupid rules, and plan to stay for a while in Fukuoka. The nice thing about that city is that the airport is huge so I can always go visit other places like Korea or Taiwan when I eventually grow tired. The people I really feel sorry for are the Japanese salary men who are working a dead end job stuck in a Sisyphean rat race. When I worked at eikaiwas I heard so many sad stories of people who had basically re-done the same day for the last 40 years of their life. No friends, no family, no purpose. Just a life wasted away without a single thing to show for it other than a couple of お疲れ様s and 飲み会s to give an illusion of gratitude.

As Japanese as well, and this is honest prospective and view. People who want to go to Japan Be prepared of an unexpected views too, just prepare and make sure you have good bonding with native speakers, be comfortable as well ^_^

I've been here for 15 years, and I've had friends who have left for most of the reasons you mentioned. For myself, the main reason I've flirted with the idea to go back to my country (Or a westernized one), is for my kids. The video mentioned family, but that was more for overseas families, and not for the family you have here. Simply put, I don't like how Japanese kids are brought up. They have their individuality taken out of them from an early age. If they show any creative thought outside of what they're meant to think, they'll be told to be quiet. Kids who lived in the US for a couple years (Due to their parents work) and come back to Japan, have a difficult time re-adjusting to their inability to express their own opinions as they used to overseas. The option for international schools is there, but they cost over $20,000 a year / kid. For now, I'm spending time with my kids as much as I can, and motivating them to think critically and creatively about different situations. But I still worry that the school system will attempt to hammer them down any time they ask a question in class.

Your blogs are amazing!

Excellent video mate. All the best to you and your wife.

I live in Japan since six years and the thought of leaving the country has never even remotely crossed my mind. I love it here with his pros and cons. Of course it's not for everyone but it's not a bad place to live at all.

I’ve lived in Japan since 1994. I taught at the university level from 1998 till 2018. I also own or run more than 7 companies in Japan. Now I’m semi retired and living half in the USA half in Japan, so I felt we we kinda similar except that I’m about 20 years ahead of you. Anyways I had to comment on a few things...first, I’d say most foreigners leave because they don’t know how to navigate the waters of Japan OR they are unwilling to do so because they don’t like the “Japanese way.” Now, based on what I heard, I’m pretty sure you are or were a tokunin sensei at a university. This is a limited term contract and pretty much sucks. If you want to be a regular full time tenured Sensei, the key is your publications. If you have a bunch of publications, hopefully at international peer reviewed publications, you’re gonna get a full time tenured position easy. There are just are not that many gaijin teachers who have both language skills AND publications. It’s definitely easier for you to do this in Japan compared to the USA. Starting salary as a koshi is typically 6-8 million and it’s tenured from day one. The vacation is unbeatable and the amount of admin is totally bearable. No doubt it’s a better deal than in the USA. In addition, as a gaijin who speaks Japanese, it’s much easier for you to get a full time tenured position than it is for a Japanese person seeking the same position....simply because there is much more competition among Japanese Sensei. I’ve been on hiring committees for more than 20 positions at two different universities so I’m pretty sure I know what I’m talking about here. Publications is the key if you’re going to pursue the university path. Now, about nenkin/Hoken, the deal in Japan is just SO much better than in the USA. You pay 14% of your salary and get full insurance and pension. Compare that to the states and you’re going to find the Japanese system is VASTLY superior and much cheaper. Quality of care is more or less the same with some exceptions at the high and low ends (this is a complex and completely different discussion). My friends in the USA pay way more for insurance and get way less imho. Anyways this is a different discussion. My advice to you is to get your full time position at the university and then start your business with your wife. That’s what I did and now I’m retired from the u I and my companies work for me. Final comment, there are so many opportunities in Japan for someone like you. Land is super cheap in the countryside and once you get permanent residency, loans are easy to get AND the interest is so low it’s almost like free money. So anyways, Japan is definitely full of opportunities for you and you’re definitely in the right place to take advantage of it. Good luck!!!!

This is a great video, lots of good info!!

Thanks for this fantastic video! This video is nostalgic for me. We used to live in the Pine Erize (パインエリゼ) apartment between Kakuozan eki (easy to catch with the Frante supermarket sign) and Ikeshita eki. すごいなずかしい。You are right about the lack of retirement savings and salary ceiling as reasons for leaving. I was working as an engineer there and the pay increases after 5 years were abysmal. The day I announced my resignation they are offered me 20% pay increase. I don't play those games. The business connections I made while over there however are still bearing fruit.

I don't think its a bad thing foreigners leave. Some people just want to leave home for different experiences and not stay in one place for too long.

Even my mom said that visiting Japan as vacation is one of the top destinations in the world but living there not so much as number one

Great video. Great insights and it's all absolutely accurate! I hope others listen to what you say because it is right on. Great country. One long time foreign resident once told me, 'living in Japan is easy. Surviving is hard'. Boy was he right.

I mean i hear complain a lot from foreigners.if you guys wanna leave, don't stay..we have our opinion for foreigners too. it's not easy for anyone to fit in any countries tho.Nobody says japan is paradise.I was born and raised in japan. But i don't belong to japanese company.Ik there are lot of foreigners like me. There are other options if you dislike working at japanese company.Try to look for other job in Japan. It is actually easy.especially if you can speak english or english native speaker, There are plenty of online job..and those are super common now.Also not only japan is the worst. US, Other asian countries and small europe are bad too.Take it or leave it.Nobody force you so. You can always leave with ur wife to other countries and i really hope you guys can move to vietnam and happily after forever.. Even japanese want to move to other countries sometimes. Again, Japan is not paradise like videos on youtube videos or movies. That's fiction. But also other countries aren't paradise either. i met lots of english native speaker dudes who is talking a shit in front of us or behind back like how many women they get laid with here..like Losers.In china, hong kong, japan etc some western men act like king.We don't need These dirty filthy western men or abusers/criminals. We don't want those bad foreigners .Just me and my friend's opinions.

I have a similar experience in South Korea. I actually love it here and I’ve taught at the same university for 3 years now. However, my parents are aging and not in good health, so I just really want to go back to the States to be closer to family. It’s a tough choice, but I know I won’t regret spending as much time as possible with my loved ones.

For me it was pretty simple: 1. Working the whole freaking time yet never having any money 2. Visa issues and the uncertainty of when you get kicked out of the country (3. Hot hot hot summers)

Good job ! I'm glad I went there for a year thanks to an exchange program. Otherwise, I would've decide to live there for a good amount of time. Before taking an important decision such as moving in another country, take your time to assess the good and the bad aspects. There is no rush. Don't forget about other countries as well as there are many hidden gems out there. Many opportunities. Having dreams is very good, but regrets is very bad as well.

Thank you for sharing your experience

As someone who has lived in Japan for more than 10 years and isn't going to leave, I can give you a short synopsis of why some foreigners *stay* in Japan. I think this is a more interesting topic. The main reason is because you are no longer a foreigner. The vast majority of expats I've met in Japan do not think of themselves as Japanese. As an American, who is used to the "melting pot", imagine someone moving to the US. At what point would that person be accepted as American? I think it pretty clear that it's *at any point*. If you look different and even if you speak English badly, generally there is no assumption that you are living there temporarily. In Japan it is different. Japanese people assume that if you are from a foreign place, that you intend to return to that foreign place. Indeed, when you meet new people, two questions that pop up quickly are, "Where are you from originally" and "When do you plan to return". It's easy to assume that this is what sets up the reality that Japan is only a temporary place of stay for foreigners. What I find interesting though, is that this attitude is not just shared by foreigners who work here, it's multiplied by about 10. Pick any random foreigner and ask them, "Where is your home". It would be incredibly rare for any of them to choose a place in Japan. If you ask, "Have you ever thought about living here forever", the response is almost universally "OMG! No!!!" People originally come to Japan for very different reasons than people come to the US (and many other western countries). In Japan people either come for a cultural experience or to raise money. In the US, people move there to raise their children in a country that they feel has more opportunities than their home country. If you ask people who are *just* moving to a western country if they plan to stay forever, their answer is almost universally, "Yes" (as long as their current visa allows them to answer the question honestly). If you ask people in Japan, their answer is almost universally, "No". If a person travels to their country of origin for a holiday, people in Japan say, "I went home for the holidays" and people in the US say, "I went to X country to visit my family for the holidays". This is a massive difference in starting position. Japan is a difficult place to fit in if you are not "all in" on Japanese culture. I call it an Inside/Outside culture. It's a binary switch. In every context, you are either an "inside person" or an "outside person". Usually, becoming an "inside person" is relatively easy -- there are almost no barriers. The trick is that you must follow *all* of the rules as an inside person *without exception*. If you do not, you end up on the outside quicker than you can blink. A lot of people won't believe me that becoming an "inside person" is easy. There is a great story from a fairly famous foreign supporter of sumo wrestling (his name escapes me at the moment). He is Israeli, but is a member of one of the top sumo heya. One day he suggested to some of his expat friends to go down to the heya and watch the sumo wrestlers practicing. At the gate to the heya they were greeted with a sign that said, "No foreigners". His guests started to turn away. "That doesn't apply to us!", he said. "If you know how to make an appointment, then you are Japanese according to the heya. I know how to make an appointment". I've found this kind of thing incredibly common in Japan. Most foreigners get in trouble in Japan simply because they don't think of themselves as Japanese. They think, "I'll fallow all the rules -- except the stupid ones" and get shunted to the "outside" in every context. Ask any Japanese person why take a shower sitting down rather than standing up. The answer is: "Because I am Japanese". This is the mindset that foreigners don't get. This is the main hurdle to becoming Japanese. You actually have to want to be Japanese. There will be many who will say, "People won't accept you as Japanese". In my experience, this is not true at all. If you act Japanese, then you *are* Japanese. But a big part of that is accepting that you are Japanese. There are no hyphenated people in Japan. It's inside or outside and if you aren't inside, then you are outside. You can't be "American" or "Vietnamese" or "Canadian" or "French" *and* Japanese. The funny thing about all this is that Japanese culture really has no ability *not* to accept you into the "inside" culture if you jump through all the correct hoops. Just saying, "I am Japanese" is enough to make you Japanese in polite company. Sure, there are plenty of racist and nationalistic people in Japan, just like any other place. But in polite company (which is everywhere outside of your home), it's just not possible to act that way! This is one of the things I love about Japan! Being a jerk is rude and disruptive and just not tolerated here. Sure, some people will secretly hate you -- but the key is that they will *secretly* hate you. You can ignore it. So TL;DR: Why do some people stay? Because they are Japanese. This is their home. They have no other home. If you get to that point in your own internal thinking, you will almost certainly stay in Japan. But if you don't? Well who wants to live their whole life as a guest in a temporary place. It's like being a refugee forever, with no home to call your own. It's not a tenable situation. That's the real reason that people leave Japan -- it's all or nothing here. If you don't choose "all", you've got "nothing".

My mentor in Okinawa had lived there over 50 years and his wife was Okinawan. He had been part of Okinawa's reversion to Japan, was a renowned Kendo swordsman, and was officially honored by the government. He told me to turn down my job opportunity, saying that no matter how long I stayed and no matter what I did, I would always be a foreigner. He came home to be buried in Arlington.

why all foreigners leave Japan ? Ans: Because their visa expires

My brother and his family moved to Japan early 2021. Him and his wife are English teachers for a company. They've been trying to convince me to move there as well... But I don't like the salary cap. It's scary to have to move away from Hong Kong, when salary for teachers here is so much better than most countries (I'm a primary school teacher in a local school). To hear those numbers for a University professor to me is just shocking, I expected the salary would be way more. And to hear that you have to start from the bottom whenever you move jobs is sad... Thanks for your honest insight. Love the shots. I'm telling my brother to film similar content since he cycles a lot as well. Love your channel. Congrats on moving to Thailand.

It is getting very hard to live and be happy in Japan. This times are gone for good. It is not the same Japan as 10 years ago, unfortunately. I ma 44 now and recently lost my job cause of power harassment. However, I stuck with job for now and I guess that with my age I will not be able to find any in my field anymore. I am thinking about several alternatives to continue living in Japan for a few reasons. Coming back to my country (Czech) is impossible now.

This video is so generalized. There are millions of foreigners in Japan who actually prefer staying here. I'm one of them. I've been working as a programmer for 5 years. I'm having no problems really since I come from a very poor country. It really depends on the perspective.

Their dislike of outsiders is pretty scary tho. even if you're japanese yourself, but if you're from other prefecture they still treat you like outsiders even if you're live there for decade

Was a really good information, I really appreciate you information

I've lived in Japan for 4 years and plan to stay longer, but many of my foreign friends left after 2-3 years. A point I feel you didn't touch on (understandably) is how difficult living in Japan is for women, especially those from western countries. Japan, in general, still has a very traditional mindset so there is quite outward sexism that effects one's personal and private life that can be very disheartening, to put it lightly. One of the most obvious examples is childcare and how women are expected to do the majority of the child-rearing and there is little sympathy for fathers who want be active in raising their family. I think this causes many foreigners to hesitate in setting down roots in this country.

There's a book called "The Dip" that talks about knowing when to quit. It's a great little book, handy for those looking to move up in their field. Anyways, I 'quit' Japan when I was about to get laid off from my startup job. I saw a better opportunity back home in Canada and took it. Some people follow a similar path, others move up in Japan, and others circlee through the cul-de-sac (a term from The Dip). Choose whatever makes you happy.

As an American living in Japan for 7 years now, it is going to be reversed culture shock when I go back to the states..I want to leave cuz I miss my homeland, friends and family ( I don't miss the craziness I see in politics and news )

I am glad to be listening to your video my son wanted to move to Japan but there are so many things to learn now.

when weebs and some people will stop fetishizing japan and japanese people, and be more wise and mature, they can live everywhere and adapt.

Woo I'm from Vietnam too. When I was studying in college I met a Japanese salary man in my baseball team and I asked him how did he feel about living in Vietnam. He said he was born a Japanese so he didn't feel the pressure growing up, but as soon as he came to Vietnam he felt like "this is a whole different world, I want to stay in Vietnam as long as I can". Pretty much the opposite of Japan, expats are very welcomed and well paid in Vietnam. I think I saw somewhere in an article that said Vietnam is one of the best places in the world to live for foreigners. The ironic thing here is it's just not the best place for Vietnamese. Most of us think the way for you to be successful is to come and live in another country, like Japan.

Good video! I'm a Japanese living in Canada for 7 years now. I started thinking move back to Japan after Corona things started for family reasons, etc but my concern is work environment there.... Actually I went back to Japan after finishing my school in California but I left because I saw ppl always talk about work/work/work and look depressed. I thought I was going to be one of them, very stressful. Mental health is a big problem in Japan. I prefer to be in int'l environment but my stomach only used to Japanese food..... Also hope Japan(gov, society) values more skilled ppl and those fluent in Japanse because it eventually will benefit the country as well

How your wife pulled into frame at the perfect time! Don't know why that impressed me but it just did lol.

Great video. I also lived in Tokyo for almost 3 years. While in the beginning I loved it as it had so many pros. After some time, you do really start to feel isolated, even with friends. Making real connections was a tough one, although it was just my experience. I think one thing to note was, I was in Tokyo, which didn't represent the rest of Japan. It was just an overworked city with barely much time to relax. Over time, I made Japanese friends who revealed the many things that halted progress in Japanese society, but were never spoken about or addressed. There is a constant habit of ignoring real issues in Japan, which I found quite heartbreaking. So I left... Still respecting the culture but with a clear understanding that it is not the peaceful uptopia some of us (and even myself at one point) paint it to be.

This is great insight, I've been considering immigrating for a while and this helps a lot in coming to a conclusion. All the best with your journey!

Cool video sir! Thanks for sharing these unknown facts, was very interesting to watch surroundings and listen to the story 👍👍