I did the JET Programme 20 years ago and lived there for 2 years. Living there was the best time of my life. People were polite, public spaces were clean, lots of great Asian food, though not a lot diverse variety like Mexican at the time.

I don't know if I want my kids to live there unless they go to an international school.

Anonymous wrote:I've thought about moving there after my youngest leaves for college. For a couple of years. What are your thoughts on a single older woman going over there for a stay to work?

I have similar plans, but mine would include working at an international school in Singapore or Japan after retiring from my current career.

I think that if you were planning to take a transfer from a company and work in an international office there, there would be a lot of challenges to being an older woman in a Japanese workplace unless you have crazy seniority or it’s a small company where you already have a lot of power.

I’m aware that by being in a workplace that centers around expats, I’d lose the chance to be completely immersed in a place. But as an older white woman, I would never be able to completely slip into a culture anyway- but my invisibility also keeps me safe from some of the stuff that younger women have to deal with.

I’m not concerned about healthcare in Singapore, but Japanese healthcare works so differently than the U.S. that I do worry about navigating the system successfully.

Anonymous wrote:I just got back from South Korea. I *LOVED* it, for the same reason OP loves Japan.

I would have moved there with kids, BUT, I would've put them in a private school with the intention of sending my kids to the US or Europe for college. I don't want them to deal with hagwons and the like.

As for the office culture, it is terrible. I wouldn't want to work for a Korean company, that's for sure. If I could, I'd work for a US company, and while I know the office culture would still not be the exact same as the US offices, it wouldn't be as bad as the Korean companies.

If they could fix their office culture and stressful school environment, it would be an ideal place to raise a family. Super safe in every way.

My kids are now in college and junior year in HS, so it's too late to move now. My DC's HS had two lockdowns last year, where at least one gun was found on a student. DC was super scared when that happened. Ugh. Horrible.

My kids don't want kids here because they don't want them to have to go through school shooting lockdowns, and the insane college process that my college aged DC had to go through.

We've taken our teens over summers to visit China, Japan, Taiwan, Canada, Italy, Costa Rica over the years. My kid at 14 has said she has decided to apply to college overseas and will be doing her best to live a life overseas. My other kid has a learning disability and is not required to take a language in HS but he's still taking a language specifically because he's out of here. I support them 100000000%!

Why do you think it is so low crime?

Anonymous wrote:America is a great country. Do we have problems? Of course all nations do. And while it politically things seem dire right now, the best thing to do is stay and vote and help, not leave. Time takes time and a hundred years is just a blip on the linear course of world history. Our greatest natural resource is our young people, our children. If we can nourish that resource properly we can move to a better society.

That's a BIG if PP. Not really working out well for us as a society is it?

I disagree that America is a great country today. I think American culture is a beautiful inspiration to the world. I think very highly of the American spirit and traditions. I disagree that every country's problems are as big as ours currently. I think that the kind of problems we have will get really bad very soon because of people like you who still do not want to suggest things are pretty bad right now for us as a whole. There is nobody to vote for - that's the first clue

Anonymous wrote:You must be a man.

Japan is still an incredibly misogynist culture. It's also deeply xenophobic. A gaijin will never fully integrate.

- Japanese woman who is happy to not live in Japan. But happy to come back for visits!

Yep. If a woman and plan to work there, you want to care about the workplace.

DD age 13 would agree with you! Ramen 24/7 baby!

But there are a lot of really amazing countries that would be great to live in.

I'm not sure Japan is my #1 pick I have to say. They are a culture that is very into obedience, tradition, many rules and they are not a culture that prizes independence. I love them, I love how nice and how everything is high end because they are sooooo good and care soooo much about doing things the right way but in terms of daily existence, it's not easy. They have a remarkable sense of humor and are so much fun. But it's a different kind of lifestyle than in US.

I understand what you are suggesting however OP and share your sentiments. The US is really become a hard hard place to have a family. There was a time when the American Dream was possible but I think some people get here expecting this and leave because nope, that was then, this is now. If you are not of a certain wealth, the life here is not a good one. And there's not 100 ways to achieve wealth without some bit of bank to get you going as most would have you believe.

We live in a country where it's not totally subsidized by govt but has a govt that requires funding just enough that it's still a lot of money given to taxes. In the meantime, we still gotta shell out more. And capitalism requires that you make as much as possible. It's hard to live in the middle way where in many other countries, it's less pressure.

I've thought about moving there after my youngest leaves for college. For a couple of years. What are your thoughts on a single older woman going over there for a stay to work?

I love how conformist it is. I feel like we need that here in the US.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:“Gaijin” means “outsider.” As PP’s have observed, Japan is an insular, xenophobic society, with highly rigid social rules, tightly controlled opportunity paths, and collective/conformist expectations that will boggle the mind of a Westerner. There is a significant incidence of suicide alongside a shame-based morality that drives people to despise themselves.

Oh, and married women need spousal consent for abortion.

Well, at least they can get an abortion.

If hubbie lets them.

better than having to beg a lawyer

Or not.

This sounds appealing, but hubby looks like a Norwegian Viking. He sticks out like a sore thumb in Asian countries.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:“Gaijin” means “outsider.” As PP’s have observed, Japan is an insular, xenophobic society, with highly rigid social rules, tightly controlled opportunity paths, and collective/conformist expectations that will boggle the mind of a Westerner. There is a significant incidence of suicide alongside a shame-based morality that drives people to despise themselves.

Oh, and married women need spousal consent for abortion.

Well, at least they can get an abortion.

If hubbie lets them.

better than having to beg a lawyer

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So move. Take ownership of your existence and stop being such a whiny little zero. Griping to DCUM of all places about how superior you are to the rest of the US is just pathetic.

On the merits, I like Japan and it’s one of my favorite countries to visit. But no way I’d live there. It’s exceptionally conformist, and all personal interactions other than (sometimes) within a family unit are built on a weird passive-aggressive politeness ethos.

No thanks. Give me people who say what they feel and what they want. Sometimes the Tokyo office bros get closer to that after some beers and whiskey, but come morning it’s back to being dutiful cogs.

Thank god you got free dumbz and nonconformist living n a country where they shoot up gaggles of 7 year old kids in school with an AR15 tho. Freedumb!!

Well, so do you.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:“Gaijin” means “outsider.” As PP’s have observed, Japan is an insular, xenophobic society, with highly rigid social rules, tightly controlled opportunity paths, and collective/conformist expectations that will boggle the mind of a Westerner. There is a significant incidence of suicide alongside a shame-based morality that drives people to despise themselves.

Oh, and married women need spousal consent for abortion.

Well, at least they can get an abortion.

If hubbie lets them.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I understand, I want to move to England or Scotland, but citizenship in other countries is difficult to obtain.
It’s frustrating!

Just show up and claim political asylum after Trump wins.

If only that would actually work. And asylum is not citizenship.