Why I decided to move to Japan 5 years ago. Story finally revealed. ► JOIN Abroad in Japan (Patreon): / abroadinjapan ► TEDX Talk: • Your audience is waiti...
If there's one thing I want you to take away from this video, it's to work out what you're afraid of - what your fears are - and then throw your future-self in the deep end by committing to something way out of your depth. Make your goal something outside of your comfort zone, and when you hit it in the future, you'll get a rewarding feeling that not even money can buy. - Actually, that's bullshit; if you won around $250,000 you could probably replicate the rewarding sensation. The point is, just go and live somewhere far away with a culture incomparable to your own. You'll feel like you're living in a movie, as I have done the last 5 years.
Oh I plan to! And you've helped me to make that start; Remembering the Kanji was the beginning of such a commitment...at least, the mental commitment xD Congrats on your achievements btw👌🏾🖒🏾
Abroad in Japan It was your videos that inspired me to try and go to japan for university and that goal helped give me something to fight against my depression for. So thank you, I'm now raising money through a campaign I call chariversity and I feel like I have a way to go in my life. Thank you so much for everything and I hope one day I get to shake your hand, with sushi in my other hand.
Abroad in Japan honestly this whole story sounds like mine so far into the first year mark... now im saving up for university in a hope to follow in your foot steps.
Abroad in Japan I really want to go and live in Japan. I've been studying Japanese for about a half of a year and plan to study it for about three more years before I would consider moving there. But, I don't know if I should go to college in Japan. I've had my heart set on going there for so long that it seems like this is the fastest most logical way to get there. But I wonder then if I'm smart enough or even have the skill set to go to college in Japan. Please give me your opinion! Do you think it is a good idea to wait until after college to move or go for it and study abroad in Japan.
This is so inspiring! I'm 33 now, and it's always been my dream to go to Japan, and the idea of living and working there sounds amazing. I've always been jealous of people like you, getting to live my dream, while I'm stuck here, trying to find a job that I don't even really want anyway, in a city where I don't even want to live. I really hope that at some point I'll work up the courage to actually take the plunge and go to Japan. And yes, I know this is a 3,5 year old video and no-one will probably read this, but I wanted to have at least said it.
i read it and i want the same. im 24 now and just started a 2 yr IT uni after that i'll probably fuck off from dark cold Scandinavia to maybe some slavic countries, south america or Japan.
Same here. Also 33. Don't think it's too late for us yet mate... I just decided to start taking learning some Japanese seriously and surprised how much I'm learning already. Just need the motivation. Also just landed a pretty decent job that allows me to work remotely... so prospect of travelling seems a bit more realistic/appealing now.
I read it, I'm 23 just finished Uni and have yet to find a job as a delivery driver even. Going to Japan is becoming a bit more tempting, but my biggest issue is the isolation that comes with it. I don't know how well I'd be able to handle being so far from my friends and family here in Texas. Assuming I'd be able to at all. I think if I can figure myself out, and find the courage and motivation to stick it through I might do it. But who knows what might happen between me writing this comment and in the coming years where I may just end up doing it.
Men, it's awesome to hear you quickly realized the boring day job of doom wasn't going to cut it for you. I kindda went through that same thing, slaving away for theee years, and quit, now doing travel videos from Poland with my Japanese girlfriend. Don't really know how it's going to work out but at least it feels like I'm heading somewhere where I wanna go. Congrats men!
And for anyone who thinks a great high-paying job will solve all your problems, it won't. I was a top 1% software engineer in San Francisco making bank. Like Chris said, a purpose is what you really need, not fancy brunches and 5 star hotels... You will only feel alive when you're moving forward, and you can't move forward without big bold goals.
Yeah but you can't afford trips if you didn't have a top 1% job in SF before :D I'm living in UK at the minute, and I can tell you with all honesty that dropping my job and my lifestyle at the minute would be a great start towards living in Japan, but who'd cover that? I'd have to cut my current lifestyle down to nothing. There's sacrifices to be made to live like that, and that should be mentioned. It's good to have a dream, but I'd like to see a more "pain" perspective. Living in Japan... but in a small tiny house, working overnights there to sustain a normal lifestyle. What are your plans there long term? There are dreams, and there's reality.
Yeah, I agree. Definitely great to have a plan and be realistic. I'm traveling... but also working on a business, created and designed a brand and selling stuff on Amazon. But it's just so much easier to do anything when you're motivated, have a purpose to do things, and actually must deliver... to eat :-/ :-P
I'm in the same exact boat rn, my financial aid got declined so now I am severely depressed, looking for a full time job where I can spend 40+ hours making $8/hr to save up for tuition+a trip to Japan. The only difference is I've wanted to work in Japan since I was 12. Now being 21, I'm trying to pull it together before I get too old. There's something about the culture in Japan that is very lacking in the states. Everyone here is too materialistic wanting a nice car with a big house full of nice furniture. It is an empty dream. In japan, there is so much culture to learn about. You can have an apartment good enough to sleep/shower/get ready for work in but outside is an new adventure waiting for you. I often tell my friends who are stuck in suburban towns, this is no place for a 20 year old with dreams. Everyone here have their house with a white picket fence and a Walmart down the street. It is not what we want in life! I loved this vid, super encouraging.
YOU'RE worried about getting too OLD to follow your dreams? I turned 65 in February and suddenly realized that if I wanted to do at least the most important things on my bucket list I'd have to get cracking. So I started studying Korean AND Japanese without knowing HOW I'm going to find money to travel. I too would like to do animation.
You are 21 and think you are too old? When I decided to study abroad, started to save money for it and teach myself English, I was already 24 while working as a Salary man in Tokyo. Now I'm 30 and living Australia, doing the job that I wanted to do when I was 24. Are you concerned about finances? At least, native English speakers can find an English teaching jobs in Japan as Chris said, so it won't be very hard for you to make a living in Japan. (While you are doing an English teaching gig, you could learn a new skill, which would allow you to do some other jobs) Don't give up and good luck!
Idk why I am worried of being of my life flying by...maybe bc lots of my family never pursued their dreams of traveling. Thank you for the encouragement. It is worth all the work put in to travel and experience the world. ☺
Sorry to break it to you, but before you become disillusioned with life in japan, you should be aware that Japanese culture is also very materialistic (comparable to america). Furthermore as with most Asian cultures they are quite financially conservative, valuing the accumulation of material goods such as a house, car etc above most things in life. You may have heard of the so called 'Parasite single',(if not then google it) a phenomena which is unique to japan and depicts the materialistic and selfish nature of the youth culture of japan quite well. Trust me, that Walmart down the street is nothing compared to the rows of luxury boutiques and Second-hand stores (The kind which only sell high fashion brands) which cover the streets of major metropolitan areas of japan.
I found your videos a few years ago because I was considering living and working in japan one day. Now it's my dream and I'm definitely going to do it! Your videos inspire me and show me that anything is possible, so thanks chris
Same with me as well, although, I had the dream of living in Japan long before I found him or his videos but that dream led me to his videos. He inspires me to go for it more than ever.
For your own sake, I seriously hope your life isn't on that thin of a thread. I'm glad his videos have helped you, but it's not safe to be on such unstable ground.
I'm very happy you decided not to, and please don't think like that again, no matter how deep in depression you go just please remember that people care, I do, we all do, and you're never alone, remember that. As the people above me has already said its very useful to reach out to help, find someone to talk to, and lastly I wish you the best of luck :)
I'm off to University next month, and also went through a rather uneventful gap year. I'm sure I'll enjoy my History course, as History has always been of great interest to me. I'll certainly ponder over your video Chris; it's pleasantly insightful.
Hello from Portugal! I´m also taking a history course, but I´ve passed to my second year. Here the course isn´t easy but if you really love history it´ll be amazing!!! It´s sad that we don´t really have the time to study more about Asia. Personally, I´d love to go to Nagasaki since there´s a lot of history between Portugal, the dutch and Japan. It would be great if I could work there. Since you love history, Nagasaki and Kyoto are great places for us history nerds :D
Wow the beginning was pretty much the exact situation I am in right now, except I initially took programming, had a boring job in the summer so took a gap year to prepare for an art course :D I hope this video encourages more people to follow their dreams!
An Evil Stripper Mate, 25 here and still no idea either. Don't worry - it's VERY COMMON for our generation to not know what we want to do with our lives (so many options out there nowadays). The advice I got is to just find ANYTHING you feel passionate about (doesn't have to be intense passion either, just something you like doing) and decide consciously "This is a goal that I want to pursue". It's in living, experiencing life out there, pursuing goals you may not feel 100% passionate about that we may inadvertently discover our true dreams. In my case, I completed a TESOL degree and am going to go teach English in Korea (tossup between Korea or Japan, Chris' vids being an inspiration for the latter). Wasn't something I felt superpassionate about (being introverted and socially awkward and coming from a Biology Major university background) but I can honestly say that a goal/dream suggested by family has become a real goal that I really WANT. Maybe consider travel abroad ? Following Chris's example to go teach English is a good way to discover who you are and what you care about ;)
Thanks for the good advice @Helgard! Funny thing is, since I posted that Falconry has recently piqued my interest! Though unfortunately it is an expensive and time consuming hobby. I'm not sure if one could make money off it, in fact we need to pay many fees to partake, and I'm not sure if I'd be able to keep a full-time job at the same time as training, bonding and caring for a raptor several hours a day. Interestingly it'll mean I'll have to move if I persue it, a fresh new start in a new town, with specialist vets nearby and many a suitable location for it to train, roam and hunt. Unfortunately my partner's career really ties down the idea of moving however, he scored a really good deal here, but now we're pretty tied down for life in terms of travel unless it's a short holiday.. Bugger!
Talking about what happened after the bus ride, how you imagined it; and having something to aim for feels tough to listen to right now. One of the reasons i did a second degree at uni was the opportunity to do an exchange semester in japan (and I had nothing else to do in corona, so it wasnt the worst choice). Quite a bumpy ride, and after 3 different semesters of having an application in, my last chance went away and i now have a finished degree. After watching these videos, and imagining it for a long time; having a similar experience, i let it go simply because it seemed like such a massive change and i was too unsure until the deadline was upon me. But of course; after the opportunity for me is gone; i have massive regret. if anyone has the chance they should definitely do it. Its definitely something to aim for and that could potentially change the course of your life. I too feel 2 weeks would not be enough; but i suppose thats what ill have to make of it. Excited for a future trip; but for anyone else with the chance, just do it.
Wow. This was quite inspiring. I'm going to be 13 this year but sometimes I still think about what I'm going to do in the future. If I'm going to be successful or not. I always feel scared when I think about my future and what I'm going to do with my life. Right now I'm just focusing on studying. It's quite scary to think about your future at such a young age. (I'm not really that young though) You want to find a job that suits you and that you enjoy doing. But you don't know if you'll have the guts or money/results to get a good job that you enjoy. At the same time, you have this sense of doing something that seems impossible but you want to take risks and live your life to the fullest. You just haven't got the confidence to do it.
At 13, it's too early to worry about these things. Just look around, investigate options, and try things out. Get to know people in the field you're interested in. Networking is a must, as people can help you as they know what's really happening. If there is something you should learn now it is to treat life is an experiment. Some things in your life will go really well, and some things won't go so well but, if you learn from your failures, nothing will go badly wrong. Failure is your friend, and will teach you what doesn't work for you, and what to do differently next time. Always look for an opportunity, even when things go south, as they sometimes will. Aim high, and if you fail you might end up in the stars. And... Be grateful, wherever and whatever you do.
I love the story. How I got into entrepreneurship is close to that story. I just didn't leave my country, but those tiny random encounters like yours on the plane. People don't realize, what impact they have. Having to ask yourself years later, what if? Is a sign that you made the wrong decision. When I started my own business everyone was laughing and pessimistic. Now I'm just the lucky guy. People...
This has helped me a lot in terms of planning my gap year as I am also interested in a more creative career choice so I thank you for uploading a video like this. It's very refreshing to see this sort of content which makes me extremely glad that I'm subscribed so that I'm able to see videos like this first.
This video meant so much to me!!! Your words and your story were exactly what I needed to hear. Thank you so much for sharing. You may not realize but you are very inspiring and have an amazing way to make others feel better. Best regards from Portugal!
Everytime I watch your videos it helps me move towards my dream of living in japan. Its unbelievable that just by watching a video and learning a little more about the culture, how much you would want to go and experience it yourself. I want to move and work in Japan. Although I just started highschool I've fantasized about this idea for years and I think it would be an amazing experience
I still have no idea what I want to do with my life and I'm pushing 40 😂 I'm lucky in the sense that I fell in to a well paid job that I don't mind, I have a nice home, a beautiful wife and amazing kids. I'm also lucky that I travel a lot. This year I'll be travelling to Spain, Italy, Greece, Croatia and Bulgaria. I did travel to Tokyo around 10 years ago with friends. We joked at the time about moving there and how amazing it would be. I do think now and again 'what if' but I don't regret what I have now. I will definitely be looking to visit Japan again in future. Beautiful country.
I was watching this video and thinking that it reminded me of a good TED talk... It's funny how when we are younger we all have these preconceived ideas about who we want to be, then we take these pathways that travel in the opposite direction. Ever since I was in high school I always wanted to live and work in Japan but I felt like it was impossible for myself, that was until I met some interesting individuals that taught me anything was possible, I didn't need to have a common job pushing papers. It has taken me well over 10 years since I initially wanted to move to Japan but now I can finally say that I'm following my dreams. Good talk mate.
That was very motivational. Thank you Chris. Seriously Thank you now I got some stuff to think about... My brother who's been sick for ten years just passed and now I'm all alone but its been 4 months and I know he would want me to go onto something special. He was a political talk radio show host (who went by Joshua Coy) Now I feel like I should try to push myself out of my comfort zone and try something.. Maybe even I dont think I can do :)... But I'm going to. Thanks Chris, thanks for the words of Hope. Peace ✌ buddy
I’ve always had the passion to teach and help others learn something new every single day. This video really helped me set my path to becoming an abroad english teacher in Japan, I’ve always loved the calming nature of the country and the language would be fun but challenging to learn. I’ve studied a lot about it and now Im going to go study more about becoming a teacher
Everything you said from 7:25.. I am still dreaming of. And I'm jealous... A bit... What you have have reached... And I feel happy for you... Imma Physiotherapist in Germany... I'm 32 now... A husband, a dad and a dreamer. I think it's already too late...
#askaroadB love your videos...they all have the essential _____ groups of humour, gut stiches, laughing humor..., with a thin slice of sarcastic cheeky humility....with the obnoxious viewer response of "LOL" cheers. ceep on ceeping on !!
Truly an inspiration, I think this has taught me a lot and helped me see much more clearly on the topic of moving, working, and living in Japan. Sir, I thank you.
I am a big fan of your channel and I’ve always wanted to visit Japan. After watching many of your videos, I have to say I’m quite jealous! I’m hoping within a few years I’ll have the means to take my family on a nice trip to Japan. My 10 year daughter really got a kick out of the horse power lady! Keep up the great work my friend! I hope to meet you one day in Japan. Thanks, Steve
My daughter moved there 5 years ago. She studied Japanese on her own since Grade 5 payed her way thru University for a degree, And followed her dream to live in Japan, She has her 2N in Japaneses and is working on her 1N, she loves Japan and she says will never move back to Canada. She lives in Sendai
Your videos started intriguing me years ago then last year i went to Japan with my friend. Now im trying to move to Japan and start a business ✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿✊🏻✊
I’m gonna star college in September now, I’m doing a child care course, I wanna move to japan and I was wondering if I could work there with children, I already started to learn Japanese, but the problem is that I don’t where to search if they let foreigners work there. If you could give me some tips that would be very helpful
Im not going to Japan to teach or anything, so this is all i know from my experience in looking for a place to study. There are a lot of forums about japan on the internet (i.e r/japan, r/teachinginjapan) and i usually begin my research from those forums. As for me, I come from a country with high interest in emigrating to Japan so i normally get my info easily. So forums are a supplement or an alternative if u dont have any organization or foundation in your country that regularly updates about study and work opportunities in Japan. My country has their own “Japan Foundation”, and even a japanese language school partnered with japanese language schools, universities, and nursing schools in Japan. I am currently attending that language school. Pro tip it can be very beneficial for you to look for local japanese language courses that have partners in Japan and study there, sometimes they can help with administration process and set targets for your goals in Japan. Do check if your country has a similar foundation and/or language school. It will be very helpful to contact them first to get an idea of which places in Japan you have an option to work for, and if those places have any partnership with the organisation/language school. After getting the specific information, i will research for more details (aka googling and visiting their websites), one by one. They usually have email addresses or phone numbers (calling internationally is a hassle so id recommend emails) for you to contact and inquire about work opportunities- but if the website or contact information is not available at all in english there is a very high chance they do not cater to foreign workers who don’t speak at least N2 level of Japanese. It will be long before you graduate so in 3-4 years (i dont know how long you will be in college for) you will have time to improve your Japanese. Trust me knowing Japanese solves any obstacle you will have to face if you want to work there. Hope it helped.
Thanks! That’s everything I needed to hear today! I’m finally taking the courage to open my RU-vid channel, something I’ve been postponing for a long while. I’m going to Japan next month by the way for 10 days, let me know if you read this comment and want to hang out!
I'm doing this in 3 weeks, but travelling instead of teaching for now. Quit the job that I've hated for years and going abroad alone for the first time in 10 years, scary as fuck but also extremely exciting. Going to force myself out of this rut, broaden my mind and try and actually do something with my life.
Thank you for sharing your beginnings. I enjoy your videos very much (cursing and all, whoever is offended can piss off). A few things you said resonate with me and I will take them with me. I look forward to what the future has for you.
i clicked like on this video when the phil collins bus journey was happening bc it made me smile but the end lil speech about make ur dream big and go for it was really impactful great video !
I'm graduating college in a couple months and this video really spoke to me. I'm getting a degree in mechanical engineering but I really don't want an office job like that. Studying abroad in a small town in South Korea was the best thing I've ever done despite how overwhelming culture shock was, and I want nothing more than to go back and teach English, but I'm also tens of thousands of dollars in debt. Balancing life decisions is hard.
I heard many stories about western people going to live in Japan and I see a pattern going on: they never know anything about anime or Japan in general, and they ALWAYS work there as a english teacher. Meanwhile my life dream is to live in Japan and I still havent gone. The anxiety of going to another country is strong in me, but at the moment I lack the funds to go travel anyway.
Little did Chris know that after countless hours of studying for college so he could teach in Japan, he could film himself eating beef and make more money than he ever could before.
well done you for for making the leap into the unknown. For all those anxious sweet souls who have commented, DON"T overthink the decision. I have lived and worked in Australia, USA, Pakistan, Thailand, Turkey and have traveled to around 35 countries. When I turned 55 I went back to Uni for a teaching degree. We've recently just moved to Sydney and next month are off to Japan for them first time to go skiing! Which is how I discovered these videos, I love them. I'm now 67 and I don't think I'm too old to be having adventures .......so please take that leap and have fun!!!
I've just turned 58 two days ago. Since my husband passed away I have lost direction and feel very old and used up. No, not depressed. I just wonder, you said "we", may I assume you have a partner? If you had been alone would you have been able to be so brave? Would love to hear from you. Thanks for sharing. I both love and hate Chris's story; he's young and therefore his whole life is in front of him; but I admire him, no matter what age jumping out of your comfort zone is not easy at any age; I absolutely love the way he makes me belly laugh! I'm so happy for him and for you!
@@melindajohnson383 When I moved to Hong Kong I studied Cantonese. In my class was a Hungarian woman in her mid-60s who decided in her late 40s to move overseas. When I met her she'd been in HK almost 20 years and every couple of years she'd join a language class to keep up her skills and also mingle with new people. She was the type of person to constantly explore, always stay curious and always look on the bright side. She told me that originally she booked a flight to Singapore, with a 2-day stopover in Hong Kong. While she was in HK she loved it so much she didn't even go to Singapore, just stayed in HK and settled. She found work as a translator to support herself and still regularly travels around Asia on short trips just exploring different cultures. She was divorced and had adult children, so did everything on her own. This was a few years ago, she must be early 70s now. I still see her occasionally, and still speaking Cantonese! Long story short - age is no barrier to anything, just go for it. Fast forward 20 years you'll kick yourself for not making the leap and giving it a go. Not sure if RU-vid will notify you of my reply, but I hope you go for it.
@@ericfricke4512 Well he didn't say you SHOULDN'T do film study if that's really what you want to do, just that it's not what he wanted. If that's your goal, hey, shoot for the stars!
Nightwishmaster shoot for the stars but realize you may not have what it takes, realize that life isn't a fairytale, that it doesn't always go your way and that karma is a bitch.
I really want to move to Japan. I even got so motivated recently that i bought a few books and been doing research on how to move there. I believe both of our goals can be completed. By the way how's your goal for the UK coming along?
@@141mhz i live in the US, I've been just planning my Japan moving trip since a few months ago. Made a 5 step plan and it's working pretty well, so i should be in Japan between later this year or early next year. You enjoying the UK so far? Sounds really fun ^^
The thing about shutting down dreams is still rampant in America too. Most of the people here believe that doing anything with your life that isn't encouraged through the education system is ridiculous.
Steve Shaw I’ve noticed it’s mostly a hatred/fear of other cultures + the question of “why would I go somewhere else when I live on the greatest lump of soil on the planet?” It’s a gross amount of nationalism and ignorance. I think something like less than 25% of Americans have passports (it’s probably more than that I just don’t want to leave this video to look it up lol). Traveling outside of America is easily the best thing I’ve ever done
In America, when you say you want to do something great, it builds expectations and then you get ridiculed for moving too slowly. It's best to just keep your dreams to yourself.
That is good advice RB not just for obvious reasons but also from a spiritual and consciousness standpoint. If you have even the faintest glimmer of faith/religion/spiritualism, and if you are aware that prayer/positive thinking actually does have the power to effect the outcome of situations, you also need to understand that telling your dreams to negative people creates a chorus of people who will in effect be praying against the success of your dream. In a game of tug of war why add people to the other end of the rope to work against you? Keep your dream to yourself, work towards/meditate/dream/pray for your desired outcome. You won't need to tell all those negative people about your dream, when it comes true you can show them!
Hi, this is my girlfriend. She find inspiration not work in boring job any more - train for psychotherapist in Australia. I support, make big money, eat good, make fat. No ramen, only Katsu chikin. Thank you original poster, very good content is make. Love from Serbia! Is same as Croatia.
have a dream be bold make it scary make it challenging and then go off and do it push yourself out your comfort zone and you will feel amazing when you triumph
@@Shadow77999 you gain endorphine when you are under stress, it's another hormone that is responsible for achieving something which is called dopamine. So if you fail you feel good because of endorphine, if you succeed, you feel good because of both endorphine and dopamine.
I have lived in Japan for over 5+ years and I have got some advice for prospective comers, especially those from the West. 1) Don't get stuck in Westerners' bubble. Learn Japanese. By this, I mean that don't even think about sticking to other Westerners. I know it takes tremendous efforts to fit yourself in alien society, but I have seen so many foreigners who have lived in Japan for many years yet not able to hold basic conversation in Japanese. They usually don't try to learn Japanese because in the ciity like Tokyo, they see English anywhere thus don't feel necessity to learn. 2) If you wanna experience a true Japan, again, learn Japanese and become fluent. Your interpersonal relations would be much larger and better if you are able to speak their language well and learn their norms and institutions. Otherwise, the only Japanese people you meet there would be limited to those who want to learn English from you or have a foreign friend so that they can take photos with you and upload on instagram.
So true and thanks for this advice. I'm moving to Japan in 2 weeks and I'm not freaking out because of the language barrier (I'm N4 level), I'm freaking out more because it's a new country with different customs and I barely know anyone there.
@@francescoakajoker If you dont mind me asking, what are you moving there for? I am finishing up my degree next june and I want to move to Japan and work there, teaching english or w/e but I am not really sure where to start xD
@@PheonixIce2 I'm working here as an English teacher. If you don't speak fluent Japanese, this is the starting job for most foreigners living here. I also just finished my degree in May and decided I wanted to experience living here as soon as I was done with college! I applied with the JET program but wasn't hired so then I applied through another company called "Interac'' and it worked perfectly! Today is my first day training hre in Japan so I'll let you in more later! Good luck to you!
I love that in the end you combined everything: filming, English and business. I think it is very brave to leave everything behind in the UK and start in a country that you have barely any knowledge about and so far away from what you know. It's very inspiring. I have done some decisions in that same matter (going out of my comfort zone) and even though it's nothing influential compared to the Japan-chouse: I love that I made those decisions, because it made me who I am now. Surely you must have felt the same way. There are hard times, sure, but in the end: it's all worth it. As long as you're happy! Sorry for the long story but it felt very satisfied to share it with you haha.
I'm in grade 11 right now and this is what I want to do with my life, I've known for a year now. I really want t ok move to japan and become an english teacher. For the past year I've taught myself anything and everything about japan that I can find online or in a library book. For the past 4 months I've began teaching myself Japanese, I never thought about how many characters there was or how difficult it would be to learn all of them and to be able to speak or read or write. However, I'm only in grade 11 and I have so many more years to grow and learn even more. I'm saving to move already and I'm saving for college as well, it really gives me a sence of accomplishment and a sence of pride knowing what I want to do with my life and knowing that I can directly help others learn
Dude. Im literally in the exact same boat you are. Im going into grade 12 and i have been studying japanese religiously for around 2-3 months now. I plan to make it to Japan either by a teaching job or by the time im 25. がんばってね !!!!
I’ve probably watched this video about 100 times over the last year , and it’s crazy to think that this was one of my mane inspirations to actually make that leap. Thank you Chris! My Japan journey starts July 1st on a student visa. Will be watching this video once a day for the next month until I leave :)
After finishing my Engineering degree and working for a year in a soul-crushing but well paying job, I decided to go back to school and study 3D animation. Now I'm working at Weta Digital working on movies directed by the likes of Spielberg, Snyder, Cameron and many more. I agree with you 100% about the rewarding feeling that money can't buy!
Do a 3D animation course such as Animation Mentor or if there's an animation school around, and then get your reel out there! I met a lot of contacts just using LinkedIn and other online forums. Take any animation job you can to start with, you'd be surprised at how small this industry is and everyone ends up knowing someone you worked with :)
Wow, I'm kinda in that stage right now. I have no sense of direction, and I'm currently majoring in computer engineering. I love technology, but I cannot see myself working in this field. I've always wanted to be an entrepreneur since I was 14, but everyone including my parents shut me down and discouraged me from achieving my dreams. All I wanted in life is to have enough money by 35 that I can live on interest and just travel the world. I was extremely depressed in college. I used to be the top student in high school, but these days I just can't get a 3.0 GPA due to depression, lack of motivation, and felt lost in reality. Now I'm in a considerably huge amount of debt. I work 2 part-time jobs, I invest in cryptocurrency and do some freelance photography work, but just make enough to feed myself on cheap unhealthy food. Even though I eat once a day, I gained a lot of weight due to stress and lack of sleep. I seriously considered committing suicide multiple times a month, but I just can't do it because I still have that little tiny spark in me telling that I can make it someday. Your videos has inspired and motivated me to keep moving forward. I thank you for your work and am grateful that you made this video.
Keep going, search for a goal that u want to reach in your life. Once u found that goal start workind towards it. Maybe start with working your debt of and start pursuing your dream. Even if it takes years. My dream is to life and work in japan and this will only be possible in around 5-6 years, because i need to get my degree and earn enough money to take the step. But I never thought to give up on it. It can be hard sometimes and I often doubt myself but then I just start watching videos, picture etc. of japan, read stories of it and then I remember why I'm doing all this stuff. YOu only have that one life, we will all die sooner or later, so go out there, set yourself a goal in life and work towards it. It doesn't matter if you fail or succeed, you are doing it for yourself. Don't let people stop you, don't let them tell you you cant do it, even if its your parents or friends. And as @Scarlet_pudaa said in a comment here: "Whenever I start thinking about doing something big an I start thinking what if I fail I always remind myelf who cares if I fail. We are all gonna die one day, who cares if we fail or win just do what you want to do. Because I'd rather regret trying something than regret not trying it." Keep going buddy, I hope this helps you. Depression is an inner demon, hard to defeat, i know but please keep trying, try to keep going and if you should fail, well than you failed, it doesn't matter. What matters is that you tried. Don't let yourself be put down by someone. I wish you the best of luck.
it's normal to still unsure about what you gonna do for the future, especially because we live in a time where we have lots of options so it's kinda hard to choose
you're majoring in computer engineering? Myself Ive constantly failed academically i literally had horrid grades in every grade of school repeated grade 2 , lost multiple jobs because i cant follow directions because im an idiot, Try being a fucking idiot like me . Now im a jobless alcoholic. There is no hope for idiots like me
Hi Chris, I also read Pit Bull's biography and it absolutely changed my life! The biography helped me, as a Britishman, speak with the mouth like Pitbull. ^o^
Lol actually the 79 years was just my Doctorate in Pitbull speaking, In total it was 597 years to master the art of speak with the mouth like Pitbull. XD
Barry C only 597 years to master the art of speak with a mouth like Pitbull? You dishonor the English. It took me a total of 1000 years of medatating on top of the stone henge. And now all of my work has paid off I can now use the art of speak with a mouth like Pitbull.
Going to japan has always been a strange dream of mine, I’m currently in the process of applying to college in Japan. And I just want to say that if you have a dream, no matter how difficult the journey will be, no matter how out of reach it is, if it’s your dream, go for it. It doesn’t matter what others think, take the risk and do what you want, and if you end up falling flat on your face then just pick yourself up and keep moving.
I first heard about the JET Programme from one of Chris' videos, I believe in 2015 when I was 16, and since then I knew that was what I wanted to do. It took a couple of diversions, but I'm 22 now and hoping to graduate from uni at the end of next year with a major in Linguistics and minors in Japanese & French, and then applying for JET. I'm hoping for Aomori (or northern Japan in general), but even if I don't get placed there, I'm going to find a way to get there somehow :)
Im thankful that you came to japan Chris because if you didn't, we wouldn't be able to watch the brilliant British wit and sarcasm collide with Japanese culture which is amazing And natsuki! Omg natsuki! Who would discover this masterpiece of a person if not for you❤️ Abroadin japan never fails to make me laugh 😂 I seriously love you so much #nohomo Keep up the good work Chris P.s. More natsuki plz
My understanding is animation studios stopped using sponsor based systems to turn a profit, and went more towards the profit from the actual sales, on top of all the aftermarket merch like figures and all that crap that they sell. Don't quote me on this though, no research, just going on an educated guess XD
Loved this! I am moving to China very likely this year (getting certified to teach English abroad as well). My coworker told me to watch this video and I very well connect with your reasons for embarking on that journey. I know that it can be easy to romanticize a different environment before experiencing it, but part of the reason I made the decision was because I wanted to experience a culture shock, the difficulty of integrating into a new society. We see many others go through this when they come to our native countries but we can't truly understand it until we do the same. Have been studying Mandarin for the past half year and reading of this history and current state. I definitely feel a pull there and the closer I get to my time period to leave, the more of the language and history I learn, the stronger that pull seems to become.
Really? Awesome! How is it? I haven't fully decided yet. I had a friend who was from Tianjin and she told me that it wasn't as populated as Beijing although they are pretty close to each other. I'm wanting to go to one of the smaller cities vs larger ones. Which part(s) have you lived in?
Regan B Nope, I didn't. I had no English teaching background prior to taking the course. I believe a lot of people don't. I have a degree in computer info. systems. It probably would help, but honestly, I'm a believer in self education so I think that if you perhaps take a course to get certified for it, it helps you look good for applying for those jobs. But if you want to be an effective teacher, then just spend some time outside if the courses to practice, learn different grammar points, design lesson plans/activities, prepare for different age groups and so on. I'm in my last week of the course (though I have to actually teach ESL students as part of the practicum to complete the course) and I plan to do just that myself before I actually go over seas. I'm sure that a lot of learning and adapting takes place once you start teaching but having a good foundation to build on helps.
warren010h Oh wow okay, do you need any certain grades or anything? And yeah I totally agree with you there, I'm looking at the CELTA course in Manchester which I will do in November so it should be fun. Hopefully the fact that I've been to China before for 3 months and learned some Mandarin helps.
I love it when society says you cannot do this or that and yet pursuit of happiness and freedom of travel are two given freedoms. What a hypocritical world we live in.
I was going to post pretty much the same, though I'd go a step further and say it is actually a good thing that most average people are dismissive of grand dreams, because that becomes a good first hurdle to overcome. I mean if you don't even have a thick enough skin to stand up for your dreams in the face of pessimism from your family and peers, then you likely won't have what it takes to stick through the far greater hardships awaiting you further down the line if you do stay the course. It is all well and good to have a dream, but if you don't have that driving passion and fortitude to shrug off all naysayers (including your own inevitable self doubt) then really you probably haven't found the right life goal(s) just yet. This basically leaves us with the options of pushing forward without the necessary conviction anyhow (and probably failing), taking the path of least resistance and accepting mediocrity like most everyone else we know either already has or eventually will, embracing nihilism and begin the spiral of self destruction, or keep searching until you find your true purpose that can stoke an unquenchable fire within you that makes you realize you couldn't imagine doing anything else, regardless of the hardships that may await you.
Ian S I utterly despise mediocrity and nihilism. It makes life boring and is a plague upon society. In my life the only things that keeps me going are my goals and dreams. Having dreams are what makes you human and I feel like most people don't have them anymore. Most of the people I know have no drive or passion for anything and I've noticed the same from most other people growing up in this generation. I don't know how to fix this and am unsure if it is even possible.
Ya, it is definitely a wide spread problem, though I don't know that it's unique to the current generations. It has always been a fairly rare thing for people to truly succeed with their dreams, which is probably why most people are so quick to be pessimistic when they hear about other peoples' dreams, since pretty much everyone runs into walls while seeking their own and they accept giving up as the norm. I think the biggest reason is that as a society we don't truly value lifelong learning or self-expression. Our schools are setup like low security prisons focused on ensuring obedience and conformity among the youth over everything else. It is rare to find teachers who actually encourage creative problem solving instead of just following the herd with the usual emphasis on fact regurgitation and test score performance. Then there is an obsession among most parents and counselors with pushing kids into stable secure professions in a misguided effort to keep kids from suffering since they tend to perceive financial difficulty and an uncertain future as the worst things someone could experience, even if it means sacrificing yourself to a passionless soul crushing job in order to avoid it.
