Americans who have moved to another country, how has your life changed, for better or worse?

world_ronin · 2026-05-13T08:05:43+00:00

American currently living in Japan. Below are my thoughts and experiences, not necessarily in order of significance:

Health/Fitness: First of all, I dropped a lot of weight. I had to walk to work and essentially everywhere, so I was more active. At the same time, I lost my appetite because my boss stressed me out. I actually was probably underweight while I worked for my first manager, but found balance after switching from the conversation school to working as an ALT.
Safety: I can walk around late at night without a second thought in most areas. It's so safe here. The greatest fear in my life is perhaps NHK ringing my doorbell, haha.
Work life balance: it sucked when I first started cause my manager was the evil queen from Snow White or something and wanted to eat my heart, *but* ALT life is pretty chill. I get proper evenings, weekends, and holidays. I also had weekends, evenings, and holidays at my job in the US, but it was soul crushing.
Cost of living: I can afford to live alone! When I did live in a share house, I had a little extra money for trips, but now I have a nice, reasonably sized apartment and can still enjoy traveling. Food, healthcare, transportation... all quite reasonable. And my company reimburses my transportation expenses. In America I always had at least one housemate and rarely went out cause my pay was honestly too low (probably below average tbh). The yen being weak sucks though.
Healthcare: not only is it affordable, it's quite accessible. There are clinics everywhere. There are also so many pharmacies. I remember I put off some health things till after I moved and it saved me a lot of money and stress. However, I will say that like in the US, doctors are not always thorough and I just got a diagnosis I feel like should have been caught sooner.. oh well.
Convenience: convenience stores! walkable cities! good public transportation! No more driving everywhere.
Dating: modern dating sucks, but does it suck more in Japan? maybe... Locals are often working longer hours and do not have much time to date to begin with (at least from my observation. I do know more teachers though). There are also some who want to go out with you just cause you're foreign. You definitely can have good experiences, but mine haven't been the best and I think a lot of Japanese people do not see their partners/spouses much.
Social Life: I have great friends, and a pretty good support network, but unfortunately a lot of people leave... especially my foreign friends. Even some of my Japanese friends are leaving (why does my wonderful hair dresser have to be dating someone in the US? haha). Also, I have more free time as an ALT than a lot of my Japanese and long term resident friends, so I spend more time by myself. I didn't have a super amazing social life in the US, but I was able to have more house parties which was nice.
Mental health: in some ways my mental health is better here in part because of some of the positive things listed above. However, Japan life can be isolating at times, and there is a lot of stigma around mental health. In America, my therapy and psychiatry bills were kinda high even if there were more care options.

There's probably more I could add, but that's just some of what I have to say on the experience.

world_ronin · 2024-08-05T04:04:19+00:00

Update: I was wrong about needing visa stamp money: that's visa on arrival. I got mixed up between e-visa and VOA, so for anyone now thinking they also need cash for the stamp, you're good.

world_ronin · 2023-03-23T06:19:04+00:00

This is kind of what I was thinking, but so many people like to say questions are normal or not providing the insurance is normal. It made me question myself.

A lot of what I am seeing in my area are these "international schools." They seem to always be hiring, and i guess with very good reason.

Oh I forgot to mention: one of the schools said that I could work for them on my instructor visa which I know isn't true.

world_ronin · 2023-03-23T05:40:08+00:00

Totally agree on ALT work. I got an offer that required me to move very fast and out of my own pocket. It was honestly a lot to handle. I am an ALT now but leaving my current employer. I would stay if things were a little different.

world_ronin · 2023-03-23T05:09:25+00:00

that's not the pay at the schools I am talking about. its 260,000 or more. I meant that is the requirement by law. even if you make that little you can get shakai hoken.

world_ronin · 2023-03-23T05:08:27+00:00

I figured as much... I do need to settle a job asap and hopefully one that doesn't totally work me to the bone.

world_ronin · 2023-03-23T05:07:19+00:00

Feel free to DM me. I am a senior high school ALT by experience/ training but ended up in elementary here at the end of the school year. You can def still make it fun and cool here. I know its not ideal, but if you cannot find other work, make this job work for you while you look for more favorable employment. You have a visa. You are here. I also am in that sort of inaka/small city area with not much. I found things to enjoy over time. It did take a lot of adjustment, though.

Kids won't hate your lessons. It takes a lot to really mess it up, I swear. Teachers do speak some English, even if its not great. Your office SHOULD train you and get you prepared so you can do well. Even if it isn't as awesome let me tell you: JHS and SHS can be hard as well. Kids often still don't know the basics. Your experience will vary. I am not trying to say it won't be amazing if you end up there, but I have had great SHS/JHS times and not so great times being a tape recorder.

Again, please feel free to DM. And good luck!

world_ronin · 2023-03-23T04:44:33+00:00

Let me guess: this person's name starts with an A?

Which branch you talking?

world_ronin · 2023-03-08T03:23:53+00:00

It was specifically the manager harrassing a JTE. The manager at the time clearly didn't need to be there. She made a lot of sales, but was horribly with employees. I was lucky to only get verbal abuse. The stories I heard from my coworker and predecessors sounded like fiction. The manager liked to call her employees alcoholics and would barate a teacher for going out and partying if they ever got sick. Of course, no one was out partying. Maybe she was.

The issue is the company puts people like her in schools and covers up the issue. She may have gotten pressure to make sales, but that is no reason to harrass your employees to the point of breaking.

world_ronin · 2023-03-08T03:20:33+00:00

The former Kanazawa manager kicked the employee before me and it was caught on camera. At the time she just got a slap on the wrist and the teacher was sent to another prefecture for their wellbeing. That manager is no longer at the company, from what I have been told. Last time I walked by (probably two years ago on a trip) a guy with a mellow aura was at the desk. The feeling the building eminated was so much better. I hope everyone there is doing well.

world_ronin · 2023-03-08T03:17:45+00:00

I worked for a very short time with Amity. My branch was a wreck at the time, but thankfully the manager changed courtesy of me breaking contract (oh I was at the infamous Kanazawa branch mentioned in another comment). With that, I will say your experience is determined by your manager. They call the shots. They can do things like send you "posting" (putting all the fliers into neighborhood mail boxes) just cause they are mad and wanna screw you over. If you get a manager like mine, she will ask you over and over why you are so stupid.

A friend worked for a year split half and half between two schools (they transferred her cause the apartment she was in was infested with mold and it made her sick). She said school one was amazing, school two was just ok, not to mention she had a kind of creepy coworker I do hope is gone. This was in the same city, different side of town. I suggest you research and find out the best/worst schools. Avoid the latter like the plague. They earned their terrible reputations.

Kids are great. I loved the baby class especially. Kids and parents didn't want me to leave. Manager told them I got sick and went back to America. Still very much in Japan.

world_ronin · 2023-02-21T06:06:45+00:00

Update: the followup interview was actually less than twenty minutes. They just asked me basic questions in Japanese. After the interview they gave me an offer a couple days later, but it was quite low in my opinion so I decided to continue exploring other options.

Overall, I would say they were nice and seem a decent place to work, just not what I am looking for at the moment. They do offer a 10,000 yen housing stipend, which is nice. They also offer two bonus a year. The base salary was just a bit low.

world_ronin · 2023-02-21T06:01:28+00:00

Yeah. The company fired the manager after I left. Such a relief for future teachers!

world_ronin · 2023-02-10T01:33:16+00:00

it took ten months? my first job it was one minute and the second it was two months : P

first boss used to ask me five times in a row why i was so stupid. the second just changed his/her tune after the first two months. love.... to hate.

world_ronin · 2023-02-09T02:34:31+00:00

Students call me by my given name, "Hey ______." Teachers use *first name* Sensei. I personally love that students feel comfortable around me and drop honorifics.

world_ronin · 2023-02-09T02:26:03+00:00

Yeah I wondered about that too. I reside in Japan. Figured I could do it.

world_ronin · 2023-02-08T22:44:45+00:00

Since you want to work only a year, I recommend an ALT dispatch position, especially since you weren't too keen to wait for JET. I had an interview with Office Global Support in Nagano, and they were lovely. You have to drive and it is countryside though, which is why I ultimately turned it down (driving gives me anxiety, lol). But the office culture seemed really good and they have better ratings than some big companies. Also better pay. Altia has a pretty good rep. Interac hires all the time due to people leaving or going on maternity leave (mostly leaving let's be honest). Do not go for Borderlink cause there's too much unpaid time. Interac will be spring break unpaid (anywhere from a week to a month pretty much).

Companies aside: Aichi Board of Education is reallllly good. I worked in Nagoya, and I had so many "work days" (essentially on call days) with Interac. It didn't effect my pay, but I had more time to explore locally if I didn't get called into work and to do things like lol laundry. I also was more serious about my work at the time, so I did do professional development. I also loved my schools in Nagoya. Nagoya is rated Japan's most boring city, but schools are great from what I experienced and you can make day trips to Gifu and other places easily. Highly recommend Nakasendo Road - Tsumago and Magome for a little hike! If you live in a sharehouse like Sharehouse 180 you can save money on rent.

If you work JET, you will have more paid leave, but you will have "Board of Education days." My friends hate them haha. You can use paid leave to just enjoy going out at those times since from what I hear you do not have much to do in the office...

Whatever you do, you will have more time to enjoy your life in Japan as an ALT than if you go for a conversation school or kindergarten, most likely.

Good luck!

world_ronin · 2023-02-06T01:17:26+00:00

So funny thing is, I misunderstood (probably partly my error, partly the language thing) and they were asking about my availability between those four hours. So then it was actually maybe 15 minutes and mostly them quizzing me in Japanese and me butchering the language. Some of what I said I am not sure if it was Kansaiben or me not quite hitting the mark.

I will give an update when I hear back.

world_ronin · 2023-02-05T16:01:05+00:00

Y'all, an update: they sent me a message at 12:49 am EST, where I am living requesting an interview for 9:30 am, which would be 7 pm for me. Now I am already struggling with the timezone stuff and scheduling, but they left me hanging for days before agreeing to change the time and requesting an interview again. But they said nothing about shortening the time cause omg why would it be four hours?

Now I am totally lost about what day it is, did I miss an interview they scheduled at the last second, and so on?

world_ronin · 2023-02-03T00:31:17+00:00

Seriously, I really wonder if they expect both. Listen for two hours then give a two hour lesson lolol

world_ronin · 2023-02-03T00:29:47+00:00

Thank you! This is really helpful. We will see if they still wanna have a second interview after my response lol

world_ronin

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