[JohnBraden]

Pete,

I'm glad you elaborated a bit and mentioned you have been to Japan before. There are those who believe everything they see in the media and think Japan is a wonderland. At least I know you're not one of those!

There have been people who thought that if they just packed up and went to Japan, where anime and manga are prevalent, electronics are cutting edge and the food is the cool trend of the day, their life of doldrums and monotony may change. It only gets worse because they don't speak the language and most people won't give them the time of day.

I'm also very pleased to see you went through the forum and found other threads. I hadn't even heard of the "I don't want to live in Japan" one! That means you're doing your research. I can't tell you how many times people post for the first time here with a simple question that has been answered numerous times. It's refreshing to see this.

I didn't really mean to say you are flawed. I just didn't want to think that packing up and moving to a foreign land would be your answer to life's woes. A change of pace is nice and if that's the encouragement you need, then I hope things go well for you. I'm not a good source of information and as such, I can't offer much advice, but whatever it is, it's heartfelt.

Perhaps you can use the 1-2 month stay there as a dress rehearsal. Instead of a hotel, get yourself a rental apartment so you actually have to buy groceries, do your own laundry, etc. That way you can get a feel for what it entails. I don't know where to look for such places, but a google search or even threads here may have a link or two!

Glad you're here and let us know how it's going!