Hm maybe I would go there first and see what it's actually like...

I would love to live for few days to understand whether I can live there forever or not. Surely, the earthquakes there is a huge turn off ~_~

No way; it's too expensive to live in Japan. Not to mention they have some of the most retarded internet policies I have ever seen. The most I would do is go there to visit my aunt and her family, but I definitely won't stay there for an extended amount of time.

Personally, I find the results of the this poll hilarious considering the fact that in the last poll the results had "Guy turning into a girl" win 3X more.

Yes. Just to aggravate the locals. Before I get asked to kindly but sternly to leave. That's my imaginary scenario at least.

I already live in Japan. I've been here 3 years and I love it. I came without speaking any Japanese at all, and live in the inaka, so there is little reason for people here to learn English. Still, everyone is really patient with me, really understanding, and very very kind!

The one thing I really hate is the lack of animal rights in Japan. I'm a vegetarian, and it is almost impossible to get vegetarian food anywhere, however when I explain my requirements, restaurant staff are usually very accommodating. Animals rights here is much worse than the UK though, and that makes me sad. I would rather stay here and try to change things, however, than leave and just pretend it isn't a problem.

Well doesn't living in japan defeat the purpose of knowing japanese? If you know japanese in another country, you'll be special and thus you can gloat about your japanese to others. However in japan, you'll just be treated as a japanese-wannabe if you don't look japanese. It'll be easier finding a job in anywhere else but japan as well since you're competing against not many people that know japanese whereas every single last person (cept tourists or something) knows japanese.

No way, I do not like earthquakes.
Their are also a couple of things in Japan that are taboo in my country (child abandonment, rarely any help for the poor, lack of social security, etc.) Off course their are a lot of positive points in Japan (manga, clubs in school(it's integrated in our school system), their is a lot on TV ( in my country their are mostly old hag programs), manga availability, cool country, nice culture, etc.)
I did not notice any positive and negative points that are the same in my country and Japan.

I'm also surprised that only 1.1% of mangaupdates visitors live in Japan.

I live in Japan now, and there are good an bad points. I certainly wouldn't say my Japanese is perfect but it's advanced level, better than 80% of the foreign people I've met here but not nearly the best. I get by fine, and there are a lot of things I like better about life here than America. However some of the things I don't like (parts of Japanese values that I disagree with, some aspects of racial discrimination, social problems) I think would be a lot more of a problem for me than they are now if I was planning to live here forever. I might very well end up returning and living here permanently but right now I'm on study abroad and have a set 'return home' date.

Also, life in Japan is much cheaper than it is where I live in the US. It all depends on where you live in Japan and where you live in your home country, whether or not Japan is more expensive.

For anyone that currently lives in Japan, can you comment on the work culture? I've heard that very long hours and fusing work life with life outside of work are often expected, but I'd like to hear what people have to say (e.g. is it easy to find exceptions?). I ask because those two things aren't very appealing to me.

I would certainly visit Japan often, but I'm satisfied with life in Canada... And I know that tourism and living permanently is very different things...

I'm planning on moving to japan after finishing up my education in Norway and possibly working a year. Finding a job can be a problem for everyone moving there, but I'm taking education in a rather specialized field (satellite technology) and as such that will not be a problem

Also the reason for me moving to Japan is because I'm sick and tired of Norway and I want to move somewhere else, and then Japan is the easy option. To top it of I love cars and especially the Japanese kind, not giant engines like in U.S.A, but small engines on high revs while going around the corners at insane speed. (I hate drag racing btw, drifting for fun and rally for the kicks)

If I was rich I'd love to live off in the country away from everyone, and go up to Tokyo once a week or something. But living in one of the busy cities would not be fun.

Impossible to know without at least visiting first...ask again in September.

In an ideal world definitely, yes!

In reality, the best for me would be to travel there.

I think rather than living there I just have an infatuation with the culture and history of that part of the world in general, it's one of those few places in the world that is strongly influenced by Eastern and Western culture and the two kind of mesh, and I think that is kind of cool. I could definitely see myself visiting all the shrines and temples.

And lets not forget the food. I would live over there just for the food, it all looks so good (says the person who burns toast >.<)

if the language barrier is gone then why not?
after watching lost in translation I became even more convinced that I wouldn't have trouble integrating myself into Japanese society

well probably for atleast 5 years, but since they don't allow dual citizenship, i'd decide after that if i want to stay.

Well, they allow permanent residence without citizenship so I don't see the problem there.

Hell no! I've been there twice and had many bad experiences, including being mugged at knife point by a bunch of teenagers (I ran like hell and they gave up chase after a bit thankfully because I had all my money on me) and having many people being racist towards me. A LOT of people assumed I was racist and thought I was better than them. Seems like nobody like Americans . Some shit straight out of a manga happened where a guy bumped into me on purpose and expected money. He started following and threatening me in broken English so I surprise bitch slapped the shit out of him so hard his eye began to swell. Didn't get in trouble because I ran since some bystander appeared to be calling the police . The last time was the worst because I went to jail for beating up some guy who kept following me saying "fakyu" (fuck you) and throwing shit at me. There were witness statements saying I went berserk on some innocent pedestrian for no reason even though at least one of those witnesses watched nearly the entire incident. Sat in jail for a bit and then they deported me. One official of some sort told me to never to return to Japan again. I wonder if I'm barred from that country now
I wouldn't care. Pretty much everyone there I met is boring and quiet. They just keep to themselves too much. Not to mention most of them are closet perverts. I went into a manga shop and most the people were buying hardcore lolicon, incest, and scat hentai manga. Then there's the "used schoolgirl" panty vending machines. I guess closet perverts doesn't really apply, since their so open about incest pedophilia cartoons. Even the anime they show on TV has incest themes and they act like a "lolicon," AKA a pedophile, isn't that bad of a person like some whacky old man who always goes outside in his underwear.
"Oh you! You were just taking upskirt pictures of my 8 year old daughter, you silly loicon. Ahahaha! You shouldn't hide in the bushes while middle-school girls are in swimming class or the police will think you're doing something terrible instead of something so very innocent. Here, take my daughter's panties and good luck filming little girls in awkward, revealing positions."

Going on vacation sure, living never.

Vacation? Yes.
Working/living there? Probably not. Not a fan of vertical hierarchy and the live for work attitude. To be honest, we also have a similar "live for work" attitude in the US, but it is masked by the "perks" that you get in a company.

Yes! I deffinetly would!!!!!

No, Japan culture seem a bit too crazy for me.

From what I've heard, Japan sounds like a horrible place to live. Though I'm sure many people will happily answer "yes" believing that life in Japan is exactly appears to be in anime.

Definitely NO.
Admiring their culture from afar is more that enough for me.

edit: (But I'd like to see the country myself at least once...)

Anime and manga are great, but in this age of technology I can live in a place like Canada and enjoy their entertainment without have to deal with their society. Their history is interesting, but so is Nazi German history, but i would not want to live there either.

I would not even want to live in the US, never mind a country with as many people as Japan, way too many people in too small a space.

No. I'd miss my home and my people too much. A visit now and then would have to suffice for me...
Actually right now I'm learning Japanese (or at least I'm trying to) so that I can visit a games convention in Japan someday. <3

well...i know english and chinese and somewhat spanish so...I wouldn't live in Japan per se.....I don't know....I can't really imagine myself living in a foreign country right now. I'm not particularly savvy with public transport and driving so I'm in a nutshell aren't I...

If I had the money, if I had the job, if I knew the terrirtory, if I knew the right people then yeah, I'll live there but not forever maybe.

when I answered the poll, I thought on a permanent basis like living there forever so I said no but if it isn't forever, if I can come and go as I please, yeah.

This is disregarding my family and friends and simply personal thought

hmm...I am not so sure. I should try going there first. Though I heard stories from my teacher (he is a designer and once help open up exhibition in japan) what happened is Japanese is ashamed to come to foreign exhibition that is not by their own (they set up a closed lounge for the pro that visit due to that reason). From there, I deduce foreigner will have a hard time, especially finding work.

If you okay to live in a crazy deadline, then sure, go ahead. And the social life in the mainland is not suited for my personality, so it's a no for me since I don't want ended up become a hikikomori. But living in Okinawa or other smaller islands in Japan maybe isn't a bad idea though. My friend who'd been in Okinawa for few years said that the treatment to foreigners (or gaijin) in the smaller islands are sometimes as bad as in the mainland, but since the tradition and religious life is stronger than in the mainland you'll get a closely-knitted society after you settled for a while because they will feeling some sort of bonds with fellow islanders if you don't messed up with them.

My two trips to Japan for two weeks have been great experiences. I have answered yes to the poll, but maybe I'll change it to no, more of a visit. It's a long way from now as to whether I would make that big decision of living there. I really like Japanese culture, and the people I've met have been some of the nicest people I've met (goes with their culture and their higher double standard of interacting with people vs the USA). I would just appreciate that the average Japanese person is more respectful and are much more organized than people in the USA. We'll see where life takes me though.

At this point, if I could afford to, I'd move to Japan regardless of whether or not I was completely fluent in Japanese. Anything to get away from the socialistic dictator that is Obama.

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I would love love love to visit Japan, but ultimately, I would never choose to live there. I love the language, culture, and most things about Japan. However, a couple of my relatives who live there tell me that foreginers often get second-class treatment even if they have fully become integrated into the Japanese culture (which my relatives have). I hear that there are very little opportunities for foreign-born people to make career advancements and overall, they're often sort of looked down on. I love living in multicultural countries (even with the shortcomings), so I will never leave Australia!

I'd love to visit Japan for a short time, for example for an internship (actually I plan to apply for one this year). Just to see how different the country is from what I had expected.. Studying there might be a little bit of a problem - I'm far from fluent in Japanese (new N4), so even though the studies are conducted in English (MSc, BSc for what I know are mostly in Japanese) I'd probably either starve or get lost or fail to rent a room.

Seconding that, not only because of the "gaijin" attitude, but mostly because of the work culture. Working in a country where karoshi actually exists? E... no.

Living in japan now(Kyoto), and it's pretty good. The city is neat and Beautiful. For people, it's a lot better than when i studied at Italy for a year, the italians students excluded every foreginer,for example.
There are some strange looks along the way, but that's all. I don't know about the life for workers, but i having a blast as student here.

No. いいえ。

I would not. Not in a million years. Japan is a nice place to visit once in awhile, but, I like being in a country with a melting pot more than a homogenous society. I do not want to be mistaken as a Japanese. I want to see garbage cans in the street. I do not always feel comfortable in a society that tries to "hold" things in rather than let it out. I prefer swimming in cold water than sitting in an onsen. I'd like to buy affordable electronic products than seeing something cost 60000円 or an apple cost 500円. The J-government isn't perfect in any way. The tsunami survivors are still living in shelters as I type this.

There are a lot of things to love about Japan like Hokkaido food, technological advancements, and the people are just like anywhere in the world, but, nothing calls home like home sweet home. ^__^ Also, I would always feel awkward if I had to blow my nose in public in Japan. I have runny nose a lot so I panicked when having a day stop over in Osaka.

Now that I've actually spent some time visiting Japan (2 1/2 weeks this past August) I can definitely say "maybe". :^/

There were things I really liked, and things I didn't like so much, but overall I think I could be happy living in Japan if it weren't for having to conform to certain standards of behavior/appearance to get/keep a job. (At least, it's my perception that I would have to...) Not that my appearance/behavior is particularly outrageous, but I do have multiple earrings and I do prefer to dress to my own preference.

I don't think I'd mind always looking/feeling out-of-place, because I always feel kind of out-of-place where I live now (even though I love the town and I don't stand out or anything, I also have never felt like I really "fit in"). I would feel terrible if my son was left out or teased or bullied for being a gaijin, though.

I don't mind looking different..and maybe by living there I could contribute in some small way towards making the society less homogenous/xenophobic/whatever.

And I could get those really good boiled eggs from the conbini again...