[trunker]

dont feel bad skuu, many people who go overseas for more than a vacation usual return with a healthy appreciation of where they might call home. its normal and if you feel that its time to go then its time to go.

take it from a life long expat, dont stay somewhere if you'd rather be somewhere else. it'll just make you bitter. the main thing is to take something positive away from this whole experience, and it seems you have with your greater independence.

few people can hack it as an expat, and as you said, its not a necessary life skill. some of us are natural life long wanderers and some of us arent.

but for those still thinking of living in japan, i think most of you already know as much as you can cram into your heads. so i would start reading about expatriate life where ever if i were you. it is much more relevant, and will help you to prepare yourself for the mindset required to live in a foreign country for an extended period of time.

some shrink must have written a book about it somewhere.