Q1. Where did you move to and when?

I moved to Japan about 7 months ago.

Q2. How long did you work in Thailand?

I worked in Thailand for 3 years

Q3. What was your main reason for moving?

Money, money and money. I felt I had reached my maximum earnings/career potential in Thailand and was offered a job in Japan with perks (flight paid, rent paid, cash bonus at end of year). Also, my wife is working part time and making more than she did working full time in Thailand, so we can save a lot more money here.

Q4. What are the advantages of working where you are now compared to Thailand?

We like the cleanliness, safety, delicious ramen, hot springs, nice weather, our awesome Japanese-style soaking bathtub and 100 yen shops! My wife also loves the Terminal 21 style toilet seats that are everywhere here and loves to ride her bicycle around town. We were both pleasantly surprised the day we accidentally left our shopping bag near the train ticket counter and it was still there untouched hours later. Add in an efficient mass transit system across the country as we can go almost anywhere in Japan on a 3 day weekend (bullet trains are better than the Thai trains and my wife says she can't go back to taking Thai trains now), great infrastructure, insanely fast internet speeds and the cherry blossom season. Oh and no visa stress (no 90 day check ins and our visas are not tied to our jobs) either! It was also easy to get my wife a dependent visa/working visa here.

Q5. What do you miss about life in Thailand?

Friendly people, cheap food/street food, less hectic lifestyle, Thailand is more flexible with rules/less by the book than Japan is, cheap massages, cheap haircuts (3500 yen here for one!), pool and fitness centers in condos, shopping at the market, Songkran. The ability to get a cell phone without a 2 year visa.

Q6. Would you advise a new teacher to seek work in Thailand or where you are now?

It depends on the person. Japan is a great place to start out and the students are great. If you can get past the lack of diversity and woeful English ability by the locals out of town, then maybe Japan is a good first start for you. I also feel more than a few schools overseas look down upon teaching in Thailand for a lengthy period of time (unless you are at a top tier school). Sadly, some schools assume all schools in Thailand are run poorly. That is why I think having Japan on one's resume looks better than Thailand for those starting out. This way you can apply for jobs in Thailand after your first contract and are more attractive to employers.

Q7. Any plans to return to Thailand one day?

Of course! We will have more than enough saved up to pay cash for a nice condo or house in 3 years. Then we will return to Thailand and take life slower and enjoy life more.

Q8. Anything else you'd like to add?

I was worried at first my wife would not adjust/adapt to Japan and want to return to Thailand, but she is doing fine here and enjoying life in Japan. She even does not mind the occasional earthquake and enjoys showing her friends back in Thailand photos of Japan. She also ships Japanese skin care products to her friends and makes a little extra money from that as well. She found it easy to make friends here as she feels her Thai smile and easy going attitude attracts new friends.

Oh, and if you have a Thai wife and plan to relocate elsewhere, get her family set up with Skype so they can talk to her daily. My wife says stock up on Thai spices and whitening skin creams if you plan to relocate to Japan and get an app to watch Thai TV - because Japanese TV is awful.