Which Country is better to live in: Japan or China

Question

My wife and I are pursuing degree's in Asian studies and we plan to work in Asia after we have finished. We are at the point where we need to determine which country we will live in because our curriculum will be structured around either Japan or China. Does anyone prefer one country to another? If so, why? Please give plenty of details. Thanks.

Answer 1

Japan for sure.

Japan is a free country.  There is freedom of movement, freedom or speech, freedom of religion, and so on.   Japan is a dynamic and open society compared to China and the people there are so polite and clean.   The one drawback about Japan is that it is very expensive.

China has a horrible human rights situation...and it's getting worse.  Tibetans have been horribly repressed, there is an unbelievably high number of executions of petty criminals there, and there is no freedom of speech.  On top of that, China has a terribly dirty environment and air quality is horrible throughout the country.  

I just think Japan is a far more interesting and beautiful country.

Answer 2

I agree w what Carl said--before making such a big decision you should travel to both places.

I think most of us who answer questions in the Japan section love Japan and prefer living there to anywhere else. However, there ARE those who actually DO prefer China. . .which to me seems incredible. . .having lived in both places myself. But I will try to say some nice things in defense of China.

1. "Society" in China is more open. It's easier to meet people and make lots of friends. People are more outgoing, you will be approached on the street, in coffee shops, etc by people who want to make friends w a foreigner and study English. That doesn't happen so often in Japan. It IS harder to make GOOD friends in Japan. So if you are a social butterfly you may prefer China. Some people who travel to Japan find Japanese people "cold" and "rigid." I personally don't think this is true, they just express themselves differently.

2. Sorry, BUT there are a great many English students in China whose English is EXCELLENT. Excellent E speakers are few and far between in Japan. I think this is due to a few key factors: a. cultural differences, Chinese people don't mind making mistakes and making fools of themselves, which is what happens when you are trying to learn another language. Chinese students take more risks and are not such perfectionists. b. the educational system in Japan, which stresses E translation instead of E conversation. c. the Japanese language itself, which has fewer sounds than English. Chinese has more sounds than E, which makes pronunciation a snap for Chinese students. I have even had Chinese students say they think their English classes are EASIER than their Chinese language classes. Chinese students are great fans of American television and sports; Japanese students are in fact more interested in Japanese stuff.

3. Cost of living. In China it's still cheap. Your pay is also much less, but your money goes further. Food is super cheap. There's lots of cheap stuff to buy. In Japan utilities are quite expensive, so we HAD to turn off the ac whenever we left the house. In China we also turned it off, but fortunately the 2" thick concrete walls of our building kept our apt nice and cool. In Japan your apt will heat back up to 38 degrees in about 10 minutes.

4. More relaxed attitudes. . .about everything. "Can't come to work Friday? No problem, just let me know in advance. I'll get someone to cover it," says my boss in China. In Japan, wow. . .if I wanted a week off I'd better be hospitalized and scheduled to undergo surgery. In Japan everyone takes their holidays at the same time, but in China it's pretty lax. In China it's like: Taxes, what are those?? And I need what kind of visa? Where's the trashcan? Oh, just throw it on the floor, someone will sweep it up. . .sooner or later. . .! Chinese people who travel to Japan actually enjoy making fun of how anal (they think) the Japanese are. . .they also like saying "Hai! Hai!" and bowing, they find this very funny. . .to someone unfamiliar with Japanese culture their behavior can appear ridiculously strict and anal.

Unfortunately I found that the longer I lived in Japan the more anal and perfectionistic I became. . .and I'd feel quite insulted and annoyed if someone left their garbage outside their apt door or talked too loudly or left an uneaten grain of rice in their bowl. And then I went to China. . .well, I felt like I was going out of my mind. . .the dirt and the inefficiency and the rudeness were just too much. It was hard to appreciate the things that were actually better.

But I do miss my Chinese students, they were the sweetest folks in the world.

But having said all that, I still prefer Japan. It just suits my personality better.  

Answer 3

Japan.But....It's unlikely that you will be able to find anything outside of teaching English. Most other jobs would require that you speak, read and write Japanese at a native level. Unless you have a special skill a native Japanese does'nt have,chances of finding work will be slim to none. Few of these jobs will last more than a few years.

  You just can't move to Japan. This isn't allowed.You need a four year degree to qualify for a work visa. And a solid job offer even before you get there. The employer sponsers the employee.

It sounds like you know nothing about either of these countries.How can you even consider moving to either?Japan and China are as different as night and day!

I think a degree in Asian studies will be of little value.It's because native people in these countries will already have these degrees.

  Japan is far better. They have more freedoms. China has censored press and internet. Wages are low. You would be watched anywhere you went.

EDIT: Average wage for ESL teachers is about 250,000 yen a month Not really that high. Most people quit after the first year.Some schools help with housing, some don't. These are things to check into first. Good luck.

Answer 4

I knew a couple of ESL teachers that had degrees in Asian studies when I was there. It's about as meaningful for teaching ESL as a degree in auto mechanics. Most schools aren't going to care what your undergraduate degree is in, unless you have a teaching degree and several years of teaching experience. As for your "high-paying jobs" - wait and see!