There are a lot of questions that we keep getting asked about our move to Japan, so we figured you might like to see the whole list! We’ll keep updating this list as questions keep coming up.
Why move?
A lot of reasons! But two of the big ones are:
- We never really clicked with Florida, and have been looking at leaving since pretty much our first year here.
- We enjoy traveling and just want to get out and explore the world. Even before we decided on Japan, we knew we wanted to try moving internationally.
Why Japan?
Also a lot of reasons!
- For one thing, we both like it and have been consuming Japanese culture all our lives – anime, video games, food.
- We had a several different friends independently ask if we wanted to visit Japan with them around the same time, which put it at the front of our minds.
- Cassie’s brother speaks Japanese at an N1 level, so we knew we’d have a great tutor for learning the language.
- An astonishing number of people we’ve talked to about it have said some variation of, “Oh, I/my relative/my best friend lived there for a while and absolutely loved it!”
When are you leaving?
Early July, but we haven’t bought tickets yet.
When are you going there?
Early September, but we haven’t bought tickets yet.
…What?
We’re planning on doing some traveling around the US before we leave for Japan – partly to see some friends and family, and partly to ease our way into the time zone. The plan is some time in VA, some time in CA, and then probably doing like a week in HI before we finally get there. Maybe a few other stops along the way; we’ll see.
Where in Japan will you be?
We don’t know yet! Our first couple months we’ll be bouncing around, seeing what places we like. We’re definitely leaning towards Tokyo for the moment, but we’re definitely not making any decisions until we’ve seen what it’s like. But if you have any suggestions for places we should check out, please, let us know!
What will you be doing for work?
I’m taking my job with me! I’m fully remote and set my own schedule, so I won’t have any problems taking my work there. Cassie isn’t working right now anyway, so that’s fine, but she may end up teaching English.
Isn’t it going to be really expensive?
Not compared to Florida! No, seriously, Bradenton is shockingly expensive. But you’re right, it is a little more nuanced than that.
Basically, while yes, some things will be more expensive there, and if we were trying to transplant our American style of living to Tokyo then it’d be way more expensive, as long as we’re comfortable living like a local – 500 square foot apartments, relying on public transit instead of having a car, etc. – all the math we’ve been running says the total cost of living will be notably lower, even before factoring in how weak the yen is right now.
And that’s if we’re living in Tokyo. The further we get from the city, the cheaper things get – though if we get too far, public transit gets harder, so it eventually loses its edge. It’s a balancing act, but on the whole, we’re not worried.
If you have any questions we haven’t answered here, please ask! You’re probably not the only one who’s wondering!