[Nyororin]

I see...Yes perhaps it was a bit selfish of me not to consider that he was hesitant about leaving his mother behind. On the other hand, his extended relatives live in Kyushu, so he was more open to that when I suggested it.

Having family nearby is a REALLY big thing. There are so many things that traditionally fall back on having accessible family - and this hasn`t really changed all that much even with extended family living apart. He may be feeling extra pressure from this as in Japan, it will all be his family. You don`t have any nearby or accessible family. There are a lot of cultural things that pretty much count on family being there, so it is really hard for people to imagine going at it "just the two of you". My husband had lived away from family since high school (his family lived at least an hour from the closest school, so he lived in a dorm), but still, the thought of getting married and having a family without family nearby was a daunting one for him. Even now, we get comments all the time about how amazing it is that I didn`t "go home" when we had a baby, and how we manage everything without family support, etc.

And it does explain some of his job-hunting attitude that I didn't quite understand. However, he hasn't gotten any offers yet. He almost finished one company's interview process, but didn't quite make it...

The fact that he's older (26 now) I think definitely makes it harder for him.

I don`t know about the age bit making it harder, really. That depends on his education. If he is a normal undergraduate - at 26 it will be hard (why did it take that long to graduate?). If it is a graduate degree or undergrad and specialty school (専門学校), it shouldn`t make much a difference.
The market is tight for jobs to begin with.
I think my husband applied for something like 80 or 100 places, actually got invited to the pre-interview company seminar for about 25... And got past the first interview at 5 or 6. Of those, he got accepted at three. One was a temp-employee company that was accepting anyone and everyone so got a big fat X. Another had spots all over the country and sent people here and there, so was another X (great company with good pay, but we wanted to settle down...). The company he went with was able to give us a guarantee that he would stay at the main office so got the go. Offers are really the final and special goal - you are lucky if you get one, let alone several.

If his age is causing him stress, it is probably because it will be much harder for him to *leave* a company if it doesn`t work out. A young grad won`t have too much trouble finding another position at 23 or 24... But at 30? Things get harder, so it is all the more reason for him to be a bit cautious and not take the first thing that comes along.

We speak mixed Japanese-English when we communicate with each other.

I am going to be straight and tell you something I have observed over 12 years of encounters with international marriages in Japan... And two years of translating for couples involved in divorces.
Those that have one solid language that both are mostly fluent in fare a LOT better than those that mix. There is WAY too much leeway for misunderstandings, and a lot more space for any disagreement to be called a "cultural difference" rather than dealt with like a normal problem... I am not saying that it is a death knell, but... I can`t think of any successful marriages where there wasn`t a mutual fluent language.
Can you tell him everything you want to in a language you are completely sure he understands all of what you mean in?
Can you say the same for him?
These things tend to get bigger and bigger as time goes by. What language you communicate in isn`t really an issue - there are some couples who have done quite well in a third language that neither is a native speaker of. The big thing is how well your feelings are getting to him and how well his feelings are getting to you - including all the small nuances and things between the lines.

I'm not fluent, but I can hold a conversation with someone.

There are a lot of levels to "conversational", so I can`t really comment in detail. The world changes significantly past certain levels of fluency.

If I'm being honest, some aspects of life here, while I can respect on an academic level, I would have a hard time living with on a daily basis.

I am curious what exactly these things are.
I am not going to say you are wrong or right in your feelings - we all have our personal feelings about certain things... But I have seen, far too many times, people completely misinterpreting aspects of Japanese life. The misinterpretations bleed over into all their perceptions of life and can give a very negative impression to certain things that do not deserve it. I don`t know if this is true in your case, but I have seen a LOT of it.

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ETA; Once life is yours - as in truly belonging to you and not to school, to parental expectations, etc - the world also changes significantly. Cultural issues and ideals that you don`t want to incorporate into life do not necessarily have to come into your home at all.