This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Brendan Pon, 36, an entrepreneur and part-time content creator in Osaka, Japan. It has been edited for length and clarity.
I was born and raised in Toronto. I spent 10 years as a recruiter specializing in senior-level accounting roles. Before that, I was an accountant myself.
My wife and I had a comfortable, predictable life with our two kids, but we wanted something new. They’re both under five, and we wanted to make the most of these early years by being present in their lives.
In North America, it feels like you have to prioritize working just to keep up with the cost of living. We felt that moving abroad would allow us to take a step back, work less, and spend more time with our kids.
It made more sense to take the leap sooner rather than later. That way, if it didn’t work out, we’d still have time to make money again or adjust our careers.
Moving across the world to Asia
We moved to Chiang Mai, Thailand, in May 2024. Even though we’d visited before, once we settled in, we realized it wasn’t the right fit.
It felt like we were living in an expat bubble, and we struggled to integrate into the local community. It didn’t help that the weather was super hot all year round.
That’s when we started looking again. Japan had always been on our radar, and with the yen at a low, we began exploring its real estate market.
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We discovered visa options that could make a move possible and decided on Osaka. It had an international airport, good food options, and all the conveniences of Tokyo, but on a more livable scale.
We wanted to be in a family-friendly neighborhood with easy access to parks, grocery stores, and train stations. We also wanted something newly built and move-in ready.
We visited Osaka in November 2024. While we toured a few properties on that trip, none of them ended up being the one we bought, although the experience helped us get a sense of the market.
After returning to Thailand, we found the house we wanted online. We bought a new house remotely, with the help of a real estate agent, for 49.8 million Japanese yen, or about $320,000.
@BrendaninJapan
We officially moved to Osaka in July. Our neighborhood is about 98% Japanese. There’s a retirement home down the street, but there are also numerous young families living here.
We’ve gotten to know our Japanese neighbors well, and we hang out with them a lot.
That said, the language barrier has been the hardest part of the move, especially when dealing with paperwork and bureaucracy, but everyone’s patience and kindness have helped. I have also started language lessons.
More time together
Our son attends a local kindergarten, and our daughter goes to a part-time international nursery.
We don’t have a car, so we bike everywhere. After picking up the kids from school, we usually head to the pool or playground.
On weekends, we try to do a lot of bigger things, like taking the train or renting a car for an overnight trip. But we’ve only been here for a few months, so we’re still developing a routine.
We also have a dog, which we brought over from Canada, so we make sure to take him out for walks and help him socialize, too.
@BrendaninJapan
Moving to two countries in just over a year showed me how resilient we are.
My daughter is still very young, so she doesn’t really know what’s going on. But my son, who’s turning five, has been really open-minded and adjusted well both times we moved. It helped that we looped him in on all the conversations from the start.
Our kids have adapted easily, and the slower pace has allowed us to be fully present as a family.
We did this whole journey because we wanted to be in control of our lives. Too often, people don’t realize there are other paths out there — they just keep doing the same thing their whole lives.
It took financial planning and courage to make this leap, but so far the experience has been rewarding.
Do you have a story to share about relocating to a new city? Contact this reporter at [email protected].