What's it like for a non-japanese person living in japan?

Question

anything and everything you know please

please say so if you are living in japan

Answer 1

At first it is very exciting. You get the thrill of seeing and learning new things. It can be stressful because some places won't rent apartments to foreigners and communication can be a problem if you language skills are not up to native level. It is overwhelming but exciting. Everything is new and interesting though so even going to a grocery store is a journey.

After a while once the initial phase has warn off, you will likely become a little homesick, then a lot homesick. Slowly you start to miss your favorite foods which you can't find in Japan and you will miss your friends and family. You will start to be a little annoyed perhaps that people still stare at you and treat you like a tourist even though you live there. Some/Many people never move past this phase. Life in Japan becomes stressful and everyday is a lonely battle. Many give up and return home.

For those who stay and are able to get past those feelings you start to think of Japan as home at last. You have established friendships hopefully and have found rhythm. You are never going to blend in and people will still stare at you and act with surprise if you can eat with hashi and know Japanese etiquette well but it won't bother you like it may have in the homesick phase. You tend to just go about daily life and not think about things so much.

Answer 2

Living in Japan is great for the first few months when everything is new and exciting,but when the honeymoon is over,you then start to see real life here and you miss a lot from home,people,culture etc.

Japanese culture in general is NOT diverse,so anytime a foreigner comes to Japan,they stick out like a sore thumb.this means they will stare at anyone that is not Japanese,that can be a pain .

I`ve found places here than wont allow any foreigners in places,there is a sign that simply says,No Foreigners. you will get fed up with people asking you when did you come to Japan? em 3 years ago gee.. or oh you can use chopsticks sugoi!  or can you eat Japanese food??

Also,Japanese culture has no suprises,people work,drink,and sleep,they usually never talk about feelings,and many have very closed minds and scared of change.. these things makes it very hard to live here.

I live here in Tokyo with my wife,though if i was living here and not married then i would have gone home a long time ago..

Answer 3

Experience may vary depending on your proficiency in the Japanese language and unfortunately... your skin colour. Caucasians tend to be treated better than Asians.

Give you an example, my wife & I (we're Asians by the way) went to softbank to upgrade our phones and despite the fact that we conversed in English, the assistant gave us brochures in Japanese. (I not bothered by it yet...). A couple of days later, my wife took her Irish friend to Softbank to get a phone and they received brochures in English. Wassup with that?!

Japanese, in general, love white people, if you're white by all means come to Japan. If you're of Asian descent, like me, you might want to brush up your Japanese before making the trip or re-consider coming at all.