Why Japan

In this article, I will explain why I chose Japan instead of other countries.

First, a brief summary of my conditions, because everyone has different conditions and needs, and my analysis may not be suitable for you:

• Proficient in English, business level, able to handle work;

• IT professional with design and development experience;

• Bachelor's degree, no advantage;

• Not much savings.

Next, I will analyze the countries I considered one by one. Note that I have not studied the immigration policies of each country in detail, and I am not familiar with current policies.

USA

Pros: Developed economy, high income, relatively low cost of living. Housing prices and cars are ridiculously low compared to income. The easiest place to achieve the American dream of a big house and a pickup truck.

Also, as a fan of America, I am well-versed in American history and geography, and can easily talk about the 50 states in detail.

So why not go to the USA?

Because the USA doesn't want me!

Studying in the USA for a year at 500,000 yuan should not be an exaggeration, which far exceeds my capacity. Moreover, studying doesn't necessarily mean you can stay.

Other visas are also not feasible. I would be grateful to find a job nearby, let alone being hired overseas.

Singapore

Pros: If you can go, the income is definitely high. English at work, Chinese in daily life, more and more authentic Chinese food.

But I really hate tropical climates, it's too unsuitable for human habitation. Singapore is already small, and with the heat, you can only stay indoors all day.

Of course, these are minor issues. The main problem is the high cost of living in Singapore, which means a lot of stress. I don't want to go to a place that is hot, expensive, and tiring, evident from how deeply Shenzhen hurt me.

Australia

Pros: High income, spacious land, large houses.

Cons: Low population, making it hard to find jobs.

I checked all immigration programs in Australia, and as a designer at the time, I couldn't qualify for any skilled migration program.

Australian immigration places a lot of emphasis on profession and work experience, even a tiny shortfall won't cut it.

New Zealand is a lower version of Australia, perhaps with a slightly lower threshold, but finding a job is much harder. Although I really like the climate in New Zealand, I ultimately didn't consider it.

Dubai

Besides scams, Dubai does have some legitimate jobs that speak English. But going to the UAE only grants residency, not citizenship. While others manage this way, I always felt a sense of insecurity.

Moreover, the UAE climate scores -10000 points, living there long term would shorten one's lifespan.

Netherlands

For IT professionals, the Netherlands is actually a very good choice.

Strong economy, plenty of jobs, and widespread use of English, reducing concerns about immigration status. After gaining citizenship, you can move around the EU with more options.

The Netherlands has a temperate oceanic climate, no extreme weather, which I should really like.

But I'm too short 😭 and afraid I won't even be able to reach the urinals.

It's not that I don't want to go to the Netherlands. If they sent me a passport now, I would leave immediately. But if I have to make the effort myself, I'm not that motivated.

Canada

Actually, Canada was my first choice initially.

Five or six years ago, I wanted to go to Canada. I even spent a long period strengthening my English, which inadvertently improved my proficiency significantly, even till today.

Back then, I carefully studied Canadian policies, and the most promising was Federal Skilled Worker immigration. Basically, as long as I scored 8777 on IELTS, I was set. I could get a PR card directly.

You might say 8777 is not easy to achieve, and it isn't. But Canada has become extremely competitive, and without local work experience or education, even scoring 9999 wouldn't get me there. Looking back, IELTS 8777 was the easiest target among all the scoring criteria. After all, other factors like age, local education, and work experience cannot be achieved by just striving hard domestically. While IELTS 8777 is hard, it's not impossible.

Canada also had an easier route through Quebec provincial nomination. No changes in other conditions, and English didn't need to be as good, but as long as French reached about a level equivalent to IELTS 6, you could go to Quebec.

I even tried self-learning French for a while, but I didn't stick with it.

So a few years ago, I tried for Canada and later gave up. Unexpectedly, that was forever. Now Canadian house prices have risen, and the cost-effectiveness is not high anymore; I can't afford it.

Japan

I looked around the world and finally saw Japan. Actually, I never had much interest in Japan, I don't read manga, don't watch Japanese dramas, or listen to Japanese songs. I love history, I even read about Somali history, but I have little interest in Japanese history.

If I were to travel to Europe or North America, I could think of many routes to see the places mentioned in books. But even if I am already in Japan, I can't think of any place I want to travel to.

But Japan is cheap, and Japan needs people. As long as you are willing to work, there is no issue of not finding a job (whether you like it is another matter). As long as you have a proper job, you don't need to worry about not being able to stay.

Japan also has the best healthcare, so you don't have to worry about becoming poor due to illness in China or about the inefficiency in Canada. Housing prices are relatively low, and the cost of living is not high.

The ceiling in Japan is not as high as in Europe and America, but the floor is very high. It is also one of the countries with the smallest wealth gap among developed countries.

As an ordinary person, I don’t have the ability to go to places like the US or Singapore for high salaries. Japan's shortcomings for these high achievers do not affect me much. I just come for an ordinary life.

The key point is I calculated the cost of language school, and the overall cost for one person for a year is over 100,000 yuan, which is at most one-third of that in Canada/Australia. I can totally accept that.

These are the reasons why I chose Japan.