We all have different means and different priorities. Some of my friends are older and bought apartments 20 years ago. Timing is everything. Some are much younger than me with far less means but have prioritized living in fairly central Tokyo even if that means a smaller apartment (rented). I had a 1:45 commute here…

Perhaps I do misread you but my reading comprehension, in English anyway, is fairly good. Would love to buy you a drink at one of my old hangouts in Hiroo and discuss it (I’ve always liked reading your articles) but I’m back in California now. Good luck and enjoy your new surroundings. I appreciated Japan when I was…

I don’t see a huge difference between living there full time (25 years in one case) and becoming a citizen. I wasn’t aware that Japanese law required you to ‘look japanese’ in order for you to qualify.

You (Kat) obviously have much more experience than me (as an American male) living in Japan. But I lived in Tokyo from 2014 to 2015 (18 months) along with my wife, and we never had a negative experience.