WHAT I WISH I KNEW ABOUT LIVING IN JAPAN

Hello! I am a Singaporean and I am currently living and working in Japan. I have been here for close to 10 years, coming here first as a Coordinator of International Relations in the JET Programme, then moving on to working for private companies in Osaka, then Tokyo. The reality of moving and living in Japan is a lot different from just sushi, sakura and sake.

🤑 Costs of living. There are some very obvious considerations for cost of living. Rent, bills and food are non-negotiable. Living on my own after uni, I spent close to $50,000 in total on rent in 5 years – money that I could have invested. Then the social and miscellaneous costs like shopping or travel. One big thing that most people fail to factor in, however, is taxes. Did you know that almost 30% - 50% of your monthly pay will go into taxes in Japan?

☹️Different trajectories in life with friends back home. Companies in Japan adopt the system of seniority-based wages, which means that the salaries are determined not by your experience or results, but by how long you have been in the company. Barring striking it big in the lottery, the path to financial independence for us living in Japan can be far longer than our peers in Singapore. 

😵‍💫 Different social norms in Japan. There are so many nuances in living life in Japan, that it takes a while to figure out how to deal with the simplest of things. One of the biggest differences between Singapore and Japan is waste management. You will usually be required to sort out your garbage in at least 3 -4 categories depending on how strict your apartment management or your city is. And that is just one single part of life that we often take for granted back home.

❄️Despite all that, I chose to stay. One of the biggest reason is the proximity of nature. I now ski and hike at least once every year.

Japan’s comprehensive public transport system takes me to some of the most rural of mountains that I would not have been able to visit anywhere else. These are experiences that may not be valuable monetarily, but have made my life so much more fulfilling.

What do you think? Would you move your life to live in a new place like Japan? Let me know in the comments!

#livingabroad #japan #travel #lifeadvice #lemon8sg