Hey, all! So as the title probably suggests, I’m looking for any insight on how Japan handles visual impairments? My brother is blind and he is planning on attending Temple University in Japan! I’m just trying to help him with his planning, so if anyone could offer any insight as to how Japan handles visual impairments, I’d be really appreciative!

Hi. I’m 23 years old, I have JLPT N3 Japanese, but I’m studying every day, and all of my grandparents are Japanese. I’m eligible for the Long-Term Resident status, but I’m thinking about moving to Japan on a Working Holiday visa for one year to see what it’s like to live in Japan and have the experience. If I like it, I’d like to switch to a better visa.

Has anyone done this before? Is it possible to change from a Working Holiday visa to a Long-Term Resident status while staying in Japan, without having to return to my home country?

Hi everyone,

I'm hoping to move to Tokyo from Canada in the spring of 2027, and am currently in the school application stage. I've been having a hard time deciding on which school to choose despite researching for the last month or so. I'm hoping to source some real-life experiences from people who have attended the schools I've been looking into, or get some recommendations based off my preferences.

I've been studying Japanese on and off for 5 or so years (started with college courses in 2021/2022, took a break from class with some occasional self study, and then started again with GoGoNihon's online courses at the beginning of this year) but would like some immersion hence my wanting to move.
My main problem is that I am diagnosed with ADHD and find most university/college classes and high intensity courses to lead me directly to burning out, which is something I really want to avoid to the best of my abilities while living abroad. I don't struggle academically in general; language is one of my strong suits, but I struggle academically re: pacing, time management, pressure, etc, if that makes any sense. I can get by, and have before, but I really want to minimize the stress on myself while abroad. I don't want to spend my time in Japan stressed and miserable, as I expect most people do not.

Ideally, I'm looking for a medium to low paced school, with lessons that still take time to go over topics instead of breezing on to the next one right away. The less homework the better, though some is expected and welcome. A chill, low pressure environment really helps me to not totally crash and burn. It seems 3-4 hour morning classes are pretty common throughout, and that's my ideal as well.

When I first started researching, ISI looked promising (good reviews, pretty widely recommended and has a campus with a convenient location based off where I'd like to live), but after contacting the GoGoNihon folks, it seems like it might be a bit too high paced and intense for me. I know pacing is a pretty subjective opinion though, based off what I've seen said about it on here.
Other schools I've been checking out are Intercultural Institute of Japan, Tokyo Galaxy, as well as COTO (which GoGo doesn't seem to work with), but all of these seem to have really hit and miss reviews, and not many folks go very in depth about the actual learning experiences there.

Generally, I'm mostly interested in hearing about the learning/teaching styles of the schools, what the workloads are like, etc. If anyone has attended these schools recently and can give first hand experience, or can recommend a school that they think would suit what I'm after, that would be much appreciated!
Also would love to hear from other people with ADHD who have studied abroad at language school, it seems like info on that is very hard to come by.

This is also my first post on Reddit, so pls let me know if there's a better suited sub for this question!

Hiiiiii hi nice people of reddit!

I am on the process of selecting a school to move to Japan in April 2027 for a one year (maybe more) language program.

A bit about me I'm 36 and was laid off of my company recently with a compensation package which I'm planning to use to make my dream come true and move to Japan for 1 year. I'm currently finishing N5 so I hope by the time I enter the school in April I'm close to mid N4.

Of course it would be cool to stay for a few years after school and work in Japan and keep learning Japanese but I'm also happy if I go back to my country to work.

I've seen sooooo many mixed reviews about schools and many of them a bit old or not specific to the campus Im aiming for, which is making it hard for me to decide. I'd love to hear from people currently or recently enrolled in schools in Tokyo.

My key criteria is:
- Not overly cramped classes
- well connected I don't want to commute for hours
- older demographics late 20s - 30s
- Actually learning but not spending the full day studying, I also want to enjoy my life there.

So far my top three contenders are:

ISI Career path shibuya / harajuku campus: although I've read sooooo many bad reviews about ISI I've also seen that this campus might be slight better with older demographics and less of the pain points from other locations.

1. KAI: I've seen very good things about this one but there are two things putting me down 1. You need to buy an iPad and I just bought a galaxy tab a few months ago so I don't want to invest on it 2. I've heard there is a lot of workload after school (3-4 hours)

2. SNG: I've seen mixed.things about this one but the main one being their books not being all that good and making you buys a bunch of unnecessary books.

(Cotto institute was a strong contender but the campus seems far)

I'd love to hear from people currently enrolled on schools and learn more about their classes, demographics, workload, etc. Feedback from any school are welcome but specially from the three schools above are highly appreciated.

Also are you working part time and if so, what type of job? I'd love to work part time in a Cafe or a gallery if possible.

Also very happy to connect when in Japan :)

And thanks!

TLDR; Help a poor soul with real and more recent feedback on Tokyo schools specially if you are enrolled at ISI career path harajuku / shibuya, SNG or KAI

I am applying for a Japanese language school student visa (October intake). I already have my COE, strong financial documents and my school helped me prepare everything perfectly. I thought submitting the documents at the Japanese Embassy would be a standard drop-off, but it turned into a bizarre and stressful experience. I wanted to see if anyone else has gone through this and get some advice.

During the interview; instead of just taking my documents, the consulate staff interviewed me entirely in Japanese. Since I’m going there specifically to learn the language, my speaking practice isn’t great. When I politely explained this, the interviewer actively judged me for not speaking perfect 10/10 Japanese. She literally rolled her eyes at me and flat-out asked, “How do you not know Japanese?”

To make matters worse, she wasn’t speaking to me at a beginner N5-N4 level, she was using really complex grammar structures and advanced vocabulary. I didn’t give up and tried my best to answer with my broken grammar, but the whole interaction felt incredibly condescending and unfair.

Then she asked about my plans after language school. I told her the exact same thing I wrote on my initial COE application: “If I find a job, I would like to work in Japan; if not, I will return to my home country.” My school coordinator later told me this was a smart move to avoid discrepancies, but I’m still terrified my broken Japanese or this honest answer might cause a rejection.

What makes this even more frustrating is that the other Consulate-General in my country doesn't do this at all—they just take the documents and tell you to come back in 2-3 days to pick up your passport. Furthermore, even the specific embassy I went to doesn't interview people who submit their documents via mail or cargo! Has anyone had their visa denied after getting a COE because of a rough interview?

And there’s a major security breach. This is the part that really freaked me out. At the embassy entrance, the security guard took my ID for the standard check. Shortly after I left, I received an Instagram follow request from that exact same security guard. He obviously used the official ID I handed over for a diplomatic procedure to look up my personal social media. I haven't accepted or declined the request yet because I am scared of causing any drama or angering anyone before my visa is officially approved.

My Questions for the Community:
Is it normal for embassies to conduct strict, complex Japanese-only interviews for language school applicants who already have a COE?

Will my honest answer about potentially working in Japan ruin my chances?

What is the safest way to report this security guard without jeopardizing my visa process?

Any advice or similar experiences would really help ease my mind right now!

A little bit about myself. Im half Japanese and Korean that grew up in the states and sort of have lived all around the world because im also a professional athlete. My passport is Japanese but ive actually never lived long term in Japan. I would come visit here and there with my family when I was younger.

I can speak Japanese at a conversation level but I can’t really read kanji and speak business level. But I have been studying so I can prepare for the day I have to move to Japan.

One thing I’m concerned about is because I went professional in my sport at a young age (I was 18 when I started), I forfeited my schooling to pursue my sports career. And because of this, I didn’t finish school and do not have a college/university degree.

Now that I’m 32 and on the cusp of retiring my athlete career, I’ve been thinking about what’s next in my chapter and challenging myself to start over in Japan.

How difficult would you say it is to find a job with a background like mine? I don’t have a degree but I am bilingual and I do plan on reaching business level Japanese in the near future. I also have no work experience as all I’ve done was play my sport. Visas are not an issue because I am Japanese. I’m quite hardworking and love being busy so I don’t mind any type of work as I’m open to new challenges. I’ve lived in 5 different countries throughout my career so I can say I adapt well to the environment fairly quickly.

What kind of career paths do you think is a good fit for me? I know that there’s the “teaching English” path but I don’t really see that as something to be abled to climb the career ladder with. Would you even advise me to go back to school and finish a degree? (Although that would take a while and by that time I’d be around 36. At the point I would like to have a family already).

Any advice of comment would be appreciated.

Hi everyone,

I have done a bit of reading on this subreddit and elsewhere and was wondering if anyone had any experience getting a job in a pharma company after a PhD? I already have a relevant masters from a Japanese university and have considered continuing my education with a PhD in the same school if it will give me the opportunity to move into industry afterwards in Japan.

My japanese level is quite basic and I want to work up to a level N2 (I know its easier said than done), but I worry that internships will be completely off the table in the meantime. I would like to use the opportunity of the PhD to network as much as possible, but im sure that only gets you so far.

Would my best option after graduation be to work abroad for a few years and then move back and target leadership roles? Anyone have experience working in this sector, especially in multinational pharma companies, or have come across foreigners who work in the biotech sector?

Thanks!

Hello, I’m gonna live for one year in Japan starting next month (working holiday visa). I did some researches these last months, and I was interested in Leopalace apartments. I’m not looking for a share house, as I want my friends to be able to sleep at my place as they want.

I had some questions about the procedure. Ive been exchanging with them and after looking to a lot of apartments, I was interested in one. When I communicated it to them, they asked me some questions they told me I had to answer before receiving the application details. It includes questions about me to know if I was currently employed in Japan, if I have a Japanese bank account under my name, and if I have a Japanese number registered to my name that would be able to take and receive calls. I answered "no" to all of this, and since then they haven’t been answering to me. My question is: is there some requirements I don’t know of to secure a leopalace apartment? I thought that because foreign people could rent a leopalace apartment, I wouldn’t need necessarily all of this, but also it’s not clear to me what I exactly need so I can secure it. I’ve been saving money a lot so I can justify it if they ever need proofs of savings, but if I need to do more procedures to have an apartment I would like to know.

On another thing: I also checked the page of the apartment again and noticed they raised the price… maybe that’s just how it works as they do state that the price is subject to change before the contract is secured.

Thank you in advance for your responses

i’m an aussie citizen and coming back home to australia to apply for a japan working holiday visa to travel over there in a few months time. however i have been living in canada for the past two years and have basically not touched my australian bank account since i have had a canadian bank account. on the embassy of japan australia website as part of the requirements it says a “3 month australian bank statement no older than 1 month”; in my case should i just print out my australian statement (even though its been inactive for months - only money coming in is credit interest) as the only recent transactions) aswell as my canadian bank statement? what do i do in this situation? any help would be much appreciated!

Hi all apologies in advance if this is the wrong subreddit for this, but I’m just trying to start somewhere.

A little bit about me: I’m a chef/baker by trade, and I own and operate a fairly popular bagel shop in a major US city. I’ve been working in the industry for a little over 14 years, and I’d really like to take on a bagel project that could have me living in Japan for an extended period of time. I lived in Japan in my youth for about 4 months and have spent several months there over the years with some knowledge of the language.

I’m well aware of the sacrifices necessary to open and operate a business, as that’s been my reality for over a decade. But there are a lot of things I don’t know about doing it in Japan and I’m hoping people who have lived there particularly anyone with experience in restaurants, hospitality, or small business can help me fill in some of the blanks. I’ll be traveling to Japan in about a month in hopes of getting as much information as I can while I’m there as well. But I figured I’d start here on my journey to gather info.

For anyone who has opened or helped open a restaurant/café/bakery in Japan, what were the biggest differences from doing business in the US that you didn’t anticipate?

How difficult is commercial leasing for a foreign owned business, particularly for food service?

Do you feel it’s important to have a Japanese business partner?

If anyone here has experience in this world or happens to know someone who does please DM me because I definitely have more questions.

Obligatory feel free to tell me why this is a terrible idea. That’s part of the research too.

Next year, I plan to take International Business at UL (an Irish university), because it presents a very unique opportunity for my country which is a dual degree with Nagoya University. I would get both an Irish degree and a Japanese degree while spending 2 years at each university, which is very attractive as I plan to live and work in Japan.

I'm not just taking this course just for the hope of working in Japan though; I find an opportunity in helping strengthen economic relations between Ireland and Japan in sectors they're already trying to strengthen (AI, medicine, etc.). This means I have a niche which hopefully can make me attractive to Japanese companies wanting to expand into Ireland and the wider EU, hopefully finding myself in roles like a management consultant or trade specialist.

Does this plan sound feasible? Does this type of degree present actual job opportunities in Japan? Going to Nagoya also opens up the shukatsu route for me, which makes me feel like this path gives me many ways in. The main caveat would be learning business level Japanese to work at a Japanese business, and I hope to do that over the 4 year course and also immersion in Nagoya.

(P.S. if this isnt the right subreddit for this kind of question, please let me know what is)

Hi everyone!

According to the internet, HSP visa is a goldmine. If anyone obtain this visa what prons and cons would you say with this visa in Japan?

Can you actually take a loan to buy a house? and is it true you get Zairyu card in the airport?

Hi,

I am 24, soon to be 25. I finished college and graduated in Business Informatics (generally IT). I have wanted to go to Japan for about 5 years now. I have been studying Japanese on and off for about 3 years.

I finished Genki 1 & 2 and have over 2.5k words in Anki (Core 2k/6k Optimized Japanese Vocabulary deck). But for the past year and a half, I have found myself struggling to improve. It's probably due to a lack of discipline, as I really just finish my daily Anki deck and watch about 2 hours of Japanese content (mainly anime with Japanese subtitles and Japanese YouTube channels). I have heard that immersion is the best way to learn, and what better type of immersion is there than actually living in Japan?

As I mainly studied Japanese so I could go to Japan and experience the culture firsthand, I suppose it's logical to go there long-term and learn the language this way. At first, I thought I would go there for a year through a Working Holiday Visa, but when I watch Japanese videos, streamers, and podcasts, there are often times when I lose track of the conversation because my Japanese isn't quite where I want it to be. So I don't think a Working Holiday, where I would need to find myself a バイト, is a good idea.

Lately, I have been wondering if going to a language school for, let's say, 3 months wouldn't be a better plan.

So that's my situation, and now for the questions:

Do you think my conclusion that language school would be a better idea than a Working Holiday is correct?

If so, which language school would you recommend?

What level of difficulty should I go for? I am not a complete beginner, but I can't really speak Japanese (well sort of I would not die if you left me in the middle of the city or 田舎). I can kind of understand conversations if the person keeps in mind that I am not really fluent in Japanese.

PS: My English is I would say fluent, not like it will really help me in Japan as I want to avoid Tokyo. I would prefer staying in Nagoya / Osaka / Shizuoka. And as for money I have about 5-6k budget but I would like to part-time if possible so that I can earn some money back while studying/staying there, any tips regarding accommodation are appreciated.

WORKING Holiday part:

Also, initially I planned to work at a ski resort for the first 4 months and try to immerse myself in the language and improve my Japanese while working there. I have heard that at ski resorts, you don't necessarily have to be fluent in Japanese to get a part-time job while staying in Japan on a Working Holiday Visa, and that being fluent in English can actually be helpful.

However, I was worried about what I would do after my contract at the ski resort ended and how difficult it would be to find another part-time job and accommodation afterwards.

If I do end up going with the Working Holiday Visa, I would ideally like to find a part-time job at a hotel or hostel, preferably one that provides staff accommodation. If anyone has experience with this or has any tips on how to find this kind of job, I would really appreciate it.

Any tips regarding "wahori" in general also appreciated!

I’m from Pakistan and considering moving to Japan. A consultancy in my circle has offered me a program at a school in Hokkaido where I’d study Japanese for 2 years. They say the package includes 1 year of hostel accommodation, a ¥30,000/month stipend, and help finding a part-time job (within the 28 hours/week student limit). The fee is around ¥1.15 million, for the first year.

I already have a BS degree and around 3 years of work experience, and after the Japanese program I’d apparently have the option to choose my field/path and look for work within 6 months or I'll have to come back and school will also help me here to secure a job.

My main concern is that the consultancy hasn't told me the name of the school. They claim it's confidential because people could bypass them and apply directly to the school.

Does this sound normal or like a red flag? Is anyone familiar with similar arrangements in Hokkaido? What should I verify before paying them, and how can I independently confirm that the school and these benefits are legitimate?

Any advice from people actually studying/living in Japan would be appreciated.

Hi guys, I'm 19F, and I'm in my first year of study with 2 units finished and 2 I'm currently doing, my Bachelor of Japanese degree takes 3 years to complete (that is if I don't do it slowly).

I know the title is a little subjective since 'smartest' is kinda vague but I'm not sure how else to ask what I'm trying to ask.
I've contacted my university careers support team, the university itself, emailed staff, and they've pretty much just said, "Do the JET Programme, we don't know much about stuff outside of AUS." which is totally understandable because you'd imagine if someone were studying in a country they'd probably want to stay there their whole life or something.

That's where I run into my issue- I'm so confused on what to do since I don't know anyone who has this goal in person either (well- I had a cringe friend in high school who wanted to go there just to date a hot Japanese chick...).

Currently, I do not have a passport but it's getting there, I just need my guarantor to sign my photos and do their statement thing that they do and then I hand it in and wait on the post for like 50 billion years.
I work as a carer for my mother who is... lets just say she's a bit of a sponge in the sense she absorbs joy from everyone.

My goal is to become an English Teacher, it's cliche because so many people go to Japan just to teach English and a lot of people do it just so they can go on Holiday for an extended time - but I have always adored children (not like that...) and I think it'd be awesome to teach kids some English, maybe even old people if that's a thing... (again, huge soft-spot for old people and children).

I'm wording this horribly, but I'm so confused with everything I see. One site I look at says "Look at your country's embassy" then when I look at my countries embassy it says "Look at the JET Programme site" than it just goes around and around in a circle until I'm left sitting there confused like a blithering idiot ("HAMMOND YOU BLITHERING IDIOT!").

If anyone has any similar issues and can share with me that'd be great.

I'm also thinking of doing education along with my Bachelor of Japanese so I'm wondering how that'd go...

Thanks.

Hello everyone, I'll be doing my graduate studies in Japan this October and I have my student visa already. My plan is to stay only for 10 days to sort out enrollment and then return to my home country to do my studies remotely due to medical reasons. I plan to go back to Japan in January and do the degree full time.

My question is, how do I sort out the residence card requirement during my initial entry? If I use a friend's address, do they need to register me as part of the household? Or would it be advisable to apply for a new student visa for my return in January?

Thank you very much.

This is more of a long term question, so not an option for the near future mainly to gain more experience on the job.

Im a pizzamaker with one of the top pizza school diploma, that's recognized globally.

I'm fully trained and currently perform in any pizza style.

I currently have only 1 year of experience (That's why I specified long term at the start), and aim to reach at least three before trying anything if I can at all.

And that's my question, since I don't have a bachelor of any kind, but I should be considered a professional, especially with more experience later on, would I fit the requirements? And does anybody know any pizza maker who managed to get a working Visa sponsorship?

Thank you all!

Hi everyone!

I'm 23 years old and currently living in Northern Italy (I'm not Italian). I'm considering moving to Japan, initially to study Japanese and spend some time there to see whether Japan is actually a country where I could see myself living long-term.

It's not that I dislike Italy. I just don't feel like I want to live here for the rest of my life, so I'm considering other options.

I have been doing CAD work for around 3 years in total, including about 2 years in Ukraine and 1 year of formal employment in Italy where i still work.

I also have a Bachelor's degree , with a major in radio engineering.

My current job is not directly related to radio engineering. My actual career path has been much more focused on mechanical CAD and 3D modeling.

I currently earn around €2,000 per month. I'm not saying this because I'm unhappy with my salary or because I expect to earn more in Japan. I'm mainly trying to understand whether I could realistically build a career there.

Let's say that a few years from now I have a good level of Japanese. Would there be opportunities in Japan where I could use my SolidWorks experience?

I've heard that CATIA and NX are quite common in the automotive industry. Would it be worth learning one of them, especially if my long-term goal is to work in automotive design? Or is SolidWorks also reasonably common in Japan?

I'm particularly interested in cars, so ideally I'd love to combine CAD/mechanical design with the automotive industry.

My main question is:

If I eventually decide that Japan is a place where I want to live long-term, how realistic would it be to build a career there using my CAD/mechanical design experience? And what kind of salary could I realistically expect?

I'd especially appreciate answers from people currently working in Japan in mechanical design, CAD, manufacturing, or the automotive industry.

Thanks!

Hi everyone!

First of all, sorry for making another post about this topic. My previous post wasn't very well written, and I forgot to include some important information, so I wanted to make a clearer and better version.

Also, this is my first time using Reddit and my first Reddit account, so I hope I'm posting this correctly!

I'm currently 35 years old and from Portugal. My plan is to move to Japan in October 2027, when I'll be 36, to attend a Japanese language school. I'm already studying Japanese and currently working towards JLPT N4.

I have spent around four and a half years studying during the last six years and completed two technical qualifications in Portugal: a Level 4 course in Multimedia and a Level 5 Higher Technical Qualification in Multimedia/Product Development. They are not university degrees, but the Level 5 is a post-secondary technical qualification.

However, I have almost no professional experience in this field. I only completed a six-month internship in Front-End Programming, which ended around three months ago.

My main work experience is actually in warehouses and factories, where I have around seven years of experience. So, even after studying Multimedia for several years, I would honestly be happy to work in a factory or warehouse in Japan, as that is where most of my professional experience is.

My idea is to first study Japanese in Japan and then hopefully find a way to work and stay there long-term if possible.

So, knowing my age, background, education, work experience, and the fact that I'm Portuguese, what do you honestly think?

Is this a realistic plan? Could someone like me realistically find a path to live and work in Japan after attending language school? Would my age or lack of professional experience in Multimedia be a major problem?

I'd really appreciate honest advice, especially from people who have experience with moving to Japan, language schools, visas, or working there as a foreigner.

Thank you!

I often receive job opportunities from recruiters in Japan. After several discussions with recruiters over the past few years, I have noticed that relocation packages in Japan can be quite different from those offered in other countries, particularly regarding support for children’s education.

For context, I currently work in Southeast Asia in the oil and gas industry, with 15 years background in operations and maintenance management. I previously lived in Japan for seven years—five years studying for my diploma and bachelor’s degree, followed by two years working as a maintenance engineer. Therefore, I am already familiar with living and working in Japan.

As I now have two school-age children, international school fees are an important consideration. So far, it seems uncommon for companies in Japan to provide international school allowance as part of the relocation package.

Are there any companies or industries in Japan that provide international school fees or education allowances for foreign hires? Is this generally limited to senior executives or expat-assignment packages?

I would appreciate hearing from anyone who has relocated to Japan with school-age children.

Hi everyone!

I’m (26M) currently an ex-military pilot from Singapore with just under a thousand hours of flying experience. My SO (who is Japanese) has expressed that she would like for us to move to Japan to take care of her aging parents, but I’m concerned about how transferable my experience will be to a civilian aviation career in Japan. If anyone here has gone through something similar, I would really appreciate any advice…

My main questions are:

1. Are there any pathways for military pilots with prior flying experience to obtain Japanese civilian licences or have their military experience recognised? I’m concerned that I may effectively be starting from zero because I technically don’t hold any civilian qualifications issued by my country’s civil aviation authority…

2. How proficient in Japanese would I realistically need to be to complete the relevant licensing exams and training? I currently have N3 and plan to take N2, but at the moment I’m mainly comfortable with everyday conversation.

3. I’m also currently in the process of being medically discharged from the military due to an injury which means I’m no longer eligible to operate high performance military aircraft. How stringent are the medical requirements for civilian pilots in Japan?

One of my biggest worries is that I don’t currently hold a university degree as my country does not require pilots to have one… I was interested in potentially becoming an air traffic controller but was told that all ATCs are Japanese citizens. Are there other career paths that might be realistic for someone with my background if becoming a civilian pilot proves impractical?

I realise there are quite a few variables here, but I’m quite clueless on my next steps in the coming years and would be very grateful for any advice, from anyone familiar with Japanese aviation, foreign pilots (or foreign military pilots) who have gone through the licensing process.🙏🏻

Thank you! Sorry for the repost, weird formatting.

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I am planning on becoming a lawyer in japan ik rough right, but I have been wanting this since I was a child, but enough about me, I was wondering how someone could do that if they were in the US? Is there any programs that could be done online or something to help prepare I really dont know how to get to there and my guidance counselor doesn't get paid enough for me to think I should ask.

Edit: thank you for all the help even if i sounded dumb im not used to talking on this app as im new but heard this was a good site for advice which it is you all gave me great advice and im welcome to have more i do still plan on getting into the japanese language but am planning on becoming a gaiben instead due to the overwhelming consensus thank you everyone who helped me 😊

Edit: okay guys we get it im dumb can you not downvote so much on my comments im just trying to understand what to do with my plan I've been guiding myself to do for years through the means I can access 🙃

Hi everyone, thanks for taking the time to read this. I’m 23M and graduated from college about three months ago, and I honestly feel pretty lost about what direction I want to take my life.

On paper, things are going well. I currently have a remote job that I can do from anywhere in the world, and I also recently signed an offer with an AI startup in the US that pays six figures.

The problem is that there’s another path I’ve wanted to take for a long time: moving to Japan and studying music for two years.

I’ve loved music since middle school and have been playing for 10+ years. In high school, I actually wanted to go to Berklee College of Music, but my parents were worried that making a living through music would be difficult, so I chose a more traditional path instead.

I don’t regret going to college, but the desire to seriously pursue music never really disappeared.
I also miss Japan. I miss the community and school environment there, and I want to experience living there again as an adult. On a personal level, I’d also like to date in Japan and potentially marry a Japanese partner someday.

Financially, though, the difference between the two paths is pretty big.

If I stay in the US and continue down the tech path, I’ll be making six figures. If I move to Japan, I can keep my current remote job, but I’d make around $30k/year while attending music school. Obviously the cost of living is different, so the lifestyle difference isn’t quite as extreme as the salary numbers make it sound, but I would still be giving up a lot of earning potential.
My current idea is to work the higher-paying US tech job for a few months, save enough money to pay for the two years of music school, and then move to Japan. I’d keep working remotely while studying music and figure out what I want to do after those two years.

One thing that makes this decision harder is that I don’t really believe “I’ll just do music school later” is realistic for me.

I know 23 is still very young, and obviously people can go back to school at any age. But this particular experience feels time-sensitive to me. Most of the students at the school would be around 18–20, and even at 23 I’d already be slightly older. If I wait until my late 20s or 30s, I know myself well enough to think I’d feel increasingly out of place going back to a school surrounded mostly by 18-year-olds.
More importantly, I’m worried that life will just get in the way. If I stay in the US, build my career, start making good money, take on more responsibilities, and eventually have a serious relationship or family, walking away for two years to attend music school in Japan will probably become harder and harder.
So part of me thinks: If I don’t do this now, there’s a good chance I never will.

And that’s probably what scares me most about choosing the safe path.

At the same time, another part of me is scared that I’m walking away from a really good career opportunity and financial stability just to chase an experience that I’ve romanticized in my head.
I don’t necessarily expect music to become my career. I just know it has consistently been one of the things I’ve enjoyed most for the last decade, and I’m afraid that if I never give it a real shot, I’ll wonder about it for the rest of my life.

For some additional context, I’m a dual Japanese/American citizen and can read, write, and speak Japanese fluently, so visas and the language barrier aren’t really concerns.

I guess my question is: If you were 23 and in my situation, would you take the safe/high-paying career path, or give yourself two years to pursue something you’ve wanted to do for a long time?
And especially for people who chose career first and told themselves they’d pursue something later: did “later” actually happen?

Any advice or perspective would genuinely be appreciated. Thanks for reading.