Two years in Japan: a Reflection
Introduction
Hey guys! For the people who don’t know me, my name is Voylin and I’ve been living in Japan for the past 2 years now. In this article, I’ll be reflecting on my experience so far, sharing what I’ve done, what I like and dislike about Japan, and of course, whether my Japanese has actually improved.
Big news
First of all, big news: yesterday I went to get my new visa and I finally got three years! This is a huge relief as having to go to immigration every single year can be a bit annoying and a bit of a headache to get all paperwork sorted out. Your first 2 years on a spouse visa are 1 year visa’s, after that you get 3 years, and the one after the 3 years one is 5 years.
Now, next time when I go in three years, I can have five years, but I’ll probably go for permanent residence if I stay that long in Japan. Changing nationality is something I am still considering, but at this time I can’t tell yet if I’ll be moving back to Belgium or stay in Japan forever.
Becoming a father
The biggest and happiest news of the last year is that I became a father. I made a whole video about my first week of being a father and it’s been quite the experience. It’s very stressful and not a lot of sleep, but it’s also been a lot of joy. His first week alive was a troublesome experience for him as he had to be separated from the mom and go to a separate hospital to treat the water in his longs.
Everyday I would go to that hospital by bicycle as the public transportation to that hospital was quite inconvenient and time consuming. Riding my bicycle for an hour to go and an hour back was shorter then taking public transportation. So everyday 2 hours of riding, to spend 30 minutes to an hour with him.
Having a baby in Japan is a bit of a strange experience, especially with the whole virus situation going on at the moment. The only reason that I could spend time with my kid was because he was alone in a different hospital. Once back to the mother I wasn’t able to see him anymore.
Also, we received a lot of money from insurance companies and the government, which is kind of like an income source right now. The rules for having a baby in Japan are a bit complicated, but overall it’s been a good experience. So far the money situation is looking rather positive of having a baby.
Moving apartments
Another thing we did last year was moving apartments. I was smart (or dumb) enough to say I’ll do it on my own, but luckily I received help from my wife’s father and a friend of my wife. It was quite hectic on moving day, but we moved everything surprisingly fast. Only problem was that I over exhausted myself a bit too much.
After moving everything we took a small rest before going to a yakiniku place. However, that small rest was not enough for me and I felt too exhausted that even the smallest piece of food made me feel like vomiting.
But, now that we have moved, we finally have multiple rooms, including a hobby room for programming and other stuff. My biggest relieve is that the kitchen is not directly attached to the bedroom anymore, gone are the food smells in the bedroom. We also have multiple windows now. 😀
The only downside is that the bath is still small, next time when we move I want a bath that I can lay inside of, which will be difficult as I’m a rather tall person compared to most Japanese people.
When we move, we will probably buy a house next. But that’s still to be decided, housing in Japan works differently compared to Belgium, here you don’t really pay for the house but for the ground. People break down houses and build new ones like it’s the most normal and simple thing to do or decide upon.
What I miss about Belgium
Lastly, I want to mention what I miss about Belgium, my home country. Of course, I miss my family, but the thing I miss the most is the food. Don’t get me wrong, Japanese food is great, but almost everything is salty, not particularly good for my high cholesterol. I don’t understand why they’re obsessed with trying to get as much cholesterol as possible on a daily basis.
I’ve been struggling with my cholesterol for some time, but when I lived in Belgium I was struggling with high sugar. It feels like I need to decide between diabetes or a stroke/heart disease. I have been trying to live more healthy by exercising more and eating more healthy food, let’s see how my next health check results will be.
It’s only been 2 years so I didn’t really expect to miss that much about Belgium and overall I am really enjoying my time in Japan. Although there are some things which also drive me crazy here. hahah More on that in a later article I guess. :p
Conclusion
In conclusion, my second year in Japan has been a rollercoaster of ups and downs, very tiring moments and the occasional thinking that I would really want a break every now and then.
Becoming a father and getting my three-year visa were some of the highlights. The moving to a new apartment was a smart decision, even though we had to pay a fee because we left after 1 year, it was worth it as the place we live in now feels so open and a lot more spacious. All in all, I’m happy to call Japan my home for now, and I look forward to what the next year brings.