No. I’m planning to leave. British born and raised. Probably best to exit before they introduce a massive exit tax like Germany’s, at the rate the UK is losing wealthy people it’s inevitable.
Portugal seems like a good choice because of its digital nomad visa and after 5 years of living there I could apply for naturalisation and regain freedom of movement in the EU.
Could a lot of a malaise just be "grass is greener on the other side" syndrome, or that you aren't as looped into Japanese political discourse the same way you might be in Anglophone countries?
I've seen a similar trend of trying to find greener grass amongst Japanese as well, though they tend to target South Korea, China, or ASEAN countries like Thailand and Vietnam.
I think the grass is greener syndrome is something that happens when on a few weeks visit, but I was there for 6 months. I made a fairer evaluation and still felt like Japan was better for me.
Everyone values different things in their life. Japan is closely aligned with the things I value most. Respect, safety, convenience, cleanliness, and so on.
If you were earning ¥3-4M a year (roughly the average salary in Japan), would you feel the same about Japan?
Like, to me London is great, but I also know if I was working remotely in the UK or for my employer I could demand a £90k-150k salary and live in Chelsea or Belgravia, so I would be living my best life - but it's also not an "authentic" London experience.
That's why I see plenty of Japanese doing a similar thing - take a ¥4-5M salary and live in Shanghai, Bangkok, or HCMC.
As individuals, it makes sense for us for rationalize the arbitrage, but we can't deny we are also causing affordability issues as well.
I guess what I'm getting at is at the median, the vast majority of developed countries are facing the same issues, but at a micro-level, we can use currency arbitrages to give us a better life - but it's only exacerbating the problem.
I can’t answer that question since I haven’t experienced it, but I did qualify I said above by saying that I’m aware I wasn’t getting the full picture working for a London-based employer.
I wasn’t living in Japan so to be there forever, I was living there to have a good 6 months. So what my life would be like as an ‘average salaryman’ isn’t really pertinent. Apples to apples as an average London salaryman (average not anywhere near £90k) vs average Tokyo salaryman I think I would be happier as the latter.
>a £90k-150k salary and live in Chelsea or Belgravia
Last I checked that salary range is not Chelsea or Belgravia money.
Jeez, that's horrid. I thought you could rent a 1 bedroom flat for around £2,000-£2,500/mo there?
> average not anywhere near £90k
Agreed, I thought I mentioned £50k-£60k but might have made a typo.