[noodle]

I don't think it's wise to talk about living in a "country" because from all the moving around I've done in my life, one thing I can be sure of is that there can be HUUGE differences from one town/city to the next in the same country.

People that are motivated to move abroad because they don't like where they currently live really ought to try moving to another town in their country first, especially in a country like the US. In general, Quality of life always seems to be a little better in the US compared to Japan, and on top of that I'm sure living in Boston or living in LA is totally different.

Immigration is a natural phenomenon. People always seek a better life. Before, this meant being able to put food on the table for you and your family, and for safety etc, but today, it seems that less and less people immigrate because they need to but rather because they have a "want" they need to fulfill (At least this is true when concerned with Japan).

Anyway, all that is to say that moving abroad, to any country is a big step. Sometimes you just have a feeling, like I did when I moved to France, and you don't even need a plan. Which brings me to another point. Many people said you need to have a plan in the sense that you plan your details in Japan. I don't think you necessarily need a plan, but rather a back-up plan. i.e. what will you do if you realise that Japan was a mistake. Going back home is the main plan for everyone, but if you've been away for a long time, you might find coming back being another shock since things move and change so fast..... Enough talk for now. The main point is that it's impotant to have a good reason to move abroad. A gut feeling isn't always a good reason!