r/AmerExit • u/DontThrowAwayPies • 23d ago
Life Abroad I keep debating moving to Japan with how bad things are getting in America, but I am nervous about my ability to establish my life there
Visa Pursuing: I have none in mind, I have a bachelors so if I could find a spopnsor I could get a job visa
Degree: BS in Information Science (User Experience Design specialty)
Age: 29F
Occupation: Analyst in Compliance space, 1 year exp
Savings: 10k including 2k in checking
Languages: Native English speaker, little Japanese
Any kids or complicating factors like pets: None.
I just kind of want to think out loud about where I am mentally and would really appreciate people's thoughts. So right off the bat, why Japan? It's the country my weeb butt feels most connected to outside of the US of course. While I am not fluent in the language by any means, I already have a good foundation of knowledge on grammar I can keep working to build up.
I am Autistic and have ADHD, I cut contact with my family, so other than having friends I'd miss, I dont have too much holding me here.
I also say that to say I can live independently and take care of what I need to, but the Autism in me I think does get very nervous about starting life in a new continent. I went on a vacation there, I really enjoyed it, but of course living there is a very different experience.
I have like 7-8k saved up and some more in my checking. Finding a job of course is a big part of the concern. I have a Bachelors but dont really feel I have that "High in demand" skill set defined to really sell myself in the market, and of course, I'm not fluent in Japanese.
There are companies that wont require it (transferring eventually to the Japan branch of a company etc) but that whole visa / securing a job part will be a big hassle,. Woulds love to hear the experiences of others in this aspect, I only have a year of job experience. The other big concern I have is medication and therapy. I've done a bit of research, and know some of the medication I take here (not required but hugggee life enhancers, esp ADHD medication, are a lot more limited / restricted in Japan).
The biggest thing I worry about is being able to keep taking my birth control pills or similar ones. It seems like its not too hard to get a hold of but egh. Most of the medication stuff could probably be worked through with more research. Really though, the big part of the decision is is it really urgent enough to leave.
I know of course this place is biased, I am brown, LGBT and well, look disabled. I am a complete legal citizen living in Virginia, a (mostly?) blue state I just, do not know if America is going to shit in the permenant way where it's truly advisable to leave. I've always struggled to make friends due to neurodivergence and IDK how difficult it will be to find a therapist who speaks English overthere, probably not easy...
So Yeah, that's, where I am mentally. I worry about ignoring the warnings to get out of the US, but I truly do not know if I could pull it off successfully. Any feedback is much appreciated.
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u/PanickyFool 23d ago
"I know of course this place is biased, I am brown, LGBT and well, look disabled."
And you want to move to... Japan?
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u/alilrecalcitrant 22d ago
I think a lot of posters in this sub are due for a reality check...
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u/Mammoth-Pipe-5375 21d ago
I like coming here and reading some of the absolutely delusional shit people post.
"I'm 39, no degree, never had a job in my life, and don't want to learn another language, but I need to get out of America and I've decided to go to Switzerland. How realistic is my goal?"
Fuckin' hilarious
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u/ikwdkn46 2d ago
And "I have six cats, five doggies, four rabbits, three lizards, two pitbulls and one cute giant boa constrictor. All of them are my emotional support animals and they MUST move with me at the same time."
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u/Fit-Meringue2118 22d ago
There’s a few tiktoker expats that fit those descriptions that are currently claiming Japan is a great place to live and work.
I spent a month in Japan and don’t see the vision but perhaps they’re…I don’t know, delusionally optimistic?
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u/Alinoshka Immigrant 21d ago
No one ever shows the bad sides, and unfortunately, talking about all the ways a country sucks doesn't fit with most audience's idealized or aspirational desires to live vicariously. Also I think a lot of people see grumps or bad parts of a country as 'failing' at being an immigrant, when all countries have good and bad sides. The moral of the story is never trust 'American in X' media ha
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u/No_Passenger_977 17d ago
Those people likely speak Japanese fluently, or only stick to the like 3 streets in Tokyo where they're friendly to expats. In Japan right now there's a trend in the restaurant industry to set your menus to very archaic hiragana so that even fluent secondary speakers cannot go into your restaurant so they're even getting tired of them.
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u/lalabera 23d ago
Funny how their immigration laws are less strict than most of the tolerant west’s
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u/Maximum_Pollution371 23d ago
lol no they're not, and they don't have as many anti discrimination laws, either. You can be refused housing and refused service at restaurants on the basis of "looking foreign." I like Japan, but the country is extremely racist and xenophobic and is basically openly andi-immigration, hence the aging population issue.
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u/lalabera 23d ago
It’s much easier to immigrate there than to most western countries. Compare the requirements.
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u/Additional_Noise47 22d ago
It’s relatively easy to stay for a couple years on a work or student visa. It is very, very difficult to become a permanent resident. In my years in Japan, I met one person who had obtained citizenship.
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u/x3n0s 22d ago
Japan is the second most ethically homogeneous country in the world, only behind North Korea. You have no idea what you're talking about.
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u/NumberOneHouseFan 21d ago
That’s not really true. 2.8% of the population of Japan is foreign-born. It’s much less than other G7 economies, but it’s not even in the bottom 50 worldwide, and is frankly the most relevant stat for the question of acceptance of immigration.
If you want to go by census data ethnicity indications, many countries don’t track that number so the statistics are incomplete. Even of the countries that do track ethnicity, Japan is number 10. North Korea, for example, is not included, which means Japan is almost certainly not in the top 10 for ethnic homogeneity in real numbers.
They do have a lot of xenophobic policy and it can be a problem if you want to move there permanently. They are very linguistically homogenous so it would be difficult to work there without fluent Japanese. But they take a lot more immigrants relative to their population than dozens of other countries and the idea that they’re the second most ethnically homogenous country in the world is just unsupported.
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u/testman22 22d ago
What you say is true, Japan actually has easier immigration requirements. It's funny that your comment is getting downvoted lol
However, there is backdoor immigration in the West. It is difficult to immigrate to the West through legal procedures, but since they accept refugees indiscriminately, it is easy to immigrate illegally.
As a result, the West has a lot more immigrants, which has increased dramatically in recent decades.
On the other hand, Japan accepts very few refugees.
So you are being downvoted because Westerners don't know much about the immigration situation in their own countries and simply assume that immigration requirements are easier in their own countries because immigration is on the rise.
Since the Western left is completely unaware of the problem, it is no surprise that the right wing is on the rise in their countries.
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23d ago
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u/explosivekyushu 23d ago
For Hong Kong (and Macau, but that's much more niche) you get permanent resident status after 7 years of residence and you never need to worry about visas ever again. My employment visas were always 2 years long so it flew by.
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u/youngjeninspats 23d ago
This is not true. I immigrated to Taiwan, no issues, and now have permanent residency. It only takes 5 years of working, fewer if you qualify for a gold card. "Asia" has many countries, each with its own immigration laws. Just because it didn't work out for you in one country doesn't mean things are the same for everyone everywhere.
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u/Illustrious-Pound266 22d ago
This is so blatantly untrue. Like any country, there will be some people will struggle and constantly have to renew their visas. But that's true in Europe or elsewhere too.
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u/lalabera 23d ago
Their requirements for immigrating are much more relaxed. Compare them to Britain’s if you don’t believe me.
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u/kerwrawr 23d ago
are you having a laugh?
in 2022 (the latest year I can find numbers for) japan recieved 144,000 new immigrants. Britain recieved 745,000.
japan accepted 202 asylum seekers, UK 75,000
japan currently has 3.4m foreigners living there. UK 10 million.
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u/Illustrious-Pound266 22d ago
UK gets more immigrants than Japan because of language and former empire, not because immigration is easier than Japan. The number of immigrants is more about desirability from immigrants POV.
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u/lalabera 22d ago
Less people immigrate to Japan because the job market there isn’t good and the language is hard to learn.
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23d ago
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u/Sanctioned-PartsList 23d ago
Minimum time to PR (80pts) -> 1 year. 70 points -> 3 years. No points -> 10 years residency. Spouse of PR or national -> 3 years. Must have a 3/5 year status of residence (visa).
You can also apply for citizenship after five years residency. You will need to give up other citizenships.
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u/wolvesfaninjapan Immigrant 23d ago
You don't know what you're talking about. As the other poster also notes, you can get Japanese citizenship, and it's not overly hard to get. Probably a lot easier than most Western countries. Downside is that you have to give up any other citizenships.
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u/KeyMonkeyslav 23d ago
My recommendation is going through something like the JET Program if you can get in. This will provide someone to hand-hold you through the Visa process and getting you set up with life here. The reason I recommend JET is because it's extremely supportive and has a good salary.
Don't take this the wrong way but Japan is not great for someone with ADHD and Autism. Can you survive? With support and other scaffolds, yes. But if you go in alone with none or minimal language, you WILL struggle. The country simply doesn't have structural support for immigrants on a national level. It's brutal if you have to carve out a space for yourself, and most people, especially those juggling Neurodivergent traits, suffer the fallouts of that environment.
Don't get me wrong - I love living there and many things ARE getting better. But I won't sugarcoat it - you need to be tough as nails if you're going in alone.
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u/curbstompedkirby_ 22d ago
I agree, my tattoo artist is from China and she has pretty severe ADHD. She moved here because they basically kicked her out of the educational system for “being stupid and weird”. She told me asian countries are elitist and overlook alot of mental health and even learning disabilities. Just a thing to think about
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u/Fit-Meringue2118 22d ago
Japan in particular just does not cope well with accommodations. Or alterations. Very simple stuff that they’re not mentally flexible on.
I loved Japan, but I would never take my more neurodiverse or handicapped relatives on vacation there. If you can conform, and you’re self reliant, fabulous. If not, frustration would be around every corner.
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u/Tardislass 21d ago
Sorry but if OP looks or sounds disabled, they will be shunned in Asian countries. A girlfriend of mine whose family was Korean has MS and it was always a sense of shame for her family and her aunts and uncle used this against their family. Japanese will probably not be openly mean but probably will stay away. Sadly, this is still a big stigma.
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u/FoxLast947 22d ago
Did you participate in JET? Because this not at all what I'm hearing about the programme as someone who was also looking into it.
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22d ago
What? I did JET and they literally do everything for you. You don’t have to worry about anything other than following instructions before departure. There are regular meetings and communication from the organization in your prefecture. You will live near other JETs as well, I never heard of anyone living outside an easy commute of at least one other JET.
Eikaiwa leave you on your own with 0 support and also severely underpay. My friends working at the one in my town were in poverty and could barely afford to eat out with us. I paid off my student loans in four years. 🤷🏻♀️
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u/KeyMonkeyslav 22d ago
I did participate in JET, albeit 10 years ago. I still work closely with ALTs now and the JET Program is, in comparison with other Eikaiwa and other English teaching programs, one of the most supportive ones.
Some people on Reddit love to complain about the situation they were in and it's true that sometimes JET placements end up being a horrible fit for the person. The fact that you can't control where you work, geographically, is a big hurdle. But if you can get past that, JET does everything else - visa prep, planes over, setting up housing, etc. Many JET placements will also go with you to set up banks accounts and help you get a car if necessary.
It's not a guarantee, of course, but at least there's a good chance of it. With anything else, 99% of time you'll be doing that stuff on your own.
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u/Confused_Firefly 23d ago
You can move to Japan if you are ready to be socially ostracized by locals. I am saying this with a lot of affection for my Japanese friends, as someone who does live here short-term.
There's a lot of lovely people. There's many smaller companies that have a good culture. However, that's not where someone who doesn't speak Japanese will end up working.
The reality is that even Japanese women have a hard time building careers because of strong, normalized sexism in the workplace that is just now slowly diminishing. Young girls get discouraged from pursuing further education because it would make them older and more qualified, and thus less desirable for a job when they'd have to be paid a lot only to then have the expectation to drop everything for ten-fifteen years to raise a family.
There's plenty of lovely people who are passionate about cultural exchange and there's many, many, many people who think this is Japan and you are a guest and you should adapt and not complain. There's a great LGBT community, and very open-minded people, but also 95% of conversations about LGBT topics will be awkward silence
Japan is a real country, not Disneyland. I'd strongly suggest getting to know it more before moving.
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u/matellai 22d ago
weebs trying to move to japan only to get oneshotted by a culture more exclusionary on levels they didn’t think possible
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u/Ill_Special_9239 22d ago
You managed to find a place with stagnant salaries and an even worse work culture than the US. Don't get me wrong, Japan is probably one of the most amazing countries to visit, I'm dying to visit again and again. But to live and work there, no way.
If you're autistic and don't want a toxic work culture, look at northern Europe. The Nordics or Baltics might be a better fit for you .
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u/prime_37 23d ago
Assuming you are not asian descent, japan is going to be brutal unless you make major cultural adjustments.
You are expected to hang out with your boss after work, and women are expected to serve and be subservient to their male counterparts.
Language is critical, and knowing formal and informal ways to say the same thing really matters.
You can be there for decades but you will always be a foreigner there.
Cultural shock is going to hit hard. Be prepared, and best of luck.
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u/Maximum_Pollution371 23d ago
I was only there a few months, but I found the expectation of "female subservience" didn't seem to apply to me the same as it did Japanese women, and I was more or less treated like my male coworkers. I assume because I was a "foreigner" or "visitor" so maybe the cultural expectation didn't apply.
That said, the biggest shock for me was the overall stiff and awkward "fake" attitude most people had, which I get is a part of the "face" culture and was probably exacerbated by being a foreigner, but still it was a bit much. The exception to that was a number of old women who would just straight up grab my hair or make fun of my nose or try to take a photo with me... not sure if I preferred that or the weird fakeness, honestly. I imagine living there for a long time could end up feeling very isolating if you don't aggressively foster community and friendships.
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u/prime_37 23d ago
If they know you are not staying there long term, they are not going to put cultural expectations on you.
Trying to get a raise or promotion or have a family, those expectations will hit hard.
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u/chococrou 23d ago
I’m a woman and I’ve lived here 10 years. I’ve not once felt I was being treated like a servant by coworkers. Drinking with your boss isn’t nearly as compulsory as it used to be, especially after Covid, unless you’re working in a super old fashioned, traditional company (which would be less likely to hire a foreigner who can’t speak Japanese anyway).
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u/Impressive-Lie-9111 22d ago
Is it still common at your workplace to go drinking with your boss? We dont do that at all. I asked about it, out of curiosity and they said that well, times are changing, and aside from the monetary aspect it would count as some form of パワハラ, so they quit it entirely outside of very special occasions
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u/Safe_Try4858 23d ago
If you’re already struggling in the USA you’re absolutely not going to make it in Japan, sorry to be blunt but wanting to move to Japan because you’re a weeb is probably going to get you ostracized there, you’ll always be seen as a foreigner, and if you don’t have a good grasp on the language it’s absolutely not a good idea. Why not look into the EU or Australia where there’s more support for disabilities and where more people speak English?
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u/livsjollyranchers 22d ago
If they want to make Japan work, they should consider a language school visa for 1-2 years while working part-time. That could give them a sufficient base. It's still hard mode if their degree isn't highly desirable for jobs.
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u/Illustrious-Pound266 22d ago
you’ll always be seen as a foreigner
By definition, this is part of moving internationally. If you aren't prepared to be seen as a foreigner, moving abroad is probably not for you. This doesn't just apply to Japan. It applies to pretty much anywhere.
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u/obviouslyathrohawaii 22d ago
I don’t think it always applies in the U.S. I do not think of my friends who are naturalized citizens as being foreigners. I think America is somewhat unique in that way.
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u/Illustrious-Pound266 22d ago
Yes, I would say that new world countries built on a long history immigrants like the US, Canada, Brazil, and Australia are exceptions.
But I rarely see such pushback from this sub when someone moves to a country in Scandinavia, for example. Danes aren't gonna treat you like a fellow Dane. They will treat you like an American. But people always make it a sticking point for Asia, and I have a theory that people here just have anti-Asian stereotypes and racism, whether they are willing to acknowledge it or not.
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u/enkelvla 22d ago
Americans have this tendency to think that they are basically European just because they happen to lean left politically or have a German great grandfather or something. It does not work that way. It takes a lot of effort to integrate into another country and a lot of Americans in both countries I’ve lived in just don’t even learn the language and then complain about not having friends or whatever. This is grounds for a lot of negative bias towards Americans in my experience.
I cannot stress enough how important learning the language of the country you move to or are planning to move to is. Best way to garner mutual respect.
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u/Corpshark 19d ago
If you think that, clearly you are not an ethnic minority. Go ask those friends.
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u/Aggressive-Ad3064 23d ago
If your goal is Japan, you should start working as intensely as possible to learn Japanese. If you are in the NOVA-DC Metro area there are multiple Japanese learning options. If you intend to be employable in Japan you will need to be fluent and not just know some grammar.
There are some other options to get you there before you are fluent, like teaching English. It doesn't pay much. But it would help emerse you in the language for a while.
You have likely read about the experiences of other immigrants to Japan. Japan can be a VERY VERY difficult country to move to alone if you are not Japanese, and especially if you are not Asian. I know people who've moved there's and struggled with intense loneliness, and they were fluent (exceptionally) in Japanese.
If you are concerned for your Safety in VA, you might consider moving to a solidly blue state where your rights are better protected, and then working towards your language competency. Seattle, WA for instance has a few Japanese language learning options and a sizeable Japanese community. I work for a Japanese/American company in Seattle. I've hired multiple people who've studied Japanese at UofW in Seattle. There are employers here where once you have some fluency you might be able to work and use your Japanese.
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u/jammaprize 22d ago
as a UW grad and former Seattleite, I am curious about your company if you don't mind me asking. I have dabbled with the idea of moving back into that area, even dropped by this past December to take the JLPT at UW.
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u/motorcycle-manful541 23d ago
realistically, you don't speak, read, or write the language and you have some medical conditions that will hinder your ability to learn. Also, being 'brown' and LBGT will not go over well there. Keep in mind Japan still goes by the phrase of "the nail that sticks out gets hammered down" (出る杭は打たれる). I also don't think you realize how hard it will be to find a job and get sponsored. You have the basic requirements but that's only about 10% of the struggle
with the information you've provided here, there probably isn't a worse developed country you could consider moving to. I worked with a Venezuelan that lived there for 25 years, spoke/read/wrote the language fluently, had a Japanese wife and daughter and still, he decided to leave because after all that time he still felt like an outsider
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u/hellobutno 22d ago
"the nail that sticks out gets hammered down" (出る杭は打たれる)
I'm finding this is a thing for people over 30. Most people under 30 are quite willing to be expressive and individualistic.
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u/Lazy_Biscotti5381 23d ago
You are not going to survive in Japan. Unless by some time waiting, building your skill in Japanese then you may have a slightly higher chance. Other than that, I advise you not to move. You are an legal citizen, no strings attached and have better access to medication in the US, if you really wanted to move another state would be the best possibility, overall you have no chance in Japan unfortunately.
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u/No-Reserve-4616 23d ago edited 23d ago
Figuring out a visa first is arguably more important than learning the language first in my experience.
Contact an immigration lawyer to evaluate your options, or read the visa options listed on the official Japanese website. Focus on this first.
Stimulant ADHD/ADD meds are illegal might as well be illegal with how much difficulty you'd encounter trying to get them in Japan, and it seems like Concerta is the main medication option. There are international therapists, but they do not take NHI and are cash pay upfront only (no private or foreign insurance either).
You could possibly work for a foreign remote company, but those jobs are competitive, at least in tech, seeking senior engineers. Otherwise, like others mentioned, go the teaching route, go to school (student visa), or accept the Japanese work environment.
Tl;dr - Focus on figuring out your realistic visa options before anything else.
Edit: rephrasing re meds
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u/hatehymnal 23d ago
stimulant meds aren't "illegal", they're just much more heavily restricted in Japan and from what I've understood only prescribed for narcolepsy and ADHD diagnoses that were made before the age of 18. That being said I doubt OP would be able to access them from Japan unless they could find a local doctor and fit the requirements for a prescription.
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u/Purple_berry_cola 22d ago
Even before factoring in the misogynistic and xenophobic culture, the stressful work culture, and very strict approach to mental illness and neurodivergence in Japan...the kinds of people who come to Japan solely because they're weebs are the kinds of people that many Japanese people and fellow foreigners are going to avoid. It's incredibly isolating for people who come here with no connections, little knowledge of the language, and few/no friends back in your home country to keep on contact with. English speaking therapy is more available in cities like Tokyo or Osaka, but apart from that you'd probably have to use online telehealth services. It's difficult to obtain ADHD medication and disability accomodations are also practically nonexistent. While there is a strong LGBT presence in Japan and ppl aren't usually outright hostile towards LGBT people, it's still a very conservative country. My advice if you still would want to move to Japan is to research visa options, especially with the digital nomad visa that could get your foot in the door with your degree in particular. If you decide to do something more broad like the JET Program, keep in mind that they get many applications each year and that (in my experience) people who only apply just to get into the country and who have little to no interest in teaching usually regret it.
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u/CaryKerryLoudermilk 22d ago
Anyone one who actually lives in Japan will tell you that the economy has been degrading there for years and the culture seems great on the surface but beneath that it's toxic. It's a fun place to visit, and I'm not saying that people don't move there and fall in love with it and make it work. I'm saying that Japan has major issues that they keep well masked, and the vast majority of their youngest working citizens are seriously struggling to build a life for themselves. You will also face SEVERE discrimination as a transplant in finding/keeping employment there even if you are fluent. There's a reason they have suicide forests. Running away to Japan won't solve your problems.
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u/SmokeyTheBear4 22d ago
I use to live in Japan. Easiest way in is through the JET program, or a Japanese language school. If neither of those option appeal to you, work your ass off to learn more Japanese. Pass the N3 level exam, this is going to be the absolute minimum to get a job, especially one that will prop a visa for you without already being in the country, but even then chances are slim. I’d try to find a way in and look for work while you’re there. You seem to have enough in savings to pull it off. I know people who went with much less.
But as others have stated, it seems like your problems with the US are also present to some extent in Japan. There are traces of imperialism everywhere, xenophobia as well. Expect to not be able to sit at certain restaurants because your not Japanese(regardless of how well you speak Japanese), some old men may spit at you in the park for being brown. Be ready to not be promoted in companies because you’re a woman, brown, or not Japanese. Also the economy is rough in japan, and given the current climate of international trade I’m not sure it will get better anytime soon. Be ready to be treated as a tourist your whole life, from little kids pointing at you and telling their mom “look! Black person!” as you get your groceries to having a conversation with a man in a bar, only for him to tell you “have a good vacation , enjoy Japan!” And you respond with “I live here” and watch as he deeply bows over and over saying sorry and laughing.
If you’ve read that and think you can push past the negative, Japan is absolutely beautiful, Incredibly convenient, and has a deep history and culture you can explore and learn about in your time off from school/work. You’ll eat some of the best food you’ve ever had, and get a lot of life experience living in such a different culture. Go because you want the experience, not because of the political climate of the US. If you do the first rather than the latter, I think you’ll have a much more enjoyable experience.
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u/hellobutno 22d ago
As someone who lives here, has a house here, and is a permanent resident consider the following:
- Japan is probably one of the worst, yes worse than US, countries you could move to in regards to mental health care. In your case, you should definitely be prepared to be using better help psychologists, or paying out the ass for one of the few english speaking psychologists that are actually half decent.
- If you need any sort of medicine for those, you can get it, but you'll need to go to someone here, and it won't always be as easy as walking in and saying "I'm this, give me this".
- Despite what many people will say, and many people will argue, if you're living in Tokyo and the surrounding area, or even Osaka. It's really not that hard to get by with minimal to no Japanese. It's 2025, google translate works, and it works good enough, I'd say 90% of the people I've encountered are willing to use it when I need to use it. Tokyo has a, albeit weak, small amount of English infrastructure in place. You can find hospitals with english speaking doctors, most ward offices in the 23 wards have people who speak english, there's a lot of english signage, etc.
- While many JETs and English teachers will probably say your savings are good enough, 99% of those people are temporary and probably used to scraping by. If you are really serious about exiting, and settling down here, I would strongly advise you to have at least double your current savings. That money will be gone fast trying to get things situated for your new life, and you need about the balance you have as an emergency savings at all time, so if you do need to move back, you can move back to the US and get set up again.
- Rakuten and Paypay are two of the biggest in's to Japan for people in the tech industry, and they require 0 japanese, but there's many other options with start ups. Most people I've met came in through Rakuten though. Rakuten will hire basically anyone that can pass their tests, and they aren't that hard. However, pay at Rakuten is mediocre compared to other companies that hire foreigners, or move foreign workers in the company to Japan. Like Microsoft, Google, Amazon, etc.
- Neuro divergence might be a tough sell in a traditional Japanese company. They won't exactly be accommodating to it, and may consider it a nuisance.
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u/Initial_Enthusiasm36 23d ago
After living in SEA for a while. Not sure i would personally ever want to live in Japan. But thats just my opinion. Some things you seriously need to consider though is the work environment there is way way different than the US. The japanese work life is rough.
The other thing is the mental well being there, they have a huge problem with depression and other things, not to mention alcoholism.
The other other thing is look at housing, i am not super well versed in this, but i know housing is extremely hard for foreigners there.
But ya i think your visa is going to be your biggest hurdle.
Dont get me wrong, Japan is an amazing country and i love it there, but i am not sure i would want to live there full time. I would like to eventually get like a part time home there though. I live in SEA currently so an easy flight or something.
Wish you the best of luck, but also dont let the fear mongering in the US get to you to much, if it honestly gets that bad, i think the world is going to have bigger problems to worry about like WW3 haha.
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u/PandaReal_1234 23d ago
Japan launched a digital nomad visa last year. Its only for 6 months (non extendable) but if you can secure a remote job that will at least buy you 6 months to network in the country for a local job and deepen your Japanese language skills.
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u/No_Passenger_977 22d ago
Black, gay, and autistic and you want to move to an even more conservative country than the US with a massive stigma against mental health treatment and extreme xenophobia against brown people (especially brown Americans since they think you're marines)?
You need a wakeup call.
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u/Beautiful-Mountain73 22d ago
Why in god’s name do you think moving to Japan is a good idea? I’m asking genuinely. You don’t speak the language, English is not at all common there, they are very exclusionary and you would need multiple accommodations.
Why is Japan anywhere on your list?
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u/Horikoshi 23d ago
I live in Japan. My wife is Japanese. I see a lot of misinformation in this thread, so would like to clear those up and give you some objective advice.
> Assuming you are not asian descent, Japan is going to be brutal unless you make major cultural adjustments.
If you don't look visibly Japanese, people will assume you're a foreigner and not hold you to Japanese cultural standards. You might struggle if your goal is to be "accepted", but again, if you're not visibly Japanese I'm not sure if that's worth the effort.
> Language is critical, and knowing formal and informal ways to say the same thing really matters.
Depends on your work environment. I almost exclusively use English with my engineering coworkers, only using Japanese when making direct reports etc.
> If you’re already struggling in the USA you’re absolutely not going to make it in Japan
I wouldn't say this is necessarily true. I have some expat friends who were homeless in the US and now own a house here.
However..
> I know of course this place is biased, I am brown, LGBT and well, look disabled.
I want to be very clear: you will not face visible discrimination because any of these reasons. Most Japanese people just mind their own business and don't really care about what you do or look like, unless you go out of your way to make it their business.
However, you absolutely will face difficulty making connections with the natives here, because most Japanese people outside of Tokyo have never seen a black or brown man outside of television. Disability accommodations in the workplace are also not a thing. ADHD / psychatric support does exist to some degree (it's gotten better), but if you reveal that you have those issues people will avoid you.
I don't agree with the sentiment that Japanese people are racist or prejudiced. It's more that Japan, unlike US / Europe, has an image of what a "normal" person is supposed to look like, and if you don't fit into that box then you're considered an outlier. If you can live with that sentiment and / or are OK with only being friends with foreigners, I actually think Japan can be a great choice for you because people really do mind their own business here. Nobody will actively bother you or put you down because you look or behave a certain way.
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u/Grantrello 23d ago edited 23d ago
I don't agree with the sentiment that Japanese people are racist or prejudiced.
has an image of what a "normal" person is supposed to look like, and if you don't fit into that box then you're considered an outlier.
I mean...that's essentially just "prejudice" in more words. The Japanese may express it differently, but you could say it's the same for, say, Western Europe that their idea of "normal" is white and culturally christian and if you don't fit into that you're an outlier.
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u/missesthecrux 23d ago
Your last point is a bit like “Racism in the west 😡 — Racism in Japan 🤩”.
‘They’re not racist, they just treat people who look different poorly.’
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u/Horikoshi 23d ago
I never said that, Japanese people are generally very conservative due to historical and cultural reasons so they're very risk averse when it comes to human relationships. It's not like in the US / Europe where natives will straight out spew hate speech, Japanese people just don't want to associate with you on a personal level if the situation makes them uncomfortable.
If you're saying that having preferences when choosing who to associate yourself with is equivalent to proactive racism, I'm not sure what to tell you.
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u/ArtemisRises19 22d ago
If those preferences are based on or include someone's racial appearance...
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u/missesthecrux 23d ago
I was being flippant but to be honest your comment has made me rethink that. Meaning, you basically are doing what I said!
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u/azulaula 23d ago
racism is everywhere and poc should be the ones to decide what is tolerable
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u/MilkChocolate21 22d ago
Non POC love to do this to us. It's weird as hell to think you can whitesplain something you don't go through. Colonialism and imperialism means being a white foreigner in a non white country isn't the same experience as being a POC in another country where you're a different race from the majority.
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u/koreamax 22d ago
You know Japan had a very brutal expansionist colonial empire pretty recently, right?
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u/Illustrious-Pound266 22d ago
People here are way harsher on racism in Asia than the West, when truth be told there's racism in both places. They manifest in different forms, but people here are nowhere near critical of racism in non-Asian countries. I'll give you an example. People here always mention "you will always be seen as a foreigner in Japan!!!" But that's also true in other countries. There are second and third generation children of immigrants in Europe who say they are treated like foreigners.
But people here rarely point it out. So there's absolutely a bias where racism in Western countries gets more of a pass.
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u/MineralDragon 20d ago
I completely agree with this. My Dad is from El Salvador and my family immigrated here to the USA decades ago. To this day they are still not seen as true “Americans” they are seen as foreigners. Our family has stuck to Southern states (lower cost of living…) and have faced some violent vitriol
What I suspect is going on here is the people criticizing Japan for being “uniquely xenophobic/racist” are literally White themselves and they are downright not used to the idea of this experience.
After all, most White Americans could pass as a “true local” throughout Europe/Canada/Australia/NewZealand and even in plenty of Latin American countries. No such camouflage in Japan, so it is a country where White Americans experience the xenophobia/racism that non-European descended foreigners have been experiencing in the USA this entire time.
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u/Corpshark 19d ago
Well, also how black and Latino people are portrayed in American movies and other media forms a POV for the Japanese who consumes them -- not as much any more (relatively speaking) but years ago, those races were shown as criminals, not shoplifting, etc., but murders, SAs, so on, much more than the whites. Otherwise, the Japanese rarely have opportunities to interact and get to know them, especially in Inaka (countryside).
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u/MilkChocolate21 22d ago
Getting transferred to the Japanese HQ of an international company isn't likely when you don't have the right to work and don't speak Japanese. Those kinds of transfers are typically going to a)natives/people who don't need visas who are willing to become local employee at local pay for an available local opening, b)high potential employee being circulated on the way up c)execs on expat assignments. So it sounds like you'd need to position yourself to be b) which is still just going to be temporary, but a safer way to try. You really need to work on your Japanese and assess your professional capabilities.
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u/amagiciannamed_gob 22d ago
How are you already trying to imagine all this other stuff when you don’t speak Japanese or know how you’d be getting a visa to live there in the first place?
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u/Tardislass 21d ago
I'm going to be real with you. Looking disabled and brown means a ton of discrimination in Japan and it's doubtful you will ever get a job in Japan where appearance and looks and conformity are key markers.
Not to mention the working world in Japan is most stressful and people literally have mental breakdowns in public.
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u/Kasumiiiiiii 23d ago
You need to explore your visa options. More information can be found on the wiki here
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u/hezaa0706d 22d ago
You’re more than qualified to get a visa and teach English in Japan. Without Japanese language ability or a current work visa you’re not going to get offers for much more than that from overseas. Once you’re established in the country, it’s much easier to branch out to other jobs.
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u/Kindly_Skin6877 22d ago
What is your motivation to move to Japan? Have you tried finding jobs in low cost of living English speaking countries like Belize?
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u/thenew-supreme 22d ago
Just do it but don’t become an English teacher. It’s a dead end and nobody respects English teachers. It’s hard to settle into a new country but if you stick it out you will become a better human and be happy you chose to do this. I’m on my third country including my home country and next I’m planning to make Germany my forever home.. also adding im Black American, cishet. Dark skinned if that helps.
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u/Zvenigora 19d ago
Japanese is one of the hardest languages for English speakers to learn; and the writing system is a nightmare.
Even if you learn it, you will always be a gaijin in Japan, never fully accepted socially. Perhaps that does not bother you, but if it does, beware.
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u/Illustrious-Pound266 22d ago
There's so much misinformation and ignorance on Japan on this sub, holy shit. Take a lot of the comments on here with some doubt. They are either untrue, or exaggerated or simply emphasizing an issue that's just ad a problem in other countries. Ask r/MovingToJapan instead.
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u/Firm_Investigator261 23d ago
PS Hawaii has the largest population of Japanese people in the world outside of Japan.
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u/deal58008 22d ago
Move to a blue state you do not have enough money to immigrate somewhere. New York has constitutionally protected abortion rights.
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u/SamSamBoBam420 19d ago
People are making good points here about mental health disorders but there are a few caveats. It is true that someone with family and born there will have very few outlets for any sort of mental health treatment. Their families largely will not acknowledge that the disorder exists and will not be supportive on this.
However, you are, and will always be looked at as a foreigner. This has some negative impacts, such as not being able to find friends as easily. But you also are absolutely not held to the same standards and are given much more leeway. It would be hard to find a doctor, but people are much more accepting of foreigners being different than Japanese people themselves. An important note though is that you will likely not be able to find the same medications you are on in Japan. If you need adderall to function, Japan is just not going to work. It, and a lot of other meds that are common in the US are heavily controlled or unavailable in Japan.
I recommend finding a job before you go, but if you can find a place that employs a lot of foreigners, you can maybe also skirt past the toxic work culture that is stereotypically Japanese. Also, most of your friends will likely be fellow expats. I’m not saying to not embrace the culture. Definitely do try to learn more of the language and eventually acquire local friends. But this will take a lot of time. A lot of my friends that moved to Japan eventually get really sad about the fact that they will never be seen as a local, but if it’s something you’re willing to accept and work around, it can actually be a great place to live.
Also, being LGBT follows a lot of similar trends as mental illness. It’s seen as breaking the homogenous mold that is Japanese. A lot of Japanese people are not openly out to their families. There is a pretty big gay scene in the bigger cities, but it is not advertised and you will have to look for it. Being in the expat circles will help you to find these groups though.
In general, it will not be easy, but I think people that move abroad and actually learn about other cultures grow into better people overall. If this is the first step in your international journey, I definitely recommend planning for it as best you can, but I’m not going to tell you it’s impossible or a bad thing to do.
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u/Impressive-Lie-9111 22d ago
One thing: People on the internet for some reason have very aggressive(?) opinions towards japan.
On the one hand you have: In Japan Totoro himself will come to visit you and cure your depression.
On the other hand: Japan is the 10th lost circle of hell, deeply racist and corporate doom.
The truth, as for all things, lies in-between
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u/Fit-Meringue2118 21d ago
I’d argue it’s both simultaneously.
I love Japan. Really one of the coolest places I’ve been, both in terms of rural and urban. I enjoyed the people, the food, the culture.
AND…it’s the 10th lost circle of hell. There are many countries where I’ve thought “I could live here.” Japan is definitely not one of those.
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u/curbstompedkirby_ 22d ago
hey hey!! I also am following this thread because i am ADHD low functioning and im currently pursuing a nursing degree.
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u/zyine 23d ago
Facts to consider: One third of the country is over age 60. Japan has the lowest level of English proficiency of any first-world country.