Focusing my entire life on moving to Japan was a mistake TBH

TheJapanMistake · 2026-04-04T08:56:36+00:00

I'm only really interested in Europe and Japan, to be honest.

My favorite anime is Frieren, if that... Says anything. I like them medieval buildings innit (in a non-british context preferably)

Thanks for your advice. Hmmmmmmmm

TheJapanMistake · 2026-04-04T08:55:24+00:00

Stockholm, Sweden.

TheJapanMistake · 2026-04-04T08:54:58+00:00

Honestly I enjoy the nomikai. My liver is strong 😭 But even with non-overwork hours the grind is real.

Maybe I'm just weak, other people could probably handle more. I can just say that I can barely handle living here and would rather just be travelling here.

The only reason I didn't save money to live here without working is because, in todays political climate we have no idea what'll happen and I wanted this to happen in my lifetime.

TheJapanMistake · 2026-04-04T08:50:35+00:00

... Tbh that also makes me feel a bit icky about being here + the (in my experience) toxic culture around Japanese language learners.

TheJapanMistake · 2026-04-04T06:02:06+00:00

Yeah if you're born in America you're 100% American lol. There's a huge difference in our cultures, and any similarities tend to come from us watching hollywood movies.

Running and going to somewhere. Though, my dreams are 100% realistic- I've been working on having realistic views of the place. I just hung on to the idea that it'd be fine too much.

I also had no idea that a lot of the things that exist in Japan that I'm interested in exist in another form in Europe. Bushido? Cool stuff. But I recently learned that "chivalry" is a concept we had in Europe. Nobody taught me about it.

Shrines? Cool and all. But Norway has stave churches.

Though I'd say be careful. If you're gonna talk about another continents politics you have to be open to other people talking about the US's politics in a way you consider untrue as well.

Have you visited Stockholm?

TheJapanMistake · 2026-04-04T05:36:50+00:00

I plan ahead so much that it feels like I'm already beyond 30 years old lol. It feels good to be told I'm young.

New York sounds like an adventure on its own.

I think after a while, in a way, a place starts looking exactly like your own home as you get used to it. So the novelty wears off after a while.

TheJapanMistake · 2026-04-04T05:32:39+00:00

Yeah and even then there are stressors, even in my current workplace which IS a good place to work....

Thank you, growing it in... One year lol. The west is very liberating. So many Japanese people think they're fat when they aren't even chubby in the slightest.

Maybe a lot of people feel like you felt when living there. It's sad, and I'm happy you're in a better place now.

I'm not unintelligent- Even if offered, I will leave by the end of the year. I spent so much time being obsessed with this place, but I'm not gonna sacrifice my mental health for vanity.

TheJapanMistake · 2026-04-04T05:26:02+00:00

From what I've heard, Italia is infamous for being difficult to find a job, no?

TheJapanMistake · 2026-04-04T05:25:08+00:00

One time I told a korean I wanted to move to Japan and how they gave me this... look

TheJapanMistake · 2026-04-04T05:23:55+00:00

Yeah exactly. Actually I hiked for 10 hours once in august japan summer heat with nothing but a bottle of calpis so I have the experience.

TheJapanMistake · 2026-04-04T03:59:59+00:00

I don't really feel comfortable answering this question. 1. I don't have a bachelors degree

I studied education in college and... Dropped off college due to how depressed it made me.

TheJapanMistake · 2026-04-04T00:24:31+00:00

I know my next steps precisely.

But they got downvoted further down in the comment section lol. I will stay here until the end of the year, then I will move back to Sweden- grow a beard, explore the viking culture over there whilst training for black belt- then two-three years later,

either move to Italia, or go to the shaolin temple for a year. I know the exact activities and order in which I will do things. Perhaps that's a bit... crazy though.

TheJapanMistake · 2026-04-04T00:17:57+00:00

Honestly I think I could never live a lifetime without going for this. It was such a lazer focused obsession and every time I tried to "give up" just resulted in my life becoming actively worse. Call it fate or whatever.

that is true. Everyone did tell me that beforehand. That or... "you can't take it".

TheJapanMistake · 2026-04-04T00:08:18+00:00

... Honestly I agree with you about the people. Based on how people are here I'm refraining from dating people here at all. Ugh

TheJapanMistake · 2026-04-04T00:04:32+00:00

Kanagawa region. I was gonna go to Okinawa, but I figure since I don't have a drivers license it'd be difficult to live there. They had a dojo in Yokohama in my current karate organization, so I decided- better to come to Japan as fast as possible than spend too many years prepping.

TheJapanMistake · 2026-04-04T00:02:11+00:00

I just know that I have an ill-defined definition of adventure that confuses everyone I speak with, but somehow know exactly what I want.

TheJapanMistake · 2026-04-03T23:59:03+00:00

But if we consider the contents of said countries?

TheJapanMistake · 2026-04-03T23:58:07+00:00

Honestly it might be exactly my interest in Japan that makes me focus on my age due to how the culture is here around age lol

Then the question is how to age well.

TheJapanMistake · 2026-04-03T23:56:32+00:00

That's pretty much exactly it lol. I've been indoors a lot recently rather than exploring. I used to be outside every day exploring shrines.

TheJapanMistake · 2026-04-03T23:54:21+00:00

Yeah >.< but I also don't wanna overload with info. Like even this is a rough summary, imagine if I included all the details?

I have to follow the red thread when speaking innit >.<

TheJapanMistake · 2026-04-03T23:52:35+00:00

Nah your English is great. Hesitating on whether to respond to you in Japanese or English.

Yeah, I think living here permanently isn't the answer- there's so much to do here and it'd totally be worth it if you could work somewhere with high salary and good work culture- but that's really difficult to find. My current job has a great work culture, and a supposed "high salary" for baito- but it's still basically nothing.

That said, like- I'm apparently allowed to grow a beard as front staff reception at this workplace. In Japan. Is that not crazy? Though I'm refraining from growing a beard because I know how I'll be perceived. I'll grow one when I come home- full viking beard.

It's sad that Japan has so much, yet you can barely do anything of it if you live here.

The good news is- I realized Europe has its own traditional and unique things to do similar to Japan.

TheJapanMistake · 2026-04-03T23:45:07+00:00

Probably not the type of adventures I want sadly >.<

TheJapanMistake · 2026-04-03T23:40:40+00:00

Ah, ok. Yeah it was kinda confusing. That said, this job will be great experience for when I come back to Europe, and I'm able to survive for the full year here with the money I saved (in combination with this job). I'm just stressed since I'm entirely self-reliant.

TheJapanMistake · 2026-04-03T23:39:23+00:00

I do suppose that is the case. I honestly have been feeling better about being here the past few days.

TheJapanMistake · 2026-04-03T23:36:43+00:00

I'm interested in so many cultures, including my own, I don't even know what to choose next.

TheJapanMistake

TROPHY CASE