21 THINGS ABOUT JAPAN to Know Before Moving 🇯🇵 | The REALITY...and what I wish I knew first 🤧

this video is making it depressing but idrc i dont relate to any of these problems 😭

I'm planning my move there now Alison, thanks for much for these vids. Please keep them up! As foreigners we all want to move there since we love Japan for our own reasons but it's good to unite together and go through these issues together r

Late comment, but I also wanted to add for anyone coming to Japan or in the beginning stages of living in Japan - as someone who lives in Japan, has a Japanese spouse, and speaks Japanese: Things will be hard sometimes regardless of your Japanese language AND cultural fluency. But don't take this personally. Be kind, be respectful, but also be yourself and maintain healthy boundaries as much as you can. Take care of your health and fitness, and don't give up on your passions and hobbies. You'll be okay, trust me. Sometimes bad things happen, but my wife and I always say that these things are just the tuition fee of life, and we move on stronger and smarter.

Dang, lost me at Ai 🫠

Thank you for you video, this is very helpful and I have a calling to move to Japan, have had for years and I look forward to taking all the nessessary steps... this vid helps open my eyes to a few more thing to think about and be mindful of. I am in deep research and 9 months out from my goal to move permanatly to Japan. THank you again, great video

thank you! :)

5:34 help im literally moving to japan from florida😭

So I'm chinease American if I move to Japan what will change?

YEAHHH it’s trueee 😢💔 can’t even deny it… it really hits…”

ALOT of people told me things about racism that would be in Asia and “oh you’ll be working a full time job so it’s not a vacation etc.” I lived in South Korea for a year and traveled to Japan. All while serving our country. Nothing beat coming home from work and exploring Korea. Being able to explore with the time off you have is other-worldly. The most amazing thing I never got tired of! Japan was amazing and I’m sure it’ll be the same! If you speak the language you’ll do 10x better. Stick with the people who fuck w you. You’ll find a friend group if you’re not a lonely introverted person. To speak on the racism discrimination thing, I personally believe people are WAY more curious than you think. People would stare at me then I’d talk to them and they’d open up completely!(most are curious about your story and why you’re there) especially if you’re attractive, you have aura, and just carry yourself to a high standard. DO NOT LET ANYONE INJECT FEAR INTO YOUR LIFE AND MENTAL!!! People would walk up to me and ask me am I a basketball player ALOT and I LOVED IT! Your perspective matters, people would probably say that’s racist but I think it’s adorable. A lot of locals know nothing really real about other cultures. People say Japan and or South Korea is discriminating racist BLAH BLAH BLAH all this crap! THOSE PEOPLE LIVE IN AMERICA BTW😂 we all are judgmental in a way. It’s a defense mechanism to things outside of pattern. Go live your dreams, it’s going to be hard AND YOUR STORY WILL BE DIFFERENT THAN EVERYONE ELSE’S!!

tysm im moving to japan in december

I think the salary part is gonna be one of the most important ones to keep in mind for me. Me and my boyfriend are in the starts of wanting to make the move to Japan so that's REALLY good to know

I cannot fathom the idea that Japan isn't a good place to live, just sounds like bitterness from people who go expecting it to be like anime. If you have realistic expectations, I dunno. It does help that I'm a man though, of course.

Thank you for sharing your honest experiences and insights (UK)

Do you think people who come to Japan to study or work and live who have never visited before on vacation will have an easier time adjusting than those who have?

Hi Allison, my name is Ali too lol, and I have a question, does Japan care alot about beauty like korea does?

This came up in my suggestions. Great video! Thanks! Going to check out your other's now. Subbed.

Very informative video.. thank you!

Thanks!

I learned that women working was just instituted in the 80s??

I feel like a few of these were explaining about knowing about Japanese

Hey Allison! I'm moving there in 2026, wanna get lunch? :)

I think your on point with everything. Thanks for the direct and frank message. I enjoy your shows....keep it up

Oof I got in laws in US and my parents in Canada... cant see both in 1 year...

💯. I was on JET a long time ago and lived in the inaka. One of the things that surprised me the most was my foreign JET friends complaining about how things were so different. Like it’s a foreign country, guys! Don’t expect it to be like home!
And I had to lobby my board of ed for months to be allowed to lease a car (I was the first foreigner to live in this tiny village). It was intensive and super delicate political lobbying, let me tell you :-). But I succeeded and drove all over the place!

Love your videos! You make me miss Japan ❤

Another ‘young foreigner living in Japan video’… fuck off

My main problem is going to be the blatant racism and loneliness which i would love to hear more about and how that affects you

Probably gonna move in japan in a bit over a year now so i'm researching....

Do you get any paid sick time in Japan? Or do you have to take sick time out of your 10 days of PTO like in the states?

This is really wise advise. It's kind of you to think of what others need to know so they don't end up making a HUGE and very costly mistake. Well done!

Good video, gives some realistic expectations. Also just wondering do you think life is hardest in tokyo compared to other main cities. From my research and also from my visits Osaka seems a better alternative with socialising and cost of living.

I’m moving to Nagoya soon and thankfully the apartment search has been pretty easy, the reps for the units I’m interested in have been super nice. But I also know I’ve been SUPER lucky.

Outstanding All Around

This was the best, most down-to-earth video that I've seen so far. A lot of people feel very alien and unrelatable when discussing living in Japan but I think you explained it in a way that us normal humans can understand. Specifically addressing things like what daily life is like and the idea that moving won't fix all your problems is a good frame shift as myself and many others can get "lost in the sauce," to put it crudely.

Re 21, while true also remember that a life shake up is exactly what many need to radically disrupt bad patterns. Don’t use travel to “fix” yourself, but also it can open your horizon and teach you that the problems in your life might not be as big as you think. Trying something new can really reset your mindset.

Love here as well and totally agree, the middle name thing had lmao. Omg have get good at writing really small.

As a Japanese person, I hate tattoos. It's just intimidating. Even if it expresses one's beliefs, others cannot understand it. I think there are other ways to express your beliefs.



It may be welcomed by some young people who are easily swayed by trends, but I don't think it will be welcomed by people in positions of status.

Where do you recommend to apply for apartments that are friendly to foreigners?

I feel like one day after coming home from my job I'm gonna walk in the door, let out a big sign and just violently but nonviolently shake the air xD I'm normal I swear 😂

Question what website do you go to I’m confused

I super appreciate the honesty in this video. I will say I didn't like the editing style; it hurt my eyes. But the content was helpful. My husband and I are considering moving to Japan after visiting. It seems like a lot of preparation is needed to successfully and happily move there from a foreign country and not be more depressed than when you left.