Thanks for that great thread, i just wished the "i want to live in Japan" people would read it all.
Quite a few people in this Forum seem to think that Japan is a Wonderland where everything is shiny and Manga and easy ,......
and it can be, if you have the money....
But beeing a teacher, or a "manga-ka" or whatever is not that easy. You will run over the same if not more problems living here as living in your own country.
Dont misunderstand me, i love Japan and i really enjoyed my last 7 months here and im looking forward to the next 5, but working (long term) and living here is a different story. And i understand that this was the mainpoint from MMM´s first post. "I want to live in Japan" people, wake up! Its not gonna be that easy as you imaging and there will be many problems and many hills to climb. If you really want to do it, start learning the language, plan a trip to there, try to make some japanese friends. Than come here and see if you like it. If you have the chance get a Working Holiday Visa or go with the JET Programm but dont just think you can come over here and be a Manga-ka just because you can paint, or work in a nice company because you have a degree, or become an actor because...whatever.

And once your really here, get out of the tourist areas and see how people really live, try to talk up normal people, if you speak a little Japanese people will be happy to talk to you. If you are on a WHV or with the JET Programm make Japanese Friends, live with Japanese in a share house (as soon as you get away from Sakura House thats easily possible) dont only hang around with other gaijin.

Anyway, thank you for this interesting thread, i hope some people will wake up.

Oh and about dryers: The Guesthouse i lived in had dryers and the place i live now has dryers, but i never saw one in a private home (actually the same as in Germany). Oh, the youthhostels and Hotels normally have dryers to.
Squat toilets: In many places i found a western style and a squat toilet. When you get to small traditionel Restaurants or out of the Citys/tourist aread you might end up having to use one. But i had very few accomodations wich had only a squat toilet.

Pretty much ALL people think that. Sadly Japan has been smeared with glitter wax and put on a pedestal by otakus and fans in general. It's quite strange, but I get the whole fascination tho. Japan is different and exciting. It's so far from Western culture that it amazes foreigners like that. I wouldn't wanna live there tho.

Ohh thee manga. XD haha

After reading all this thread.. it was the reason i signed up for this forum.

so i'd just like to say.

extremely helpful to the serious person who wants to move to japan.

it's summed up the points and opinions of most of the blogs i've been reading on the internet and answered some much thought of questions i've had.

in short.

this thread is a goldmine.

so thank you very much MMM and other contributors!

|L.p.

Thanks, Loren! I am happy you got something from it and it was helpful. That was my intention.

Please feel free to add any questions...

Wow, this is an interesting thread. I always wanted to visit Japan wondered what it would be like this thread is like alittle insight into that thought. I wonder If I could last a summer...I do notice alot of people put Japan on a pedestal..it always seemed interesting and intrigued me as a place i would want to visit, and still do. One of my friends told me the health care is lacking, though he's never been there, what would anyone who's been there actually say???

I never had to visit a doctor while I was there. The folks I know who did visit one were either very fluent in Japanese, or they had to take someone to translate for them, since many doctors can't speak much (if any) English, and describing exactly what's wrong and how you feel is important to a proper diagnosis and treatment. They said they got good care, but that the medicine/drugs they were given seemed to be weaker/less effective than drugs in the US. (Maybe the dosages were smaller?)

Dentists in Japan were almost universally to be avoided at all costs, to the point of 1 person I knew flying home to have some dental work done! (Well, she was going home anyway, but she held off on having the work done for quite a while so that she could do it at home).

Hmm thanks for responding so quickly ^_^ I just wanted to know peoples experiences with health care, I rarely get sick but you know You tend to get sick when you least expect it and I wanted to hear if it was even slightly okay because my friend said "they didn't hold health-care as high as a standard as electronics" So i just wondered for myself, and the dental work is really that bad there. You think being one of the smarter more advanced countries they'd have better health-care. I want to get more fluent in Japanese as well any ways. So you'd say there biggest problem is there medicine being less effective.

No, for most foreigners, the biggest problem is effective communication with the doctors. There are many forms to fill out (which may be in Japanese), and understanding the doctor's questions, orders, and diagnosis precisely as well as fully communicating just what's wrong may not be easy for someone with little or no Japanese. And while you may be able to get a friend to help translate, they may not be entirely fluent in 1 language or the other either. Rough translations and pantomiming can only do so much, and while it's not a big deal if you are just asking directions to the train station or something, communicating well with your doctor can be very important.

I broke an ankle in Japan and had to use the local hospital. That hospital had a poor reputation, and the service I got matched the rumors I had heard. I will say that since then I have visited friends in the hospital before in different places and there was a real range of quality, cleanliness.

Overall I think it is hard to judge, but I the hospitals I have seen in the US seem a little more modern.

At the same time, the cost to me for casting, medication and heat "rehabilitation" over the 6 weeks or so of healing was under 30 dollars US. Even with health insurance I have probably spent nearly 1000 dollars on much more minor medical issues than a broken ankle over the last few years in the US.

But Japan has such good technology and is so advanced! Why is their health care this way? I was hoping they would have a better solution for my carpal tunnel syndrome than the US . . . :(