[guide] I moved to Japan 2 months ago on a Working Holiday visa. Here’s what actually surprised me
Been living in Saitama just outside Tokyo for about 2 months now, moved from the UK and honestly it’s been a rollercoaster.
The things people don’t really talk about before you move:
The staring is real. Not aggressive, just relentless. My girlfriend and I will be walking down the street and people will full head-turn stare from their bikes without any shame whatsoever. You get used to it but nobody warned me how consistent it is outside of Tokyo.
The paperwork situation is genuinely wild. I needed to physically stamp and mail a document just to confirm I received my apartment keys. In 2026. A stamp and a letter.
On the flip side the cost of living has genuinely blown me away. We pay 65,000 yen a month for a 2 bedroom apartment with a 30 minute train into Tokyo. Back in the UK that would be impossible.
And the culture here is unlike anything I’ve experienced in 32 countries of travelling. The collectivist mindset runs so deep that locals maintain and clean things that aren’t even their property. I watched parents teaching kids as young as 5 to sweep the street outside their neighbourhood. It genuinely makes you reflect on how we do things back home.
Anyway I documented the whole honest experience in a video if anyone’s curious to see more — the good, the bad, and the parts that don’t make it onto the tourist highlight reels.
Happy to answer any questions about making the move in the comments!
DISCLOSURE: I own a YouTube channel, and the more people who view and subscribe to my channel, the more money I can make off the channel