"trouble" <the_cacc@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:5f9f0a23.0403111226.1c558cb1@posting.google.com...
> Just wondering, why did you people choose to go to Japan? How long did
> it take to learn Japanese? Do you plan on staying forever or is it
> more like an adventure for a few years, then you'll return? Would you
> go to live in another oriental/asian country? If so, which ones?

Arrived by accident. But there was something very appealing about living and
being immersed in such a different culture. It teaches you an awful lot
about your own upbringing and assumptions. I became pretty addicted to the
out-of-cultural-body experience of living in Japan.

Other cultures I would look at are any with a strong, distinctive culture -
one that is as different as possible from my own, but at the same time
unpleasant as a place to live (i.e. think Bali not Kabul). If it were me I
would look at Thailand or Vietnam as alternatives to Japan.  I really loved
Hanoi and would live there in a minute if I had a good reason.

Only other consideration is how this choice affects your career. Although it
depends on what you do exactly, there is a greater demand in a number of
businesses for people with experience in Japan and who speak Japanese than,
say Thai or Urdu.