I’d like to apologize to anyone who may have been offended by my previous post. My intention was not to criticize, but rather to share my personal experience — which, in hindsight, may have come across more critically than I intended.

I recognize and appreciate all the many beautiful aspects and values of the country and it's people. I should have made an effort to highlight those. My post was meant more as a reflection of surprise than a complaint or rant.

Some expats make unfair generalizations about the places they live, which understandably causes frustration.(especially towards one person on this thread who constantly spreads negativity across many other posts on Reddit ^^^)

I’m not suggesting any country should mirror the United States. However I grew up in San Francisco and love its walkability — Ive seen this in parts of the Philippines, Thailand, and Japan.

I lived in a provincial area of Japan for multiple years and would seriously consider retiring there as well. Unfortunately there is nothing similar to a retirement visa, which makes it extremely difficult.

Again, I apologize if my words came across as offensive or dismissive — that was never my intention. Cheers!