The content explores the experiences and motivations of Americans who have chosen to permanently relocate to Japan, finding it a more appealing home than the United States due to cultural, social, and economic factors.
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A lot of the things I liked about the
States have gotten a little out of hand.
America, get your together.
You have no plans to live in America again.
again.
No, it's not happening.
If you just sat me in America right now,
I would be so lost and it's like my
native country. I'd feel like a foreigner.
foreigner.
I consider myself an oral. Black on the
outside, Japanese on the inside.
You didn't leave after the earthquake. I
I've already decided I'm not going to be
leaving Japan. And these are our people.
We always hear about the millions of
immigrants trying to move to the United
States, but what about Americans that
have left? There are over 100,000 of us
living in Japan right now. And some of
us have decided to make Japan our
permanent home. So, today we're going to
be delving into this topic by
interviewing different Americans who
have decided to settle in Japan
permanently. Let's get started.
Can you introduce yourself?
Yeah, my name is Max Gonzalez. I'm from
San Diego, California, and I have lived
in Japan for 13 years. Yeah, I work at a
travel agency now. It's actually out in
uh Minato. I can actually see the Tokyo
Tower from my office, and that's pretty
awesome. Are you a weeb?
Absolutely not. Actually, I I am
actually the farthest thing away from a
weeb. Um, no, I'm not. I'm not. I don't
even watch as much anime as other guys.
Uh, I'm John Dob. I have a channel
called Only in Japan. Originally, I'm
from the United States on the East
Coast, but I've been in Japan for 2,
this is my Japanversary month, so 27
years. My image of America kind of
stopped around 1998 with Joey Tribani
and Monica and and Rachel. So, I when I
do go back, there's so many cultural
shifts uh that I don't even know about.
Can you introduce yourself? My name is
Marcel Jonte Gaston and I am a pastor
here in Japan and I've been here for 26
years. Yeah, I'm American, but I don't
have an address in America because I'm a
military brat as they say. So, my dad
was in the military and that's how I
ended up in Japan at age 13 and this is
the longest place I've ever lived in my
life cuz I was born in Germany, moved
from Germany to Texas. From Texas, moved
to Maryland. From Maryland moved to
Japan and Japan's the longest place I've
been. Hello. Where am I from?
Military life.
Can you introduce yourself?
Uh, yes. My name is Paul and I'm
originally from Madison, Wisconsin. I've
been in Japan for 20 years and I live in
Yokohama where we are today. When I
first moved here, my intention was to
actually go back to the States after a
year or two. I never intended to stay in
Japan. And it just clicked with me that
something really suited me about this
country. And I ended up going back to
the States for grad school. But I did
that in order to come back to Japan and
pursue this university teaching.
Can you introduce yourself?
Yeah. Hi, my name is Gretchen. Uh, I was
born in New York, but I grew up in West
Virginia and I've been in Tokyo for
almost 10 years and I'm a kindergarten
teacher and salsa dancer. Hi.
What are some of the benefits of living
in Japan?
I just kind of fell in love with just
like how safe it is, convenient, the
trains. I can just literally go anywhere
in Japan right now if I wanted to. Shink
consen like but in America I just like
you need a car or you're just trapped.
If something happened where I got stuck
in America like they're like oh
Americans you can't leave America now.
If something like that happened or like
you know World War II and I'm stuck in
America I would be devastated. So what
makes Japan so great? You came here and
why do you stay?
I don't even know why I came. I was just
an adventurer and I came here because
I'd been traveling around the world
after finishing college. I had a
roommate here who said you got to come
to Japan. I I quite don't I I don't
quite know why exactly I came here, but
why I stayed is because
I just fell in love with the country.
You didn't leave after the earthquake.
Those that left were called fly jeans.
They were uh I would say 90% of the and
and for good reason. We didn't know
about radiation, what was happening,
things were coming into the city of
Tokyo. It wasn't a test. This was a time
where Japan needed help the most. Th
those that stayed in Japan really tried
to volunteer. We we used our own money,
rented cars, did food runs up to
Fukushima to Miyagi uh to try to get
food to people. These are these are our people.
people.
What do you love so much about life in Japan?
How much time do you have? Um
it's like I mean I love, don't get me
wrong, I love America and I I had a
wonderful time growing up there and I
love visiting. I have so many friends
and family there that I want to see and
I want them to come visit me here. It's
it's just that a lot of the things I
liked about the States have gotten a
little out of hand. Um, and
I guess if we're talking about one of
the things that really keeps me here is
the fact that I can just live an
ordinary life kind of separated from
politics and separated from
uh hard issues that I may not want to
lose friends over. But certainly with
politics, especially the way things seem
so polarized these days where you have
to be representative of some tribe or
another, uh, not a big fan of that
myself. It's another reason why I like
being here because I don't have to get
into uncomfortable conversations or
situations. And I think I've become very
Japanese in that regard.
What makes Japan so great? Why do you
love it here so much?
After being here, I could not imagine
wanting to live anywhere else.
Even after 13 years, you're not bored.
13 years later, I am not bored at all.
Eating Japanese food, going and getting
sushi or yakiniku, that's awesome for
me. Just getting on the train and going
around and exploring Tokyo is just like
a freaking awesome day out for me. I
like being here. I like learning
Japanese. I like speaking Japanese. I
like Tokyo. I've There's still so much
of this country I've never seen. It's
like I am in this place that I've wanted
to be in so long. I like to think no
matter what I would have come to Japan somehow.
somehow.
So you feel like Japan is more your home
than the US.
Yes. Yes. I consider myself an oral.
Black on the outside, Japanese on the
inside. So it's weird because when I go
back to the States, I feel like a double
foreigner. You know, I'm already a
foreigner in Japan, but when I go back
to the States, I'm like, "Whoa, whoa,
they're not bowing to me." Or I mean,
the politeness, the attention to detail
here in Japan is really good. um the
care for other people, you know, uh the
kizukay kind with the Japanese call, you
know, uh that's what makes it really
comfortable for me.
What made you decide to be a pastor here
in Japan?
I felt a calling
to Japan. I felt like, oh man, I got to
I got to preach the gospel. Uh I I want
to share with the Japanese people uh who
Jesus is. I want to share with the
Japanese people um about life and about
um hope.
So, what's good about the Japanese
lifestyle that's better than the US?
When you sit down in a restaurant, you
get what I call a humansized portion of
food. When you sit down at a restaurant
in the States, it's maybe it was normal
when I live there, but now when I go
back, I think, how how does anyone eat
this? And do I am I pressured to eat it
now or do I have to do the doggy bag?
You not having soda or like chocolate
milk and all the other like energy
drinks and things like that. And I
pretty much drink unsweetened teas
exclusively now. Um, so that's another
thing I think that helps people save off
obesity, not having high calorie drinks.
Do you gain weight every time you go
back home?
Oh, I totally did. Like even my one of
my friends was noticing, "Geez, Max, you
got a gut." It's like I swear it wasn't
there before I got here.
I always gain like 5 lbs when I go back
to America and lose it when I come back
here because the portion sizes are so
much smaller in Japan. The food is not
full of, you know, junk in it. And then
you go back to America, it's like, yeah,
it tastes all the food tastes great, but
it's full of stuff that make you regret
eating it. I noticed this one thing. All
right, this is controversial, but people
in the United States are way bigger than
they were 25 years ago.
Oh, really?
It's become almost normal to be quite large.
large. Yeah.
Yeah.
And um in Japan, we don't see that. You
go to McDonald's and everybody is quite
it's almost unusual to see everybody in
in fairly petite and pretty good shape
and they're only eating a couple of
fries and you know maybe a cheeseburger
not taking more than they need and you
go to the United States and the portion
sizes. It's not just the portion size
everything is bigger in America. Also,
do you feel safer here in Japan than you
did in the US walking around, walking at
night uh protecting your stuff? in terms
of just walking on the street.
Obviously, Japan is very, very safe. But
compared to where I grew up, it wasn't,
you know, New York City or something
like that. So, they feel comparable in
that regard. But definitely for theft,
I think we're so desensitized to theft
in the US and I grew up with it. I just
thought it was normal. My father is the
most unlucky guy in the US. He had four
cars stolen, hijacked in downtown
Detroit and Ham Tramik. And I grew up
with that. I'm just like, "Oh yeah,
people steal cars. That's normal." Four
times. That's normal.
Like I can be walking home from my local
station at any time of night and I feel
zero fear. Like in America, I always
have that in the back of my mind that
fear. I have to be looking around. But
I'm I can be walking home, I can be a
little tipsy, sleepy, whatever at any
time. And I feel zero fear. Like even if
there's like some guy walking, I don't
feel like fight or flight kind of in me.
But in America, I always felt that no
matter where in the big city, in the
small town, like everywhere,
I always had that fear. I don't have
that here.
Yeah. I feel safer as a female walking
around Japan at night than I would in my
hometown, for sure. So, you went back to
America recently. How expensive have
have things gotten?
Yeah. I mean, it's basically like it's
it's just gotten ridiculous. We have
this one little burger place called a
Jack in the Box, and that was like
$15$20. It's like this is not a $15 or
$20 burger joint. Um
Um
fast food's expensive now. Even tipping
like the tipping culture is has changed
since we left.
The culture has has changed because when
I left in 1998, you tipped based on the
quality of the service and you know you
would say okay, this person did a great
job. I'm going to get 15% which was the norm.
norm.
Yeah, it has gone up in percentage too.
I remember 20% was a normal tip. Now
it's 25%.
Dare I say it's like a right.
It's entitlement.
It's entitlement. That that's that's the
word. And I don't see that that's what
tipping is all about because my mind
stopped in 1998. How did we get to where
we were to where we are now? And Japan
has stayed the same and been able to
sustain that. US is really expensive.
expensive.
And you have a house and a mortgage. How
much cheaper is it to buy a house in
Japan compared to the US?
It's like they're giving away money when
it comes to the loan rates. Honestly, in
terms of what we pay monthly, it's
exactly the same as when we were renting
an apartment. And the loan rate is
something like
1 something%. So, yeah, it's crazy.
Do you think you could afford this
lifestyle in the US?
I really doubt it.
Growing up here, you you stand out. You
don't look like the people around you.
So, what was it like at doing that as a
young a young kid, you know, in your
your teens?
Yeah, it was kind of it was kind of hard
to get used to because um I wasn't used
to people staring at me, you know,
remember going to Disney standing in the
line and some children was like, "Ah,
koku jing." They said koku jing. And I
was just learning Japanese. So, I was
like, "I know what he just said."
Back then, people would just see you and
say, "That's a black guy. Just blurt it out."
out."
Just blurt it out. Children would just
blurt it out. or I'd be standing in the
in a line at the store and kids would
just be like just be looking at me. When
I was young, I did not realize that when
you get on the train, there's like a
line that you have to wait on the side
to get in. I was just standing in the
middle and I just went in and I remember
this Japanese man, I'm like 13 years
old. I'm traumatized by this. He grabbed me
me
from my shoulder and yanked me back.
And I felt I felt like, is this like I
don't know. is this like normal or is
this like because I'm a foreigner or you
know so it really kind of shook me up
and in fact um I wrote a book about this
uh called the reason why I'm black cuz I
used to be an English teacher at an
international preschool and we were
going outside and I was taking the kids
and the girl was like Mr. MJ, why are
you black? She asked me the question,
why am I black? And I've never heard
that in my life. So, the only answer I
could think of is just like, if all the
flowers in the world were the same
color, flowers would be boring, right?
Like a lot of people come up and just
like touch my hair and like ask me where
I'm from and stuff and stare at me.
Why do they do that?
I don't know. Cuz it's curly and fluffy.
And then my students, they always like
want to touch my hair, but they're kids.
I'm like, you you guys don't see this
kind of curly hair very often. So go
ahead, knock yourself out. Just don't
pull it. Don't wipe boogers on it.
So when pe like you're saying people,
total strangers on the street come up
and say, "Can I touch your hair?" Or
they just touch it.
Oh, they usually ask. I don't know.
Honestly, I was like, "You know what?
New experience for you. Go ahead."
What was the worst experience you've had
in Japan as a foreigner after 30 years?
I guess it was back in 2008
n I would I did some auditions and there
was a there was a uh producer director
and I think I killed it. I did a really
good job. They brought me in
specifically for this for this part but
then he he literally told me look I'm
sorry we're looking for you know a white
guy. He said I wish you were white for
this part. I look Whoa. All right. This
was I I'd already been in Japan for like
20 years, so I didn't get upset about
it, but I was a little bit shocked at
first. For like five seconds, the
American me
like I really wanted. And then I checked
myself and I look the the he knows what
he wants. What could I do about it?
There's nothing I can do. Look, you're
going to have bad experiences in Japan,
but how happy you are in a place
wherever you call home will be your
your threshold for tolerance. You you
can't anger in this country. I don't
know if you've noticed this. The moment
you get anger and angry and you lose
control, you've lost.
Nobody wants to deal with you. Everyone
avoids confrontation here. Do the
opposite was to be really nice. To be
complimentary, to take it on the chin
and and and show them that they're
wrong, not by my anger, but by my actions.
actions. Yeah.
Yeah.
And maybe I'm going to get hired in the
next job, or maybe they're going to be
able to work with me in the future. I
don't know. But if I'm angry and I show
that uncontrolled, that means I don't
understand Japanese culture
and I'm more of a liability than an
asset in the future. So when you think
about it, there's really no future
if you want to live here. And you you
don't really understand that unless
unless you can speak the language and
you start to understand.
Why do you think they keep giving you
only one-year visas?
That is a great question. That's one
that I would like to know. I mean, I I I
have an N2. I have like a a grown-up
job. I got the social insurance. I got
everything. What am I missing? Immigration.
Immigration.
And it's very annoying to renew these.
You have to go into the immigration
office two times and wait about 3 hours
each time.
You need to have at least a three-year
visa before they will consider you for
permanent residency regardless of how
long you've been here.
Hopefully, you'll get that soon.
Hopefully. Hopefully. Hopefully, next
year will be the year.
How about healthcare? How is healthcare
in Japan versus the US? Uh, so I
remember one time I got pneumonia in
America and it was really bad. I didn't
know how bad it was. It was like a cold
and I was like, "No, I'm not going to go
to the doctor. It's fine. It'll get
better on its own." And I just kept
putting it off until I literally had
pneumonia. I literally could not eat or
sleep and I had to go to the hospital.
And then the bill was like $700. I'm
like, but now here if I get a cold, like
I still have that natural American
feeling of, "Oh, it's fine. I can just
wait." But everyone's like, "Just go to
the doctor. Why aren't you going to the
doctor?" I'm like, "Yeah, why am I not
going to the doctor? I can just pay for
it easily." How does the health care
system in Japan compared to the US?
It seems really easy here because you
can just rock up to a clinic and go in,
even if you've never been there before,
fill out a couple of forms and they'll
see you. When I was in the US for grad
school and we came back to Japan to
visit, I didn't have any insurance cuz I
wasn't living here at the time. And I
joined my basketball group that I used
to play with when I lived out in
Yamanashi Prefecture. and I hurt my knee
during this basketball game. So, I go to
the hospital the next day cuz I couldn't
sleep all night. The pain was that bad.
And doctor visit, X-rays, pain
medication cost 8,000 yen. And I don't
have I don't have insurance. 8,000 yen
with no insurance. And I I was thinking,
it seems like the issue is not whether
you have insurance or not. It's just
that you need insurance to pay for
anything in America.
The healthcare, I mean, just just wonderful.
wonderful. Yeah.
Yeah.
Wonderful. That's a good thing about
being here. They don't kick people out
of the hospital really quickly. Um, even
after women after they've just given
birth in the US, it's kind of like,
okay, goodbye. They take care of you in
Japan. They'll put you somewhere to
recover for a week or so. And in your
son's case, they let him stay there for
a very long time. And I know in the US,
there's no way.
Joshua was in the hospital for over a month.
month.
And that surprised the doctors first of
all. Mhm.
Uh they said, "Well, that's a miracle
first of all that he's around that
long." And they took very good care of
him. And through his life, so many
people's lives were changed, including
doctors, including uh even before his
birth. And uh it's really mysterious and
miraculous. And so I felt really led to
share his story to the world.
Yeah. Last year when your son got sick
and you were in the hospital with him, I
was really impressed with the Japanese
health care system. So, uh, he went to
heaven. So, he was only in this world
for, uh, 1 year and 11 months. And so,
that's one of the one of the other
reasons why I'm here in Japan because I
feel like, uh, Japanese people, I mean,
all people can can really, um, be really
touched and find encouragement in tough
times and also hope for the future in
eternity through a visiting angel. So,
shout out to Jojo, my baby boy.
Well, thank you so much for sharing that
story. That's that's a really deep deep story.
story. Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah.
What a lot of people don't realize
probably is that you're the one behind
all the homeless videos. You're the one
that had those connections and he's been
working with the homeless here in Japan
for 15 years. And if it weren't for
Marcel, none of these videos would have
been made. It's because of his connections.
connections.
Wow. Wow. You know, and thank you Alyssa
and also for your help and your support
with that mission. So if you want to
donate to this grassroots charity that
we're work well I'm working with he's
managing go into the video description
and donate to Akidam and I it's a small
group and you'll know exactly where the
help is going.
All right well if anyone wants to follow
you where can they find you on YouTube?
Uh my channel name is X Chapter E XJ P E
R. And I also have Instagram as well. I
put out a new video every single week.
So, it's just me talking about things
that I'm interested in talking about
life in Japan.
Thank you. And if people want to follow
you on social media, if they don't
already know your channel, where can
they follow you?
Only in Japan.
Only in Japan. John Doab. He is an OG
here in the Japan YouTube community.
I've known him for a long time, but this
is our first time working together.
Thank you so much. So, if people want to
follow you on social media, where can
they find you?
Tokyo Dancer Doll. I think you can find
both. No spaces.
Okay, go follow Gretchen online and
thank you so much for your time. Well,
thank you so much for your time, Max. I
appreciate it.
Max is a friend of mine and Tommy's. We
go back quite a while.
Thank you very much for giving me this opportunity.
opportunity.
Anytime. Anytime. We'll see you around. Bye-bye.
Bye-bye.
I love this. So, Japanese,
congrats on making it to the very end of
this wholesome video. So, pay us back
with a like. Remember, I'm trying to get
to 2 million subscribers by the end of
this year, so help make that happen. And
in the meantime, enjoy some other
videos, and I'll see you in the next one.
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