The American mother moved her family to Japan, she considers it safer and more affordable

In 2019, when my son was 2 years old, there was a shooting in a mall near his garden. Police cordoned off the entire area. For 40 minutes, I knew that there was someone with a gun near my child’s school and there was nothing I could do about it.

I thought the only thing I could do was move out of here.

So in 2022, after the pandemic restrictions were lifted, we moved as a family to Osaka, Japan. Our children were 5 years and only 6 months at the time.

We spend less on childcare and rent in Japan

Raising young children in the US was not sustainable even on two incomes. Despite our career – I work as a lawyer while my husband is a producer – I found childcare expensive. My husband and I spent about $1,700 a month on my son’s daycare and about $2,200 a month on our toddler.

In Japan, my son goes to an international school because he is not fluent in Japanese yet. However, our daughter goes to a free childcare center. Where we live, the city subsidizes childcare costs for the second child.

In California, I rented a 3 bedroom house for about $3,700 a month. Our rent here is $1,200 per month, and we live in a house with 5 bedrooms. Although we have no yard and only enough space to park one car, there are plenty of parks nearby.

A car here is enough; public transportation is convenient and my husband and I work remotely.

I love the emphasis on healthy eating in Japan

My daughter’s daycare provides her with a healthy and balanced lunch, afternoon snack and tea. And all of this is free; they even have a nutritionist who plans all their meals.

While my toddler loves vegetables and fruits, my older child, who was raised mostly in the US, is not a big fan. He prefers ice cream, chocolate and processed foods. He is also not interested in tea, while his sister is a fan.

The pace of life is slower

The pace of life was much faster in LA. Everyone was focused on making money and working hard. I knew people who had two or three jobs and drove fast to get from place to place and fill their time with activities.

In Japan, I find that people are more focused on wellness and health. They maintain a balance between their lives and their homes, so I am more conscious of my health here.

However, the lack of diversity is a challenge

In the US, I went to school and worked with people from all kinds of backgrounds. But here, most of the population is Japanese — or 97.5 percent, according to the CIA. Era a culture shock to see only one type of ethnicity around me at all times.

As a Korean American, I’m not Japanese, but I look Japanese. Sometimes other people will assume I’m local and expect a certain type of behavior. For example, women dress conservatively in Japan. But if it’s hot outside, I’ll wear a tank top and shorts. And people will stare at me like I’m a crazy person because most married women with kids don’t dress like that.

In Japan, there are very clear lines regarding manners, respect, and what is acceptable and what is not. Coming from the US, this expectation that everyone had to follow certain rules was new to me.

I feel that pressure to conform, but as an American, I also reject it. So whenever that pressure gets too much or stresses me out, I’ll just go away for a break. We’ll go to Hawaii for a week or go back to California for the summer.

I also took advantage of exploring nearby countries. Hong Kong, China and South Korea are all just a short flight away.

He helped get my kids out of the US parental anxiety

My son was upset when I told him our plans to move. “What about my friends, my school, my grandparents here and my toys?” he asked.

We tried to prepare him for a year just talking about how exciting this change would be. We even visited the new school in Japan before we moved. In the end, it was a smooth transition for him and he loves living here now.

One thing I’ve had to get used to is how independent the kids are encouraged to be. You’ll see kids walking alone to the store to run an errand for their parents or getting on a bus alone.

Since we moved, for the past almost two years, gun violence in the US has continued. It just keeps happening. So I’m grateful that I was able to get my kids out of that environment.

In Japan, there are so many safe confidence that you can send your 5-year-old to the mall alone and them it will be fine.

We are going to I am staying in Japan until my children finish high school because I want them to have a stable community during their school age years.

But once they graduate and hopefully go off and do their own thing as independent adults, my husband and I can do whatever we want and live where we want. We will see.

Have a story about moving abroad that you want to share? Connect with the reporter, Erin: [email protected].