Job Discussion Forums

[rtm]

[steki47]

[jtea]

[Vince]

My wife and I left when we found out that we were going to have a child. It was the right choice at the time, but several things have been pulling me back to Japan.

[teacheratlarge]

It's true about the Asian element. The majority of Japanese males marry Asians: Korean, Chinese, Filipino... so the few Japanese males you see married to Westerners are a small blip.

And then if they are marrying Russians, what are they getting (not a Westerner, not an Asian, right)?

[kzjohn]

Another reason to stay--some great cycling in so many parts of the country.

[Pitarou]

[stumptowny]

reasons for staying:

food, work is plentiful, life is easy.....
get home at 2 - 4pm..

financially. I have investments and they are taxed (back home) based on my foreign income here... so making peanuts for a salary in japan saves me thousands in taxes. it's a remarkable tax shelter.

reasons for leaving:

I think about this less and less. I have resigned myself to, home is home and it aint going anywhere. I have never been homesick, just not sure if I'd stick around japan for the long haul.

fast food, real deodorant stick, working standards that protect workers, salary raises, decisiveness in ambiguous situations, street smarts, individual thinking

nature. these people lose it for hanami. it's one tree for 2 - 3 weeks. that's it. back home we have almost year round urban nature madness, hundreds of genus/species blooming... not just one. and urban green space, parks, and actual "bike friendly" people. no one knows what this means.. and rightfully so, they are jammed onto trains..

finding a wife/ starting a family.... these women are beautiful but that's not enough..

[teacheratlarge]

[kzjohn]

[RM1983]

I enjoy teaching more and more as time goes by, and I have doubts that Ill be able to experience it in it's full potential whilst Im here. At the moment opportunities elsewhere look too shiny and rewarding to say Ill stay here forever. For now it's fun though

[PO1]

Reasons for staying:

Comfort, to be honest. I like having little to no fear of being violently attacked (although I know it happens, unfortunately). And not to sound cheesy, but going to new cities, temples, and natural spots sometimes make me feel like I'm on an adventure. I've certainly done more outdoorsy stuff here than I ever did back home. I'll never find something that can replicate my experience in Nara. All those deer just walking around is surreal.

Reasons for leaving:

I can't really say. Each person's reason for leaving a country is different. Not enough career prospects, homesickness, culture clash, etc. have been the primary reasons I've seen people leave. As with most people in this industry, sometimes you just know when your time is up. You may have a bad experience, thoughts about retirement and a pension start knocking on your head, or this feeling of treading water gets to you.

For me, if I ever leave it will be because I want to try something else, not necessarily because I feel financial pressure in any way. I'm very much an experience>finances type of person, maybe to my detriment, I don't know. I'm pretty happy though, so...

[stumptowny]

teacheratlarge,

brokerage firms outside japan won't send tax docs (1099's) to the japanese government. they will only send documents to the IRS.... in any case, its not taxable for japan. tell your friends asap

[kzjohn]

[Vince]