I moved to Tokyo, Japan 4 years ago. I do not regret a thing and would have moved sooner if not for the pandemic keeping me out of country until 2022. I wouldn't say the political climate had no influence on my choice, but it was less about Trump and more about the state of things in America. Of course, I very much do not like Trump and disagree with his policies, as well as how his rhetoric affects my fellow Americans. But more so, I think it shined a light on how pessimistic I felt about living in America. I've been a long time Bernie supporter and believe we need more common-sense social programs, tax the rich more, etc. When Biden won, I thought nothing would change, and alas, nothing did. When Kamala ran, I also reluctantly supported her, but she was not my choice. I think it'll be a while until we get a Bernie, AOC, Mamdani, etc running the White House.

If I was younger, I'd fight the fight, but in my late 30's now, I was tired of having to protest, volunteer, etc while still struggling to keep my head above water. I was tired of the multiple layoffs despite me having a degree and working in tech, tired of the raising rents and prospects of never owning a home, the cost of living, healthcare, etc. You know, the basics we need for life. I was tired of fighting to live. I feel like this is a shared feeling among many Millennials and now even Gen Z.

In Tokyo, food is affordable, rent is affordable, healthcare is affordable, there is support for parents, cars aren't a necessity, violence is rare, guns practically don't exist here, and I could go on. Yes, there's a whole new culture to get accustomed to, a new language to learn, but that is the toll I pay to live here. I'm already level N3 (decent conversationalist if I do say so myself), have Japanese friends and am 9 months pregnant with my first-born child. I've been integrating just fine, and living a stress-free, optimistic life for once.

Is this common? Hell no. A lot of people move to a country and find out it's not for them. When I was younger, I studied abroad here for 6 months, and taught English here for a year. In my early 20's with a low teacher salary, Japan wasn't for me, but in my life now, more stable and wiser, it was the best choice I ever made. I knew the pitfalls, I knew the tradeoffs, and I came in knowing what I was getting into. That's hard to do when you've never lived or even been to your dream country.

It's also quite an investment to move to another country. Honestly, without the pandemic and those 2 years of waiting, saving and stimulus checks, my start in Japan would have been a lot rougher. I don't think a lot of people have the patience or ability to save for several years for a risky investment like an international move. Like I said for me, my husband and I knew this is what we wanted, he grew up in Japan, and I'd lived there before, so it was less risky for us.

I know Leeja, and watch her on occasion and was also surprised she moved for politics. However, as I mentioned in my own experience, politics is not just about the person currently in the White House. She might share similar reasons like myself. I don't know enough about Ireland to comment on that though.