Life as an Expat in Okinawa | From Traveler to Family Man in Japan

Life as an Expat in Okinawa | From Traveler to Family Man in Japan

All [Music] right, guys. I’m going to be documenting a local expert who lives in Okinawa from the US. He is now married to a local Japanese woman here. And we’re going to get his take on life and his vibes on Okinawa. So, I’m going to introduce you to this gentleman, pretty great guy. Tell me about you, man. I come to tell me a little about you. Uh name’s John. Uh from California, currently living in Okinawa. 10 years in the Air Force and separated and now I’m living in Okinawa, married to a beautiful Okinawan lady, and we have two beautiful baby girls. So tell me about your life here in Okinawa. Like how did you get here? How did you end up marrying a local Okanawan girl there? How’s that happen? Firstly, I was PCS here. So, I lived in England for 6 years and then I moved here on military orders. Moved here on military orders and then I lived here for four more years. Uh, I met my wife through a buddy really. I mean, I was working on my car at his place and then my wife’s aunt uncle lived next door. She came over, said the whole Konicha thing and I didn’t know anything of Japanese. So, it was really confusing and I was like super scared, super nervous, but she came back a couple hours later and I was still there working on my car. So, I was able to speak to her again or get the chance to speak to her again. And luckily, she had a friend with her that was a foreign exchange student in Australia. So, she was able to translate for us for the next 2 hours. Wow. I ended up getting her phone number and then yeah, we just lined, got our line and then uh we facetimed a lot. We messaged each other a lot and then we started dating and then eventually got married and had some kids. Wow. So you guys have kids together? Two kids, man. We have two kids after that. What an amazing story that is, man. How does it feel to be like married to a local, have kids? At first, family, like is that life-changing for you? Absolutely. At first, I felt like it was a little overwhelming. I didn’t really understand the whole Japanese system and the way they did things. But, I mean, eventually I learned, you know, which any person can do if they move here. Um, you grow accustomed to the way they do things and how they have their own rules and laws, right? Even unwritten. So, I think a lot of it that helped me was my wife didn’t know any English. So, the way that I was able to get accustomed to a lot of the things was learning her Japanese and she was learning my English. So, she learned a lot about America and the way that where that where I’m from, the way that I came up from the way that I spoke and same for me to her, right? So, I learned a lot of the things from her with the way that she spoke and where she was from. And I was able to meet her family and kind of see how they did things, their uh their views on life and how they operated. And they kind of just brought me, they pulled me in and kind of brought me close and I was able to kind of just kind of copy really, right? Copy what they were doing in my way of life. And now it’s all just like fluid. It came together in a in a perfect. So, do you plan on leaving Okinawa anytime soon or this is like your home now? I I’m happy in Okinawa. I want to stay here for the rest of my life. Wow, guys. I want my kids to grow up here. I want to live here. As you can see, guys, like it’s possible for like an American man to fall in love and be in Okinawa and like literally live here, the rest of their life. Like there’s so much so much to offer outside the US. Like you guys just need to like step step outside the your comfort zone basically. John did it and he’s proof. He’s proof. So you guys can do it too. Like like it’s literally like not that hard to do it. Like you just step out your comfort zone. Get out of that comfort zone. Thank you for sharing that. Yeah. No worries. I appreciate like you found a local wife. He has a family now. and I never want to leave. And he never wants to leave. Like, so like life is is great, guys. If you step outside your comfort zone, like highly recommend it. If you haven’t done it before, leave just like travel and just explore the world. That’s I highly recommend you guys do that because there’s so much to offer. You never know who you’re going to meet here, right? Thank you for sharing that story. How are you guys? Tell me about Okinawa. How is it? You good here? You from Okinawa locally? Yeah. How is life? It’s okay. So yeah, life especially is okay. Pretty good. People are happy. They seem very joyful. Yeah. Life is not so bad here, guys. Come to Japan. Like like why not come to Japan? Like it’s freaking nice here, guys. It’s freaking nice here. Like I love it. It’s my first day here and I really like it so far. People are nice, hospitable, friendly. Actually, all over Asia, I’ve been feeling the same vibe. So, definitely you got to check it out. Check it out. Always. How are you, brother? Yeah. Hey, what’s your name? Katsky. Katsky. What’s your name? Elias. Elias. Nice to meet you. you from Okinawa? Yeah. Nice to meet you, man. I love your country so far. So, yeah, we got many guys here from Okinawa. Very good men. Very good men, guys. As you can see in the background, very cool people. Friendly. Highly recommend you guys visit Okinawa, Japan. one of my favorite firstly my f first city here in Japan that I have been to. I’m planning to travel all over Japan but my first one. So please check it out guys. Please check it out. Really cool here. Traveler, guys. Like, comment, subscribe, check my Instagram. I’m the real deal, guys. I’m the real deal. No fake [ __ ] here. Eli D Traveler. Follow me on Instagram always, guys. Great photos. Real life [ __ ] Real life [ __ ] So, let’s do it.

What happens when travel changes the course of your life?

In this video, I sit down with an expat in Okinawa, Japan, who shares his incredible story of how a short trip turned into a new life. After meeting and marrying a local Okinawan woman, he chose to stay, build a family, and call this island paradise home.

This interview gives a raw and honest look into:
• What it’s like living long-term in Okinawa as a foreigner
• The beauty and challenges of marrying into a local culture
• Why Okinawa is one of the best places to live in Japan
• How travel can completely change your destiny

Whether you’re curious about expat life in Japan, thinking of moving abroad, or just love stories of people embracing new cultures, this video will inspire you to stay open to possibilities and follow where life takes you.

👉 If you’re traveling to Okinawa, don’t just see the beaches—meet the people, explore the culture, and dive deeper into what makes this island truly special.

🔔 Don’t forget to subscribe for more travel stories, food adventures, and cultural experiences from Japan and around the world!

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