I wish I could move to Japan. I spent 10 days in Tokyo in November for work and it was absolutely incredible.
Tokyo was fascinating and beautiful - makes US cities feel third world (narrator: they are).
My big observation was that the Japanese perfect everything they do. Every ‘thing’ has a reason or purpose, and it’s an improvement from the shitty American version that I associated with.
That’s what I chose. Most of what’s great about Japan–nature, mountains, rice fields, fresh, high-quality fish and produce, premium sake, hot springs–are all nearby. I live in an American-sized home for next to nothing. Healthcare is abundant and affordable. When I need a change of pace, Tokyo is a 2-hour bullet train ride away.
Japan sounds awesome except for everything being in a language I don’t understand.
How long did it take you to learn it? Did you learn as a kid?
Began studying in college in my early 20s. Spent a year in Japan on an exchange program, then another year while in grad school. Stayed and worked for a couple Japanese companies for another three years. Then continued to do Japan-related work after returning to the U.S. before moving back here a few years ago.
That said, you can easily get along in Japan these days, particularly a city like Tokyo, without knowing a word of the language.
Yeah, I looked up some airbnbs and they aren’t all too outrageous if you stay a month or so and I’m sure it would be fun. To live anywhere abroad, I’d definitely want to speak the language pretty well.
This is sounding a lot like a pinned travel thread on 2p2 a while back though this has a bit more political context and is less poker-driven.
Prague
Cost of Living: Much higher than it used to be, mostly due to tourism bucks and AirBnB limiting the supply of long-term lets. Finding a flat is really cutthroat. It’s essentially a job interview with the landlord if you opt not to go through a realtor. Around half my net salary goes towards rent and bills.
Recreation: People here are definitely more outdoorsy than America. Hiking, going to the park, mushroom picking are all things here. Pretty much everything you’re interested in doing has some kind of group or club attached to it. Beer is still cheaper than water though that is becoming less the case in Old Town (a.k.a. Prague 1) since foreigners have money to drop.
Food: Czech cuisine is, in my opinion, pretty terrible. Typical meal is a giant piece of meat drenched in thick gravy with bread dumplings also in gravy. Sometimes there’ll be a bit of cranberry that provides the appearance of a balanced meal. Food is extremely rich and filling. Spices are becoming a thing now with Asian food (notably Vietnamese cuisine) becoming more popular due to the large Vietnamese community in Prague.
Language: Czech is extremely hard to learn. I just started taking formal classes because learning on my own has been akin to pushing a car up a mountain. Thankfully, the vast majority of Czechs have passable English even though those at the low end might be less willing to use it. I find that engaging in Czech first will make a person more willing to use English when you falter.
People: Despite Prague being a huge tourist attraction, it has a very small foreign population. Over 95% of the population is native-born and a significant portion of the remaining 5% are Slovak. Most Czechs in Prague don’t interact with foreigners who can’t speak Czech unless they’re in Old Town which is a sea of tourists that residents avoid at almost all costs. So they won’t be quite as progressive and open-minded towards you as one might expect.
Overall, I find people here to be very direct and honest. Their default expression (and often emotional state) is a pretty dour one so don’t expect a lot of smiling and small talk with strangers even if they speak fluent English. Like Eastern Europe, the Czech sense of humor is very dark and irreverent. If you’re the type that gets angry about microaggressions or is offended by off-color humor, you might not feel too comfortable here.
As I hinted at before, bigotry is very much a thing. Even people perceived as progressive in Prague might have some thoughts about Muslims that would make us do a double take. This is mostly because there are almost no Muslims here. Less than 0.2% of the Czech population identifies as Muslim and nearly all of them come from outside of the country. So there’s a ton of ignorance related to that.
Expect stares if you’re non-white and not in a touristy area. First off, it’s not considered as rude here as in America and secondly, they probably think you got lost on the way to Charles Bridge. People here are pretty non-violent compared to America. Most of the time, the worst you’ll get is them bitching to their friend about you in Czech after you leave.
The English-speaking expat community tends to be fairly young and comprised of erasmus students and short-term laborers. They’re very friendly but it is hard to form those reliable friendships if you don’t drink and aren’t in your 20s. So yeah it ain’t easy for me.
Overall: Although there are negatives, I like living here. My job pays enough for me to sustain myself and the labor rights are a lot better here than in America which goes towards being a happier person in general. Healthcare is taxpayer-funded and higher education is free. In that way, there’s a lot less stress in day to day life. Even if the cost of living is going up, it’s still much lower than America. Hell, middle class wages actually increase in this country year by year.