Sure. I spent the last 6 months in Tokyo, needless to say it was great and I felt quite content there. I continued working for my London-based employer, which obviously means that I wasn’t fully integrating there and experienced all the pros without the cons. I couldn’t stay any longer than 6 months as the digital nomad visa isn’t extendable. I’d like to find somewhere to settle down for longer, and I have a few countries on the cards for visiting. If that works out I’ll start moving my assets over. If I can’t find somewhere then I’ll probably do a rotation between Japan and some other country, other factors permitting.

Portugal seems like a good choice because of its digital nomad visa and after 5 years of living there I could apply for naturalisation and regain freedom of movement in the EU.

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alephnerd 18 hours ago | parent [-]

Japan is a great country, but has similar problems to the UK as well. Same with Portugal to a certain extent. The anti-immigrant far-right movement has become mainstream in Japan now as well with Kokumin, Ishin, Sanseito, Hoshuto, and far right factions of the LDP becoming mainstream.

Could a lot of a malaise just be "grass is greener on the other side" syndrome, or that you aren't as looped into Japanese political discourse the same way you might be in Anglophone countries?

I've seen a similar trend of trying to find greener grass amongst Japanese as well, though they tend to target South Korea, China, or ASEAN countries like Thailand and Vietnam.

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cedws 17 hours ago | parent [-]

I have followed Japanese politics a bit and the rising anti-foreigner sentiment is something I took into account when considering whether I should stay longer term. I disagree that Japan’s problems are on the same scale as the UK’s. Quality of life there is far higher. The safety made me feel much less anxious.

I think the grass is greener syndrome is something that happens when on a few weeks visit, but I was there for 6 months. I made a fairer evaluation and still felt like Japan was better for me.

Everyone values different things in their life. Japan is closely aligned with the things I value most. Respect, safety, convenience, cleanliness, and so on.

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alephnerd 16 hours ago | parent [-]

Yep! Makes sense. But like, if you are working remotely with a British employer, are you still drawing a London salary (£50-70k) instead of a Japanese salary (¥3M-6M)?

If you were earning ¥3-4M a year (roughly the average salary in Japan), would you feel the same about Japan?

Like, to me London is great, but I also know if I was working remotely in the UK or for my employer I could demand a £90k-150k salary and live in Chelsea or Belgravia, so I would be living my best life - but it's also not an "authentic" London experience.

That's why I see plenty of Japanese doing a similar thing - take a ¥4-5M salary and live in Shanghai, Bangkok, or HCMC.

As individuals, it makes sense for us for rationalize the arbitrage, but we can't deny we are also causing affordability issues as well.

I guess what I'm getting at is at the median, the vast majority of developed countries are facing the same issues, but at a micro-level, we can use currency arbitrages to give us a better life - but it's only exacerbating the problem.

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cedws 16 hours ago | parent [-]

> If you were earning ¥3-4M a year (roughly the average salary in Japan), would you feel the same about Japan?

I can’t answer that question since I haven’t experienced it, but I did qualify I said above by saying that I’m aware I wasn’t getting the full picture working for a London-based employer.

I wasn’t living in Japan so to be there forever, I was living there to have a good 6 months. So what my life would be like as an ‘average salaryman’ isn’t really pertinent. Apples to apples as an average London salaryman (average not anywhere near £90k) vs average Tokyo salaryman I think I would be happier as the latter.

>a £90k-150k salary and live in Chelsea or Belgravia

Last I checked that salary range is not Chelsea or Belgravia money.

	▲	alephnerd 6 hours ago \| parent [-]
		> Last I checked that salary range is not Chelsea or Belgravia money Jeez, that's horrid. I thought you could rent a 1 bedroom flat for around £2,000-£2,500/mo there? > average not anywhere near £90k Agreed, I thought I mentioned £50k-£60k but might have made a typo.