Finding Your Balance After Moving to Japan

The majority of our clients are foreign nationals living in Japan, which tells us that many of you are looking for mental health support in relation to the challenges of adjusting to daily life here. Since we cannot consult with every reader individually, we wrote this post as an initial point of reference! Many international residents underestimate the impact that moving abroad can have on their mental health. Everyone’s circumstances are different, but whether you’re fresh off the boat or have several years of “Japan life” under your belt, there is no denying that such a major life transition can affect both your daily mood and your long-term mental wellbeing. Even when things look perfect on paper, most of us benefit from greater insight and a professional perspective. With that in mind, here are some tips on how to take care of yourself, from a psychological point of view!

1. Admit that things are hard

In some zoological studies, the process of relocating a hamster from one cage to another has been identified as a major stressor. Many animals rely on habituation, safe and familiar environments, and stable social surroundings for their wellbeing. Humans are no different. Depending on your situation, moving to Japan may represent an overall “step up” in terms of lifestyle – better job prospects, higher wages, safety, reliable infrastructure, and so on. Because of this, you may feel reluctant to complain about how difficult the transition has been, for fear of sounding ungrateful. But remember: you have most likely removed yourself from a familiar environment and entered a radically different one. Many of our clients come from outside East Asia, so their geographic distance from their family and loved ones is especially pronounced, making the adjustment period quite challenging. This can have a significant impact on one's mental health, accompanied by symptoms like sleep disturbances, loss of interest or pleasure in usual activities, difficulty concentrating, or indecisiveness. If you are struggling, there is nothing “wrong” with you – you are experiencing a common response to a major life change. Just because something is worth doing, doesn’t mean that it’s easy.

2. Become conversational in Japanese

You’ve probably heard this one before. If you’re not fluent in Japanese, you may have been told – explicitly or implicitly – that your problems stem from the language barrier. While this belief can sometimes be motivating, it often leads instead to feelings of inadequacy or pressure, which may reduce your desire to learn. Improving your Japanese will almost certainly make daily life more comfortable, but there is no need to measure yourself against others or beat yourself up. JLPT levels and similar evaluation criteria are useful benchmarks, but what is important is practicality and your personal engagement with the language. Go at your own pace and practice Japanese through materials you genuinely enjoy – yes, even anime and manga, provided you approach them critically and remain aware of their stylistic conventions. Research consistently shows a strong relationship between personal interest and learning outcomes. Consider supplementing language study with the hobbies and activities you already enjoy. Japanese classes and grammar textbooks can help you learn more efficiently, but if you begin to feel demotivated, try turning to more compelling material, even if it feels too advanced at first. Novels, podcasts, movies and television shows (ideally without subtitles), and social activities like sports or different kinds of meetups may feel intimidating, but they often accelerate progress in the long run. Nihongo jōzu!

3. Create a routine grounded in your immediate environment

When residing abroad, it is easy to fall into a pattern of “living remotely”. After work or school, you might come home and video-call your friends and family in your home country, after which you may spend an excessive amount of time on social media. As we will discuss later, it is important to preserve connections with your loved ones back home, but this can also encourage you to withdraw into the virtual world, even when you are not interacting with others. When you have time for yourself, try to focus on things you can do locally. Visit the local library. Jog in a nearby park. Join a public gym. Become acquainted with local organizations and groups. Not every activity will become a lasting interest, but experimenting with what your ward, city, or prefecture has to offer is an essential step toward building a sustainable routine. Adjusting to a new environment often takes months, not weeks. Temporary setbacks are normal, and they do not mean you are failing to adapt.

4. Make international friends – especially from your country or region

In Japan and elsewhere, there are many negative stereotypes about immigrants “banding together” and forming insular communities. You may worry about becoming “that kind of foreigner”, who interacts exclusively with people from their home country. Maybe you moved abroad precisely because you dislike the social and cultural norms that prevail in your home country, contributing to your reluctance to socialize with those of a similar background. But think of it this way: someone from your home country who has also chosen to build a life in Japan has likely navigated similar bureaucracy, challenges, financial pressures, and emotional adjustments. Such experiences can foster understanding, empathy, and practical support. Research suggests that shared hardship can strengthen social bonds, making these relationships particularly meaningful. So don’t shy away from people from your home country; you may find that your values and experiences overlap more than you might think. Foreign nationals living abroad often occupy a unique social position, distinct from both locals in Japan and those who remained in their home country. Your experiences are quite unique, so why not go through them together?

5. Make local friends – or at least friendly acquaintances

At the same time, there are reasons to be wary of entering the so-called “gaijin bubble”. Depending on your circumstances, you may gravitate toward other foreign nationals because interacting with the local community feels daunting. While this is understandable, it can also limit your social opportunities. Now, we are not necessarily suggesting that you should aim to make Japanese friends at all costs. No one wants to feel like you are only interacting with them because they belong to a particular nationality. Reflect on your life in your home country: how often did you socialize with international residents there? Unfortunately, the local–migrant divide is difficult to bridge, but shared activities often help. Sports, music, art, hiking, games – if you struggle with Japanese, hobby-based friendships will likely be easier to maintain than interactions based purely on conversation. Some research indicates that people bond more easily when they devote joint attention even to simple tasks. Whether it’s badminton, birdwatching, or a game of Taiko no Tatsujin, shared experiences can create connection where words alone may fall short.

6. Stay in regular contact with loved ones back home

Time zone differences, video calls, and the persistent feeling of missing those closest to you are common experiences for foreign residents in Japan. While some people retreat into a “remote” mode of existence, others detach from their previous lives altogether in order to cope with or even stifle the discomfort of leaving what was once their home. This can also function as a form of avoidance, and you might find yourself doing everything you can to suppress feelings of nostalgia or homesickness. You may criticize your home country quite harshly, struggle to keep in touch with your family or loved ones, or simply fall out of the habit of reaching out. Maybe you’re just a bad texter in general. However, while long-distance connections are difficult to maintain, integrating regular calls and text exchanges into your routine can help you stay in touch with those who know you best, and who want the best for you, cutting through the superficiality you might be experiencing at work or school.

7. Don't think of life in Japan in terms of success or failure

Migrants often frame their move abroad in terms of “success” or “failure”. This can significantly impact one’s self-esteem, making them view their daily lives as something they are either doing “well” or “poorly”. While fears of failure exist everywhere, and may have loomed over you even back in your home country, moving abroad can often seem like a single, irreversible decision that can only result in an overall negative or positive outcome – i.e. achieving a “good life”. In reality, life in Japan – like life anywhere – consists of good and bad days, and even good and bad years. This is not a reflection of your value or capability as a person. We deal with hundreds of variables as part of our daily existence, from our social circle to our diet, and our ability to keep those variables in balance will naturally fluctuate and depend on our circumstances. Learning to tolerate discomfort and difficulty is part of personal growth, but the whole point of personal growth is to foster internal fulfilment, not to impress a hypothetical outside observer. An awkward workplace interaction, a rejected job application, loneliness, alienation – these are struggles, not failures.

For many of our readers, these may be things you already “know”, but hopefully you can come back to this page when you need a reminder! Some of the advice is actionable in the short term, and some relies on sustained, long-term mindset shifts. But what is most important is remembering that you are not alone! Like the noble hamster, you are reacting to changes in your environment in big and small ways, but every reaction – even an unpleasant one like stress – is your nervous system’s journey to adjustment and adaptation. The journey is neither easy nor linear, and anyone who sets out to carve their own path in the ground will occasionally hit a stone. But if you take a walk through a traditional Japanese garden, you will find that even a well-placed stone, surrounded by greenery, a pond, and carefully cultivated flowers, has a proud and mystical beauty of its own.