montoya 0 Posted February 4, 2003 Share Posted February 4, 2003 I've been in Tokyo for almost 10 years, and will probably live another 10 years here. Curious about how many others feel they've set down roots and plan to spend most of the rest of their lives here.. -peace Link to post Share on other sites
cal 6 Posted February 4, 2003 Share Posted February 4, 2003 No, I don't think so - probably another few years. Link to post Share on other sites
mogski 0 Posted February 4, 2003 Share Posted February 4, 2003 Furhterest thing from my mind. In fact I spend my days wondering how to get out of the place! Link to post Share on other sites
zwelgen 0 Posted February 4, 2003 Share Posted February 4, 2003 I couldnt possibly be here for the long haul. The thought of bringing up children and growing old here is a horrible horrible thought. Nothing against this place but I think that its just better to grow up somewhere else. Im out of here in July and it will be just over 4 years here. Good times and great memories but I feel like Im ready to move on, start phase II of my plan for world domination and a zwelgen colony. Link to post Share on other sites
damian 0 Posted February 4, 2003 Share Posted February 4, 2003 I am paid to be here. The tenor of my stay is a function of the pay. There are other places I would go, but that would depend on the dough. Link to post Share on other sites
Ocean11 0 Posted February 4, 2003 Share Posted February 4, 2003 I like it here. I'm thinking of where in Japan to live next. I don't know about 'roots', but I often don't feel like a foreigner any more, and often people don't treat me like one particularly. Having said that though, it's certainly a lot easier living in your own country as I found out when I went back at Xmas. Link to post Share on other sites
jared 0 Posted February 4, 2003 Share Posted February 4, 2003 I like it here - its a great place - but I have got so many other great places to get to before I die. Link to post Share on other sites
enderzero 0 Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 I agree with you Jared. This place is cool, but there are so many other places I want to experience living before I "settle." Link to post Share on other sites
RayInJapan 0 Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 I've been here for 9 years now, and plan on staying till they scatter my ashes in the ocean... Not many places in the world where you can leave your car unlocked with the wallet on the dash and it will still be there when you get back... The last time I was back in the states 3 years ago, a 2 year old boy was shot in the head over "road rage"...saw some high school teens stomping another teen in the head at 6 Flags over Georgia, and had some guy in line behind me get pissed off cause I was trying to decide what I wanted from the snack bar at a movie theater and he felt like I was taking too long... I love guns, but guns kill too easily, and give people courage they wouldn't have otherwise. No guns in Japan - thats one of the best things I like about it. Now if we can just get their young teens to stop trying to be like gangsta rappers in the states... And maybe the cops to do something about their driving. Link to post Share on other sites
Davo 1 Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 After living here for a total of 5 years since 94 Japan is pretty comfortable. Being married and having in-laws gives me a different perpective from what I used to have.I think most people would agree that generally not having to deal with the "WTF are you looking at" agro of home is a major bonus. Having said that I can't see Japan ever truly feeling like home cause I will always be a gaijin. There has been talk on this forum recently about the subject of racism toward gaijin. I feel that although there is a fair amount of discrimination against,mistrust and fear of gaijins most Japanese are not truely racist.people seem to view the fact that I'm married very positively. Any anti-gaijin silliness usually has its roots in ignorance but if someone is genuinly being racist or malicious you should give them a tuning in a big loud voice and make em lose face (whatever that means-"hey man I just lost my face!"). The older I get the cooler I want to play things-generally I choose to ignore potentially annoying things like being stared at excessively .I might bark although it's better to stare back with a big loony grin on your face. Smiling, being polite and humble get you a long way here but I can't do that all the time cause I'm a gaijin after all. Link to post Share on other sites
mikazooki 0 Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 i left after one year vowing never to return, but one year later i was back, and with a different perspective its been lots more fun. i couldnt imagine living here long term though, mainly cos i find the cities oppressive and the countryside oppressive. i dig mountains, and am seriously disturbed as to what i'll do for snow in the future, but where r the wide open spaces? and where r the kangaroos? for a fun big file try: http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/data/ev104/ev10466_Honshu.A2001288.0155.1km.jpg and thats why japan looks like it does. Link to post Share on other sites
Glen Falting 0 Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 my wife and i are into to our second year in tokyo. this is my third time here and i'm still really enjoy living in japan. i feel that any racism i do experience is more institutional rather than personal and i generally find the japanese people to be warm, friendly and very hospitable (generally!). however working here is a different matter entirely. anyone who deals with the locals regularly on a professional basis will understand the difficulties and general lack of a pragmatic, result orientated approach that is common in many western countries. form and appearance over substance seems to be the national motto. we're a bit like db. our time here is a function of our pay. our firm sent us here for at three years and before we left london, the money being offered seemed enormous. having lived through a tokyo summer and working the hours we do...if they paid us even 2% less, we'd be on the first flight out of here (with maybe a side trip to snow - god i love the snow here). Link to post Share on other sites
Glen Falting 0 Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 my wife and i are into to our second year in tokyo. this is my third time here and i'm still really enjoy living in japan. i feel that any racism i do experience is more institutional rather than personal and i generally find the japanese people to be warm, friendly and very hospitable (generally!). however working here is a different matter entirely. anyone who deals with the locals regularly on a professional basis will understand the difficulties and general lack of a pragmatic, result orientated approach that is common in many western countries. form and appearance over substance seems to be the national motto. we're a bit like db. our time here is a function of our pay. our firm sent us here for at three years and before we left london, the money being offered seemed enormous. having lived through a tokyo summer and working the hours we do...if they paid us even 2% less, we'd be on the first flight out of here (with maybe a side trip to snow - god i love the snow here). Link to post Share on other sites
damian 0 Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 from the same site as above, takes a while to load, but what a city!! I can almost find some of the hgouses I have lived in. Look at bondi beach!! *i am crying* http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/Images/sydney_AST2001oct12_lrg.jpg Link to post Share on other sites
IM 0 Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 This time, I've been here for 5 years and my contract is open ended, but I have a feeling at least another 5 before I make a dicision to do something else. Well, I enjoy working here, people, etc.. Having spent my first15 years here in fact made me feel at home. But traveling between US/Japan once a month also kept my up with friends and other family members back in US. So I do not feel roots on one place or another, but feel like two places are all in one. Link to post Share on other sites
LiquidX 0 Posted February 9, 2003 Share Posted February 9, 2003 I want to stay for much longer. Link to post Share on other sites
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