Why Moving to Tokyo Is Harder Than You Think (After Living Here 1 Month)
You need to actually know how to speak Japanese. Uh, Japanese is not an option. You will feel lonely. The isolation, the feeling of being invisible is very, very real. Influencer talking about, “Oh, Japan is cheap.” Well, Tokyo ain’t cheap. Hey everyone, I’ve been in Tokyo for a month now and I really want to talk to you about something I’ve realized while being there for a month. I thought it was the golden place of where I would I would live a long life. And I’ve realized Tokyo is amazing, but moving here is way harder than it looks. Turns out I didn’t stay there. I move on uh to another place, but I will go back. Maybe not Tokyo, anywhere else in Japan. So, I’ve always dreamed of living in Japan. The food, the culture, the safety, the the the the how you connect with people. In my mind, it was easy. Like, it made sense. I’ve done martial arts for 14 years. I knew the culture. I have a minor degree in Japanese and Chinese culture. It makes so much sense. But end up being there in a non-ouristic area and just trying to work yourself there. There were some culture shock. And it’s okay by the way. You have to know those. So that’s what I wanted to show you. I want you to know what to expect and what you should do before going there. that I did not really realize that was that much important compared to other country I’ve been to. So let’s start with one obvious but not that obvious. You need to actually know how to speak Japanese. There’s so many country in Southeast Asia where people do speak enough English that you can have even a kind of a conversation. So there is that. But the truth is in Japan there is so little people speaking English and if they do they were shy because they don’t want to make any mistakes which we don’t care at the end right so you need to think if I want to connect with people uh you need to have a discussion I think low high enough and what does it mean not only argen or konichua uh that it’s not conversational skills. It’s a little bit more than that. So you can have proper conversation especially if you want to get an apartment, talk to your landlord, uh landlord, open an bank account, go to the doctor, uh Japanese is not an option. Well, you know what? Especially in Tokyo because I’ve been living mostly there. Also be just before you say you don’t have experience all Japan. have been all around Japan before but that specific trip made me realize all these things. Uh most document form contract are in Japanese. Yep. You will be able to find some English version but most of this will be uh you can find translation have but they’re not very accurate. I can tell you that by now especially because I have a disease and just trying to translate anything from Japanese weren’t exactly perfect. You have to really really check. So if you’re serious to moving there, start learning Japanese now. And not just by book, but try to book an appointment with someone that can help you, which you can have an actual conversation. It will go way faster and it’s worth the 1 hour training with these people. There’s plenty of website that you can find for that. Now that one that second thing is very very hard to understand I think if you don’t been if you haven’t been in Tokyo again it’s not Japan it’s Tokyo there is a feeling as you will feel lonely especially if you go there for a very uh a lot of months it’s very hard to connect with like I can’t believe how hard I had a hard time connecting with them. Yes, they’re polite. Yes, they smile. Yes, they will try to help you if they can. But actually building really good relationship with them. If you’re like me, very outgoing, very expressive, it’s just not even an option. I think for most of them because you are so outside of their their their world and their box that they they they they don’t like it. Tokyo is full of people, millions of them. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy again to make friends. And you can’t. Well, I’ve been told in Japan that you cannot just go up to any stranger and just talk to them. Well, in many other country I can do that. In Japan that was so awkward when I tried it and they were like, “Nah, I don’t want to know anything about you.” Which is fine. Again, no disrespect. It’s okay. That’s part of all they are. But if you like me, it’s so tough. [Music] The silence, the isolation, the feeling of being invisible is very, very real. You have to be very mentally strong and comfortable to with being alone. If you never done that before and you travel by yourself like me, it brings you to your head, which is not a bad thing. Again, it forc you to be in a good position where you can actually feel about yourself and understand yourself. So, just keep that in mind. Now, the cost of living. I’ve been watching tons of influencer talking about, “Oh, Japan is cheap.” Well, Tokyo ain’t cheap. Now, don’t get me wrong, you can get very low price for things, but you have to be genuine and actually make the math to compare exactly how much it costs to live there. Yes, food is cheaper than most places, but I come from Canada. My money is worth pretty much the equivalent of what the yen is worth. Let me tell you, renting an apartment there is not cheap at all. I’ve done a list uh of 50 apartment which uh were uh two-bedroom with 55 square m. Uh and by doing that math on average it would be costing 270,000 yen on average in Tokyo and you on my uh circle area I had count that you can go up to an hour from center of the town Tokyo. or Shibuya for example. Mind-b blown how much it cost. And here’s the thing. Yes, you can get a 20 square meter area, but it’s I wouldn’t live there long term. I’ve been living in such bigger place before. It’s just not feasible. So, just keep that in mind. If you want a very good apartment, you will find some stuff. And then there’s another thing that brings me, how can I say this? That gets me very confused. There’s those weird, not weird, but kind of rental tradition where you must pay key money, deposited up front, and most people an influencer won’t talk about these these fees that you get to pay. Some some owner will ask you to get in a contract for over a year or 2 years and then ask you 3 months in advance. Like what? So you pay like a month in advance to you that you just give to your landlord? Like what the hell? I don’t I don’t I don’t work to give my money to someone. That makes no sense. But in Japan, it does. Again, that’s their rule, their way. Not judging. It’s just what it is. If I compare to where I live in Montreal where people complain that the cost of living is high, it’s not compared to that. Like Tokyo is almost double the value of what it is. Funnily enough, I did the same map with Osaka and Osaka is half what the price of Tokyo is. So Osaka is a very good option if you look for actual livable good a good uh place to live. Uh and also it’s another big city very amazing if you wish to experience the culture without the high price of uh living there. I think that is a good option to to go look for other cities outside of Tokyo. Tokyo after a month you’ve done everything that is touristic then what’s left there if you wish to live there as an experienced person. And I I’m I’m going to say it straight up after 2 weeks of being there, I I’ve done everything. I’ve been there before many times. So I was like, okay, now what what do I do? Do I work? Do I do this? And this comes to my other part, the work. I’m very fortunate to work from anywhere in the world. As long as I do my time on in on US time, it’s perfectly fine for me. Uh but here’s the thing. You would never understand that if you wish to work in Japan, it’s going to be quite complex unless you have very specific skill with visa approval that is on the list that they have. The only pretty much the only option you would have as a foreigner anywhere in the world is either work from uh manual labor that they are looking to hire or it because they’re looking for plenty of people in IT or teaching. If you have no no scholarship, nothing from university, you will only be a teacher and teacher in Japan is not that great in terms of money. It is what it is. So you’ll end up like being in a place and most likely if you’re a teacher, you will not be in Tokyo. You’ll be like in a small area of Japan. It is what it is. So it’s not all perfect obviously. So finding a job will be very very very hard unless you have a lot of money and you can do whatever you want or you can work from home but then you have a visa uh that can allow you to be like more long-term and work uh remote in your country not in Japan again. So and try nowadays to find a remote job. It’s just incredibly hard. There’s another thing that you might not have seen, but when you’re in Tokyo, there’s like this hidden pressure. Like Tokyo is fast. People go, there’s people everywhere. A lot of people, people come and go all the time. There’s like you don’t feel in the mood of chilling, which is something I’m looking for in my life. I’m not looking to be rushed all the time for there is no point and you’re not you’re not finding peace in that kind of mindset. But that’s where I am in my life. If you’re in your 20s and you want to like just go all in, fine, do it. But now I know it’s not the ultimate goal. I’m lucky to do what I what I’m doing. That comes up to the last part which is the good part and Tokyo do does have something special. It’s a weird mix of traditional value of Japan and somehow technology although they need to work on that and get up to the Chinese. There’s a beautiful way of how they uh work together. Everyone’s lots of bow and respectful uh gesture. You have a strong feeling of safety. And I’m I’m not only talking for myself, but you can talk for lots of women that come in Japan, Tokyo, any place. It is very feels safe. There is anywhere in the world you go, there’s space you can go that will be bad. I’m not going to mention those. It’s not the point of this video. Now in those small moment that you go from a park to eating ramens to just trying to mix all these things together meeting foreign tourists that are full of stars in their their eyes. You understand that what it is but there’s still insane challenge with the financial part, the emotional part and you have to be ready for it. It’s going to be so tough. Now, if you’re thinking of moving in Japan, remember, it’s not about escaping your country. It’s not about it’s more about learning about yourself and where you want to go from there. I’ll keep saying what that what I’ve learned as I go to Asia. My next video will be about um Thailand which I’ve been for a month and from there in Gua. I’ll do that every single day about things that I learned. So please uh subscribe, drop a comment, tell me what your been your experience in Japan, what what you would like to do there and when are you ready to move there.
🌆 Why Moving to Tokyo Is Harder Than You Think (After Living Here 1 Month)
I’ve been living in Tokyo for a month now and let’s be real… it’s not as easy as it looks on social media.
From the language barrier, loneliness, and cost of living, to the constant pressure to keep up, living here can be overwhelming.
In this video, I share my honest experience after one month in Japan — the good, the bad, and what you really need to know before moving to Tokyo. 🇯🇵
If you’ve ever dreamed about living in Japan, watch this first.
You’ll see what life here actually feels like beyond the neon lights and sushi posts.
📍 Topics I talk about:
0:00 Intro – My honest thoughts after 1 month in Tokyo
1:15 Why learning Japanese is essential
3:40 The truth about loneliness in Japan
6:10 How expensive Tokyo really is
9:00 The hidden pressure of life in Japan
11:00 Why it’s still worth it
✨ If you’re planning to move abroad or travel through Asia, don’t forget to subscribe — I’ll be sharing more honest videos from my life across Japan, Thailand, and Southeast Asia.
👇 Let me know in the comments:
Would you move to Tokyo after hearing this?
#Tokyo #JapanLife #LivingInJapan #ExpatsInTokyo #MovingToJapan #TokyoVlog #TravelAsia #Matsworld101 #TokyoLife
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