Whizbang

Just curious if anyone, probably servicemen, have opted to remain living in Japan after their obligations with the military were met. I am hoping to get an extended tour in Japan, with a chance of a short tour (1 year) in Guam prior to. Afterwards, i would be nearly complete with the military and i could either reenlist or opt to return to civilian life.

cuban

japan is fun to visit but i dont think living here permanantly would be any fun. japan is rediculously expensive. and overall you would generally be not liked.

Rutt

Hahahahaha... been here for 16 years and I think it's a damn cool place to live. 99% of the contractors on base are prior-service or were dependents. There are also GS jobs too. Concentrate on the military career first and then worry about the civilian side BUT make sure your job field is something that will translate to a civilian job.

Japan is expensive if you do not know how to or where to shop.

Circuit Theory

iTrader: (52)

Rutt is definately one of the longest residents to live in Japan as far as I know. I think Kenn Chan has been here for quite some time as well.

I am just now on my fourth year but plan to stay for many many more.

I agree with Rutt Japan can be very expensive if you do not learn quickly how to or where to live and shop.

I would not discourage anyone from trying out life in Japan, it is a great place to live but on the other hand it is not for everyone. There are all kinds of rules and regulations etc that take some time getting accustomed to. I highly recomend atleast a year of college Japanese study, only for the reason that it will make life in Japan much easier as well as give you a huge jump on learning to speak japanese casually.

Mytelex22

iTrader: (10)

LOL, whom have have you pissed off?


OP..
Besides the obvious cultural differences and high cost of living it is very possible to transplant yourself the Nipon... The only thing that would stop me would be the ease of everything back in the US. I think the Japanese tend to complicate things a little, especially with "point cards"... My JN friends (and their wives) live on point cards. They go shopping at certain locations or certain days because of points and buy a certain amount... It's a big mess sometimes...

my .02

Kotetsu

I totally agree with you. I first came to Jana something like 10 years agon and moved here since 2004.

I don't know about the military life style but I assume it's easier because they manage almost everything for you (house, insurance etc...) but correct me if I'm wrong.

However, as much as I've seen so far, there are clearly two categories of foreigners living here (three including US military):

1) Peolpe sent by their company for a short term stay (2 to 5 years)
2) People who decided to move here because they like Japan.

Most of the 2) category teach English I think. It's easy, you don't work to much every day, you can manage your free time easily, etc... But most of these people keep hanging out with country fellows or English speakers. The stick to this community and most of them have spent years here and still suck at speaking Japanese. They also don't really like nor understand this country because they just takes what is nice and reject the rest (sorry but it's a pure fact). Doind this also prevent any real integration (assuming it's even possible to be completely accepted here).

So yes, Circuit Therory is completely right. Spending at least one year in a japanese school (while teaching English or having any other "baito" for instance) is the best thing to do for the one who wants to stay here for good. It'll also let you know better about Japan and its rules and daily system.

But if you want to be happy here, and I really mean it, you have to really love the country and be ready to accept things that aren't quite the same as in your own country (once again I don't really know the US so I'll make no comparison here). Once you speak Japanese decently, it'll open many doors.

I hope I made no offense to anyone telling how I see things.

And yes, I DO love this country. I've spent two years in a Japanese school while part time working before finding myself a job in a local trading company. Bu I've been really lucky. I don't need to teach English anymore (This is soooooo boring)

So Low Impedance, you decide what's good for you but if you really need some advice, take what Circuit Theory and I suggested and just give a try. If you don't feel being in the right place, you'll always have the possibility to go back home.

Good luck man!

Circuit Theory

iTrader: (52)

^well said.

I especially agree with this statement.

"if you want to be happy here, and I really mean it, you have to really love the country and be ready to accept things that aren't quite the same as in your own country"

kenn_chan

I have not been here that long, I left and came back after I got out of the Marine Corps.....That was about 1988 if memory serves me correctly believe it or not, it was the cheap cost of rotary engines and cars that brought me back

kenn

sactownbwoy

Being in the Air Force shipping your car out here isn't too much of a problem. The inspections as the others have said are a different story. I don't know anything about the inspections but in Okinawa I don't see too many cars on the road that people shipped from the states.

Personally I wouldn't want to ship an American version Japanese car to Japan. I would just buy the Japanese version. Less hassle.

After my first tour of duty here I was going to stay but my wife who was Okinawan wanted to live in the states for a few years. I got bored with civilian life and just re-enlisted in the Corps and for some reason they felt I hadn't spent enough time here and sent me back. My first tour was four years.

Love the place but definetely didn't expect to come back so soon.

BlowenByTwins

iTrader: (6)

I'm really interested in what these rules and regulations are.

If you all don't mind i would like more incite on what it's like to be American born/decent living in Japan.

I'm might be taking a trip over there in the next year or so. And I've thought about what it would be like to live there.

Kotetsu

Once again, ti all depends ont the situation, the place, your personality...

Personally. I've done some home staying for a couple of months. It was nice and interresting, but of course when you're 27 (my age at the time) you also want to get your own place etc... If you don't have anything set by the military or the company that sent you there, it's not that easy to get a good start in Japan. You'll need a guarantor for everything (visa, apartment, etc...).

The best thing you can do if you've never been there is to take a trip and see for yourself. Then you'll decide if you move in or not.

Last thing, again, if you plan to come here on your own, you have to know that is not the best time now in Japan. It's never easy to find a job for a gaijin but currently Japanese economy is not well at all and finding a job will be more difficult than ever.

Anyway, if you come to Shizuoka, let me know, I'll show you arround.

ehime

iTrader: (18)

I think the hardest part about living in Japan right now is getting a job that can cover the cost of living, just like Hawaii, I see quite a few "multi generation homes". My wifes friend Kumi is
a resident with a BA (or equiv) and was barely able to get a job at a 7-11....

If you're hard working and diligent they respect that and you might be able to eek out a nice living there. I've thought about it several times (my wife wants to leave the US permanently now) but I'm afraid of the job market, especially in the wake of a crashing economy.

Prolly those wanna be Yakuza kids I always run into in Osaka-ken = P

Kotetsu, you forgot category 3, people who have spouses that are Japanese. I have quite a few friends that are like me (caucasian, Japanese wife) that have moved back for permanent residence because of their better half not liking America and wanting to go home. My wifes working me like a slave right now on moving back to Ibaraki..... Her and her damned Jedi mind tricks, lol.

Kotetsu

Well then I would be int 3_b category because my wife's Japanese but on the contrary I live there (just bought some land to build our house).

Anyway, the problem remains the same about the job. You need to speak very good Japanese in order to get a decent job and even with that there's no gurantee you get one.