「日本に住みたい？」外国人に本音を聞いてみた！【街頭インタビュー】

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Hey, hey, hey, everyone.
Welcome back to our channel.
My name is Ari, and today we are in Yoyogi, Koen.
The topic today, I am picking a random foreigners out of the people that are walking around here.
And I'm asking them, would you like to live in Japan or are you living in Japan?
If yes, would you recommend to somebody else to live in Japan?
Let's hear what they say.
You guys are from Germany, Germany, Germany, which city in Germany?
Near Munich, near Munich.
So you are traveling in Japan or are you living in Japan?
Yeah, you're traveling.
How is your experience so far?
Really, really great.
It's my first time here.
So I'm really impressed by everything.
But it's wonderful so far.
What's your favorite thing so far?
We went to TeamLab Planets.
Oh, yeah.
It was a really, really cool experience.
Wow.
What about you?
That's my fourth time, actually.
Wow.
Yes, I fell in love with the country already.
I actually plan on moving here in two years.
That's awesome.
Actually, that's kind of like interconnected with the question that I want to ask both of you, in a sense.
Why do you want to move to Japan?
Well, like what's the what's the thing that calls you?
I think the convenience.
OK.
The culture.
Uh-huh.
The food.
Uh-huh.
Yeah.
Maybe not the work life, but let's see about that in two years.
Work life is kind of famous that it's a little too much.
I haven't been working here, so I can't judge myself.
True.
OK.
And what about you?
Would you like to move to Japan?
I don't know yet.
Let's see in like two weeks when we're going home again.
But so far, what's what's really cool about Japan, in my opinion, is the convenience that you can reach everything by train or just go there that you have a convenience store or you grab something to drink everywhere.
Every two meters.
And also that like everything is in order.
There's no littering on the streets.
Everything's in order on the train.
You line up and just get in there.
Be quiet there.
And yeah, it's really, really nice to experience.
Wow.
OK.
It sounds like to me maybe in two weeks, you will move to Japan.
Nice to meet you.
Nice to meet you.
Where are you from?
I'm from Canada.
From Canada.
And are you visiting Japan right now or?
Yeah, for three weeks.
Oh, wow.
When did you arrive here?
Three, four days ago.
OK.
How is your feeling so far?
Like, how do you feel about Japan?
Tokyo is awesome.
It's kind of fun.
Why did you choose Japan as a destination?
To be honest, I'm backpacking Asia for the next three or four months.
So coming from Vancouver, it's a shorter flight.
So it's kind of nice, you know, leapfrog my way into especially Southeast Asia.
I think, yeah, it's especially right now.
I think the yen is super weak.
So it's super fun to travel around Japan.
Yeah, I totally understand that.
So after you experienced Japan now for, you know, a few days, it might be early to ask, but would you consider living here in Japan?
Actually, I personally know just for work reasons for myself.
You know, I find it's really hard to to meet Japanese people and they're kind of wary of certain foreigners and such.
But maybe that's also the language barrier.
I don't know too much Japanese.
Mm hmm.
I see.
Nice to meet you.
Where are you from?
I am from America and Utah.
OK, and what are you doing in Japan?
We are on our honeymoon right now.
So we're just kind of visiting, doing a bunch of tourism.
Nice.
Why did you pick Japan for your honeymoon destination?
Honestly, we we kind of have always dreamed of coming here.
We've talked quite often about coming to live here, actually.
Mm hmm.
And so it's always been like one of our go to spots.
It's just kind of that.
Also, we're huge nerds.
So that also helps.
I see.
You said you or like you're thinking about moving here.
What is something that or what attracts you to Japan, actually?
What is it?
Honestly, just the a lot of different things.
Me personally, I think is probably the the culture here.
It's very strong, very, I would say almost spiritual in the fact that everybody feels sort of connected.
Everybody cares about each other.
From what I can tell, especially like being here now, seeing how considerate everybody else is of everybody is is honestly amazing to see.
Also, kind of the low crime rate is good to know.
True.
Yeah, I'm from Europe.
So like Western countries are kind of different in terms of crime.
Yeah, I love it.
Nice to meet you.
Nice to meet you, too.
Where are you from?
I'm from Amsterdam.
Oh, wow.
OK.
And you said that it's not your first time in Tokyo, right?
No, no.
I come here about a month every year.
OK.
What's the reason, if you don't mind me asking?
Is it like job related?
I train here quite a lot.
So I'm doing this sport called Kendo.
I don't know.
Oh, of course.
Yeah.
So I'm in the national team for it.
And the best way to train is in Japan.
Oh, my God.
That's amazing.
What made you choose Kendo, actually?
How come?
So I'm 36 right now.
Around 10 years ago, I was thinking about like doing a type of sport or another martial arts.
And in my youth, I always did judo and karate until like 12 years old.
And a friend of mine just said, like, hey, I'm doing Kendo.
You want to check it out and join?
So I decided, like, yeah, why not?
Yeah, I got addicted.
Awesome.
OK.
And how do you feel about Japan in general?
Is it like a place where you think like, oh, I'm always looking forward to come back here?
Or do you feel like it's a lot of people?
Like, what's your general?
So, I mean, it's a lot busier, of course.
So a lot of people.
But for me, like as a let's say as a more as a tourist, Japan seems really great.
It's really fine, well organized, easy to move around, easy to find the places.
People are very nice.
So that part is really awesome.
And then the aspect of living here, probably not so attractive.
So how come?
If you don't mind me asking.
I think work culture would be very problematic.
I don't think I don't think I would be able to do as much as I'm able to do in Amsterdam next to my job.
So work life balance would be bad.
Got it.
So that would be my reasoning of not going to Japan.
OK, so but visiting is fine.
Yeah, visiting is perfect.
What's your favorite thing about Japan?
Maybe the food or the culture or food is a big choice.
I mean, compared to Amsterdam.
And then next to that, Kendo is a big thing for me.
So thank you so much.
No worries.
It was a pleasure talking to you.
Hey, guys.
Nice to meet you.
Nice to meet you.
Where are you guys from?
Australia.
Both of you from Australia?
Are you visiting Japan or are you living in Japan?
Visiting.
OK, visiting.
Is it your first time in Japan?
Yes.
OK, how is your experience so far?
Loving it.
Loving it.
What is your favorite part?
Just the atmosphere.
Just people.
Just everything about Japan.
I love it.
Awesome.
What about food?
To die for, mate.
Wow.
Wow.
Any favorite?
We've only been here a couple of days so far.
So we haven't really had a chance to really experience all of Japan.
But I have to say, I had the best ramen ever a couple of days ago.
Wow.
My question, actually, is would you consider moving to Japan with the experience that you had so far, actually?
If I could, I would, definitely.
Wow.
OK.
So is there anything that you think would be better here than in Australia, actually?
I think probably the way the culture is itself.
So everyone's so polite, talks to you, traffic movement.
There's a lot more respect here.
Yeah, definitely a lot more respect.
And it's cleaner.
Yes, that too.
I see.
And what about the language?
Do you think that would be a problem or do you think it would be like, I'm good with language, so I can...
We are not good with language.
A lot of people here speak English.
And so I think you'd pick it up eventually.
I mean, I have to say, I did Japanese for seven years in primary school, but I remember very little from it.
Why that, actually, if you don't mind me asking?
I switched to Italian when I went to high school.
OK.
And what about your Japanese?
I learned about four years in primary school as well.
That's awesome.
OK.
So, yeah, mandatory thing in Australia.
I see.
So, yeah, learning a foreign language over there.
Wow.
Do you guys feel confident in, like, introducing yourself in Japanese?
A little bit, yes, because I remember it.
Do you want to try?
Nice to meet you.
I'm Robert.
Nice to meet you.
Wow.
OK, awesome.
Nice to meet you.
Nice to meet you, too.
You're from?
I'm from Toronto, Canada.
Toronto, Canada.
And you're traveling in Japan?
Yeah.
Traveling in Japan.
Yeah.
OK.
Is it your first time here?
It's actually my second time.
Wow.
Yeah.
The first time I've been here was in 2019.
Now, five years later, I'm back.
Wow.
Why did you come back?
Why?
I love this country, if I'm being honest.
I really want to come back.
I came with my cousins in 2019, and I've always looked for an excuse to want to come back here.
Luckily, my best friend over there was willing to do it a second time around with me.
So, that's why I came back.
Nice.
What brought you back?
I think there's just so much to offer and just the people itself.
So, the first part of what Japan has to offer, I think, like cityscapes, you get, like, countryside vibes.
And then when I compare it to other countries, it's almost like you have a very specific kind of vibe there that's all centralized in one country.
So, it can kind of appeal to a lot of audiences in a way.
So, I think that's what brings me back here.
And then just the people, I think everyone's very respectful here.
What do you consider living in Japan, actually?
Yeah, I had this conversation with my friend during this whole trip, and I think I'm a guy that loves my family.
So, I want to still be around with my family.
I don't know how they feel about moving here, but I think I would do something like an extended stay, maybe like three to six months.
Is there anything you think would be better here than in Canada?
Oh, that's a good question.
I think way of life is a little bit better here in some regards.
I think it just goes back to the mutual respect and just the infrastructure here, like getting around the city is very, very great too.
Compared to Toronto, the subway system can't even match, I think is one big thing as well.
And when you go to Canada, you go to one province and there's, like, great cityscapes.
But if you want to go to the mountainsides, you got to fly four or five hours off to the next coast, right?
Whereas here, it's like one hour flight to get those different experiences.
So, I think that's why Japan has an edge over a country like Canada.
Okay.
Hey guys, nice to meet you.
Nice to meet you too.
You guys are from...
I'm from Turkey.
Turkey and...
I'm from Pakistan.
From Pakistan.
Are you guys traveling in Japan or are you visiting Japan?
I've been living here for about 12 years.
Wow, okay.
This is my tent here in Japan.
Wow, okay.
You guys are kind of veterans.
I'm here since six years now.
So, yeah, you're my senpais in a sense.
So, what initially made you come to Japan, actually?
I came right after high school.
I got a scholarship from a university here.
I thought it was a good chance.
And Japan was just opening up schools for like English programs.
So, I just jumped on it.
Came here without knowing anything about Japan or Japanese.
It was a risk, but ended up wording it.
Wow, okay.
And how about you?
My story is pretty similar too.
I just found out about Japan, applied to a university, got in, got a scholarship, and then just ended up here.
Got it.
And then been here since then.
Wow.
Why did you choose to actually stay in Japan?
Well, actually, I got out for a bit.
I went to Canada for graduate school.
And then I realized that life here was actually not so bad.
So, I found a way, I came back, and then I did job hunting for about six months.
I mean, I speak Japanese, so it helps.
Otherwise, it would be difficult.
But now I got my current job, so it's been pretty good.
Okay.
And what about you?
Yeah, for me, I think like the first two years, I hated it.
Absolutely.
Okay.
Like Japan itself or the idea of being stuck here.
But then slowly, I think Japan gets onto you and started liking the place, learned the language.
And after three years, three and a half years, I felt like it would just be a waste of my time here if I went back right away.
So, I thought I'd stick it out for a bit.
I ended up finding a job in Tokyo, moved to Tokyo.
And then, yeah, just never thought of going back to any other place after that.
Wow.
What is your favorite part about being in Japan, actually?
I think you're free to do whatever you want.
In Japanese, they say like it's actually very easy to live place as long as you abide the general rules, as long as you follow everything.
What about you?
What is your favorite part of being here?
My wife is Japanese.
Okay.
She's my favorite part, I guess.
Beyond that, I think it's very convenient to live here.
You might not have a driver's license, but you can still go anywhere in Japan and it will be easy.
Other than that, I mean, people say like the work culture is very tough, it's like very intense.
But for us, I mean, I work at a good company and I have a pretty good work-life balance here.
The food, the food is great.
You know, I just enjoy life in general without really facing much like obstacles or anything, so it's pretty fun.
Would you recommend to other foreigners who want to come to Japan, want to live in Japan, to live in Japan?
I would, but they should speak Japanese or learn Japanese or at least put some effort learning the Japanese, like the language here.
Because otherwise, their experience would be a bit difficult or not as fun as maybe if they spoke Japanese.
What about you?
For me, the answer would be a bit biased, though.
I think I had a great time because I went to university, could make some friends, learn Japanese.
I think if you're coming as a professional with not knowing any Japanese and then you have to make friends, too, maybe this is not the place because Tokyo can be very lonely itself.
Like if you don't know any people, like it really depends on what kind of a person you are.
But hands down, if you speak Japanese, if you can come at a young age, I think this is the best place.
I've been to different parts of the world, stayed for a few months, but nothing comes close to Japan.
It's just great.
You can't sum it up in words.
Okay, fantastic.
Wow.
All right, guys, that was all for today.
Thank you so much for watching.
And as you can see, Japan is actually quite popular for moving.
I think it's quite amazing.
What do you guys think?
Let us know in the comments as always.
Like the video if you want to see more videos like this.
Subscribe to the channel and we see you on the next one.
Bye bye.
Are you guys nervous?
No.
Awesome.
Wow.
Okay.
Don't be nervous.
It's like super easy questions, actually.
What about favorite food?
Favorite food?
I'm going to go basic here and just go for the ramen.
Of course.
The ramen here is just untouchable.
Can't beat that.
Can't beat that.
The flavor is just very, very strong.
Yeah.