Disclaimer: Obviously, this is my opinion. “Any opinion I hold is objectively correct, and as a result, any other opinions are wrong¹⁾.”

People have often asked me why I chose to move to Japan, or what motivates me to move to Japan. Why did I choose to move to Japan?

Japan is a society where societal value is tangible to every person. Unlike in the US, there is a clear sense that anyone who lives in Japan is certainly part of the same society. This sounds nebulous, but it's actually pretty easy to understand. Japanese society is, generally, nice, clean, pleasant, and as Patrick McKenzie articulated it once, a society that prides itself on “having nice things”. This isn't the byproduct of magic though: it's a collective effort to ensure that this system continues to work and function. When you're getting off the train and you're standing in the middle of the crowd, the crowd will make a concerted effort to help you extricate yourself, even when it seems physically impossible or improbable, for example. The reality is that everyone has this shared expectation that this is *how things aught to be*, and consequently, everyone works to uphold this value. As Akane Tsunemori in Psycho-Pass puts it: “The law doesn’t protect people. People protect the law. People have always detested evil and sought out a righteous way of living. Their feelings, the accumulation of those peoples' feelings are the law. They’re neither the provisions, nor the system. They’re the fragile and irreplaceable feelings that everyone carries in their hearts.”

Less nebulously, and this is just a personal thing: as a US citizen, I'm rather embarrassed right now. The practical reality of Trump season 1 was backtracking on the Paris Climate Accord and setting in motion the reversal of *Roe*, which directly impacted people I love. The problem I have with the current situation in the US is that it doesn't feel like we're making progress towards a society where people are collectively watching over each other for their best interests. At the same time, the economic prospects of starting a family and getting a house in California (which is a decent state to live in, in terms of social benefits) are relatively low. Houses in and around LA are crazy in terms of age, layout, and price, and even then, it's just not practical for many reasons right now.

In contrast, Japan, while not particularly politically progressive or liberal, has been moving in a positive trend at least. And, accounting for the positive trend and the general societal improvement desire, I feel more optimistic about housing and life opportunities in Japan than the US.

So to say more or less the same thing in different words: Japan is a society where children will take the train to school alone, walk freely in neighborhoods, and generally speaking, families have a safe time raising their children without fear of mass shootings or general danger. Japan is a society where lost items are returned to their owners more often than not. Japan is a society that values advancement while holding strong cultural heritage ties.

No. I don't experience culture shock.

Generally speaking, my experience is that if you understand Japanese society, you do not experience any racism other than “the usual racism”. That is to say, every society will have people who detest other people for arbitrary reasons. Japan is no exception to this. But Japan is not any more hostile than any other country.

In all honesty, as long as you respect societal norms and read the room, there is no racism or xenophobia. Again, there is always a subset of the population that is atypical. Japan has crime, has downfalls, has problems.

The question when evaluating a place to live shouldn't be whether or not the destination is free of all problems. Can you accept a society that has different norms from your own? Can you accept being a foreigner? Can you accept fighting against the grain, and learning things that came naturally to those around you?

Incidentally, residents of Japan are held to a much higher standard than tourists. As a tourist, as long as you're doing touristy things and not being disruptive, people will have a very tolerant view of you. The bar is significantly higher for residents, because residents actually pose a long term risk. Therefore, it is exceptionally important to read the room as a resident.

But, again, no, this is predominantly a strange rumor spread around the west. Similarly, Japan is just a society, not a technologically advanced utopia. Granted, some things are really advanced, but it's just specializations in different things than other places.

Japan is a nice place.