I Moved Back to Japan

After a bit of a break from writing, I am back to announce that I moved back to Japan/Tokyo!

It is a long story to recount everything, but I guess the “long story short” is I felt I left Japan unfulfilled last January. I remember, up until the morning of my flight home, telling people 「帰りたくない」(“I don’t want to go back”). While I did eventually get reassimilated to the US and had many reasons to stay there, I would always ask “What if?”. What if I stayed in Japan? Would I have tried for permanent residency in 4.5 years? Would I have found a dream job?” “Would I have passed N2/1?”

While I feel I’ve been sent back to the “Start” square in some ways, I also feel like I have a leg up on in other ways. Because of this, I feel I need to make the most of the opportunity in front of me.

When you move to Japan for the first time, one of the first questions you get is “So, how long do you plan on staying (in Japan)?”

When I left Florida, I was usually asked something along the lines of “So, are you staying over there for good?”. I can see why I was asked this, but I’m the last person who can predict the future. Additionally, unless you’ve lived in Japan, most people aren’t familiar with the tedious process of becoming a permanent resident. You have to live in Japan for 10 consecutive years, and if you’re looking for Japanese citizenship, you have to renounce your current citizenship as Japan doesn’t legally recognize dual citizenship. Renewing a normal work visa is tedious and it makes you reliant on your employer for maintaining your residence status, but it’s the easiest option. Typically for full-time work, the visas are good for one, three, or five years (but five years is like winning the lottery). This is my personal opinion, though.

I’m thankful to have another chance to live in Japan again and I am looking forward to sharing my experiences once again with a new perspective. Until next time~