Comments on: On Life after Japan

By: hannahsan

hannahsan — Mon, 24 Feb 2014 10:07:14 +0000

I couldn’t go back to NZ after Japan, and found myself in Sydney where I’m confused all the time. Being here was meant to be easy – I speak the language, have family nearby, blend in with the people around me… Somehow though it’s harder. You’re right, doing things because they’re difficult may be a ridiculous reason, but doing things because they’re easy somehow makes it more difficult when they aren’t easy. I can’t go back to Japan, but I don’t fit in here anymore. This gets better, right?

By: Kayla Whitney

Kayla Whitney — Wed, 05 Feb 2014 04:39:42 +0000

I am nearing the end of my 2 years in Japan, and know that my own inner monologue upon returning to the US will feel just like this. I thought the same things when I moved back to the US from France, and that moment when the plane takes off and you know that the life you had in that place will never exist again (because even if you return as a tourist everything is different) the weight of the experience really hits you hard. It takes a long time to settle back into something and come to terms with who you were in another country, and its even harder to do once you’ve added more than 2 to your list. I fully understand the reasoning behind “it’s difficult” but I still have hope that eventually I will be satisfied with the challenges I have overcome and will be happy staying in one place long enough to know what comfortable feels like.

By: Shar M.

Shar M. — Mon, 03 Feb 2014 05:04:35 +0000

I remember food being a shock both coming to, and then leaving, Japan. Initially I thought the portions in Japan were small, not just at restaurants, but in the supermarket as well. Once when I was feeling a bit homesick, I cooked a Filipino stew that my mom makes called “sinigang”. I bought 3 bags of baby spinach for 298 yen per bag, as that was all they had in stock. (Ideally, I would’ve liked to have 4 bags.) Nearly 1,000 yen in spinach, plus the other ingredients I needed to make the dish, and it became a very expensive dinner. Then eventually though I got used to the portions, and even found myself asking to take food home from restaurants as I couldn’t finish my meals. Back in America two years later: I’m at my in-law’s for dinner, and my mother in law has prepared steak for dinner. A gigantic steak sits on my plate, along with salad, soup, and side dishes. I can’t possible even think about eating half of the food on my plate. It took me months to get used to American portions again. Another time, we ate burgers at Red Robin. My husband was so excited to see something called the “Monster Burger” on the menu, with double patties. I looked at him and shook my head, urging him to order something “regular” sized. He couldn’t even finish his burger, and thanked me for stopping him from getting something twice as big.

By: Colin

Colin — Tue, 28 Jan 2014 21:08:54 +0000

“[...]an incredible place to visit, but quite a shit place to live.”
Amen. This is, with some paraphrasing, what I say whenever someone asks me how Japan was. JNTO should pay me a commission!

We live in the US now and go back for short visits – family obligations and all that. It’s actually…not bad. I’ll be curious to hear your impressions if you ever visit again as a tourist.

By: tarasensei

tarasensei — Thu, 23 Jan 2014 04:38:54 +0000

Yup. Grocery shopping wasn’t something I realized I would need to be prepared for, and yet…. When my supervisor took me there on day 1, I bought about 8 cans of corn, as it was the only recognizable food.

By: awalkinjapan

awalkinjapan — Thu, 23 Jan 2014 04:11:37 +0000

“I dread going back to a life constrained by infantile communication skills, constant fear of offense, and perpetual confusion.” I couldn’t have said it better. All three of these constraints happened to me daily, as well. But for some reason, I don’t think I would dread going back to them for a year to two. Maybe it’s because along with these “constraints” comes an element of the unknown that captivates my curiosity. Thanks for sharing your writing!

By: zoomingjapan

zoomingjapan — Thu, 23 Jan 2014 03:43:20 +0000

Sorry, that was not my intention.
Moving to a country like Japan that is so different from your own culture IS difficult. EVERYBODY will struggle in the beginning. Some more than others.

I was just surprised to see that shopping for food seemed to be such a big issue for many people. I would have thought there are tougher challenges.
If that’s your experience, I won’t doubt what you say. I know that everybody experiences life in Japan in a different way.

I realy just wanted to know whether you were joking or if that really was your experience.

By: owwls

owwls — Thu, 23 Jan 2014 03:39:34 +0000

Well we will agree to disagree I guess, but it feels like you are belittling my experience, so I’ll leave it at that. I’m guessing from the other comments that I’m not the only person who found picking up and moving to a new country to be a stressful experience.

By: zoomingjapan

zoomingjapan — Thu, 23 Jan 2014 03:33:02 +0000

I remember well enough. I’ve only been 6 years here in Japan after all.
I think it all depends on how well-prepared you are. I’m sure that most people weren’t foreced to come to Japan, but chose to come here. If so, then one should at least prepare and learn as much as possible about the country, the culture and the language prior to coming.
Even then, I admit, it’s not easy, but no reason to panic.

Of course, if one has a food allergy, it’s a different story.
But you won’t have to starve here – even if you can’t read a single word. I’m sure everybody can recognize bananas, cucumber and rice. ;)

By: owwls

owwls — Thu, 23 Jan 2014 03:21:02 +0000

Well, unofficially, China may not be the destination after all. I think the culture shock in my new setting may be even more profound, because It looks like I’ll be in L.A. :)