Thank you both for this video. I'm a bit farther along in my life than either of you, but recent personal events have caused me to contemplate moving away from my hometown so I can get a different experience. Japan is one of the places I'm mulling over; I've been able to pick up a bit of the language from watching videos on UA-cam, listening to Japanese songs and traveling in the country. I loved my vacation time here and made some great connections, which has fanned the flames. Watching both your channels plus some others by foreigners living there has made me think with all the obstacles I could actually make a go of it. I'm under no illusions that all my problems will go away - seen too much to think otherwise - but I think interacting with new people and experiencing a different culture would help me grow as a person. I'm overdue for it. So thank you for sharing your stories and telling us it is possible.
Yes, I moved away from my home town and county to the other side of my home country and even that was a great experience, in which I've grown so much as a person. I'm looking to move again within my home country and eventually abroad to Japan. Even moving to a different area away from your old support networks can be somewhat challenging but a real experience, that I would recommend to anyone. I can't begin to imagine how different life could be if I spent time living in another country but I feel that it would be really good for me. If you've reached a position in life where you are able to try living in another country, I totally think you should go for it. Good Luck~
I loved what you said about not thinking of things that make you different as "defects". It's very easy to get caught up in that thinking in a place like Japan, but I fee like that might actually be a gift in itself - learning to accept (and love) yourself even when not many other people do. Also one thing to remember - even if there are those who don't realize it, we are all humans of the same planet Earth. We are all equally valuable and special. You might look different, and go about doing things in your own way, but you really are no more or less special than everyone else around you. We are "us" at our core, not our nationality or race.
You guys are so cute. I think you also do a great job of giving balance on living in Japan. Most people prior to going to Japan have an "anime fantasy" about Japan. Channels like yours help people realise that there is more to Japan than just Anime! Keep up the great work!
This is the sort of video I really like as it has a bit of everything; comparative cultures, personal insight, viewer response to top questions, collaboration with another J-vloger, and just a nice retrospect on your experiences. You acknowledge that life is good and bad and in between and it shows a level of sophistication that only your unique experiences could have built. It is also just neat to see how far you have come doing something that very few would have the determination and self-awareness to even attempt. Having watched and followed your videos from your early music school days it is just like having a pen pal without the writing and lots of vicarious traveling via your hard work. Good job. (Wow, been following for over 9 years) It would be neat to compare your earliest vids again.
As a black person in England (where I was born) I've experienced more racism and discrimination there than when i lived in Japan. Granted I got stared at more in Japan because I lived in the countryside but it was never hostile like it is in England and people generally were just curious and excited to see/speak with me
I like the way you two can make really fun videos as well as ones nicely thought through without trying hard. Good jobs, girls. Always enjoy watching them.
You're so well versed, Micaela. The way you express yourself is really clear, you break down complicated feelings and situations into manageable concepts very easily. I really mean it.
After two years in Japan and now being back in the US, watching this video really got me thinking if I gave up on living in Japan too quickly. For me, in the end, I knew that I never truly wanted to stay in Japan for longer than a couple years, but you ladies gave some good points on being a long-term foreigner/living in Japan for a long time.
Micaela ミカエラ Lol 😂 Omg I so wanna see a rematch on that!! You both are beautiful! Keep on smiling and I wanted to wish you and Tatsu many Great opportunities to come your way if/when you both get the business going!! You bot are awesome photographers and videographers! 😘👏❤️📹📷 Also question to when you have your visa, I heard that you have to go to like China or Korea to renew your work visa. Is that true? Please help if you can.
Sharla in Japan As someone else commented too, if it's not a too personal question I'd love to hear if he is zainichi and if he has encountered racism for being Korean! Lots of people only focus on how western foreigners deal with being different I Japan but I'd love to hear about how Asians from other countries feel! maybe you and michaela could do a video on that and maybe interview people? (since I know your boyfriend doesn't want to be on yt so it could of course be anyone else!)😊😊
Two teen girls came to foreign Asian country alone and learn language ,and overcome various difficulties for living in completely different cultures and now says they can deal with problems alone without no aids for friends,its great thing.
Thank you so much for this video! I've just moved to Japan for the first time, and have been living in the countryside for about a month and while I am conversational in Japanese, being here has made me really doubt my language and adulting abilities, especially this week. But you guys have made me feel so so much better about life in general. Thank you!!
A Czech friend of mine had a business relationship with a Japanese Bank in San Francisco and he said at first it was impossible and they put endless obstacles in his way be he was old school so he kept on persevering and became a very successful property developer who only used this Japanese Bank. He said the Japanese are wary of foreigners but they respect perseverance and good character even if they try their best to discourage you. Keep at it with no surrender and you will get there.
Nice video! I am going on 17 years and yeah it was easy from day 1 and super easy today for me. You make it what you want. What I found best was to have no expectations and throw away what you learned growing up and just embrace the greatness of Japan and what it has to offer. Safety being #1. That would be the coolest thing having 2 foreigners having a kid who is Japanese and who would be able to speak both Japanese and English fluently..very unique and a star in the making. And the education system isn't that bad as you can choose how you want to raise your kid... I am also from Canada with no plans to ever return. Too many good things here ;)
I love you guys even more now! Thanks for putting this video together. I said this before, but you two are the very first UA-camrs that I started to watch. "Everyone's life is different" is so true! My daughter was born in US. It wasn't scheduled we go back to Japan at that time. My only concern about raising her there was, I would feel lonely if she didn't share my background culture. Kids are heavy in the sense that they are not you. You as a parent is responsible for their initial life. I hope you guys will have a happy life with your children wherever you are if/when the time comes. XOXO
These videos make me so happy. I still remember when I found your 'How to get to Japan' video and it really solidified my desire to go there; something I had never really had before? Just a bit. I never thought I would end up living overseas and yet you inspired me to do so, and I lived in Japan for nearly all of 2016 and part of 2017. I am blessed with the opportunity to study at a large university in America with very little price, so I'm currently back in the states working on my degree. And I am just ITCHING to go back. Next year, I will be hopefully living near the Osaka-Kyoto area for a year to study instead of Kanagawa prefecture (I went to a high school in Yokohama) like last year. Just wanted to let you know that your videos are life-changing for many, many people! Never doubt the effect that your words can have on your viewers!
Thank you so much for this video guys!! (Two of my favourite UA-camrs!) I'll be moving to Fukuoka from the UK in a weeks time for a year so really appreciate the insight! 💕
Thank you so much for the warm words. I almost teared. And also the leather jacket looks wonderful on you, Micaela. I want to see it on Sharla as well haha.
What a SUPER interesting collab! I love this and your mentalities. I bet all your viewers who've seen you grow from the beginning have been waiting for this one haha .. this is real life talk folks. Great insight. ;)
I love you girls so much :') I guess you get these messages a lot and it's weird to hear it from complete strangers, but I feel like watching my sisters living in a different country. I really appreciate you talking honestly about your experiences and I loved the "choose where you want to struggle" part. I've lived on two different continents so far and I can relate to everything you're saying even without having lived in Japan. I'm planning to do so and I always wondered if it was going to be harder than anywhere else because others tried to tell me so. But I kind of always knew that it would be a challenge just the same as anywhere else in the world. Alright, this comment is getting way too long, but I just want to say thank you. Thank you for always working hard and I wish for both of you to stay healthy and motivated. I'm looking forward to your future videos and projects! Lots of love, Judith
That comment about choosing where to struggle was pure gold! you should totally make merchandise shirts or something with "I decided to struggle in [insert country]!😁😁 thank you btw for such an interesting video!
I really like the message at the end of your video. I spent a year in Japan and it was difficult. I'm going back in June to live and sometimes worry it'll be difficult again...but I think I just need to stay optimistic about it!
It's interesting that Sharla was saying she would go back to Canada to raise her kids. I was actually wondering about that recently, because I've never seen any youtubers living in Japan who actually have kids there. Except for Texan in Tokyo, but they decided to stop vlogging because they want to have kids now.
Check out Nekojitablog, it's a spanish youtube channel, but I think it has english subs. They are a couple formed by a japanese woman and a spanish man, and they are raising their child in Japan. They don't show his face, but they talk about him on their videos.
I have been following you for a while, because I always had the dream to go to Japan. Then I got a Japanese boyfriend and lived there for a while (on a tourist visa, 5 times going back and forth). I wasn't there as a tourist but neither was I integrated in society. Then I had some bad experiences, with my now ex and his family, and got scared of Japan as a whole. I wasn't thinking of it as a part of my future. But the thing is that, regardless of that bad experiences, I shuldn't let go of the new language and culture I acquired. First you inspired me to start learning Japanese, and now, you give me strength to continue. Thank you.
I like what you said about being different simply because you've experienced life somewhere else. I moved to a different region of the US as a middle schooler and I can attest this was true for me. It was mainly positive for me- being a little more worldly in any way will get you far in middle school (even if you're a giant dork) and over time I developed similarities with people around me while keeping the best parts of my earlier experiences worked into my identity. For example, people in the region I'm from are much more friendly and warm, especially with strangers, and I never lost that.
I totally agree with both of you. Experiences are also very subjective and personal. How you experience one thing will be completely different from another. I think often times people don't stop think outside of their own experiences before judging.
Living in the US as an Asian, I have a similiar experience as you and Sharla describe. I'm treated as a perpetual outsider eventhough I grew up here. People judge you by your appearance. Its not unusual for people to be surprised I speak perfect English and they assume I'm on steroids when they see I have a muscular build like asians can't have muscles unless they do steroids. Its sad to the point you have to find it funny
Brother, I will have you know, YOU are one of the few people that feel that way ablut YOU. We don't care who you are, what you do for work, or anything of that manner. Thia country was founded by not a single native so we all have foreign roots. You are projecting this untrue stereotype of americans nto other people and that isn't right. Nobody ia suprised that you can speak english. Stop making us look bad.
@@christianmino4073 > We don't care who you are, what you do for work, or anything of that manner. Thia country was founded by not a single native so we all have foreign roots. My sweet summer child. It must be amazing to live in such a bubble as to think that americans "don't care who you are because all in the country have foreign roots". Bless your heart.
I'm sorry to hear you have that experience, however I have to say as an Asian American I've had a very different experience. I feel completely integrated with this country, and very rarely experience any racism or being made to feel like an outsider. I feel extremely fortunate to be so welcomed in this country that I was technically not born into. I currently live in a small town in Alaska with my Caucasian wife and we feel very welcome and integrated into the community here.
Thank you very much for this video!!!! A lot of questions I have are now answered. I am into my second year now and it is good to have another opinion. Fortunately my wife is Japanese and she can help me a lot, but being unable to speak much Japanese can make you think a lot during your time here.
I just want to say thank you for making this video, it's been about a month and a half after moving to Japan and I think I was subconsciously thinking that I could pick up my life right away after moving here. My Japanese is not great, but N3+ level, so I think I was a little overconfident. I can do most things on my own, but with the culture divide, I totally resonate with the "defect" segment of the video by Micaela. It's been really hard to connect with Japanese people thus far. I've also been asked how long I want to stay here a lot. Not having a good answer has created a bit of stress for me, but I really connect with Sharla's answer, something else to consider. Thank you, both of you!
I lived in Okinawa, Japan with the military( The US Navy). This was such an interesting and helpful video, explaining the life here and navigating it! You both came to Japan so young! Excellent! Bravo Zulu to you both! Congrats! 🌷💐🎉
Godmother of J-Vlogers! You guys are two of my best English teachers. I didn't exactly know what the fxck means before I watched your how to say fxck video. Since then, I've been using it everyday. It's a quite useful word. Thanks!
True👌🏻. Why you give up. Continue. Life is hard sometimes but not always. 👌🏻 I'm glad i choose struggle/adventure than giving up there. Thanks for sharing this .☺️
I had a lot of stares while I was there, but I expected that to be the case. I'm half Thai, but you wouldn't just know that by looking at me. I found that using the very limited Japanese words we knew helped the acceptance factor. Instead of being the typical American, we made the effort to use their words and I think that always helps any culture be more accepting of you. I'm looking into moving there at a future date but I need to do more research on getting a job there. I know a few people that have gone the teaching route, but I want to stay aligned with what I'm doing now. Appreciate the video!
I returned to watch this, over a year later, because it was suggested by UA-cam. It is interesting to watch M's expression from 8:00 (where she pinches her brow) all the way to 9:00 as Sharla explains not wanting to have a child in Japan and why. By the end you can see how the rationale makes sense, especially given their experiences in the educational system in Japan. Ironically, exactly 10 months after this video was put up, Sharla released her "My First Week Living In Korea" video. 2017 really did shake up the J-vlog community. I am glad you two made this video collaboration when you did. It is oddly prescient.
This reminded me that even after 6 years in Korea I struggled so much at the post office, idk why I just couldn't do it!! haha language learning is weird.. We started off living in Seoul our first year and learned no Korean, but after that we moved to a small town and started studying, it was so much easier then. It was smart to start off in a small town. -R
This really helped me. I've been here now for only a few weeks, but its been really rough and this has nothing to do with my experiences atm, but it was still really inspiring. Thanks
11:00 Exactly The experience of one person can be very different from that of another in the same exact place. Even in the same household. Anecdotal evidence is not the same as a scientific and statistical evaluation. I've heard many stories from foreigners who lived in Japan here on youtube, and they vary greatly. Some people were treated terribly. Others were treated great and loved it. I have a friend who has lived there for twenty years, and teaches art --- he's a fantastic artist --- at a university in Tokyo, has a wife and child there, and he loves it. Btw, David Lee Roth, the former van Halen front man, lived in Japan for a year recently, and he loved it. Of course, he has a ton of money, so he can easily do it.
It was pretty encouraging to hear that Sharla left and came back. I'm finishing up my 3rd year here and I'm going back to Canada next month because I've been feeling really discouraged. My Japanese is about N3 level but I feel like that's not good enough to get a "real job" outside of an Eikaiwa, so I guess I'm regrouping for now? I dunno. I feel like the whole "you just kind of pick it up over time" thing is a bit misleading though. I spent my whole first year here believing that I'd just kind of learn through osmosis before I realized that I needed to actually make the effort to study grammar, and start conversations, and look up/write new kanji I saw in my day-to-day.
+Vincent Costa It might depend on where you live, like Sharla mentioned we both lived in the countryside and didn't have the option to "resort to English" when we had trouble. Also we were young, I didn't have internet or even a phone back then so it's not like I could just look up words online or chat with English speaking friends on a whim... That might have been a huge factor too.
Yeah, I guess like you said you can only really speak about your own experience. I kinda just wish I'd had a different attitude/plan from the start. Regrets! :'D
I just started watching both of you the last month or 2. Both channels are so interesting and a fun way to pass my time. I'm Canadian too btw (Montreal) but never been overseas ...USA yes but that's it. Anyway...love you both and wish you the best.
Thanks girls... I am too old to travel now but I enjoy your videos... They give me a glimpse into what it would have been like if I was young and fit lol
Thank you for the awesome video! I have still not been to japan, Im going this august and am super excited to visit Osaka for 14 nights. Ive wanted to move to japan for a long time, but being married, with a cat and being 30 now I tend to feel like Im too old to try to move to japan since it seems like so many opportunities are geared towards people in thier early 20's.
It was really effective for me to understand "what is the cultural exchange" and how do we confront to these problems. It's a good comment of you, so please keep continuing to tell just what you feel in Japan!!!!! Thank you.
Very nice video! Next April it is going to be 2 years since I came to Japan. Experiencing the education in a Senmon Gakko is pretty overwhelming, I don't want to stay because of the excessive pressure and unbelievable speed in which the contents are taught. Having said that, my country is in a very hard political and economical moment right now, and I'm becoming uncertain if I should return.. I will finish this career for sure, there's no point in giving up having come so far. 頑張りましょう。
Nice video you guys! I decided to move away from Japan after five years due to career restrictions. I didn't think there was any way for me to do what I wanted there. But it was a good experience! Although, as you both said, many ups and downs!
I've been living in Japan now for nearly 3 years now and man has it certainly been a roller coaster. I love my life here and Japan can be a really comfortable place to live, of course there are challenges being a foreigner, being a gay man and so on, but it DOES GET EASIER. My first year here I lived in a bubble with my other foreign friends (who were all short-term exchange students) and when they all left, I felt thrown into Japanese society alone and experienced MAJOR culture shock. It was a tough second year, but it forced me to improve my Japanese, I made some great Japanese friends and started living my life in an entirely new way. It has opened so many doors for me and I am beginning to love Japan more and more with passing time. Of course there are still challenges to everyday life but I wouldn't have it any other way!
Thank you so much for this great video!!! After living one year in Japan on working holiday, and having broke a bone while I was there... and I decided to stay anyway... It was great!!! I'd love to go back and live in Japan permanently, but sadly I don't have the requirements... yet...
Such a good point about having kids here! My daughter is Japanese as her mom is Japanese and she was born here but she looks 大獄人 for sure. She's 2 now and already gets extra cutesy attention... I can only imagine that when she's a teen here. We already decided a while back to move back to Canada, but this is really interesting perspective after the fact.
Thank you for this video. We lived in Okinawa for 3 years and had a great time, but also had bad experiences/learning experiences. Now that our son is 9, we plan to move to Japan again next year so he can experience it too! This time, Hiroshima. Looking forward to our adventure!🤣🎌
I am married to a Japanese national. I am an American. We are in the final planning stages on where to live. We applied for spouse visas in both countries. We are leaning towards living in Japan for 4-5 years, then moving to the United States. My wife speaks English, but I don't speak any Japanese. The language is the thing I'm most worried about. I don't want to rely on her too much. She has a good career and can support us until I find something. I'm not sure if I want to teach English though. I have a good job in the United States, but because of my lack of Japanese skills, there is no way to work in my career path in Japan. Any advice would be appreciated.
I say this because you want to connect with them as much as possible. I'm not sure if you are planning on having children either, but can you image being left out of conversations in Japanese between your spouse and child? You will want to be able to relate to your child in all ways possible. Also, when you are with someone of another culture, you should do your best to meet them half way. Not learning Japanese is not meeting them half way. I am also in a relationship with a foreigner, and am slowly acquiring their language. Especially since his family doesn't speak any English (he's fluent in English though), we want to enjoy travelling to his country, and we plan on having children. I am also with him because I love hia culture, and want to show that. You owe it to your spouse to bite the bullet and start learning. Good luck!
This is a really remarkable video. Feeling so grateful you guys have lived in Japan for over a decade. I can imagine many locals put prejudice on you based on their luck of foreign experience and that would really bug you and get you on nerves. But both of you have take time to fit into real lives in Japan and well integrated with unique culture and communication. Today's video is worth watched by many people live in outside of home countries, across the globe!
To Sharla: if you are going to get married, would you rather live in Canada (even though your husband doesn't speak english so well -- i think?) or in South korea (but you would have to learn another language again?)
i am very thankful for all the pictures on menus in tokyo hahahaha. There was one time we were handed an all japanese menu, and we just used google translate picture. pointing at something and saying "onegaishimasu" and "arigatou gozaimasu" got us a long way XD
I love how encouraging this video is :D Right now i cant imagine living abroad, but i always wondered how people could go somewhere else without knowing the language or even basic cultural norms. If i go to life abroad i would choose countries i could comunicate in. But i would love to go to Japan for longer than a vacation. Maybe I'll learn the language and get an opportunity someday!
Regarding fitting in, if your friends and family accept you, then that should be enough. Who cares if complete strangers don't accept you,... I don't and I feel fine here
I would love to go to Japan it looks so amazing and i would love friends like sharla and Taylor and you since I found your channel through watching sharlas vids
I know I'll never live in Japan (my job just wouldn't translate) but I do plan to visit as many times as possible! So I love these informational videos just because I find your lives interesting :)
Micaela, first of all - this look is just 👌🏻. Second - the way you express yourself is always so focused and intelligent and considerate and relatable and like... I JUST WANNA BE YOUR FRIEND more than I can SAY, but I also know EXACTLY how creepy that can sound, so hey - to sum up... cool vid, bro. ✌🏻K, bye. ❤️
Its funny, this video kinda made me nostalgic. I remember watching both of you start your youtube channels while surprisingly I was in Japan too. Along with victor, sam, ericsurf, and many others. One day my wife I I will move back and i am not quite sure how my mind will wrap around it lol.
somehow I just watched your vid and somehow I found myself crying even Im Japanese. I just had seriously bad year just working in Japan, seriously wanted to go back to Australia where I spent 12 years. but yeah, as you said here, life is hard wherever you are. Hope everything is ok with you two, and thank you for your vid.
Thank you both for this video. I'm a bit farther along in my life than either of you, but recent personal events have caused me to contemplate moving away from my hometown so I can get a different experience. Japan is one of the places I'm mulling over; I've been able to pick up a bit of the language from watching videos on UA-cam, listening to Japanese songs and traveling in the country. I loved my vacation time here and made some great connections, which has fanned the flames. Watching both your channels plus some others by foreigners living there has made me think with all the obstacles I could actually make a go of it. I'm under no illusions that all my problems will go away - seen too much to think otherwise - but I think interacting with new people and experiencing a different culture would help me grow as a person. I'm overdue for it. So thank you for sharing your stories and telling us it is possible.
Yes, I moved away from my home town and county to the other side of my home country and even that was a great experience, in which I've grown so much as a person. I'm looking to move again within my home country and eventually abroad to Japan. Even moving to a different area away from your old support networks can be somewhat challenging but a real experience, that I would recommend to anyone. I can't begin to imagine how different life could be if I spent time living in another country but I feel that it would be really good for me. If you've reached a position in life where you are able to try living in another country, I totally think you should go for it. Good Luck~
Chose where you want to struggle. That line is the definition of life.
nice
this is so true omg
I loved what you said about not thinking of things that make you different as "defects". It's very easy to get caught up in that thinking in a place like Japan, but I fee like that might actually be a gift in itself - learning to accept (and love) yourself even when not many other people do. Also one thing to remember - even if there are those who don't realize it, we are all humans of the same planet Earth. We are all equally valuable and special. You might look different, and go about doing things in your own way, but you really are no more or less special than everyone else around you. We are "us" at our core, not our nationality or race.
You guys are so cute. I think you also do a great job of giving balance on living in Japan. Most people prior to going to Japan have an "anime fantasy" about Japan. Channels like yours help people realise that there is more to Japan than just Anime! Keep up the great work!
I decided to come back to Japan after 13 years of living in NY. It's good to understand both cultures and languages instead of oneside.
This is the sort of video I really like as it has a bit of everything; comparative cultures, personal insight, viewer response to top questions, collaboration with another J-vloger, and just a nice retrospect on your experiences. You acknowledge that life is good and bad and in between and it shows a level of sophistication that only your unique experiences could have built.
It is also just neat to see how far you have come doing something that very few would have the determination and self-awareness to even attempt. Having watched and followed your videos from your early music school days it is just like having a pen pal without the writing and lots of vicarious traveling via your hard work. Good job. (Wow, been following for over 9 years) It would be neat to compare your earliest vids again.
As a black person in England (where I was born) I've experienced more racism and discrimination there than when i lived in Japan. Granted I got stared at more in Japan because I lived in the countryside but it was never hostile like it is in England and people generally were just curious and excited to see/speak with me
I love how insightful you are! This was really inspiring!
I like the way you two can make really fun videos as well as ones nicely thought through without trying hard. Good jobs, girls. Always enjoy watching them.
i love these honnest and serious conversations with you two, that's super interesting!
You're so well versed, Micaela. The way you express yourself is really clear, you break down complicated feelings and situations into manageable concepts very easily. I really mean it.
After two years in Japan and now being back in the US, watching this video really got me thinking if I gave up on living in Japan too quickly. For me, in the end, I knew that I never truly wanted to stay in Japan for longer than a couple years, but you ladies gave some good points on being a long-term foreigner/living in Japan for a long time.
I'm so glad we finally filmed something together❤ Like the good ol days~ We should remake the golf video one day 🏀🎾⚾️🏐
+Sharla in Japan Balls everywhere!
Micaela ミカエラ Lol 😂 Omg I so wanna see a rematch on that!! You both are beautiful! Keep on smiling and I wanted to wish you and Tatsu many Great opportunities to come your way if/when you both get the business going!! You bot are awesome photographers and videographers! 😘👏❤️📹📷
Also question to when you have your visa, I heard that you have to go to like China or Korea to renew your work visa. Is that true? Please help if you can.
I know that look. The 'I don't wanna' look but have to do it anyway.
Sharla, is your boyfriend a Zainichi Korean or a "normal" South Korean?
Sharla in Japan As someone else commented too, if it's not a too personal question I'd love to hear if he is zainichi and if he has encountered racism for being Korean! Lots of people only focus on how western foreigners deal with being different I Japan but I'd love to hear about how Asians from other countries feel! maybe you and michaela could do a video on that and maybe interview people? (since I know your boyfriend doesn't want to be on yt so it could of course be anyone else!)😊😊
Two teen girls came to foreign Asian country alone and learn language ,and overcome various difficulties for living
in completely different cultures and now says they can deal with problems alone without no aids for friends,its great thing.
Thank you so much for this video! I've just moved to Japan for the first time, and have been living in the countryside for about a month and while I am conversational in Japanese, being here has made me really doubt my language and adulting abilities, especially this week. But you guys have made me feel so so much better about life in general. Thank you!!
Micaela - the original jvlogger. Yes, I still go through your old videos (along with Sharla's). Appreciate all your efforts. Thanks
A Czech friend of mine had a business relationship with a Japanese Bank in San Francisco and he said at first it was impossible and they put endless obstacles in his way be he was old school so he kept on persevering and became a very successful property developer who only used this Japanese Bank. He said the Japanese are wary of foreigners but they respect perseverance and good character even if they try their best to discourage you. Keep at it with no surrender and you will get there.
Really appreciate the honesty in this vid!
Nice video! I am going on 17 years and yeah it was easy from day 1 and super easy today for me. You make it what you want. What I found best was to have no expectations and throw away what you learned growing up and just embrace the greatness of Japan and what it has to offer. Safety being #1.
That would be the coolest thing having 2 foreigners having a kid who is Japanese and who would be able to speak both Japanese and English fluently..very unique and a star in the making. And the education system isn't that bad as you can choose how you want to raise your kid...
I am also from Canada with no plans to ever return. Too many good things here ;)
I love you guys even more now! Thanks for putting this video together. I said this before, but you two are the very first UA-camrs that I started to watch. "Everyone's life is different" is so true!
My daughter was born in US. It wasn't scheduled we go back to Japan at that time. My only concern about raising her there was, I would feel lonely if she didn't share my background culture. Kids are heavy in the sense that they are not you. You as a parent is responsible for their initial life. I hope you guys will have a happy life with your children wherever you are if/when the time comes. XOXO
Very informative and intelligent. I'm moving my family to Japan in 8 months. Thank you
Counting down
These videos make me so happy. I still remember when I found your 'How to get to Japan' video and it really solidified my desire to go there; something I had never really had before? Just a bit. I never thought I would end up living overseas and yet you inspired me to do so, and I lived in Japan for nearly all of 2016 and part of 2017. I am blessed with the opportunity to study at a large university in America with very little price, so I'm currently back in the states working on my degree. And I am just ITCHING to go back. Next year, I will be hopefully living near the Osaka-Kyoto area for a year to study instead of Kanagawa prefecture (I went to a high school in Yokohama) like last year. Just wanted to let you know that your videos are life-changing for many, many people! Never doubt the effect that your words can have on your viewers!
Wonderful video, thank you Micaela and Sharla
Thank you so much for this video guys!! (Two of my favourite UA-camrs!) I'll be moving to Fukuoka from the UK in a weeks time for a year so really appreciate the insight! 💕
Thanks for the awesome discussion. I'm still new to Japan (10 months), so I hope I get more used to it!
Hello!
Every day , I watch your channels to study English.
Thank you !
Thank you so much for the warm words. I almost teared. And also the leather jacket looks wonderful on you, Micaela. I want to see it on Sharla as well haha.
What a SUPER interesting collab! I love this and your mentalities. I bet all your viewers who've seen you grow from the beginning have been waiting for this one haha .. this is real life talk folks. Great insight. ;)
This is such a great video and exactly what was really on our minds. Thanks, y'all.
Finally landing in Tokyo on the 1st. TY for helping me keep my dream of living in Japan alive with your great uploads!
I love you girls so much :') I guess you get these messages a lot and it's weird to hear it from complete strangers, but I feel like watching my sisters living in a different country. I really appreciate you talking honestly about your experiences and I loved the "choose where you want to struggle" part. I've lived on two different continents so far and I can relate to everything you're saying even without having lived in Japan. I'm planning to do so and I always wondered if it was going to be harder than anywhere else because others tried to tell me so. But I kind of always knew that it would be a challenge just the same as anywhere else in the world. Alright, this comment is getting way too long, but I just want to say thank you. Thank you for always working hard and I wish for both of you to stay healthy and motivated. I'm looking forward to your future videos and projects! Lots of love, Judith
thank you for such a real and raw talk about your experiences 💜
I ❤️ this video. You guys are awesome for encouraging people to go for it!
とても興味深い動画でした。
じろじろ見られるのは日本に限ったことではないのかなと思います。アジア人の観光客、在住者が少ない例えば東欧などに行くと、じろじろ見られますし、「ニーハオ！」と叫ばれ、笑われたりもします。
様々な人種の方々がいるカナダ、アメリカなどでは気が付きにくいかもしれません。
日本人はシャイでオープンじゃないと良く言われます。また、正直に話さないと。まだ20か国程度しか行ったことないので200か国全部の意見ではありませんが、海外の方々と話をしていても、なんでも褒めたり、社交辞令だろうなと思えるようなことも多々言われ、あまり日本との違いは自分にはわかりませんでした。
もちろん嫌いなものは嫌いという場面も多々ありますが、日本でも同じです。
シャイでオープンではないと思われる原因は、おそらく言葉の壁なのかなと思います。それが、最初は受け入れてくれないと思われる原因なのかなと。私たちの疎い英語では細かいことは伝えられないし、まだ日本語に慣れていない方が相手の場合だと、なるべく簡単に話をしようと心がけます（会社にたくさんいるので）。私はものすごく明るいほうでも、いろいろとお話しするほうでもありませんが、海外の友達（日本に行ったこと無い）は、君は普通の日本人と違ってシャイじゃないし、よくしゃべるねと言われます。おそらくこれは、私がある程度コミュニケーションを取れるようになったことが原因かなと思います。
長くなりましたが、私の狭いコミュニティーの中での経験ですが、これが私の考えです。
私はもっと海外の方、海外のことを知りたいので、違ったご意見などあればコメントいただけるとありがたいです。
That comment about choosing where to struggle was pure gold! you should totally make merchandise shirts or something with "I decided to struggle in [insert country]!😁😁 thank you btw for such an interesting video!
I really like the message at the end of your video. I spent a year in Japan and it was difficult. I'm going back in June to live and sometimes worry it'll be difficult again...but I think I just need to stay optimistic about it!
thanks for sharing... 2 and a half yrs in 🇯🇵 now and it's still pretty hard for me😅glad to hear it gets easier❣
It's interesting that Sharla was saying she would go back to Canada to raise her kids. I was actually wondering about that recently, because I've never seen any youtubers living in Japan who actually have kids there. Except for Texan in Tokyo, but they decided to stop vlogging because they want to have kids now.
Check out Nekojitablog, it's a spanish youtube channel, but I think it has english subs. They are a couple formed by a japanese woman and a spanish man, and they are raising their child in Japan. They don't show his face, but they talk about him on their videos.
I have been following you for a while, because I always had the dream to go to Japan. Then I got a Japanese boyfriend and lived there for a while (on a tourist visa, 5 times going back and forth). I wasn't there as a tourist but neither was I integrated in society. Then I had some bad experiences, with my now ex and his family, and got scared of Japan as a whole. I wasn't thinking of it as a part of my future. But the thing is that, regardless of that bad experiences, I shuldn't let go of the new language and culture I acquired. First you inspired me to start learning Japanese, and now, you give me strength to continue. Thank you.
I like what you said about being different simply because you've experienced life somewhere else. I moved to a different region of the US as a middle schooler and I can attest this was true for me. It was mainly positive for me- being a little more worldly in any way will get you far in middle school (even if you're a giant dork) and over time I developed similarities with people around me while keeping the best parts of my earlier experiences worked into my identity. For example, people in the region I'm from are much more friendly and warm, especially with strangers, and I never lost that.
Love seeing you two upload together! Been watching you both for at least 5 years! Feels like a family reunion xD
I totally agree with both of you. Experiences are also very subjective and personal. How you experience one thing will be completely different from another. I think often times people don't stop think outside of their own experiences before judging.
Thanks for making this video! Much appreciated.
you guys are awesome! have enjoyed your videos for a while now thanks for sharing your experiences!! :)
Living in the US as an Asian, I have a similiar experience as you and Sharla describe. I'm treated as a perpetual outsider eventhough I grew up here. People judge you by your appearance. Its not unusual for people to be surprised I speak perfect English and they assume I'm on steroids when they see I have a muscular build like asians can't have muscles unless they do steroids. Its sad to the point you have to find it funny
T Poole where in the US do you live?
@@NessaNote My nam jef
Brother, I will have you know, YOU are one of the few people that feel that way ablut YOU. We don't care who you are, what you do for work, or anything of that manner. Thia country was founded by not a single native so we all have foreign roots. You are projecting this untrue stereotype of americans nto other people and that isn't right. Nobody ia suprised that you can speak english. Stop making us look bad.
@@christianmino4073
> We don't care who you are, what you do for work, or anything of that manner. Thia country was founded by not a single native so we all have foreign roots.
My sweet summer child. It must be amazing to live in such a bubble as to think that americans "don't care who you are because all in the country have foreign roots". Bless your heart.
I'm sorry to hear you have that experience, however I have to say as an Asian American I've had a very different experience. I feel completely integrated with this country, and very rarely experience any racism or being made to feel like an outsider. I feel extremely fortunate to be so welcomed in this country that I was technically not born into. I currently live in a small town in Alaska with my Caucasian wife and we feel very welcome and integrated into the community here.
Such wise thoughts. Both of you. What you say applies to whoever we are and wherever we live.
Thank you very much for this video!!!! A lot of questions I have are now answered. I am into my second year now and it is good to have another opinion. Fortunately my wife is Japanese and she can help me a lot, but being unable to speak much Japanese can make you think a lot during your time here.
I just want to say thank you for making this video, it's been about a month and a half after moving to Japan and I think I was subconsciously thinking that I could pick up my life right away after moving here. My Japanese is not great, but N3+ level, so I think I was a little overconfident. I can do most things on my own, but with the culture divide, I totally resonate with the "defect" segment of the video by Micaela. It's been really hard to connect with Japanese people thus far. I've also been asked how long I want to stay here a lot. Not having a good answer has created a bit of stress for me, but I really connect with Sharla's answer, something else to consider. Thank you, both of you!
You guys are two of my favourites! ❤️
I lived in Okinawa, Japan with the military( The US Navy). This was such an interesting and helpful video, explaining the life here and navigating it! You both came to Japan so young! Excellent! Bravo Zulu to you both! Congrats! 🌷💐🎉
Godmother of J-Vlogers! You guys are two of my best English teachers. I didn't exactly know what the fxck means before I watched your how to say fxck video. Since then, I've been using it everyday. It's a quite useful word. Thanks!
True👌🏻. Why you give up. Continue. Life is hard sometimes but not always. 👌🏻 I'm glad i choose struggle/adventure than giving up there. Thanks for sharing this .☺️
これからもずっと日本にいてほしいですね🎵😊
I had a lot of stares while I was there, but I expected that to be the case. I'm half Thai, but you wouldn't just know that by looking at me. I found that using the very limited Japanese words we knew helped the acceptance factor. Instead of being the typical American, we made the effort to use their words and I think that always helps any culture be more accepting of you. I'm looking into moving there at a future date but I need to do more research on getting a job there. I know a few people that have gone the teaching route, but I want to stay aligned with what I'm doing now. Appreciate the video!
I returned to watch this, over a year later, because it was suggested by UA-cam. It is interesting to watch M's expression from 8:00 (where she pinches her brow) all the way to 9:00 as Sharla explains not wanting to have a child in Japan and why. By the end you can see how the rationale makes sense, especially given their experiences in the educational system in Japan.
Ironically, exactly 10 months after this video was put up, Sharla released her "My First Week Living In Korea" video. 2017 really did shake up the J-vlog community. I am glad you two made this video collaboration when you did. It is oddly prescient.
This reminded me that even after 6 years in Korea I struggled so much at the post office, idk why I just couldn't do it!! haha language learning is weird..
We started off living in Seoul our first year and learned no Korean, but after that we moved to a small town and started studying, it was so much easier then. It was smart to start off in a small town. -R
Plot twist there's a video about this on both your channels! Yaaassss! It was a very helpful video :)
This really helped me. I've been here now for only a few weeks, but its been really rough and this has nothing to do with my experiences atm, but it was still really inspiring. Thanks
11:00 Exactly The experience of one person can be very different from that of another in the same exact place. Even in the same household. Anecdotal evidence is not the same as a scientific and statistical evaluation.
I've heard many stories from foreigners who lived in Japan here on youtube, and they vary greatly. Some people were treated terribly. Others were treated great and loved it. I have a friend who has lived there for twenty years, and teaches art --- he's a fantastic artist --- at a university in Tokyo, has a wife and child there, and he loves it.
Btw, David Lee Roth, the former van Halen front man, lived in Japan for a year recently, and he loved it. Of course, he has a ton of money, so he can easily do it.
It was pretty encouraging to hear that Sharla left and came back. I'm finishing up my 3rd year here and I'm going back to Canada next month because I've been feeling really discouraged. My Japanese is about N3 level but I feel like that's not good enough to get a "real job" outside of an Eikaiwa, so I guess I'm regrouping for now? I dunno. I feel like the whole "you just kind of pick it up over time" thing is a bit misleading though. I spent my whole first year here believing that I'd just kind of learn through osmosis before I realized that I needed to actually make the effort to study grammar, and start conversations, and look up/write new kanji I saw in my day-to-day.
+Vincent Costa It might depend on where you live, like Sharla mentioned we both lived in the countryside and didn't have the option to "resort to English" when we had trouble.
Also we were young, I didn't have internet or even a phone back then so it's not like I could just look up words online or chat with English speaking friends on a whim... That might have been a huge factor too.
Yeah, I guess like you said you can only really speak about your own experience. I kinda just wish I'd had a different attitude/plan from the start. Regrets! :'D
i wish there some exposure about japan back then when i was middle schooler. that will give me something to strive for
Your makeup is on point in this vid!
Thank god.
I just started watching both of you the last month or 2. Both channels are so interesting and a fun way to pass my time. I'm Canadian too btw (Montreal) but never been overseas ...USA yes but that's it. Anyway...love you both and wish you the best.
Thanks girls... I am too old to travel now but I enjoy your videos... They give me a glimpse into what it would have been like if I was young and fit lol
Thank you for the awesome video! I have still not been to japan, Im going this august and am super excited to visit Osaka for 14 nights. Ive wanted to move to japan for a long time, but being married, with a cat and being 30 now I tend to feel like Im too old to try to move to japan since it seems like so many opportunities are geared towards people in thier early 20's.
It was really effective for me to understand "what is the cultural exchange" and how do we confront to these problems. It's a good comment of you, so please keep continuing to tell just what you feel in Japan!!!!! Thank you.
私は英語が上手じゃないけど、ミカエラみたいに色んなことを包み隠さず伝えていけるようになりたい！そしてミカエラの意見もこれからも積極的に色んな人に伝えていきます❤︎
金子 みすゞ（かねこ みすず）：大正時代末期から昭和時代初期にかけて活躍した日本の童謡詩人
の詩にこんな言葉が有ります。「みんなちがって みんないい」
全てはそのまんまでパーフェクトだと思います。
Very nice video! Next April it is going to be 2 years since I came to Japan. Experiencing the education in a Senmon Gakko is pretty overwhelming, I don't want to stay because of the excessive pressure and unbelievable speed in which the contents are taught. Having said that, my country is in a very hard political and economical moment right now, and I'm becoming uncertain if I should return.. I will finish this career for sure, there's no point in giving up having come so far. 頑張りましょう。
Nice video you guys! I decided to move away from Japan after five years due to career restrictions. I didn't think there was any way for me to do what I wanted there. But it was a good experience! Although, as you both said, many ups and downs!
OGs
I've been living in Japan now for nearly 3 years now and man has it certainly been a roller coaster. I love my life here and Japan can be a really comfortable place to live, of course there are challenges being a foreigner, being a gay man and so on, but it DOES GET EASIER. My first year here I lived in a bubble with my other foreign friends (who were all short-term exchange students) and when they all left, I felt thrown into Japanese society alone and experienced MAJOR culture shock. It was a tough second year, but it forced me to improve my Japanese, I made some great Japanese friends and started living my life in an entirely new way. It has opened so many doors for me and I am beginning to love Japan more and more with passing time. Of course there are still challenges to everyday life but I wouldn't have it any other way!
Thank you so much for this great video!!!
After living one year in Japan on working holiday, and having broke a bone while I was there... and I decided to stay anyway... It was great!!!
I'd love to go back and live in Japan permanently, but sadly I don't have the requirements... yet...
Great video. Thank you for the insight.
Such a good point about having kids here! My daughter is Japanese as her mom is Japanese and she was born here but she looks 大獄人 for sure. She's 2 now and already gets extra cutesy attention... I can only imagine that when she's a teen here. We already decided a while back to move back to Canada, but this is really interesting perspective after the fact.
thank you Micaela!
ミカエラさんいつも楽しい動画ありがとうございます。
Awesome video :) I'm coming up on year 7 this August!
お二人とも日本の良さを発見するのがお上手で、日本人が忘れていたことを再認識させられます。
yeiii, thanks for the subtitles
Liked this when it aired and going to *LIKE* it again here, because I can ! :-) Peace
Wow 😳 great show 👌👌👌. Thank you to put this together. It's so helpful and you are so nice and pretty.
日本人になるコツは、日本語をネイティブに話せるようになること・一般の日本人並みに日本の文化や歴史や教養を知っていること・日本国籍を持っていること。これさえできていれば肌の色が違ったり、顔の作りが違ったりしようが日本人です。
日本に溶け込めないという主張は、実は本気で溶け込もうとしてない外国人の方が言いがちです。
私はハーフで顔も俗にいう外国人みたいな顔だねと言われることがあります。ですがあくまで「外国人みたい」なんです。
私の友人や知り合いや同僚は私のことを日本人だと認識しているからだと思います。
（もちろん生まれも日本だし国籍も日本ですが。）
Thank you for this video. We lived in Okinawa for 3 years and had a great time, but also had bad experiences/learning experiences. Now that our son is 9, we plan to move to Japan again next year so he can experience it too! This time, Hiroshima. Looking forward to our adventure!🤣🎌
I am married to a Japanese national. I am an American. We are in the final planning stages on where to live. We applied for spouse visas in both countries. We are leaning towards living in Japan for 4-5 years, then moving to the United States. My wife speaks English, but I don't speak any Japanese. The language is the thing I'm most worried about. I don't want to rely on her too much. She has a good career and can support us until I find something. I'm not sure if I want to teach English though. I have a good job in the United States, but because of my lack of Japanese skills, there is no way to work in my career path in Japan. Any advice would be appreciated.
Jeff Lechich If you see any future with this person at all, you have to learn Japanese eventually. Even if you reside in the US.
I say this because you want to connect with them as much as possible. I'm not sure if you are planning on having children either, but can you image being left out of conversations in Japanese between your spouse and child? You will want to be able to relate to your child in all ways possible. Also, when you are with someone of another culture, you should do your best to meet them half way. Not learning Japanese is not meeting them half way. I am also in a relationship with a foreigner, and am slowly acquiring their language. Especially since his family doesn't speak any English (he's fluent in English though), we want to enjoy travelling to his country, and we plan on having children. I am also with him because I love hia culture, and want to show that. You owe it to your spouse to bite the bullet and start learning. Good luck!
This is a really remarkable video. Feeling so grateful you guys have lived in Japan for over a decade. I can imagine many locals put prejudice on you based on their luck of foreign experience and that would really bug you and get you on nerves. But both of you have take time to fit into real lives in Japan and well integrated with unique culture and communication. Today's video is worth watched by many people live in outside of home countries, across the globe!
To Sharla: if you are going to get married, would you rather live in Canada (even though your husband doesn't speak english so well -- i think?) or in South korea (but you would have to learn another language again?)
i am very thankful for all the pictures on menus in tokyo hahahaha. There was one time we were handed an all japanese menu, and we just used google translate picture. pointing at something and saying "onegaishimasu" and "arigatou gozaimasu" got us a long way XD
I love how encouraging this video is :D
Right now i cant imagine living abroad, but i always wondered how people could go somewhere else without knowing the language or even basic cultural norms.
If i go to life abroad i would choose countries i could comunicate in.
But i would love to go to Japan for longer than a vacation. Maybe I'll learn the language and get an opportunity someday!
Regarding fitting in, if your friends and family accept you, then that should be enough.
Who cares if complete strangers don't accept you,... I don't and I feel fine here
I would love to go to Japan it looks so amazing and i would love friends like sharla and Taylor and you since I found your channel through watching sharlas vids
I know I'll never live in Japan (my job just wouldn't translate) but I do plan to visit as many times as possible! So I love these informational videos just because I find your lives interesting :)
Love your videos as always :)
WOW!!! 12 years?!?!?!? I am inspired! :)
Awesome vlog!
you make me want to go to Japan right now ❤
Micaela, first of all - this look is just 👌🏻. Second - the way you express yourself is always so focused and intelligent and considerate and relatable and like... I JUST WANNA BE YOUR FRIEND more than I can SAY, but I also know EXACTLY how creepy that can sound, so hey - to sum up... cool vid, bro. ✌🏻K, bye. ❤️
+One-Woman Show Though ❤❤❤❤❤ thanks
Its funny, this video kinda made me nostalgic. I remember watching both of you start your youtube channels while surprisingly I was in Japan too. Along with victor, sam, ericsurf, and many others. One day my wife I I will move back and i am not quite sure how my mind will wrap around it lol.
somehow I just watched your vid and somehow I found myself crying even Im Japanese. I just had seriously bad year just working in Japan, seriously wanted to go back to Australia where I spent 12 years. but yeah, as you said here, life is hard wherever you are. Hope everything is ok with you two, and thank you for your vid.
This was interesting to watch. Thanks for sharing. :D
I Love this video so much