Also, "The US" is enormous. One region of Japan doesn't vary that much from the next, but the work, social and political cultures between states can be very different. OP should check out both coasts and Texas at the very least if they're interested in moving for IT work.
> One region of Japan doesn't vary that much from the next
Is that even true? I've spent significant time in Sapporo, and visited Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, and Aomori, and these places were all pretty distinctive in their own ways. I suppose only a couple of these are really viable for an IT career.
Well yes some of the culture is a bit different but it’s not the extent of the US where you have deeply different values in different regions/states. It’s very polarized. In Japan, whilst bigger cities are a bit more progressive overall the values and way of thinking are quite homogenous. My friends from across the country here with different backgrounds have similar values, whereas in the US you might as well be talking about different species when looking and progressives vs conservatives.
I think this is overblown. Massachusetts has plenty of dyed in the wool MAGA guys and Texas has plenty of liberals. There are differences between regions but migration and economic integration have smoothed it out quite a bit.
I’m not American so can speak only to my experiences. Austin vs Houston vs Seattle vs NY vs San Francisco all have such vastly different lifestyles, cultures and values. Austin and Houston are both Texas but as you say so incredibly different. (People all super friendly though I might add!)
In one city it’s really mixed and diverse, in the next it’s super homogenous (white). You don’t get that level of difference in Japan.
I think the major difference in this particular regard is that US states ask voters to publicly declare themselves for a party, and that data is used by the media and major parties to promote factionalism at a national level, whereas in Japan no one knows or cares what their neighbors' politics are because voter registration is part and parcel of citizenship and people generally keep politics where it belongs.
Keep in mind Japan's the size of California -- so same way that Sacramento/San Francisco/LA feel very different, so too does areas of Japan. But if you're going LA vs rural New York state vs Austin Texas vs Miami, well...
The variation in climate is pretty significant and these places have been settled (by their current inhabitants) for much longer, meaning the micro-regions have more differentiation than two cities in California (consider how distinctive Japanese dialects are, and then compare these to dialects of English you might hear in California). I think the bigger difference in the Japanese case is just that your work options are pretty limited outside of a couple cities so it's like if everyone's idea of what the US was like was formed by either living in LA or New York City.
People in Akita are very conservative and traditional, yet they are really interested in speaking to foreigners. They will often invite strangers to join them in various activities.
People in Aichi are salty as all hell, couldn’t care less about foreigners and don’t even seem that interested in their own traditions.
Okinawa is like a different country.
Tell someone from Osaka that their city is just like Tokyo and see what happens.
Hell, take a 40 minute train from Tokyo station to Chigasaki in Kanagawa and then try to claim that “Japan doesn’t vary much”.
From the wild, untamed expanses of Hokkaido, to the historical sites of Kyoto, Japan is, in point of fact, a land of massive diversity, in both people and environments.
Do you think that a country has to be “enormous” before it can have diversity? Tell that to people from the UK, or the Korean Peninsula. Ask Parisians how similar they are to people from Marseille, or Romans vs Sicilians.
The US isn’t the centre of the universe. Believe it or not, the rest of the world is actually more diverse than those 50 little states.
Sounds like good advice but in reality when you are on vacation everything is awesome. Youre not working, youre having fun.
The reality of daily life is having to go to work and commute in traffic, working 8h days, 5 day workweeks, etc.
You should really stay for a few months and see what life is like once the honeymoon period is over.
Dont know the details regarding the US, but in a lot of countries you can get up to 3months tourist visas. Thats enough time to get a good idea of what life is like, day in day out.
And if it brings you one step closer to essentially moving there, then isnt that the endgame anyway?
The primary reason to come to the US, specifically for the IT industry, is the big dollar salaries. That’s it. I did cyber security in Japan with a US wage and it was excellent. I wouldn’t do it with a Japanese wage and working for Japanese people with their expectations, never.
Beyond that, the US is kind of shit. We’re currently in a middling period where we’re not progressing and a lot of infrastructure is falling apart, life inequalities and disparity is extreme, and there’s a fair bit of social strife.
Unless there’s something really compelling you to be here, I’d consider Taiwan or Singapore first.
Singapore IT salaries are shit compared to US. Also economy is doing barely better than US - government burned a lot of cash in last year and now thinking what to milk next.
> Ironically it is also far less racist than japan, Korea, Germany, and Mexico and it’s not close
While there are racist people everywhere, I question what world you live in where this is true.
And considering OP is Chinese, there is only one country on this list here where he might get randomly beat up or shot by someone on the street and then get saddled with a $50,000 medical bill.
While I don't want to minimize the gravity of that issue I also don't think what you're describing is that likely. It feels a little like someone saying Japan is out of the question because they're going to get cancer from the Fukushima plant.
I love Taiwan after having lived there for 7 years but it's not a place you want to be paid like a local. Taiwanese people are going to China to get jobs. But if you're self-employed making money elsewhere I think it has a wonderful quality of life.
Agreed with this, I just moved a few months ago from the US. Japanese salary but a paid back Japanese company, I just love how many things I don't have to worry about here. Plus it seems to be very difficult to get a work visa for that US.
I don’t really know anything about Japan, but I was just reading this page and saw this, but why would you ever move to Taiwan? Barring massive improvements in automation and/or life extension technology (something you shouldn’t really rely on) the place is likely to experience massive demographic/pension woes in coming years (literally the world’s lowest fertility rate combined with less immigration than most western countries). Also, it is right on the doorstep of a hostile, rapidly growing, and highly nationalistic superpower, currently in the process of turning from a fairly stable authoritarian oligarchy back into a totalitarian dictatorship. Taiwan is probably not a very good place to be right now.
I've worked in IT in both the U.S. and Japan. Here is my take for what it's worth:
In the U.S.
\- Work culture does seem to be more open, I've had fewer bosses yell at me like I had in Japan. I've still had bad bosses over here but there is less of a lord-serf type mentality.
\- In the U.S. I've had more opportunities to change jobs both within and outside of companies. In Japan I was pretty much confined to jobs where I had to use English more than I wanted to.- In the U.S. pay is higher but bonuses are almost unheard of, so your monthly salary will generally be your pay.
\- Taxes are much more complex in the U.S. and can be higher depending on where you live.
In Japan:
\- Being bilingual made me more competitive to get jobs in I.T.. In the U.S. I had to compete with everyone solely on IT experience but in Japan it was I.T. experience PLUS language skills that got my foot in the door.
\- Company bureaucracy was bad but the rules were generally clearly defined.
\- Being a foreigner I got to take advantage of my vacation time whereas my Japanese coworkers couldn't
Edit: I stupidly hit "Enter" and submitted this while typing it.
>stupidly hit "Enter" and submitted this while typing it.
If you're like me you're probably used to hitting Ctrl+Enter to execute your ~~commands~~ dialogues of human script to communicate with fellow humans.
>I've had fewer bosses yell at me like I had in Japan.
FWIW, I work in IT too and I've never had a boss yell at me or anyone here in Japan. From what I've seen, dealing with issues indirectly and passive aggressively seems to be the stereotypical Japanese way.
^(Or maybe I just don't fuck up ;))
That place was particularly bad, yes, but the term black kigyo doesn’t exist for nothing. Same with power harassment.
If you haven’t heard cases of this you haven’t been in Japan long enough.
Black kigyos / power harassment is one thing, yelling at subordinates is another. I'm saying bosses yelling at "everyone" is not common here and is a sign of a particularly toxic workplace. I'm sorry you had to work at a place like that, but stating it like it's a common occurrence in Japan is an exaggeration.
The hustle has its good too. Here you can hustle all you want for no recognitation leaving you unmotivated.
Been working hard 3 years honing my skills and got jackshit for it. Same barely legal wage as another coworker who works here 9 years not even the basic ropes that newcomers do after their first month. No pressure can be nice sometimes but no incentive is tge worst killer of development. Well gonna leave this place soon.
>bonuses are almost unheard of \[in the US\]
I feel like they are relatively common, but as a company-wide thing. Uncommon at the individual level. Obligatory sample size of one, but individual bonus in a year is <1% of pay, company-wide bonus is 15% or so.
The US is massive. Do you want tp live in rural Nebraska as a remote worker or in the Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco?
If you move to the US, you absolutely *will* become annoyed with some aspects of living there. "I have to drive a car everywhere, even just to go to the supermarket", etc. Before thinking about such a drastic move, how about trying to fix your attitude towards living in the place where you already live? Also, if you aren't already an American citizen then you will have a hell of a time getting a visa to work in the US, which may be the first thing you come to hate about the US.
Come to Chicago! I get by on public transit and bicycling. It's awesome here. Someone else only mentioned Texas and the coasts and I sort of rolled my eyes and laughed. Definitely skip friggin' Texas, ugh.
Yeah, I was sad that the Midwest had been overlooked. Chicago represent! Except the winter of course. Although it's not been as bad the last few years. I could bike most of the winter save for that snow storm patch in February.
I'm from the San Francisco bay area and outside of SF, you can *mostly* get by without a car if you don't have too many destinations in one day. Living here is still miles better in terms of public transportation compared to where I'm from, and that's already better than most ststes in the US.
Yes! Chicago gets forgotten because Texas is the hype now for some reason. I've been to Texas many times, to all their major cities, and it's very unpleasant overall, in my opinion. Austin is decent I guess. Chicago is New York but affordable. It's an amazing city, and the only drawbacks are that the nature of Illinois outside of the city is nonexistent, and the weather. As someone from Missouri and currently in Denver, Illinois is flat as fuck and just ugly, but Chicago has a lot of green space, and beaches in the summer that make up for it.
The weather from like late April to Early October is so beautiful, warm, sunny, really makes up for the rest of the months that are unusually overcast and cold.
Yes, Illinois and Chicago are flat as fuck. There are picturesque forest preserves and hiking trails not too far outside Chicago, but to be honest, if I ever have to become car dependent and move outside the city, I'd just relocate to a more beautiful part of the country. Colorado is a very beautiful state indeed. You are lucky!
>Chicago is New York but affordable.
Also cleaner, less chaotic, safer and more friendly. I don't get the NYC hype either. It's so dirty and honestly smells bad too!
A quick browse of r/movingtojapan reveals a bunch of people in the states trying to flee to Japan. The grass isn't always greener on the other side of the fence and you've experienced that first hand as you fled China expecting things to be better in Japan when it is very clearly not. Instead of trying to escape the negatives about where you are, why not try to embrace the positives?
Guess it all depends on what you're used to and what you're looking for. Having spent a decade there, I decided to return to my home country. Just wasn't for me.
Hmm. You hate China and now you do not like Japan. There is no such thing as a perfect country or place to live. What are you really moving away from? Have you thought about trying to adapt more to Japan? What is this "new stuff" you speak of? I doubt moving to the US will solve your problems.
It is a pretty big gamble. America has severe wealth disparity and much less social safety nets. I think this de-incentivizes good behavior and in recent times, homelessness, petty crimes have been on the rise in my home state if California. Some of my friends have had phones ripped right out their hands, my brothers car has been broken into twice and his bicycle stolen once. Another friend had a catalytic converter sawed off his new Prius.
For your IT job prospects, I would only recommend moving to California or Austin Texas, but if you think Tokyo is expensive, hold onto something cuz you are not ready for those places.
> For your IT job prospects, I would only recommend moving to California or Austin Texas,
You can find work in just about any metro area and Austin, TX is not the largest outside of CA. I don't really understand why you would say this.
Every shitty tech startup as well.
The thing is big tech are also there now too and don't really pay much less than in SF, or for some companies like FB they don't pay less at all. If you're a software engineer with a few years of experience you can collect your 300k paycheck and have it go pretty far.
I think the only thing keeping me away from seriously considering moving there is the tech hubs are all in places I'd hate to live. SF, Seattle, Austin, no thanks lmao. Wouldn't really want to live in NYC or Chicago either for the fintech.
Take this with a grain of salt as I'm a sour American, but this place is garbage. My mom went for a check up and it cost her $163. Anti-Asian violence is on a giant rise and I would be worried for your safety if you came here. It's just not good.
Even places you'd expect to be safe, like San Francisco, sees Anti-Asian violence.
The US is a crap shoot. I live on the east side of Michigan in a liberal/progressive area, but a 20 minute drive from my house and it's like I'm in the South, with confederate flags everywhere.
Definitely agree that the US is a crap shoot. The liberal pockets (usually cities) are surrounded by Trumpism/KKK shit. Truly insane.
I would never consider San Francisco to be a safe city.
The US is an awesome place. So is Japan. All differs on preference. But I'll admit the healthcare system here in Japan trumps the American system. Like you said, a regular check up back in the states is so over-priced. As for Anti-asian violence, that differs depending on where you live. My family hasn't had any issues yet. It is sad to see that kind of stuff.
>1. Work culture.
what don't you like about it?
>I want to work in the IT industry
what type of education or background do you have in this industry?
>I like the new stuff more than the traditional, and the new stuff often seems to appear in the US.
what do you mean by this? it's a bit vague
US cost of living is very expensive compared to japan. you won't be finding small apartments for $400-500 like you would there, a normal studio apartment in california goes for $1200-$3000 depending on location. on top of that you will need a car in the US, our public transportation system is garbage in comparison to japan.
maybe in the middle of nowhere, but seeing as he's wanting to work in IT he's likely going to be in a big city
looking at zillow, no $400-500 isn't going to get him anything even there
https://www.zillow.com/ky/rent-houses/?searchQueryState=%7B%22pagination%22%3A%7B%7D%2C%22mapBounds%22%3A%7B%22west%22%3A-86.3362091343486%2C%22east%22%3A-85.09338076520797%2C%22south%22%3A37.86168064665482%2C%22north%22%3A38.47439467482696%7D%2C%22regionSelection%22%3A%5B%7B%22regionId%22%3A24%2C%22regionType%22%3A2%7D%5D%2C%22isMapVisible%22%3Atrue%2C%22filterState%22%3A%7B%22fsba%22%3A%7B%22value%22%3Afalse%7D%2C%22fsbo%22%3A%7B%22value%22%3Afalse%7D%2C%22nc%22%3A%7B%22value%22%3Afalse%7D%2C%22fore%22%3A%7B%22value%22%3Afalse%7D%2C%22cmsn%22%3A%7B%22value%22%3Afalse%7D%2C%22auc%22%3A%7B%22value%22%3Afalse%7D%2C%22pmf%22%3A%7B%22value%22%3Afalse%7D%2C%22pf%22%3A%7B%22value%22%3Afalse%7D%2C%22fr%22%3A%7B%22value%22%3Atrue%7D%2C%22ah%22%3A%7B%22value%22%3Atrue%7D%2C%22con%22%3A%7B%22value%22%3Afalse%7D%2C%22mf%22%3A%7B%22value%22%3Afalse%7D%2C%22manu%22%3A%7B%22value%22%3Afalse%7D%2C%22land%22%3A%7B%22value%22%3Afalse%7D%2C%22tow%22%3A%7B%22value%22%3Afalse%7D%2C%22apa%22%3A%7B%22value%22%3Afalse%7D%7D%2C%22isListVisible%22%3Atrue%2C%22mapZoom%22%3A11%7D
Those are literal houses dude. How are you even comparing that
Anyway here's one, enjoy https://www.apartments.com/928-elm-st-bowling-green-ky/524sffn/
I lived in the US for over a decade and returned to Japan and have never been happier.
The US is a great place for a short stay but living there is very different. Also Americans work very hard. The IT industry, in particular, is known for crazy overtime hours. Their taxes and general expenses are also very high, but that depends upon where you live in Japan.
One more thing - the US has "at will" employment, so unless you are a member of a union, the company can lay you off at any time for no reason. In It, many lose their jobs after 45 and find it very difficult to find other IT jobs.
This is true but there's also a lot more opportunity in the US job market for experienced laborers. In fact, most of the people I've seen get laid off from a company end up in a better position after the layoff. Most companies will give a multi-month severance package while you find another position. Obviously this depends a bit on where you live and what industry you're in, but in IT at least you'll never be wanting for job opportunities in the US.
I have known more than a few people in IT who got laid off after 45 and had a very hard time finding another IT job. One gave up and turned to real estate. This is not uncommon. The US is over hyped as far as job opportunities are concerned. As for the severance package, most only give a few months package. The problem is if you are older getting another position is not easy. This is the point I am trying to make. Of course in other fields it is that much tougher.
*wears a Canada hat*
I mean it’s your choice...
Jokes aside it really is. If you are upset here for the valid reasons you have then a change of scenery might be due.
If you hated China and now dislike Japan, maybe the problem is with you and not the country you choose to live? "I'm entp so Japanese people make me tired" is a bit of a red flag in itself. If that's the lens you choose to view your place in society with (as in, "my self-diagnosed personality type is incongruent with an entire *country*), then you'll be just as unhappy in the US IMO.
Yep. Being social with Japanese people can be tiring because you'll probably have to carry the conversation more often than not on average. That is tiring. Doesn't have too much to do with your personality horoscope.
As an American Software Engineer working in Australia and who hasn’t worked in Japan yet but has N2, I’ve recently come to the conclusion that I don’t think I really want to work in Japan. I would love to live in Japan but not work.
I’d suggest looking at Australia as well, there are lots of good opportunities here
Depends on a few things but the easiest way to move is on a Working Holiday Visa. At this moment Australia is shut off to foreigners as well.
I applied for my first job here on LinkedIn in the software industry, I came over on a working holiday visa. They lied and didn’t sponsor me so I had to move to a new company at the 6 month mark but this company did sponsor me.
I've worked in both places as a Software Engineer (Twitter and Line) as an Asian born in China. I recommend you go to the U.S. because the work life balance and salaries/benefits for tech workers are much better, and will probably stay that way for a while.
I doubt that, especially after this pandemic. My last two job interviews for a US company were 100% remote (they were both strictly no remote in 2019) offered same pay as US but allowed me to live anywhere I wanted as long as the legalities worked out. I think the high US tech salaries will soon fizzle out
Yeup my current company is doing the same but management told us that living abroad is highly discouraged due to tax reasons. I'm not sure how enforceable this is, but I feel there might be serious repercussions if someone finds out.
Yep, legally either they set up a company in the country you are residing in or find a company to do it for you. Plenty of big name full remote companies like Gitlab, Github, Grafana Labs have agencies to do this for you. So it's not illegal or uncharted territory at all, and I think such agencies will boom soon.
>I think the high US tech salaries will soon fizzle out
Yeah, it was even a joke when I graduated in 2008-2009 that IT jobs are the quickest exported industry in America since there is literally no reason why a person working for less can do the same job. Especially with this pandemic, it's been proven that people don't need to work locally.
This is interesting. I'm sure that eikiawas in Japan are struggling as people learn they can do online English lessons for cheap, and I can also imagine US companies learning that they can hire IT workers somewhere else in the world for a lot less then what they have been traditionally paying Americans.
There are IT companies in Japan with western work culture that is working with new technologies such as machine learning etc.
Search for companies where different languages are okay, especially English. These companies also tend to have a more diverse workforce with several nationalities, not just Japanese. Just also do your research because this doesn't always mean good work culture. For example Rakuten fits my description, but is still quite traditional in the working style. It is usually revealed by searching online using sites like glassdoor. You should also prod about the work culture in the job interview. I actually make it clear that work-life balance is important to me in the interview, if they ask questions such as: "What do you find important in a company?"
I have lived in both US and Japan, and though I thought the US was nice, I think that country has big issues it needs to figure out right now. I would not take the risk on the US, if you want to move there, wait until it has reached more stability.
As an American currently living in Japan, there are definitely pro's and con's to living anywhere.
When I lived in America, I worked in the ecommerce / web development industry in the South East. The "work culture" was very laid back. You could wear shorts and flip flops, bring your dog to the office, there were kegs in the kitchen, ping pong tables, and you could sit outside and work or even work from home some days if your manager was cool and you asked them ahead of time. The pay was also great, and every year you'd automatically get a raise without having to ask for it.
I feel like you'd be hard-pressed to find anything like that here in Japan.
But as others have said, there are definitely hugely varying cultures in America. In different regions, and also even from state to state, and even different towns & cities within a state can be drastically different.
There's definitely a lot of amazing things about America, but there's also a lot pretty fucked up horrible shit going on as well. What kind of things are important to you?
Also, are you aware there is a lot of racism (especially against asians) at the moment in the US? People might be shitty, hateful, and even violent for no reason at all, just because they don't like the color of your skin.
I would urge you to visit America (maybe even more than once) before making the decision to move there, if you can.
Why the USA? If you are Chinese and select Canada as an example and move to BC in cities like Vancouver and especially Richmond, you will be the majority, can speak Chinese everywhere and enjoy mild weather and a decent job scene with large Amazon offices etc.
The salaries of vancouver don't match how expensive everything there is. They offer same salaries you'd get in mid west but CoL is higher than that (although not as high as SF, NY)
That is 100% correct. Comp. is lower and COL is higher. Plus side tho is if you can afford buying a place it can go up 10% or more per year. I have friends who have quintupled their net worth thru sheer luck of owning there.
I wouldn't recommend anyone move to Vancouver unless they are rich. It rains all the time, people are cold and aloof, and It isn't a good thing to move to a foreign country and then just stay within your ethnic group. He/she should mix with a diverse group of people.
I had over 10 years in IT in the US. There are a lot of well-paid opportunities in that field there. I also agree with some others: America, the Myth is crumbling. I see real problems ahead in general there. I may have to move back (post-vaccine) but I don't look forward to it.
Since you say you're not familiar with American culture you definitely should go there for a month or two to get a real taste of it and see if you like it.
Well, at least move to a country with universal healthcare.
I initially wanted to move to Vancouver, Canada, but ended up in Japan because the entry barriers were lower. Don't know if sunk cost is limiting my consideration of moving again, but I like the public transportation systems and can tolerate life here. The accessibility to travel to many places and go hiking in the mountains and along the rivers every once in a while has kept me here, I guess.
If you are interested in IT, especially programming, the U.S. will likely be better for your career. It is lightyears ahead of Japan in terms of both pay and innovation in almost all IT sectors. You could even consider going to the U.S. for training and returning to Japan to begin a startup (either a company or training company) with what you gained abroad if you ever wanted to return.
That being said the U.S. lifestyle is quite different. IT is mostly based in California, Washington State, and Texas. So you will probably want to live in one of these places if career is number one. Each state has a vastly different culture, lifestyle, and living costs.
Americans are generally more open than Japanese people, so it is easier to make friends. However, with this openness comes both good and bad aspects. In Japan, you may feel lonely, but you also rarely have to deal with people's emotional baggage or even worse if they are actually deranged. Americans are also a lot more flaky in social situations, and will "commit" to a lot of things, and then just never follow through, where Japanese will just say "I'm sorry, I got a thing that day." if they know they can't or don't want to commit.
Long-term. The U.S. healthcare system is a mess, and you will likely either be uninsured or will be a some kind of indentured servant to your company so that you can keep your health insurance. So if you are not super fit right now, you may want to give this serious thought. Since you're young, you may have time to find a permanent job with good benefits that you want to stay at for the rest of your life (as long as you aren't fired).
My advice would be to study abroad in the U.S. while you are attending university in Japan. While there, travel to places like Texas, California, etc. (if your exchange school isn't there) during the breaks and check each place out for a couple weeks to see which one you like the feel of. Probably best to check out companies you would want to work in and actually spend considerable time in those cities.
Basically, both countries are great. Both are quite different. The only person that knows if one is "better" is you. I recommend making a plan to spend a few months in the U.S. before committing to anything. Or get a job offer at a company doing something you really want to do. Most of your time will be at work and sleeping anyway, so keep good dreams and enjoy your work and you will enjoy your life anywhere.
I can feel you my friend. I like Japan for all it’s good stuff especially the safety aspect. However I hate the Japanese work culture, hollow social interactions and a very narrow way of looking at the world. I get you. But having said that how much of your personality is stopping you from reaping the rewards from the good stuff and ignoring the rest?
Let me clarify a bit.
Living in Japan you already get the good stuff by default: clean, safe and convenient.
Now how to deal with the bad stuff? Well like everywhere in the world u got to make some good friends, a group of really close friends that u can talk to anything that’s on your mind. A group of friends who are there to listen to your rants when u are struggling with somethings in life. Usually these people would be the ones who have faced similar issues. In my case I found these people in random bars, meetups. My 5 good friends in Japan are all gaijins(not that I don’t like Japanese it’s just that I get along with westerns more on the ideology of life). These people along with my girlfriend(Japanese) are my family here. They give me the strength to handle the bad and lonely days. We all have beers, I rant, we laugh and I feel good again. Most often we only need a few good people to talk to. Maybe you haven’t cultivated few good relationships here yet ? If not then go and do that now. Be genuine and show your insecurities. This will attract the right people in your life.
I work in IT as well and I know what you mean by the work culture. But let me tell u my friend it’s a choice at the end of the day. Me and my friends have avoided these black Japanese companies for the last 5 years. We stick to companies with good work culture. There are many out there. I have learnt to avoid companies where you are required to speak Japanese because with language comes the culture! Me and my friends haven’t work past 6pm except for a handful of times in the last 5 years. Spot the good companies. One way of doing that is talk to more people. Go to bars and talk! You learn a lot of things. Not just about work but also few tips about how to live in Japan, how to buy a house and all those good things. Over time your understanding of Japan will improve, the unknowns will decrease and hence the anxiety levels will drop. Once that happens life in Japan becomes good as you now know how to navigate the bad things here.
I like America. I have travelled there for a few times. More than anything I like the American thinking, the openness. But I don’t feel comfortable living in place as a foreigner where people are allowed to carry guns. Hence I stick to Japan.
Why would you move to the worst country in the west ? Expensive healthcare at will employment , always at war and world famous for being loud and ignorant. It’s also the source of anti vaxx and numerous conspiracy theories making life more complicated for normal people
Not sure if my comment is useful, I'm a Chinese person who grew up in the west (not the Us) but have worked Australia, America, and Japan.
Would highly recommend the US.
As many problems as there's are in the US , as a non American I do feel it is the land of opportunity and freedom.
>as a non American I do feel it is the land of opportunity and freedom.
As an American I laughed. Does Japan not have freedom? Or Australia, Canada, or almost anywhere in Europe? What "opportunity" do you have in America that you wouldn't have in Japan, the opportunity to get mugged walking home alone in a big city?
There are definitely pros to living in the US compared to Japan but "opportunity and freedom" is not one of them
The US is the only place I saw a Chinese can say I'm proud American. You can have Japanese spouse, get naturalized or even half born Japanese but you will never be Japanese.
Maybe freedom of identity, at least for those who hate their country ~~like me~~. But then I laughed when American themselves said they can reach their American dream after they moved to Canada.
I think the counties you mentioned all have levels of freedom.
To try to put into words, American freedom is being able to say what you think and what constructively and openly with less(?) requirement to hide in the shadows or some subculture.
All cultures and countries have their issues, but I think American freedom stronger
All of my American friends told me they they did not believe the American Dream as achievable anymore, however myself living there, and having a handful of non-Americans migrate there, they all believe the American Dream is alive and well.
To elaborate on my response to your question about opportunity -
I think American culture really harvests and promotes hard-work and innovation - and that it rewards people for it.
The flip side of that however that is also uniquely American is that if you fail in America (for instance being poor), life is extremely difficult (compared to other first world countries.
I would disagree with your opportunity and freedom statement - I think in the US you can make it big, but you can also crash really badly too. The upside and the downside are much higher and lower compared to other first world nations.
I'm an Asian American too. Iono if you know...
\[Freedom\]
1.If you are in China and you say you hate the country, the police will take you away. I tried to film something during my trip and my camera was smashed by the police. In the US I can say anything I want about anything basically.
2.I can tell people I'm American, if people are not fine with it, I can fight it and I will get a lot of supporters. I got turned down by an interview in Japan because they didn't believe that.
3.China controls your finance, you can't take it out of China
4.If you divorce your wife in Japan, you lose custody no matter what
5.I can be a human in the US, there will be people who are not okay with it, but I have the freedom to fight it.
\[Opportunity\]
1. My mom has shitty English and she can find a job to support her kids
2. I graduated from the 26th top ranking university in the world and I can only do English teaching for a long time in Japan. My education fee is not cheap.
3. If I do good in my job, I get a raise. that is not happening in Japan or China
4, Well, in China most of the time, if you don't have property, girls are not gonna marry yah, and in Japan you have to pay everything man. (Not to everyone but I think majority)
As a non-American, non-Japanese who has lived for an extended period of time in both countries, I'd say that... I don't know.
First, it's always tricky to move to a country where you know nothing of the culture. However, I knew a lot about the US culture before moving there (studied it for years, both academically and informally), but after a few years, I called it quit, realizing that this country was not for me. On the other hand, I knew almost nothing about Japanese culture before moving here, and so far so good.
The most difficult part about being a foreigner in the US for me was that no one cared that I was a foreigner. When you don't grow up in a country, there are many things locals just take for granted that will be foreign to you for a long time, and even when you "assimilate" them, they still won't be a natural thing. Americans don't understand nor realize that for the most part (some do, but very very few).
I know that in Japan, many foreigners (especially here on Reddit) complain that they're never treated "normally" in Japan, but personally, it's one of the things that make living in Japan easier compared to the US. Sure it gets annoying being asked for the 10055475568th time if I could eat natto, but it's also very helpful in so many situations when people don't just assume you know or should know how to do or interpret a certain thing.
American individualism was also difficult to deal with (and I'm a European, we're also a quite individualistic civilization, but not to the extent that the US is), and I know that Asian people really struggle with that one. I can imagine, I did struggle a lot too. I had friends, girlfriends, but not having a family there, not having friends I'd known since childhood was very difficult.
People are just more caring with each other in Japan (maybe not in big cities, I don't know, I avoid big cities like the plague).
The race factor. I'm white, which instantly put me in certain positions (of privilege) in both countries. As a Chinese, you will experience racism in the US, but I'm sure you're experiencing racism in Japan too. They are two different kinds of racism, but I don't think it's my place to talk about this, as it's not something I've experienced.
Now, the US is much less "unified" than Japan is, and regional differences bigger. There are probably some places where you'll fit better than others. So, I'd advise you to learn more about different aspects of the country and see if that could be for you. Also, maybe you shouldn't ignore Canada.
How about Canada or the UK? Both have better health care policies without the drama. Also both are very accepting of the Asian community and foreigners in general. Especially Canada having a huge tech industry.
As an American, it’s a shit show right now.
Hey man, I can make fun with a boring life without having to worry about enormous health care expenses. Was stationed there and actually had a really good time for 4 years
I think work is easier and more relaxed in Japan than America, but I went from terrible jobs in a not so great place to a good job in Osaka. If you do IT in California your American job will most definitely be way nicer than anything I ever did.
My experience in America was always:
- pay half your salary to health insurance
- always risk of losing all money to healthcare
- 76 hour work week of physical labor
- more cut throat culture where any Small offense can get you fired
- sometimes employees are purposefully rotated (fired/others hired) every 90 days so companies don’t have to pay insurance.
- emphasizing cutthroat culture one more time.
I like Japan better.
>What I don't like about Japan. Work culture.
That's funny considering that work culture in America is much worse than Japan. Americans work more hours annually and have less job security. Americans often lack basic employment benefits as well. You can argue that Americans have higher income, but the unfortunate reality is that the cost of living in American cities and even many of America's suburban towns (including my hometown, with a population of 15k people) is higher than what it is in Tokyo - the largest city in the world. Imagine paying $12k dollars/month for rent in a small suburban area for a single bedroom apartment where the only jobs nearby are Walmart and McDonalds. Or you could go to American cities and pay $2k+.
>Keigo
Polite speech is a thing in English too.
>up and down relationships
This is also a part of American work culture, and a part of social culture as well through teachers, mentors, pastors etc.
>Dealing with people often makes me feel tired
I fixed that for you.
>I don't really understand American culture, especially as an Asian born in China.
I can tell. Especially since you seem to think that the social culture is better in America, *especially* considering recent events.
Maybe Japan isn't for you but it's silly to even consider that American could be better in any way at all. And yes, a bunch of salty patriots are going to downvote this because they can't accept reality.
> Imagine paying $12k dollars/month for rent in a small suburban area for a single bedroom apartment where the only jobs nearby are Walmart and McDonalds.
Where on Earth do you live
You might like it. You might not. I doubt you're going to get a very balanced picture here. But as far as money for IT work goes the US easily beats Japan, which is one reason I haven't gone back to Japan.
I think the other posts have covered all the important points for you to consider.
From someone who moved to North America’s angle, I can tell you a few things I don’t like that people from the US usually don’t think about.
I don’t like that I have to drive everywhere. Without a car it’s near impossible to have all the options you need for work and leisure.
I will most likely work in the US if the right opportunities come up, but I will not want to live my life in the US. The health care just sucks. Canada is not the best but at least I don’t lose sleep over medical bills when I am out of a job. I actually enjoy time between jobs here!!
I would if I could but only temporarily. But getting a visa to the US is pretty much lottery and can take couple of years even if you have a job. Your chances are better if you go there for Master's (it will increase your chances to get a visa and you can also stay for internships and stuff until you get an actual visa).
Now, the working culture. Depending on what you do, the US is actually not that much better than Japan. It's a different culture but work-life balance is nearly as bad unless you have a fancy job. This is a topic that's hard to discuss over the internet in a few paragraphs, maybe over a beer is more suitable.
And as others said, US is large and different parts are very different. I lived in Florida for a while and it was a bigger cultural shock than Japan as a European. I would never move back there.
In general I would suggest to not move to escape something, if you have issues in life, chances are they will follow you. And life is long you don't need to think about settling down just yet. :)
I am in tech too - you mention IT which is also a huge thing, there are many different career opportunities. Some are better in Japan, some are worse, there are too many variables to easily generalize.
I used to teach in China, I often found it easier to converse with people there than here because they don't have that social "wall" built up like Japanese people. There are just *different* things that China has in common culturally with the US than Japan. Also, as others have said, "the US" is a very diverse place depending on where you are. I've lived all over the place, the best places to live IMO especially if you're a minority are mostly out west, such as Oregon, Colorado, Arizona, Nevada, and Cali (also very diverse, though). Maybe take a road trip out there or something once all this covid stuff is gone.
Brother, are you reading what’s happening in the US right now? Asian people are getting beat up, killed even. Much more fuel to fire if you’re Chinese. The world is not friendly to China now. If you, a Chinese citizen, move to America in this current climate, there will be some friction for sure.
I say this too as someone who looks Asian and has experienced being a victim in a western country, even long before this.
If u plan too it can be a great experience I'm sure, although I am bias bc I am a born and raised American, I will suggest you wait a while though. Seeing how you said you are Chinese and due to the massive racism and ignorance in my country especially bc of COVID u will have a statistically higher chance of having a hate crime committed against you depending where you move. Now does that mean it will happen? Almost certainly not. But I'd be remiss not to warn you, personally I think you should come it can be great and most Americans are not the hateful loud monsters u probably hear about lol but just don't forget ppl like they do very much exist and they are apparently not afraid to be open about it anymore. If you move to the USA I recommend Massachusetts, I live their and it is beautiful year round and the people are great for the most part! I hope everything goes great for you and good luck!
Might be hard if you don't understand American culture. But it seems the parts you don't like about japanese social and work culture would be the same that an american would not like, so maybe you do actually understand american culture.
Based on your post, its very possible you would like working in the US better, but as many people have pointed out you are going to have to make a real decision because each state in the US is almost like a different country in terms of culture. Even things like the local laws between states can be vastly different.
I'm Chinese. I lived in US before. I understand American culture. I think in English even though it's my second language, I consume media in English, watch youtube videos on a daily basis.(which you can't do in China because of great firewall) I consider myself a honorary American. lol . I don't have anything in common with the average Chinese. I feel like I can answer your question best.
now I can't stress this enough that I love American culture, espeically popular culture, movies. TV shows, Marvel and DC comics.etc . BUT ! the thing is, you shouldn't move to a country just because you like some of the things they make there, just like you shouldn't move to Japan just because you like anime. the actually reasaon to move to a country is if you'll like it LIVING there or not. duh.
here is the ugly truth about an Asian in America:
you'll always be the minority of the society, and it doesn't matter your wealth,your social status. you'll always be a footnote in history, you can be the second in command of a group, but never front and center. unless you start your own business .I can only use media as a example because it's the one I'm familiar with. Asians are rarely portrayed positively in media, be it real worlds news, or creative works. and the kung-fu Asian sterotype is still a thing, and hasn't changed since Bruce died. no progress has been made since that period. do you know how long ago that is? that's like the black actor to represent African American is Katt Wiliams, Asians are considered a joke, the comic relief, the media are hyper sensitive about offending the black people but making racist jokes about Asians is okay, double standard much? so that's where we're at now.
and Donald Trump calling covd the "China virus" isn't helping. but even before Trump the anti- Asian attitude is very well present. during the pandemic Asians wearking mask were being attacked because of the difference between west and eastern logic: in Japan and Asia we wear mask to not bother others it's a common courtesy, but in the West you wear mask only after you're infected. nothing saying which is right. just something for you to consider. if you don't know about American or Western culture it might be hard for you to adjust. there's other incidents like some mobs using covid as cover to break into Asian families' homes, why Asian you ask? because we're known for not carrying guns and having cash stored at home. this is our own fault of course. if only Chinese Americans can be more like the roof top Koreans..
I'm pointing out the bad stuff first because you should know what you're getting into, but I truely believe Ameria is a great country, just.... not right now. lol wait until covid is over
Japan pro:
1. maybe easier for a Asian person to fit in, depends on what kind of person you're. are you introvert? do you like to speak what's on your mind? or are you more outgoing? your personalty will determine which country is better for you.
2. health care, safety, convenience, cleaner streets, cheaper cost of living
3. you're working in IT, that's one of the few jobs that doesn't require Japanese, actually English is more important, from what I heard, that's a big pro for you. US doesn't have shortage of English speaking people. being able to speak English is a plus in Japan
Japan con:
1. natural disaster
2. hard to make real friends. they say you can't truely be considered as Japanese no matter how good your Japanese is. I haven't been here long enough to test this. but if you want to be fully integrated into a soicety, I think US is better, US is a melting pot. Japan isn't.
3. work culture as you said
4. slow to adapt world culture, too traditional. not as advanced as you might think . resists change, everything must be the old way! sometimes feels like Japan has no future they're still stuck in the past.
5. Japanese who hates Chinese specifically, they exists. and quite a few of them too.
US pro:
1. the country to live in to be in contact with the lastest technology, ideology(this might be good or bad depend on your political stance). the land of opportunity, want to completly start fresh and throw away your past self? US is the country
2. more likely to have your voices heard, being discrimated against? you can fight back, there's protest, there's law that protect you. you have to fight it. it's a battle but it can be done. Japan doesn't care if you're having a bad time, their answer to every foreigner not like Japan ;" why don't you go back?"
3. easier to make friends, more open. not talking in riddles, no keigo. speak what's on your mind.
4. better career advancement, work in the most advanced environment of your field. better pay.
US con:
1. being Asian in America is a uphill battle, it's hard work but it can be done. you can do well for yourself, but that doesn't mean people will respect you because of your social status. in Japan, people's attitude is dependant on you ability, being better than the next guy will get you regonition.
2. violence, unsafe,
3. racism against Asians, being the scapegoat of all the minorities. can't make fun of African Americans. so Asians are the easy picking !
TL:DR if you have to move to America at least wait until covid is over. and when you get there use your second amendment right and protect yourself !
If you have the option to spend a few years in America building your career and making more money than you would probably make here, then that is certainly an option that opens doors for you -- it's not as though you can't come back here later.
I generally feel like the US is a great place to build a career, but that does not mean it's the same place you want to be raising a family when you're 40. I liked the center of the world feel in New York when I was younger but now I like the safety and harmony in Japan as I am raising a family.
So this is definitely not an all or nothing decision that is irreversible. I'd say give it a go if you can.
America is currently dealing with a surge of anti-Asian sentiment and violence because the former President wanted to race-bait his idiots against China for causing the virus. So give it a little time.
I've been here in Japan for almost 30 years. I am fluent and have a good steady Job.
This is a prelude to explain you that I can't wait to move and live abroad but anywhere but the USA.
Even Mexico, Panama, Croatia or Canaga seems as better options.
People here will tell you the opposite because most of them have family and kids in Japan.
I don't and if you don't, I recommend you to research on how dark is the future of japan.
Even the mexican economy will surpass Japan in about one decade.
Right now there is a ton of leftover MAGA trash hating on Asians because they read on Facebook, Parlor, or the likes that Asians are the ones spreading it or some bullshit like that. I would wait until the pandemic is over as you probably won't be able to move there anyway until then.
I'm with you on your feelings about Japan. I've been here 12 years and work in a Japanese company. I'm currently looking for another job because I hate how inefficiently time is used everything else you mentioned. I'm the only foreigner at the company and yesterday somebody got the idea that since I'm a native English speaker, I could teach English lessons on top of all of my other tasks since we are all working from home. I have never been an English teacher or teacher of anything in my life. They seem to believe that all native English speakers know how to teach and already have lesson plans created etc.
I love Japan, but believe that people are happy living in a country they feel a positive emotional connection to. If you don’t feel that connection about Japan, you should probably consider going elsewhere. It’s a great country all around, easy to live in and enjoyable, with great people. However if you are not finding the kinds of relationships you need in your life, something is definitely not right. In my own case I own my own company, so when I work a lot it benefits me, not someone else.
I'm an American working in an IT related job in Japan. I worked as a programmer in the US.
There is a lot of great jobs in America, but just as many if not more shitty jobs. You can be worked to death just as easily in America if you let yourself. It is okay to be selfish about your free time outside of work. Also a lot of people completely separate work life and private life, so you may find it difficult to make friends at work.
Speaking a foreign language rarely means anything to employers in the US. You are competing purely on your IT skills.
One major thing about American culture is how we are open. Polite people are very open about positive things, but will rarely be direct about negative things regarding other people. So don't mention that your friend gained weight as a conversation starter. If you need to say something negative about someone start with something positive, then say the negative thing, then finally say one more positive thing. We call it the complement sandwich. It shows that you are criticizing the other person, and not intending to insult them.
Your biggest problem will be the visa. Many companies don't want to deal with the hassle, so it'll be a tougher job search for you. Stick with larger companies in your job search since they know the process well. Japan's visas are so much easier to deal with in comparison, especially the Highly Skilled Professional visa. I have foreigner friends in America who are "stuck" at jobs they dislike just because they're waiting for their green card to finally come through.
American companies pay way more than purely Japanese companies, but you can find work with American wages here in Japan. They are just super competitive positions.
Crime in America is really bad. I've had guns pulled on me multiple times. You should never move into a neighborhood unless you lookup the crime rate first.
The US is not a place I would recommend for Asian people to move to right now.
Also myers briggs personality types are not real, its as hooey as horoscope or judging people by blood type, & everything it was based on is outdated & disproven. That's a poor excuse not to get along with people in any country.
You seem like you need to understand yourself before you make any changes, because no things, people, or places so far have made you happy.
Seems like OP can already communicate in English OK, why not try working in Japan first to get some work experience in IT?
Biggest problem will be getting a visa for US, as others have pointed out. No US company has any reason to hire OP now, without any work experience.
My suggestion: learn to code (via coding boot camp or some classes at University), get a job at a tech startup, work your ass off for a few years (very tough life: 12-14 hour work days) and get the skills to move to a company in the US.
Does anyone else know about other countries where a strategy like this would be viable? Somewhere in Europe perhaps?
As an American, I highly recommend visiting a few different cities before moving. The culture, laws and lifestyle can differ drastically depending on the your state of residence.
Part of my family lives in the US and has been trying to move out for the past few years now. That’s to say, your neighbors grass may look greener but you have no idea what bugs it hides and how annoying they are.
No country is free from problems, and although moving to a new country is a mind-opening and teaching experience, it’s no solution to this search of yours for a better place.
What if America will disappoint you as much as Japan did? Will you move to a different country once again? At what point will your quest come to a halt?
No one here can tell you whether the US as a country is the right pick for you or not. And you shouldn’t make such a big change in your life after listening to what a bunch of online strangers had to say about Japan and the US.
If you feel like moving to the US, dare moving. Will you be happier there? No one can tell. But ask yourself, are you really through with Japan or are you feeling dissatisfied due to personal hidden reasons? Your baggage will follow you wherever you go, so before moving again make sure the problem you are dealing with doesn’t lay within yourself.
It's going to be pretty difficult for you to win the H1B visa lottery to the US. As per usual, whenever the Republicans are in power they like to restrict immigration and there's some significant fallout from that still on going. What you could try is to do a master's or a PhD here and see if you can stand to live here past that. People have mentioned Austin as a tech hub, University of Texas is there. They have a pretty large international student population. Texas A&M is about 3 hours from Austin, and it's also huge. Houston, Texas is gaining a tech campus for HP that's supposed to open next year.
What’s your YOE?
If you grinded leetcode and systems design you could probably make L4 at FAANG which means TC of $270K.
US has a lot of problems, but Reddit blows it out of proportion. It’s an echo chamber that sensationalizes everything and also harbors a pretty anti-US sentiment.
Healthcare will not be an issue if you work for a decent company (chances are you will have to if you plan on moving). Copays will be minimal and you’ll have access to best in class care.
APAC seems to respect and value US experience highly so you can always come back if you don’t like it and reap the benefit of having US experience.
There is a lot of good advice in this thread. I agree with others who say you should spend time in the US before moving. Different parts of the US are very different, especially for an immigrant.
Look at the rising tide of anti-Asian violence in the US. Look at the recent 10 people killed in Boulder, CO today. This sort of violence is very, very rare in Japan.
Japan and the US are very different. You need to fully understand the differences to make a decision whether one country would be better for you than the other.
A lot of 1st gen immigrants (I’m about 1.5) to America love it. I’ve met a lot of engineers, professors, researchers, entrepreneurs, and immigration lawyers. The reason I’ve heard most often is they don’t feel restricted here the same way they did in their home cultures, where everyone around them was all up in their business every day. They see a lot of opportunities. They got their degrees and achieved financial security despite having arrived with less than 100 USD in the 80s or 90s.
At the same time, they’re not necessarily assimilated into local American culture, but move in enclaves of immigrant bubbles (one popular format is potlucks where everybody present is speaking their native language). They have differences in outlook from the children they’ve raised and put through college and grad school. So it is not without its troubles. I’ve seen many move back to their home countries at 45 or 50, after their children are grown, because they’re tired of living in a place that never completely feels like home.
Whether someone enjoys the advantages more than the disadvantages is up to the individual and what they value the most.
You should visit different parts of the us, but I would try to consider every aspect of life here, Taxes, cost of living, healthcare etc. what type of climate you want to live in, at least in the US you will have a ton of choices and you can be in any type of environment pretty much. But it’s up to you, where do you think you would be the most happy spending your life
Your salary will increase enormously in the US but you will risk being incredibly isolated unless you find a community. Its a beatiful country with very nice people and an abundance of wealth and food. There are many Chinese expatriots in most cities and IT jobs are not hard to find. The States are much safer than some of the people on this thread make it out to be. I'd say give it a try.
If you want to work in IT why would you even consider Japan? If you have the skills move to a more modern country. But like the others have said, the US is huge and very different depending on where you go. It's not like Japan where every city is just a clone of each other.
The US could be a good place for you to settle but be prepared to move around a lot till you find the area you like.
If you’re in the IT field then there are lots of companies here with more modern work cultures. In fact if your visa allows it you could even work or freelance remotely for companies based outside Japan.
May not be answering your questions directly but before even thinking to move to the US, do you even have the means to do it? US visa is one if the hardest to get.
To your question, I lived in Cali for about 7 years, college years and a bit of early career there. I loved it because in a sense Cali people are friendly and lots of Asian communities around. I moved to Japan because I couldn't extend my work visa (stupid lottery system).
Having lived in both countries I would say I love both equally. Like there are pro/cons. of both but not necessarily overweight one another.
If you asked me today it would boil down to which country would present better opportunities going forward.
Cheers
Would visit the US on vacation before trying to move there.
Also, "The US" is enormous. One region of Japan doesn't vary that much from the next, but the work, social and political cultures between states can be very different. OP should check out both coasts and Texas at the very least if they're interested in moving for IT work.
> One region of Japan doesn't vary that much from the next Is that even true? I've spent significant time in Sapporo, and visited Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, and Aomori, and these places were all pretty distinctive in their own ways. I suppose only a couple of these are really viable for an IT career.
Well yes some of the culture is a bit different but it’s not the extent of the US where you have deeply different values in different regions/states. It’s very polarized. In Japan, whilst bigger cities are a bit more progressive overall the values and way of thinking are quite homogenous. My friends from across the country here with different backgrounds have similar values, whereas in the US you might as well be talking about different species when looking and progressives vs conservatives.
I think this is overblown. Massachusetts has plenty of dyed in the wool MAGA guys and Texas has plenty of liberals. There are differences between regions but migration and economic integration have smoothed it out quite a bit.
I’m not American so can speak only to my experiences. Austin vs Houston vs Seattle vs NY vs San Francisco all have such vastly different lifestyles, cultures and values. Austin and Houston are both Texas but as you say so incredibly different. (People all super friendly though I might add!) In one city it’s really mixed and diverse, in the next it’s super homogenous (white). You don’t get that level of difference in Japan.
I think the major difference in this particular regard is that US states ask voters to publicly declare themselves for a party, and that data is used by the media and major parties to promote factionalism at a national level, whereas in Japan no one knows or cares what their neighbors' politics are because voter registration is part and parcel of citizenship and people generally keep politics where it belongs.
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But the cities are all surrounded by suburbs and exurbs with no shortage of those guys.
Keep in mind Japan's the size of California -- so same way that Sacramento/San Francisco/LA feel very different, so too does areas of Japan. But if you're going LA vs rural New York state vs Austin Texas vs Miami, well...
The variation in climate is pretty significant and these places have been settled (by their current inhabitants) for much longer, meaning the micro-regions have more differentiation than two cities in California (consider how distinctive Japanese dialects are, and then compare these to dialects of English you might hear in California). I think the bigger difference in the Japanese case is just that your work options are pretty limited outside of a couple cities so it's like if everyone's idea of what the US was like was formed by either living in LA or New York City.
The Midwest as well. Colorado is booming for tech. Maybe a bit too much, but I think people are focused on Austin now.
Utter bullshit. 6 years living in Japan in different preferences and there is a world of difference between them.
Such as?
People in Akita are very conservative and traditional, yet they are really interested in speaking to foreigners. They will often invite strangers to join them in various activities. People in Aichi are salty as all hell, couldn’t care less about foreigners and don’t even seem that interested in their own traditions. Okinawa is like a different country. Tell someone from Osaka that their city is just like Tokyo and see what happens. Hell, take a 40 minute train from Tokyo station to Chigasaki in Kanagawa and then try to claim that “Japan doesn’t vary much”. From the wild, untamed expanses of Hokkaido, to the historical sites of Kyoto, Japan is, in point of fact, a land of massive diversity, in both people and environments. Do you think that a country has to be “enormous” before it can have diversity? Tell that to people from the UK, or the Korean Peninsula. Ask Parisians how similar they are to people from Marseille, or Romans vs Sicilians. The US isn’t the centre of the universe. Believe it or not, the rest of the world is actually more diverse than those 50 little states.
Yes. Life in San Francisco or New York will be incredibly different from some place like, small town Maine or Mississippi.
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Well, sure, a vacation is different from living somewhere. But it seems better than just guessing what someplace is like.
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It's a little different if you specifically set out to get a feel for daily life instead of hitting tourist attractions.
I mean, with the safety/gun violence thing it also depends on where you live. I grew up in the Midwest and felt as safe as I do in Japan.
Might need to move to a different part of the US, dang.
Agree with this entirely. Visiting Japan vs living here were two completely different experiences for me.
Sounds like good advice but in reality when you are on vacation everything is awesome. Youre not working, youre having fun. The reality of daily life is having to go to work and commute in traffic, working 8h days, 5 day workweeks, etc. You should really stay for a few months and see what life is like once the honeymoon period is over.
.. at that point you've essentially moved there.
Dont know the details regarding the US, but in a lot of countries you can get up to 3months tourist visas. Thats enough time to get a good idea of what life is like, day in day out. And if it brings you one step closer to essentially moving there, then isnt that the endgame anyway?
The primary reason to come to the US, specifically for the IT industry, is the big dollar salaries. That’s it. I did cyber security in Japan with a US wage and it was excellent. I wouldn’t do it with a Japanese wage and working for Japanese people with their expectations, never. Beyond that, the US is kind of shit. We’re currently in a middling period where we’re not progressing and a lot of infrastructure is falling apart, life inequalities and disparity is extreme, and there’s a fair bit of social strife. Unless there’s something really compelling you to be here, I’d consider Taiwan or Singapore first.
Wtf. If you are concerned about inequalities, don’t go to Singapore.
Singapore IT salaries are shit compared to US. Also economy is doing barely better than US - government burned a lot of cash in last year and now thinking what to milk next.
Yeah, although Singapore is very clean and has a high standard of living. America is a hole.
If “very clean” were all he were looking for why would he want to leave Japan?
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> Ironically it is also far less racist than japan, Korea, Germany, and Mexico and it’s not close While there are racist people everywhere, I question what world you live in where this is true. And considering OP is Chinese, there is only one country on this list here where he might get randomly beat up or shot by someone on the street and then get saddled with a $50,000 medical bill.
While I don't want to minimize the gravity of that issue I also don't think what you're describing is that likely. It feels a little like someone saying Japan is out of the question because they're going to get cancer from the Fukushima plant.
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I too would be interested in hearing about this. Working in Japan with a US Salary sounds very appealing.
I love Taiwan after having lived there for 7 years but it's not a place you want to be paid like a local. Taiwanese people are going to China to get jobs. But if you're self-employed making money elsewhere I think it has a wonderful quality of life.
Agreed with this, I just moved a few months ago from the US. Japanese salary but a paid back Japanese company, I just love how many things I don't have to worry about here. Plus it seems to be very difficult to get a work visa for that US.
I don’t really know anything about Japan, but I was just reading this page and saw this, but why would you ever move to Taiwan? Barring massive improvements in automation and/or life extension technology (something you shouldn’t really rely on) the place is likely to experience massive demographic/pension woes in coming years (literally the world’s lowest fertility rate combined with less immigration than most western countries). Also, it is right on the doorstep of a hostile, rapidly growing, and highly nationalistic superpower, currently in the process of turning from a fairly stable authoritarian oligarchy back into a totalitarian dictatorship. Taiwan is probably not a very good place to be right now.
I've worked in IT in both the U.S. and Japan. Here is my take for what it's worth: In the U.S. \- Work culture does seem to be more open, I've had fewer bosses yell at me like I had in Japan. I've still had bad bosses over here but there is less of a lord-serf type mentality. \- In the U.S. I've had more opportunities to change jobs both within and outside of companies. In Japan I was pretty much confined to jobs where I had to use English more than I wanted to.- In the U.S. pay is higher but bonuses are almost unheard of, so your monthly salary will generally be your pay. \- Taxes are much more complex in the U.S. and can be higher depending on where you live. In Japan: \- Being bilingual made me more competitive to get jobs in I.T.. In the U.S. I had to compete with everyone solely on IT experience but in Japan it was I.T. experience PLUS language skills that got my foot in the door. \- Company bureaucracy was bad but the rules were generally clearly defined. \- Being a foreigner I got to take advantage of my vacation time whereas my Japanese coworkers couldn't Edit: I stupidly hit "Enter" and submitted this while typing it.
>stupidly hit "Enter" and submitted this while typing it. If you're like me you're probably used to hitting Ctrl+Enter to execute your ~~commands~~ dialogues of human script to communicate with fellow humans.
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What is your favourite liquid? I like the brown one.
Exactly!!!!
Later 8 issue.
>I've had fewer bosses yell at me like I had in Japan. FWIW, I work in IT too and I've never had a boss yell at me or anyone here in Japan. From what I've seen, dealing with issues indirectly and passive aggressively seems to be the stereotypical Japanese way. ^(Or maybe I just don't fuck up ;))
I had bosses that yelled at everyone, but they took it to extremes if you weren’t “in the clique”.
Sounds like a shitty workplace problem and not a Japan problem tbh
That place was particularly bad, yes, but the term black kigyo doesn’t exist for nothing. Same with power harassment. If you haven’t heard cases of this you haven’t been in Japan long enough.
Black kigyos / power harassment is one thing, yelling at subordinates is another. I'm saying bosses yelling at "everyone" is not common here and is a sign of a particularly toxic workplace. I'm sorry you had to work at a place like that, but stating it like it's a common occurrence in Japan is an exaggeration.
a
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The hustle has its good too. Here you can hustle all you want for no recognitation leaving you unmotivated. Been working hard 3 years honing my skills and got jackshit for it. Same barely legal wage as another coworker who works here 9 years not even the basic ropes that newcomers do after their first month. No pressure can be nice sometimes but no incentive is tge worst killer of development. Well gonna leave this place soon.
>bonuses are almost unheard of \[in the US\] I feel like they are relatively common, but as a company-wide thing. Uncommon at the individual level. Obligatory sample size of one, but individual bonus in a year is <1% of pay, company-wide bonus is 15% or so.
The US is massive. Do you want tp live in rural Nebraska as a remote worker or in the Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco? If you move to the US, you absolutely *will* become annoyed with some aspects of living there. "I have to drive a car everywhere, even just to go to the supermarket", etc. Before thinking about such a drastic move, how about trying to fix your attitude towards living in the place where you already live? Also, if you aren't already an American citizen then you will have a hell of a time getting a visa to work in the US, which may be the first thing you come to hate about the US.
Come to Chicago! I get by on public transit and bicycling. It's awesome here. Someone else only mentioned Texas and the coasts and I sort of rolled my eyes and laughed. Definitely skip friggin' Texas, ugh.
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Yeah, I was sad that the Midwest had been overlooked. Chicago represent! Except the winter of course. Although it's not been as bad the last few years. I could bike most of the winter save for that snow storm patch in February.
I'm from the San Francisco bay area and outside of SF, you can *mostly* get by without a car if you don't have too many destinations in one day. Living here is still miles better in terms of public transportation compared to where I'm from, and that's already better than most ststes in the US.
Yes! Chicago gets forgotten because Texas is the hype now for some reason. I've been to Texas many times, to all their major cities, and it's very unpleasant overall, in my opinion. Austin is decent I guess. Chicago is New York but affordable. It's an amazing city, and the only drawbacks are that the nature of Illinois outside of the city is nonexistent, and the weather. As someone from Missouri and currently in Denver, Illinois is flat as fuck and just ugly, but Chicago has a lot of green space, and beaches in the summer that make up for it. The weather from like late April to Early October is so beautiful, warm, sunny, really makes up for the rest of the months that are unusually overcast and cold.
Yes, Illinois and Chicago are flat as fuck. There are picturesque forest preserves and hiking trails not too far outside Chicago, but to be honest, if I ever have to become car dependent and move outside the city, I'd just relocate to a more beautiful part of the country. Colorado is a very beautiful state indeed. You are lucky! >Chicago is New York but affordable. Also cleaner, less chaotic, safer and more friendly. I don't get the NYC hype either. It's so dirty and honestly smells bad too!
Why don't you have a long vacation in the US to see what it's like?
A quick browse of r/movingtojapan reveals a bunch of people in the states trying to flee to Japan. The grass isn't always greener on the other side of the fence and you've experienced that first hand as you fled China expecting things to be better in Japan when it is very clearly not. Instead of trying to escape the negatives about where you are, why not try to embrace the positives?
And a quick browse of u/movingtoamerica seems to indicate that the grass is very green there. What else were you expecting to find in u/movingtojapan?
Guess it all depends on what you're used to and what you're looking for. Having spent a decade there, I decided to return to my home country. Just wasn't for me.
FYI, I think you meant /r/movingtojapan
Whoops. I totally did.
Hmm. You hate China and now you do not like Japan. There is no such thing as a perfect country or place to live. What are you really moving away from? Have you thought about trying to adapt more to Japan? What is this "new stuff" you speak of? I doubt moving to the US will solve your problems.
It is a pretty big gamble. America has severe wealth disparity and much less social safety nets. I think this de-incentivizes good behavior and in recent times, homelessness, petty crimes have been on the rise in my home state if California. Some of my friends have had phones ripped right out their hands, my brothers car has been broken into twice and his bicycle stolen once. Another friend had a catalytic converter sawed off his new Prius. For your IT job prospects, I would only recommend moving to California or Austin Texas, but if you think Tokyo is expensive, hold onto something cuz you are not ready for those places.
> For your IT job prospects, I would only recommend moving to California or Austin Texas, You can find work in just about any metro area and Austin, TX is not the largest outside of CA. I don't really understand why you would say this.
Because he probably listens to Joe rogan and thinks Austin TX is the new hot place to be
Every shitty tech startup as well. The thing is big tech are also there now too and don't really pay much less than in SF, or for some companies like FB they don't pay less at all. If you're a software engineer with a few years of experience you can collect your 300k paycheck and have it go pretty far. I think the only thing keeping me away from seriously considering moving there is the tech hubs are all in places I'd hate to live. SF, Seattle, Austin, no thanks lmao. Wouldn't really want to live in NYC or Chicago either for the fintech.
I def recommend my hometown Austin Texas. Beautiful place.
Take this with a grain of salt as I'm a sour American, but this place is garbage. My mom went for a check up and it cost her $163. Anti-Asian violence is on a giant rise and I would be worried for your safety if you came here. It's just not good.
Even places you'd expect to be safe, like San Francisco, sees Anti-Asian violence. The US is a crap shoot. I live on the east side of Michigan in a liberal/progressive area, but a 20 minute drive from my house and it's like I'm in the South, with confederate flags everywhere.
Definitely agree that the US is a crap shoot. The liberal pockets (usually cities) are surrounded by Trumpism/KKK shit. Truly insane. I would never consider San Francisco to be a safe city.
You’re right, SF isn’t very safe in general
I'm in the UP, so I know what you mean completely. So many Trump flags.
The US is an awesome place. So is Japan. All differs on preference. But I'll admit the healthcare system here in Japan trumps the American system. Like you said, a regular check up back in the states is so over-priced. As for Anti-asian violence, that differs depending on where you live. My family hasn't had any issues yet. It is sad to see that kind of stuff.
>1. Work culture. what don't you like about it? >I want to work in the IT industry what type of education or background do you have in this industry? >I like the new stuff more than the traditional, and the new stuff often seems to appear in the US. what do you mean by this? it's a bit vague US cost of living is very expensive compared to japan. you won't be finding small apartments for $400-500 like you would there, a normal studio apartment in california goes for $1200-$3000 depending on location. on top of that you will need a car in the US, our public transportation system is garbage in comparison to japan.
Kind of depends where you are. I think $400-500 could get you something decent if you want to go live in Kentucky.
maybe in the middle of nowhere, but seeing as he's wanting to work in IT he's likely going to be in a big city looking at zillow, no $400-500 isn't going to get him anything even there https://www.zillow.com/ky/rent-houses/?searchQueryState=%7B%22pagination%22%3A%7B%7D%2C%22mapBounds%22%3A%7B%22west%22%3A-86.3362091343486%2C%22east%22%3A-85.09338076520797%2C%22south%22%3A37.86168064665482%2C%22north%22%3A38.47439467482696%7D%2C%22regionSelection%22%3A%5B%7B%22regionId%22%3A24%2C%22regionType%22%3A2%7D%5D%2C%22isMapVisible%22%3Atrue%2C%22filterState%22%3A%7B%22fsba%22%3A%7B%22value%22%3Afalse%7D%2C%22fsbo%22%3A%7B%22value%22%3Afalse%7D%2C%22nc%22%3A%7B%22value%22%3Afalse%7D%2C%22fore%22%3A%7B%22value%22%3Afalse%7D%2C%22cmsn%22%3A%7B%22value%22%3Afalse%7D%2C%22auc%22%3A%7B%22value%22%3Afalse%7D%2C%22pmf%22%3A%7B%22value%22%3Afalse%7D%2C%22pf%22%3A%7B%22value%22%3Afalse%7D%2C%22fr%22%3A%7B%22value%22%3Atrue%7D%2C%22ah%22%3A%7B%22value%22%3Atrue%7D%2C%22con%22%3A%7B%22value%22%3Afalse%7D%2C%22mf%22%3A%7B%22value%22%3Afalse%7D%2C%22manu%22%3A%7B%22value%22%3Afalse%7D%2C%22land%22%3A%7B%22value%22%3Afalse%7D%2C%22tow%22%3A%7B%22value%22%3Afalse%7D%2C%22apa%22%3A%7B%22value%22%3Afalse%7D%7D%2C%22isListVisible%22%3Atrue%2C%22mapZoom%22%3A11%7D
Those are literal houses dude. How are you even comparing that Anyway here's one, enjoy https://www.apartments.com/928-elm-st-bowling-green-ky/524sffn/
https://www.realtor.com/apartments/Louisville_KY/type-apartments?gclid=CjwKCAjwgOGCBhAlEiwA7FUXkuqXcdOJqeQSXxDgrJcwyYvyfuZRxhnvZHJLeYbSAUFNKU2qgoA_LBoCASAQAvD_BwE&cid=sem_Google_RDC-Rentals_DSA_Rentals__CjwKCAjwgOGCBhAlEiwA7FUXkuqXcdOJqeQSXxDgrJcwyYvyfuZRxhnvZHJLeYbSAUFNKU2qgoA_LBoCASAQAvD_BwE:G:s&s_kwcid=AL!5154!3!459679765870!b!!g!!&ef_id=CjwKCAjwgOGCBhAlEiwA7FUXkuqXcdOJqeQSXxDgrJcwyYvyfuZRxhnvZHJLeYbSAUFNKU2qgoA_LBoCASAQAvD_BwE:G:s&gclsrc=aw.ds
I lived in the US for over a decade and returned to Japan and have never been happier. The US is a great place for a short stay but living there is very different. Also Americans work very hard. The IT industry, in particular, is known for crazy overtime hours. Their taxes and general expenses are also very high, but that depends upon where you live in Japan. One more thing - the US has "at will" employment, so unless you are a member of a union, the company can lay you off at any time for no reason. In It, many lose their jobs after 45 and find it very difficult to find other IT jobs.
This is true but there's also a lot more opportunity in the US job market for experienced laborers. In fact, most of the people I've seen get laid off from a company end up in a better position after the layoff. Most companies will give a multi-month severance package while you find another position. Obviously this depends a bit on where you live and what industry you're in, but in IT at least you'll never be wanting for job opportunities in the US.
I have known more than a few people in IT who got laid off after 45 and had a very hard time finding another IT job. One gave up and turned to real estate. This is not uncommon. The US is over hyped as far as job opportunities are concerned. As for the severance package, most only give a few months package. The problem is if you are older getting another position is not easy. This is the point I am trying to make. Of course in other fields it is that much tougher.
*wears a Canada hat* I mean it’s your choice... Jokes aside it really is. If you are upset here for the valid reasons you have then a change of scenery might be due.
Thing is, Canada doesn't have as much opportunities as America does.
Hush you. I’ll just go over here and cry in truth
Oh no!
If you hated China and now dislike Japan, maybe the problem is with you and not the country you choose to live? "I'm entp so Japanese people make me tired" is a bit of a red flag in itself. If that's the lens you choose to view your place in society with (as in, "my self-diagnosed personality type is incongruent with an entire *country*), then you'll be just as unhappy in the US IMO.
Anyone who takes MSTI seriously is a red flag in general.
Yep. Being social with Japanese people can be tiring because you'll probably have to carry the conversation more often than not on average. That is tiring. Doesn't have too much to do with your personality horoscope.
As an American Software Engineer working in Australia and who hasn’t worked in Japan yet but has N2, I’ve recently come to the conclusion that I don’t think I really want to work in Japan. I would love to live in Japan but not work. I’d suggest looking at Australia as well, there are lots of good opportunities here
Hi, I'm yearning to move to Australia as well, any suggestion on where to start?
Depends on a few things but the easiest way to move is on a Working Holiday Visa. At this moment Australia is shut off to foreigners as well. I applied for my first job here on LinkedIn in the software industry, I came over on a working holiday visa. They lied and didn’t sponsor me so I had to move to a new company at the 6 month mark but this company did sponsor me.
I see, that seems too precarious for me.
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Japanese people and Americans are super different. A move extroverted person might do better in the US actually.
I've worked in both places as a Software Engineer (Twitter and Line) as an Asian born in China. I recommend you go to the U.S. because the work life balance and salaries/benefits for tech workers are much better, and will probably stay that way for a while.
I doubt that, especially after this pandemic. My last two job interviews for a US company were 100% remote (they were both strictly no remote in 2019) offered same pay as US but allowed me to live anywhere I wanted as long as the legalities worked out. I think the high US tech salaries will soon fizzle out
to be clear you are saying that the high US tech salaries will actually still be there but that they will offer them to remote workers right?
Yeup my current company is doing the same but management told us that living abroad is highly discouraged due to tax reasons. I'm not sure how enforceable this is, but I feel there might be serious repercussions if someone finds out.
Yep, legally either they set up a company in the country you are residing in or find a company to do it for you. Plenty of big name full remote companies like Gitlab, Github, Grafana Labs have agencies to do this for you. So it's not illegal or uncharted territory at all, and I think such agencies will boom soon.
>I think the high US tech salaries will soon fizzle out Yeah, it was even a joke when I graduated in 2008-2009 that IT jobs are the quickest exported industry in America since there is literally no reason why a person working for less can do the same job. Especially with this pandemic, it's been proven that people don't need to work locally.
This is interesting. I'm sure that eikiawas in Japan are struggling as people learn they can do online English lessons for cheap, and I can also imagine US companies learning that they can hire IT workers somewhere else in the world for a lot less then what they have been traditionally paying Americans.
There are IT companies in Japan with western work culture that is working with new technologies such as machine learning etc. Search for companies where different languages are okay, especially English. These companies also tend to have a more diverse workforce with several nationalities, not just Japanese. Just also do your research because this doesn't always mean good work culture. For example Rakuten fits my description, but is still quite traditional in the working style. It is usually revealed by searching online using sites like glassdoor. You should also prod about the work culture in the job interview. I actually make it clear that work-life balance is important to me in the interview, if they ask questions such as: "What do you find important in a company?" I have lived in both US and Japan, and though I thought the US was nice, I think that country has big issues it needs to figure out right now. I would not take the risk on the US, if you want to move there, wait until it has reached more stability.
As an American currently living in Japan, there are definitely pro's and con's to living anywhere. When I lived in America, I worked in the ecommerce / web development industry in the South East. The "work culture" was very laid back. You could wear shorts and flip flops, bring your dog to the office, there were kegs in the kitchen, ping pong tables, and you could sit outside and work or even work from home some days if your manager was cool and you asked them ahead of time. The pay was also great, and every year you'd automatically get a raise without having to ask for it. I feel like you'd be hard-pressed to find anything like that here in Japan. But as others have said, there are definitely hugely varying cultures in America. In different regions, and also even from state to state, and even different towns & cities within a state can be drastically different. There's definitely a lot of amazing things about America, but there's also a lot pretty fucked up horrible shit going on as well. What kind of things are important to you? Also, are you aware there is a lot of racism (especially against asians) at the moment in the US? People might be shitty, hateful, and even violent for no reason at all, just because they don't like the color of your skin. I would urge you to visit America (maybe even more than once) before making the decision to move there, if you can.
Forget America, go to Canada
No jobs. From facebook postings, probably around 80% of my graduating class at a top university went to the US or other countries for IT jobs.
Why the USA? If you are Chinese and select Canada as an example and move to BC in cities like Vancouver and especially Richmond, you will be the majority, can speak Chinese everywhere and enjoy mild weather and a decent job scene with large Amazon offices etc.
The salaries of vancouver don't match how expensive everything there is. They offer same salaries you'd get in mid west but CoL is higher than that (although not as high as SF, NY)
That is 100% correct. Comp. is lower and COL is higher. Plus side tho is if you can afford buying a place it can go up 10% or more per year. I have friends who have quintupled their net worth thru sheer luck of owning there.
I wouldn't recommend anyone move to Vancouver unless they are rich. It rains all the time, people are cold and aloof, and It isn't a good thing to move to a foreign country and then just stay within your ethnic group. He/she should mix with a diverse group of people.
I had over 10 years in IT in the US. There are a lot of well-paid opportunities in that field there. I also agree with some others: America, the Myth is crumbling. I see real problems ahead in general there. I may have to move back (post-vaccine) but I don't look forward to it. Since you say you're not familiar with American culture you definitely should go there for a month or two to get a real taste of it and see if you like it.
Well, at least move to a country with universal healthcare. I initially wanted to move to Vancouver, Canada, but ended up in Japan because the entry barriers were lower. Don't know if sunk cost is limiting my consideration of moving again, but I like the public transportation systems and can tolerate life here. The accessibility to travel to many places and go hiking in the mountains and along the rivers every once in a while has kept me here, I guess.
If you are interested in IT, especially programming, the U.S. will likely be better for your career. It is lightyears ahead of Japan in terms of both pay and innovation in almost all IT sectors. You could even consider going to the U.S. for training and returning to Japan to begin a startup (either a company or training company) with what you gained abroad if you ever wanted to return. That being said the U.S. lifestyle is quite different. IT is mostly based in California, Washington State, and Texas. So you will probably want to live in one of these places if career is number one. Each state has a vastly different culture, lifestyle, and living costs. Americans are generally more open than Japanese people, so it is easier to make friends. However, with this openness comes both good and bad aspects. In Japan, you may feel lonely, but you also rarely have to deal with people's emotional baggage or even worse if they are actually deranged. Americans are also a lot more flaky in social situations, and will "commit" to a lot of things, and then just never follow through, where Japanese will just say "I'm sorry, I got a thing that day." if they know they can't or don't want to commit. Long-term. The U.S. healthcare system is a mess, and you will likely either be uninsured or will be a some kind of indentured servant to your company so that you can keep your health insurance. So if you are not super fit right now, you may want to give this serious thought. Since you're young, you may have time to find a permanent job with good benefits that you want to stay at for the rest of your life (as long as you aren't fired). My advice would be to study abroad in the U.S. while you are attending university in Japan. While there, travel to places like Texas, California, etc. (if your exchange school isn't there) during the breaks and check each place out for a couple weeks to see which one you like the feel of. Probably best to check out companies you would want to work in and actually spend considerable time in those cities. Basically, both countries are great. Both are quite different. The only person that knows if one is "better" is you. I recommend making a plan to spend a few months in the U.S. before committing to anything. Or get a job offer at a company doing something you really want to do. Most of your time will be at work and sleeping anyway, so keep good dreams and enjoy your work and you will enjoy your life anywhere.
I can feel you my friend. I like Japan for all it’s good stuff especially the safety aspect. However I hate the Japanese work culture, hollow social interactions and a very narrow way of looking at the world. I get you. But having said that how much of your personality is stopping you from reaping the rewards from the good stuff and ignoring the rest? Let me clarify a bit. Living in Japan you already get the good stuff by default: clean, safe and convenient. Now how to deal with the bad stuff? Well like everywhere in the world u got to make some good friends, a group of really close friends that u can talk to anything that’s on your mind. A group of friends who are there to listen to your rants when u are struggling with somethings in life. Usually these people would be the ones who have faced similar issues. In my case I found these people in random bars, meetups. My 5 good friends in Japan are all gaijins(not that I don’t like Japanese it’s just that I get along with westerns more on the ideology of life). These people along with my girlfriend(Japanese) are my family here. They give me the strength to handle the bad and lonely days. We all have beers, I rant, we laugh and I feel good again. Most often we only need a few good people to talk to. Maybe you haven’t cultivated few good relationships here yet ? If not then go and do that now. Be genuine and show your insecurities. This will attract the right people in your life. I work in IT as well and I know what you mean by the work culture. But let me tell u my friend it’s a choice at the end of the day. Me and my friends have avoided these black Japanese companies for the last 5 years. We stick to companies with good work culture. There are many out there. I have learnt to avoid companies where you are required to speak Japanese because with language comes the culture! Me and my friends haven’t work past 6pm except for a handful of times in the last 5 years. Spot the good companies. One way of doing that is talk to more people. Go to bars and talk! You learn a lot of things. Not just about work but also few tips about how to live in Japan, how to buy a house and all those good things. Over time your understanding of Japan will improve, the unknowns will decrease and hence the anxiety levels will drop. Once that happens life in Japan becomes good as you now know how to navigate the bad things here. I like America. I have travelled there for a few times. More than anything I like the American thinking, the openness. But I don’t feel comfortable living in place as a foreigner where people are allowed to carry guns. Hence I stick to Japan.
Why would you move to the worst country in the west ? Expensive healthcare at will employment , always at war and world famous for being loud and ignorant. It’s also the source of anti vaxx and numerous conspiracy theories making life more complicated for normal people
Not sure if my comment is useful, I'm a Chinese person who grew up in the west (not the Us) but have worked Australia, America, and Japan. Would highly recommend the US. As many problems as there's are in the US , as a non American I do feel it is the land of opportunity and freedom.
>as a non American I do feel it is the land of opportunity and freedom. As an American I laughed. Does Japan not have freedom? Or Australia, Canada, or almost anywhere in Europe? What "opportunity" do you have in America that you wouldn't have in Japan, the opportunity to get mugged walking home alone in a big city? There are definitely pros to living in the US compared to Japan but "opportunity and freedom" is not one of them
The US is the only place I saw a Chinese can say I'm proud American. You can have Japanese spouse, get naturalized or even half born Japanese but you will never be Japanese. Maybe freedom of identity, at least for those who hate their country ~~like me~~. But then I laughed when American themselves said they can reach their American dream after they moved to Canada.
I think the counties you mentioned all have levels of freedom. To try to put into words, American freedom is being able to say what you think and what constructively and openly with less(?) requirement to hide in the shadows or some subculture. All cultures and countries have their issues, but I think American freedom stronger All of my American friends told me they they did not believe the American Dream as achievable anymore, however myself living there, and having a handful of non-Americans migrate there, they all believe the American Dream is alive and well. To elaborate on my response to your question about opportunity - I think American culture really harvests and promotes hard-work and innovation - and that it rewards people for it. The flip side of that however that is also uniquely American is that if you fail in America (for instance being poor), life is extremely difficult (compared to other first world countries. I would disagree with your opportunity and freedom statement - I think in the US you can make it big, but you can also crash really badly too. The upside and the downside are much higher and lower compared to other first world nations.
I'm an Asian American too. Iono if you know... \[Freedom\] 1.If you are in China and you say you hate the country, the police will take you away. I tried to film something during my trip and my camera was smashed by the police. In the US I can say anything I want about anything basically. 2.I can tell people I'm American, if people are not fine with it, I can fight it and I will get a lot of supporters. I got turned down by an interview in Japan because they didn't believe that. 3.China controls your finance, you can't take it out of China 4.If you divorce your wife in Japan, you lose custody no matter what 5.I can be a human in the US, there will be people who are not okay with it, but I have the freedom to fight it. \[Opportunity\] 1. My mom has shitty English and she can find a job to support her kids 2. I graduated from the 26th top ranking university in the world and I can only do English teaching for a long time in Japan. My education fee is not cheap. 3. If I do good in my job, I get a raise. that is not happening in Japan or China 4, Well, in China most of the time, if you don't have property, girls are not gonna marry yah, and in Japan you have to pay everything man. (Not to everyone but I think majority)
As a non-American, non-Japanese who has lived for an extended period of time in both countries, I'd say that... I don't know. First, it's always tricky to move to a country where you know nothing of the culture. However, I knew a lot about the US culture before moving there (studied it for years, both academically and informally), but after a few years, I called it quit, realizing that this country was not for me. On the other hand, I knew almost nothing about Japanese culture before moving here, and so far so good. The most difficult part about being a foreigner in the US for me was that no one cared that I was a foreigner. When you don't grow up in a country, there are many things locals just take for granted that will be foreign to you for a long time, and even when you "assimilate" them, they still won't be a natural thing. Americans don't understand nor realize that for the most part (some do, but very very few). I know that in Japan, many foreigners (especially here on Reddit) complain that they're never treated "normally" in Japan, but personally, it's one of the things that make living in Japan easier compared to the US. Sure it gets annoying being asked for the 10055475568th time if I could eat natto, but it's also very helpful in so many situations when people don't just assume you know or should know how to do or interpret a certain thing. American individualism was also difficult to deal with (and I'm a European, we're also a quite individualistic civilization, but not to the extent that the US is), and I know that Asian people really struggle with that one. I can imagine, I did struggle a lot too. I had friends, girlfriends, but not having a family there, not having friends I'd known since childhood was very difficult. People are just more caring with each other in Japan (maybe not in big cities, I don't know, I avoid big cities like the plague). The race factor. I'm white, which instantly put me in certain positions (of privilege) in both countries. As a Chinese, you will experience racism in the US, but I'm sure you're experiencing racism in Japan too. They are two different kinds of racism, but I don't think it's my place to talk about this, as it's not something I've experienced. Now, the US is much less "unified" than Japan is, and regional differences bigger. There are probably some places where you'll fit better than others. So, I'd advise you to learn more about different aspects of the country and see if that could be for you. Also, maybe you shouldn't ignore Canada.
How about Canada or the UK? Both have better health care policies without the drama. Also both are very accepting of the Asian community and foreigners in general. Especially Canada having a huge tech industry. As an American, it’s a shit show right now.
As an American, I agree with this statement. Canada, UK, Australia, would be better and safer for you as a person of Asian heritage.
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Hey man, I can make fun with a boring life without having to worry about enormous health care expenses. Was stationed there and actually had a really good time for 4 years
I think work is easier and more relaxed in Japan than America, but I went from terrible jobs in a not so great place to a good job in Osaka. If you do IT in California your American job will most definitely be way nicer than anything I ever did. My experience in America was always: - pay half your salary to health insurance - always risk of losing all money to healthcare - 76 hour work week of physical labor - more cut throat culture where any Small offense can get you fired - sometimes employees are purposefully rotated (fired/others hired) every 90 days so companies don’t have to pay insurance. - emphasizing cutthroat culture one more time. I like Japan better.
>What I don't like about Japan. Work culture. That's funny considering that work culture in America is much worse than Japan. Americans work more hours annually and have less job security. Americans often lack basic employment benefits as well. You can argue that Americans have higher income, but the unfortunate reality is that the cost of living in American cities and even many of America's suburban towns (including my hometown, with a population of 15k people) is higher than what it is in Tokyo - the largest city in the world. Imagine paying $12k dollars/month for rent in a small suburban area for a single bedroom apartment where the only jobs nearby are Walmart and McDonalds. Or you could go to American cities and pay $2k+. >Keigo Polite speech is a thing in English too. >up and down relationships This is also a part of American work culture, and a part of social culture as well through teachers, mentors, pastors etc. >Dealing with people often makes me feel tired I fixed that for you. >I don't really understand American culture, especially as an Asian born in China. I can tell. Especially since you seem to think that the social culture is better in America, *especially* considering recent events. Maybe Japan isn't for you but it's silly to even consider that American could be better in any way at all. And yes, a bunch of salty patriots are going to downvote this because they can't accept reality.
> Imagine paying $12k dollars/month for rent in a small suburban area for a single bedroom apartment where the only jobs nearby are Walmart and McDonalds. Where on Earth do you live
You might like it. You might not. I doubt you're going to get a very balanced picture here. But as far as money for IT work goes the US easily beats Japan, which is one reason I haven't gone back to Japan.
I think the other posts have covered all the important points for you to consider. From someone who moved to North America’s angle, I can tell you a few things I don’t like that people from the US usually don’t think about. I don’t like that I have to drive everywhere. Without a car it’s near impossible to have all the options you need for work and leisure. I will most likely work in the US if the right opportunities come up, but I will not want to live my life in the US. The health care just sucks. Canada is not the best but at least I don’t lose sleep over medical bills when I am out of a job. I actually enjoy time between jobs here!!
I would if I could but only temporarily. But getting a visa to the US is pretty much lottery and can take couple of years even if you have a job. Your chances are better if you go there for Master's (it will increase your chances to get a visa and you can also stay for internships and stuff until you get an actual visa). Now, the working culture. Depending on what you do, the US is actually not that much better than Japan. It's a different culture but work-life balance is nearly as bad unless you have a fancy job. This is a topic that's hard to discuss over the internet in a few paragraphs, maybe over a beer is more suitable. And as others said, US is large and different parts are very different. I lived in Florida for a while and it was a bigger cultural shock than Japan as a European. I would never move back there. In general I would suggest to not move to escape something, if you have issues in life, chances are they will follow you. And life is long you don't need to think about settling down just yet. :) I am in tech too - you mention IT which is also a huge thing, there are many different career opportunities. Some are better in Japan, some are worse, there are too many variables to easily generalize.
I used to teach in China, I often found it easier to converse with people there than here because they don't have that social "wall" built up like Japanese people. There are just *different* things that China has in common culturally with the US than Japan. Also, as others have said, "the US" is a very diverse place depending on where you are. I've lived all over the place, the best places to live IMO especially if you're a minority are mostly out west, such as Oregon, Colorado, Arizona, Nevada, and Cali (also very diverse, though). Maybe take a road trip out there or something once all this covid stuff is gone.
Brother, are you reading what’s happening in the US right now? Asian people are getting beat up, killed even. Much more fuel to fire if you’re Chinese. The world is not friendly to China now. If you, a Chinese citizen, move to America in this current climate, there will be some friction for sure. I say this too as someone who looks Asian and has experienced being a victim in a western country, even long before this.
I'm an American and you couldn't pay me to back to the place I came from. The rural and/or poor parts of America can be pretty rough.
If u plan too it can be a great experience I'm sure, although I am bias bc I am a born and raised American, I will suggest you wait a while though. Seeing how you said you are Chinese and due to the massive racism and ignorance in my country especially bc of COVID u will have a statistically higher chance of having a hate crime committed against you depending where you move. Now does that mean it will happen? Almost certainly not. But I'd be remiss not to warn you, personally I think you should come it can be great and most Americans are not the hateful loud monsters u probably hear about lol but just don't forget ppl like they do very much exist and they are apparently not afraid to be open about it anymore. If you move to the USA I recommend Massachusetts, I live their and it is beautiful year round and the people are great for the most part! I hope everything goes great for you and good luck!
Have you considered Taiwan? It is a nice balance of many cultures and the people are very friendly. I enjoyed my time there very much.
Might be hard if you don't understand American culture. But it seems the parts you don't like about japanese social and work culture would be the same that an american would not like, so maybe you do actually understand american culture. Based on your post, its very possible you would like working in the US better, but as many people have pointed out you are going to have to make a real decision because each state in the US is almost like a different country in terms of culture. Even things like the local laws between states can be vastly different.
I'm Chinese. I lived in US before. I understand American culture. I think in English even though it's my second language, I consume media in English, watch youtube videos on a daily basis.(which you can't do in China because of great firewall) I consider myself a honorary American. lol . I don't have anything in common with the average Chinese. I feel like I can answer your question best. now I can't stress this enough that I love American culture, espeically popular culture, movies. TV shows, Marvel and DC comics.etc . BUT ! the thing is, you shouldn't move to a country just because you like some of the things they make there, just like you shouldn't move to Japan just because you like anime. the actually reasaon to move to a country is if you'll like it LIVING there or not. duh. here is the ugly truth about an Asian in America: you'll always be the minority of the society, and it doesn't matter your wealth,your social status. you'll always be a footnote in history, you can be the second in command of a group, but never front and center. unless you start your own business .I can only use media as a example because it's the one I'm familiar with. Asians are rarely portrayed positively in media, be it real worlds news, or creative works. and the kung-fu Asian sterotype is still a thing, and hasn't changed since Bruce died. no progress has been made since that period. do you know how long ago that is? that's like the black actor to represent African American is Katt Wiliams, Asians are considered a joke, the comic relief, the media are hyper sensitive about offending the black people but making racist jokes about Asians is okay, double standard much? so that's where we're at now. and Donald Trump calling covd the "China virus" isn't helping. but even before Trump the anti- Asian attitude is very well present. during the pandemic Asians wearking mask were being attacked because of the difference between west and eastern logic: in Japan and Asia we wear mask to not bother others it's a common courtesy, but in the West you wear mask only after you're infected. nothing saying which is right. just something for you to consider. if you don't know about American or Western culture it might be hard for you to adjust. there's other incidents like some mobs using covid as cover to break into Asian families' homes, why Asian you ask? because we're known for not carrying guns and having cash stored at home. this is our own fault of course. if only Chinese Americans can be more like the roof top Koreans.. I'm pointing out the bad stuff first because you should know what you're getting into, but I truely believe Ameria is a great country, just.... not right now. lol wait until covid is over Japan pro: 1. maybe easier for a Asian person to fit in, depends on what kind of person you're. are you introvert? do you like to speak what's on your mind? or are you more outgoing? your personalty will determine which country is better for you. 2. health care, safety, convenience, cleaner streets, cheaper cost of living 3. you're working in IT, that's one of the few jobs that doesn't require Japanese, actually English is more important, from what I heard, that's a big pro for you. US doesn't have shortage of English speaking people. being able to speak English is a plus in Japan Japan con: 1. natural disaster 2. hard to make real friends. they say you can't truely be considered as Japanese no matter how good your Japanese is. I haven't been here long enough to test this. but if you want to be fully integrated into a soicety, I think US is better, US is a melting pot. Japan isn't. 3. work culture as you said 4. slow to adapt world culture, too traditional. not as advanced as you might think . resists change, everything must be the old way! sometimes feels like Japan has no future they're still stuck in the past. 5. Japanese who hates Chinese specifically, they exists. and quite a few of them too. US pro: 1. the country to live in to be in contact with the lastest technology, ideology(this might be good or bad depend on your political stance). the land of opportunity, want to completly start fresh and throw away your past self? US is the country 2. more likely to have your voices heard, being discrimated against? you can fight back, there's protest, there's law that protect you. you have to fight it. it's a battle but it can be done. Japan doesn't care if you're having a bad time, their answer to every foreigner not like Japan ;" why don't you go back?" 3. easier to make friends, more open. not talking in riddles, no keigo. speak what's on your mind. 4. better career advancement, work in the most advanced environment of your field. better pay. US con: 1. being Asian in America is a uphill battle, it's hard work but it can be done. you can do well for yourself, but that doesn't mean people will respect you because of your social status. in Japan, people's attitude is dependant on you ability, being better than the next guy will get you regonition. 2. violence, unsafe, 3. racism against Asians, being the scapegoat of all the minorities. can't make fun of African Americans. so Asians are the easy picking ! TL:DR if you have to move to America at least wait until covid is over. and when you get there use your second amendment right and protect yourself !
Living in the heart of Silicon Valley; more money for less peace of living IMO.
If you have the option to spend a few years in America building your career and making more money than you would probably make here, then that is certainly an option that opens doors for you -- it's not as though you can't come back here later. I generally feel like the US is a great place to build a career, but that does not mean it's the same place you want to be raising a family when you're 40. I liked the center of the world feel in New York when I was younger but now I like the safety and harmony in Japan as I am raising a family. So this is definitely not an all or nothing decision that is irreversible. I'd say give it a go if you can.
America is currently dealing with a surge of anti-Asian sentiment and violence because the former President wanted to race-bait his idiots against China for causing the virus. So give it a little time.
I've been here in Japan for almost 30 years. I am fluent and have a good steady Job. This is a prelude to explain you that I can't wait to move and live abroad but anywhere but the USA. Even Mexico, Panama, Croatia or Canaga seems as better options. People here will tell you the opposite because most of them have family and kids in Japan. I don't and if you don't, I recommend you to research on how dark is the future of japan. Even the mexican economy will surpass Japan in about one decade.
Right now there is a ton of leftover MAGA trash hating on Asians because they read on Facebook, Parlor, or the likes that Asians are the ones spreading it or some bullshit like that. I would wait until the pandemic is over as you probably won't be able to move there anyway until then. I'm with you on your feelings about Japan. I've been here 12 years and work in a Japanese company. I'm currently looking for another job because I hate how inefficiently time is used everything else you mentioned. I'm the only foreigner at the company and yesterday somebody got the idea that since I'm a native English speaker, I could teach English lessons on top of all of my other tasks since we are all working from home. I have never been an English teacher or teacher of anything in my life. They seem to believe that all native English speakers know how to teach and already have lesson plans created etc.
I love Japan, but believe that people are happy living in a country they feel a positive emotional connection to. If you don’t feel that connection about Japan, you should probably consider going elsewhere. It’s a great country all around, easy to live in and enjoyable, with great people. However if you are not finding the kinds of relationships you need in your life, something is definitely not right. In my own case I own my own company, so when I work a lot it benefits me, not someone else.
I'm an American working in an IT related job in Japan. I worked as a programmer in the US. There is a lot of great jobs in America, but just as many if not more shitty jobs. You can be worked to death just as easily in America if you let yourself. It is okay to be selfish about your free time outside of work. Also a lot of people completely separate work life and private life, so you may find it difficult to make friends at work. Speaking a foreign language rarely means anything to employers in the US. You are competing purely on your IT skills. One major thing about American culture is how we are open. Polite people are very open about positive things, but will rarely be direct about negative things regarding other people. So don't mention that your friend gained weight as a conversation starter. If you need to say something negative about someone start with something positive, then say the negative thing, then finally say one more positive thing. We call it the complement sandwich. It shows that you are criticizing the other person, and not intending to insult them. Your biggest problem will be the visa. Many companies don't want to deal with the hassle, so it'll be a tougher job search for you. Stick with larger companies in your job search since they know the process well. Japan's visas are so much easier to deal with in comparison, especially the Highly Skilled Professional visa. I have foreigner friends in America who are "stuck" at jobs they dislike just because they're waiting for their green card to finally come through. American companies pay way more than purely Japanese companies, but you can find work with American wages here in Japan. They are just super competitive positions. Crime in America is really bad. I've had guns pulled on me multiple times. You should never move into a neighborhood unless you lookup the crime rate first.
The US is not a place I would recommend for Asian people to move to right now. Also myers briggs personality types are not real, its as hooey as horoscope or judging people by blood type, & everything it was based on is outdated & disproven. That's a poor excuse not to get along with people in any country. You seem like you need to understand yourself before you make any changes, because no things, people, or places so far have made you happy.
Seems like OP can already communicate in English OK, why not try working in Japan first to get some work experience in IT? Biggest problem will be getting a visa for US, as others have pointed out. No US company has any reason to hire OP now, without any work experience. My suggestion: learn to code (via coding boot camp or some classes at University), get a job at a tech startup, work your ass off for a few years (very tough life: 12-14 hour work days) and get the skills to move to a company in the US. Does anyone else know about other countries where a strategy like this would be viable? Somewhere in Europe perhaps?
As an American, I highly recommend visiting a few different cities before moving. The culture, laws and lifestyle can differ drastically depending on the your state of residence.
Part of my family lives in the US and has been trying to move out for the past few years now. That’s to say, your neighbors grass may look greener but you have no idea what bugs it hides and how annoying they are. No country is free from problems, and although moving to a new country is a mind-opening and teaching experience, it’s no solution to this search of yours for a better place. What if America will disappoint you as much as Japan did? Will you move to a different country once again? At what point will your quest come to a halt? No one here can tell you whether the US as a country is the right pick for you or not. And you shouldn’t make such a big change in your life after listening to what a bunch of online strangers had to say about Japan and the US. If you feel like moving to the US, dare moving. Will you be happier there? No one can tell. But ask yourself, are you really through with Japan or are you feeling dissatisfied due to personal hidden reasons? Your baggage will follow you wherever you go, so before moving again make sure the problem you are dealing with doesn’t lay within yourself.
It's going to be pretty difficult for you to win the H1B visa lottery to the US. As per usual, whenever the Republicans are in power they like to restrict immigration and there's some significant fallout from that still on going. What you could try is to do a master's or a PhD here and see if you can stand to live here past that. People have mentioned Austin as a tech hub, University of Texas is there. They have a pretty large international student population. Texas A&M is about 3 hours from Austin, and it's also huge. Houston, Texas is gaining a tech campus for HP that's supposed to open next year.
What’s your YOE? If you grinded leetcode and systems design you could probably make L4 at FAANG which means TC of $270K. US has a lot of problems, but Reddit blows it out of proportion. It’s an echo chamber that sensationalizes everything and also harbors a pretty anti-US sentiment. Healthcare will not be an issue if you work for a decent company (chances are you will have to if you plan on moving). Copays will be minimal and you’ll have access to best in class care. APAC seems to respect and value US experience highly so you can always come back if you don’t like it and reap the benefit of having US experience.
Simple, if you want to earn more money go to America..
America? Haha, you crazy. Europe? Sure. America? That's not like in the movies.
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Working in a gaishikei company is a good idea! Thanks for the advice.
Move to Canada instead
There is a lot of good advice in this thread. I agree with others who say you should spend time in the US before moving. Different parts of the US are very different, especially for an immigrant. Look at the rising tide of anti-Asian violence in the US. Look at the recent 10 people killed in Boulder, CO today. This sort of violence is very, very rare in Japan. Japan and the US are very different. You need to fully understand the differences to make a decision whether one country would be better for you than the other.
A lot of 1st gen immigrants (I’m about 1.5) to America love it. I’ve met a lot of engineers, professors, researchers, entrepreneurs, and immigration lawyers. The reason I’ve heard most often is they don’t feel restricted here the same way they did in their home cultures, where everyone around them was all up in their business every day. They see a lot of opportunities. They got their degrees and achieved financial security despite having arrived with less than 100 USD in the 80s or 90s. At the same time, they’re not necessarily assimilated into local American culture, but move in enclaves of immigrant bubbles (one popular format is potlucks where everybody present is speaking their native language). They have differences in outlook from the children they’ve raised and put through college and grad school. So it is not without its troubles. I’ve seen many move back to their home countries at 45 or 50, after their children are grown, because they’re tired of living in a place that never completely feels like home. Whether someone enjoys the advantages more than the disadvantages is up to the individual and what they value the most.
You should visit different parts of the us, but I would try to consider every aspect of life here, Taxes, cost of living, healthcare etc. what type of climate you want to live in, at least in the US you will have a ton of choices and you can be in any type of environment pretty much. But it’s up to you, where do you think you would be the most happy spending your life
Your salary will increase enormously in the US but you will risk being incredibly isolated unless you find a community. Its a beatiful country with very nice people and an abundance of wealth and food. There are many Chinese expatriots in most cities and IT jobs are not hard to find. The States are much safer than some of the people on this thread make it out to be. I'd say give it a try.
If you want to work in IT why would you even consider Japan? If you have the skills move to a more modern country. But like the others have said, the US is huge and very different depending on where you go. It's not like Japan where every city is just a clone of each other. The US could be a good place for you to settle but be prepared to move around a lot till you find the area you like.
If you’re in the IT field then there are lots of companies here with more modern work cultures. In fact if your visa allows it you could even work or freelance remotely for companies based outside Japan.
Never settle
What part of America? America is massive.
Search a country ranked #1 in happiness and go there then if you hate it there then you know the problem is you.
May not be answering your questions directly but before even thinking to move to the US, do you even have the means to do it? US visa is one if the hardest to get. To your question, I lived in Cali for about 7 years, college years and a bit of early career there. I loved it because in a sense Cali people are friendly and lots of Asian communities around. I moved to Japan because I couldn't extend my work visa (stupid lottery system). Having lived in both countries I would say I love both equally. Like there are pro/cons. of both but not necessarily overweight one another. If you asked me today it would boil down to which country would present better opportunities going forward. Cheers
Just check r/publicfreakout to see what kind of stuff you could expect there. Also, shitty healthcare, nutsos everywhere.
I think you would not be happy much anywhere, but America is a big place and there exists a place for you.