[TalnSG]

Jambo, maybe I am wrong, but I didn't take this thread to be directed at you, so much as the regular flow of newbie otaku that flow through the forum on a regular basis who don't really think such a move out in detail, other than how to get the plane ticket and visa.

There is no harm in trying something, even as drastic as moving to a foreign country - as long as you have an exit strategy if things don't go as expected.

The few times when I made similar upheavals in my life, there were always factors that no matter how much I researched just weren't so clear on my radar till I was in the midst of it.

One of those that has only been briefly glossed over is feeling isolated. Its going to happen and a westerner is going to need to be emotionally prepared for it. A white, westerner is going to visually stand apart from the native Japanese around them most of the time. And one has to get used to being stared at because of it. If you do not speak Japanese well or cannot use chopsticks, you will survive, but you will stand out even more. Tending to very self sufficient and a bit of a loner, I underestimated similar circumstances with a 6 month assignment I took once. Even I felt the strain of never quite belonging, though my co-workers did their very best to make me feel comfortable. It will get better with time, but feeling at home in a new country will not happen quickly and if you don't accept that from the start its going have an negative impact.