Life in Japan: What's it really like?
You've been
interested in Japan life for years. You've read about Japanese culture, you're
ready for the challenge of the Japanese
washlett, and you understand the challenges of finding an apartment. Your friends/family have encouraged you to make the move, you've saved up enough money to survive, and you're ready to say goodbye, hop on a plane, and call Nihon home for a few years (or at least until you run out of money or can't stand the smell of natto anymore).
But even though you might have ready dozens of websites, books, and articles, there is still a lingering question in your mind: What's it really like to live in Japan?
The Truth about Daily Life
This question is tough to answer because most of the books and websites about Japan have a pretty narrow focus. Most websites or blogs only want to entertain or sell and not really inform, and even Lonely Planet books only really talk about traveling. Living here for any length of time is rarely considered or covered.
Fear not: we're here to give you the real scoop, to let you in on the secret, to tell you what the real deal is when it comes to the challenges of living here for the first time. Sure, the food, language, apartments, culture, climate, humour, geography, money, (and on and on) might be very different from what you're used to. But the fact is, after a while, living and working here is a lot like living and working anywhere else.
Japan's Daily Grind
For example, if you choose to live and work in Tokyo or any other large city, you can expect to 1) have a full time job, 2) spend time commuting to work every day, 3) Have evenings and weekends free, 4) Meet a lot of people doing exactly what you're doing, and 5) Get tired/bored/unsatisfied every once in a while.
This isn't to say Japanese culture isn't fascinating, fun, interesting, and unique in many ways, or that you won't have an amazing time and learn a great deal about yourself, and your home country as well. Because you probably will.
But once the initial glow and excitement wind down a little, you're still left with the basics of life: eat, sleep, work, socialize, and stress out. And all these things you've experienced before (probably) and will again. Although the backdrop may be new and the scenery unfamiliar, eventually you won't really even notice it. Why? Because you're simply busy living life.
What to expect
Still, there are things you will do living in Japan probably more often than you would at home. For example, you can expect to spend a lot more time on trains, more time eating out, more time at really good parties, more time explaining yourself slowly, more time questioning your choices, more time walking to and from train stations, and more time in shock at just how different things can be in other countries.
In the end, you often learn as much about yourself as you do anything else. In that sense, living in any other country is at times like looking into a mirror. You might not like what you see, but you'll probably see something you didn't see before.
What's it really like to live in Japan?
That deopends on what you make of it. It's exhilarating, mundane, promising, challenging, confusing, exciting, boring, frustrating, liberating and more. If that appeals to you, hop on that plane and call Nihon home for a few years. The odds of regretting your decision are pretty low.
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