Thanks for watching! Watch our first interview with Jason here: bit.ly/2UgvDLr You can follow Jason's journey on his Instagram (@starrwulfe) or on his RUclips channel here: bit.ly/35E2GLZ
Yes it is! I remember it not being allowed for me to add lettuce on my McDonalds’ fish filet. Never mind why I was in McDonalds in the first place lol I’m just saying. Adhering to rules is fine but being too too rigid is stagnating. I loved Japan overall though.
He needs to be careful these Repubturds are trying to get on school boards and alter the way education is taught in schools...They want to be able to teach racism in schools
@@mattyghost3409 Yeah I fear he's gonna run into some wackjobs shitting on a mixed family, and then there might be guns involved. USA is a fear mongering madhouse.
Ranzo, if you could do a remote interview with him, I'd love to see another interview after he's been back in the states for 6 months. Would be interesting to hear his perspective after being gone for 20 years. I'd also like to see a recap of folks you interviewed 3-5 years ago that are still there, and their current perspective vs. when they got there. Love this channel!
I strongly suspect he'll regret moving back. I'm sure this update would be filled with platitudes and euphemisms, but reading between the lines I'm sure he'll regret it. I'm predicting this. Like that guy from apocalypse now said "You can never go back home". But his attitude is a good one. "Paradise exists in your mind". That's no lie.
@@starrwulfe I don't disagree you know. And after looking at the experiences of other people who emmigrated to Japan, I begin to think there have to be other, perhaps more embarrassing factors motivating this move. But I won't lie, at least the Japanese 'other' everybody, not just black people. I would think it would be easier to raise kids where you're totally an alien, not in a state where you're in a space of inbetweenity, and where there is such savage violence against you, where the state has, for the past couple hundred years, been attempting to legislate you into perpetual poverty and dependence.
@@elmatasesues3630 You hit the nail on the head. I know a guy who was in Japan for 8 years and left very recently due to “embarrassing” things just as you suspect here. The guy has been back for 6 months working as an uber driver living with family… He wont say it but hes starting to realize how good he had it being an outlier in Japan, how he was just one night out from meeting someone who could offer him opportunities that would be hard to find in the US..
@@codeninja100 you know looking at this video the first time, my immediate thought was 'this dude has some strange priorities'. But now, I don't know so much. The US might have laughably bad race relations, and of course other disadvantages like limited access to quality education, excess taxation with limited returns etc., but I have come to think that the openness and flexibility of its economy might say something for it, especially as compared to Japan. This notwithstanding the realities of the pandemic; my state has only been able to survive because of our natural resources, our reserves, and the fact that our government basically runs on a form of democratic socialism. So the government can unilaterally declare, for example, that mask-wearing be enforced in public, etc. And so far, our numbers have been commendably low, our vaccination proceding in an orderly fashion, and welfare systems functioning at descent capacity. I think of how poorly Japan has been dealing with the pandemic, and the low likelihood of that changing, given, for example, their insisting on going forward with the Olympics during this time, and I have come to think that in the long run, economically, Japan may not be headed in such a good direction, considering COVID's abilty to deplete a workforce in quick time etc. Maybe this fellow is futuristic in his outlook. Who knows, he might have to work uber or some less desirable job, but his kids already have an advantage having been educated to some extent in Japan. He's got family, so finding a place to stay might not be so tough in the immediate future. And America's economy is maybe the most diversified in the world. He might bounce right back in his lifetime, and his kids may have more options for employment in the future, whether through civil service, or entrepreneurship. I don't see Japan as being anywhere near as flexible.
Wishing him the best. I live in America, and I have lived in 3 different states (long term). I think what people fail to realize, is that not all parts of America are the same. If all you do is watch the news, you will think that every day here is a struggle....and for many it is....but not for all. As a child of West Indian immigrants, I have grown up seeing a lot of the good things this country has to offer. Of course we have experienced bad times as well...just as most people. The key wherever you are, is learning how to move around obstacles. If you are unhappy in one area of the country....believe it or not there are other areas where you will find happiness. Traveling is great, but there is nothing wrong with wanting to come home.
The US sucks everywhere. Sorry, you have a weird culture. I have lived there, and there was absolutely nothing about the culture that could inspire me. Even countries like Lithuania were more inspiring.
For me I'm planning on moving back to Japan from the states due to gun violence (which has touched my family), police brutality and rising crime. I'm not searching for utopia, but I do want peace of mind and don't have to worry every time my wife & kids walk out the door.
Through it still America but that's why I'm leaving Nebraska to relocate futuristically to Wyoming thats right across the state line dispite Wyoming being a predominant white state without much cultural diversity but its cost of living is very low and its crime rate is very low including that that states population is barely around 6 hundred thousand which fits into my realm of being in a quiter atmosphere which will beat being here in Nebraska which has cities like here in Lincoln and Omaha where more crime is prevalent although its worser in Omaha than here in Lincoln but Lincoln has its elements which may be headed in the exact worse way that Omaha is and plus more people are moving here to Lincoln and that unfortunately is adding to the atmospheric here turning toward the way things are in Omaha and me moving to Wyoming will definitely beat me going back to a place like Detroit, Michigan ., USA . so even with me being black in a time of racial tension in America i still feel i can settle for an environment like in Wyoming rather than me going back to a urban repository like my place of birth Detroit ans other similar places like Detroit that i been to. So me and you are on a very similar page and hopefully i plan on leaving America altogether to a entire different that dont have the high crazy situations like here in America.
We all have to make challenging decisions. I left America (Atlanta) in 2005 were is was able to do an inter company transfer to London, England. After 10yrs I thought I was ready to move back to the USA and I moved back (Chicago). After 1.5yrs in Chicago I felt that I needed to be back in the UK / Europe and yes I moved back. Now back in the UK this is home for me. (You have to make the best decisions for you.) All the best and safe travels.
My grandfather did similarly. He moved out to the UK during WW2 then eventually moved to the US. My wife and I moved out here to London a few years ago and I flew my grandfather, now in his 90s, back to the UK to visit. He regrets staying in the US and not moving back to the UK. The UK isn't perfect but after spending the part of Father's day yesterday in the Children's ER its nice not having to worry about massive medical bill.
America isn’t the last stop for sure, but it’s a place where I can tend to personal stuff, let my kids know my side of the family, let my wife know my story from not just me but the family around me growing up, and also make more money!
I feel the same way. Even when I travel to various places for a while, I still feel homesick. I’m half-Nigerian and I still feel homesick for the US even at the home of my ancestors. Idk maybe it’s because I live in a majority black area of the US that was relatively safe and felt like a community.
I’m way younger, a teen, but I see myself in the same parallels as Jason sometimes. I also moved around a lot and I’m in Atlanta now. I also want to move to Japan, but the big difference is that my brother and I want to move to Japan for nearly the same reason. My dream is to use what my brother and I want to make a good influence on the view of black people. If there’s any points that I would definitely consider in this video, it’s values changing over time and spending time with family. My family are the first reason at all why I even feel so strongly about helping the image of black people and giving back to them for how much they’ve done for us as a family. Finally, my initial draw to Japan was Nintendo and anime. Those gave me the best early childhood memories I could’ve ever imagined. Nintendo’s games helped me build the strong bond with my cousins that I didn’t get to see often and anime was the reason I started learning Japanese. My classmates even wanted to join in learning too. Those things have had the biggest impact on my life thus far: Family and Japan. Therefore, I have a really strong will to give the most back in whatever I can.
@@渡辺春樹-z7x Progress can be made in many different ways. My opinion is that it’s best to make progress in any way that we wish. Whether it be direct through media, representation, spreading knowledge towards each other, or even something as small as influencing one person. I feel like if we make progress through a natural will to do so in any way, it should be fine.
@@joseph3036 True, but not if its in homogenous asian countries, no one wants to see foreigners coming to their land and gaining economic and political power, it has to be in your own country like the usa, brazil, or African countries.
Good luck. Be sure to have the "Talk" with your children. And you know what I mean by that. Dizzy Gillepsie sang "I'll Never go back to Georgia" for a reason. Stay safe and don't burn any bridges here. You might be wanting to return some day.
This is a really good interview. Jason is a great speaker and I was holding onto every word. Really puts things into perspective and makes you think. Great job ya’ll!
When I retire I'm taking America in small doses. Maybe 1-3 months out the year to visit friends and family. But the world is just too big and there's too much to see to just stay in the US. Plus between the violence, politics, and racism you need a different vibe.
Agree 1000%!! The world is HUGE and should be explored and that's just how I feel about it. I am looking forward to traveling the world and learning about new cultures and environments. People have ALWAYS moved from place to place -- nothing has changed. God Bless him and his family! Be safe out there!!
Ranzo, no offense but you need to save this man from himself! I believe he's just homesick. I give him 1 year back in the US and he will be heading back to Japan! Real talk!
@@frankellis9627 I’ll be alright. 20 years is enough, and until you’ve been gone from the people you love that long, it’s hard to understand. Ironically a lot of my brothers who have been locked down along with anyone who’s been in the military doing overseas for a long time really get this.
No he’s made a great decision, going back home to improve his country. The us needs him more than japan, besides Japan isn’t his home as he’s not Japanese. So all foreigners coming here should do the same .
God Bless this brother! Always a straight shooter, and a big reason for this channel's authenticity! Blessings to him and his family! Another great interview!
That story about the hamburger & mayonnaise really hits home for me. Interestingly, there are tons of situations like that in Japan. I lived in Japan for 5 years as an educator and had many similar experiences.
Jason 's video 2 years ago was my introduction to The Black Experience Japan. First BEJ I 'd ever watched. I subscribed and have been watching ever since.
Jason, I’m one of those people which started to follow you on IG & Twitter after the initial YT interview. This interview resonated on many levels … though I’ll never miss Amerika enough to move back there. Getting me to visit is a chore in itself, especially in today's climate. I left San Francisco, in December 2002, and I’ve only been back to the USA twice since then. I pray all works well for you, the wife, and children. Hopefully if time permits, you'll continue to update via Social Media moving forward
It was nice to hear more about his story. I totally agree about leaving your hometown, at least once, to live somewhere else. My husband and I left Amsterdam for Amsterdam. And on fact in European history they would send their kids to travel from the age of sixteen or so. To study abroad or just travel, to grow. Anyway after this we are planning to go to Korea. He was adopted as a baby but has been in contact with his biological family for years. And now he wants to live there for a while. I think what helped us in London is to have no expectations, and to learn to be flexible and yes patient. And to plan ahead but to understand that things might not go according to plan🤓 Love your videos, as usual👍🏽✊🏽
Before I left the US, I had a close friend from Pakistan who used to say "the country I am from only exists in my mind because the Pakistan of today is not the Pakistan of my childhood" and now I know EXACTLY what he means now. The US is too violent and the people are behind time without knowing it. I'm down for the departure from Japan, but I don't think moving back to US is the answer.
exactly. I'm living in DC now, and last summer was insane. shootings every single day. multiple casualties sometimes. this is unheard of in Japan, and this aspect of having security is seriously what I do miss about Japan. You can actually build a life in Japan. Albeit the Japanese make this shit as hard as possible. But albeit if you grind and take your time, you'll reach your goals. Without having to worried about getting carjacked, mugged, kidnapped, or shot. All of which are everyday normal things that happen in America.
@@lordblazer - Yes. I live in India, so the observation he made about Asian countries being a bento box made me laugh a lot 😊 I understand the homesickness part, it happens every now and then, but the lack of guns and the intelligence of the people are two things you cannot get in USA. I hope he doesn't force his kids to stay. I think he just needs a long visit ❤🌹
Maybe it depends on where he goes. If his children were born in Japan and don't really know the USA will have a difficult time. At the same time children are very adaptable.
No matter where I go, America, although crazy, dangerous, racist, is still my home. There's crime and tragedy no matter where you go, some places it's more prevalent than others. Out of every place I have visited, or lived, which it was Korea where I lived for 5 years, the yearning to return back home was in me. Also, job wise, I was able to work in my field, have mycareer in America, but in Korea? That didn't happen. To each his own, whatever makes a person happy.
Yeah but at the same time in asia, as a black person you'll always be seen and treated as a foreigner, while in america, even a just arrived Ghanaian will find people who ask him "you accent is funny, which STATE are you from? And not always "country"
I am American. I am grateful but if I find a better quality of life somewhere else that’s also well rounded, I’m out. People over here complaining that commemorating the end of slavery is a problem. Demonic, Neanderthal thinking is what I can do without
I think Jason is clear eyed about his move back to America. He's lived here before and he sees what is going on now. For him, it is more about his family, his children, knowing their American family. He and his wife seem to be a good match, on the same page. America may not be this family's last stop. Safe travels to him and his family.
I can totally relate to everything he is saying. To all the comments saying he's making a mistake, you truly don't understand until you leave America and realize all the trivial things you will miss and realize those things make you who you are.
Not gonna lie, if you miss this country enough to come back and financially participate and put money into the hands of the folks who make it this way, you might be trash too.
Great interview! I totally see where you coming from. All the best in Atlanta and if things don't work out, I don't see a problem with moving to somewhere else.
Recently started following Jason on IG and he was one of my inspirations to coming going to Japan I’m 34 and have a wife and 3 kids I think when covid is over we want to experience this.
BRO... you just decided to come to America at the WORST POSSIBLE TIME! This country is LITTERALLY turning into a trash can! But I wish you the best... just remember to stay safe and avoid danerous neighborhoods. I for one cant wait to leave but I know No country is paradise. We as blacks need to work togeather and help Africa develope so that there are better options for our children.
@@jusblaze99 Nothing is ever going to be as bad as the north side of St. Louis where I grew up, so I think will be OK. And the worst possible time was Ashley when Donald Trump was in office! Things are at least a little bit better now. Come over to my Instagram and I’m giving the detail blow by blow on some of these topics. Japan as an idea for being around for a couple of years sounds good, but once you’ve been here long enough to see it for what it truly is it’s damn near the same actually.
@@jusblaze99 Wooh... Buckhead Atlanta is getting SO BAD that they want to leave Atlanta to get their own police force... Atlanta has always been bad but now Gangs in America are targeting private citizens more with strong armed robberies and car jacking because the people are too broke to buy their drugs post covid. Too many guns in America and too many traps for kids in the USA... The cost of living is too high in the USA. Countries like Germany seem to have the best safety and work life balance.
Will there ever be a good time to return to America? I mean us as black people, when have we seen a good time here? People have to do what makes them happy .
@@starrwulfe "And the worst possible time was Ashley when Donald Trump was in office! Things are at least a little bit better now." Things may be better NOW, but I don't know about the future. Trump is the manifestation of the type of people who got him in. Trump may be gone, but his base still remains. Not only that, but Trump indirectly helped "spawn" Q-Anon and Margorie Taylor Greene. Compared to Q-Anon and MJT, Trump is pretty SANE. Anyways, I wish you the best upon your return.
I am so on the same wave length with his perspective on COVID-19. I hate that people have died from it. At the same time, this has forced me and some family members and friends to re-evaluate our lives and determine what is important. I also like his perspective on where home is as well as no place one goes is nirvana. Each place has its positives and negatives. I wish him and his family the best.
Ask him how he feels about USA after he's lived here after a month lol. He's romanticizing back home and seeing loved ones. Which is normal. All in all he's probably just homesick and needs to see those who he grew up with and cares for. Although once that nostalgia fades (give or take a couple weeks to a month) hell be ready to bounce his ass back to Japan. The pros of foreign life far outweigh the helllish experience he'll face living in the west. One routine traffic stop by the 12 over a brake light and he'll reconsider his transition. A lot has changed in 20 years homie. Shit a lot has changed in the last 2 months
@@Dropkickurteacher especially Minnesota. I grew up in North Minneapolis and it was a good place back then. Back in middle school, you would see hundreds of kids out trick or treating at night without adult supervision and you see all your fellow students in the streets. Everyone having fun without a care, same for Christmas. Now its impossible. I have moved out to the suburb many years ago and i see news on my old street being shot up on a daily basis. It makes me sad that kids in this generation can't have that. I would love to see another interview on what he sees different being 20 years away. My neighborhood turn 180 in only 10 years.
Those kids moving to ATLANTA of all places.. I dont think this was well thought out but hes a grown man I’m just some random comment on youtube. I hope to God theyre going to a private school. I honestly wish the best for him but 6 months from now he’ll be kicking himself for moving back to america and then Atlanta of all places lol.
@@codeninja100 yeah if his problem with raising kids in Japan is because they could be victims of hafu bullying, then it won't be much different in the states, especially Atlanta. Hope he doesnt thinks those black kids cant be bullies because Nick Cannon said complexion means compassion... Those kids will go through worse bullying for being swirled children and mixed.
@@Pepe-dq2ib Grew up here in Atlanta. Screw the bullying thats the least of his problems. With the degen society of America and especially Atlanta, the things his kids will have to do to FIT IN will do way more damage.. This just feels like a bad call all around but what can I say i havent lived in japan for 20 years. But really? Mayonnaise on a burger is your biggest problem? That example just exposed his rose colored lens of the states cause i know he wouldnt trade japanese fast food with America’s fast “food”..
See before moving a person has to make "sure" they have "cleared" things up within themselves so that when they leave for "better places" they won't have things lingering over their head. It'll be really sad and depressing to have the aggravation following you everywhere on earth no matter the job or geography. Sometimes folks are looking for something, running away from issues, etc and they carry the issues everywhere cause they did not "clear" things up before they left.
@@渡辺春樹-z7x I live in San Francisco but I'm originally from Illinois. I'm an Air Force Vet so I've done my fair share of traveling. I have a good job but I plan on leaving the US in January next year. I'm going to live a Digital Nomad lifestyle. I have a Bachelors Degree and a TEFL certificate. I've already been offered jobs by teaching agencies. I'm just tying up some loose ends and getting my finances right before I leave.
As a person that lived in japan for about 4 years I resonate with a lot of what he’s saying. I think the culture shock he will experience coming back to America is going to be big. The fact that he also sees people leaving you alone as a benefit tells me he will be shocked by the level of intrusion he is going to experience in America. I enjoyed the video and him sharing his experience with. Those probably planning to visit or move.
Fascinating and thought-provoking. I’ve lived in Japan in about 25 years all together, but unlike Jason I am a sedentary person who is not much interested in new experiences (LOL), and I do not have family back home that I want to be with so much that I would uproot my life here. But Jason really gets to the heart of the worst and best aspects of both Japan and the U.S. “Paradise isn’t a physical location. […] Paradise lives up here.” So true. I wish him well.
Critical thinking as a whole in the U.S. is on a massive downswing. I really hope he doesn't regret coming back to the US, or at least doesn't have expectations. If he does he's in for a rude awakening of the state of our country.
He will go back... My buddy is AA and married to a Korean... Every few years, the family moves back to the states for a year, just to go back to Korea for another 5 years and another kid later lol
You say critical thinking , your statement doesn’t sound like critical thinking. When you mentioned America as a whole , that statement is false. How do you know it’s on a massive down swing? Other than social media , tv etc. How much traveling have you done in the US ? How many groups of people have you live with other than the people that look like you? I’m just guessing , since you’re a critical thinker you’ll come up with the typical defensive answer.
I had to pause and comment…your relative is correct, ATLANTA HAS CHANGED. Born in Crawford Long hospital, been here my whole life, I do not recognize it. Best of luck my brother. It’s NUTS here now, sadly.
Very good interview. Wish you the very best back home. Love everything you mentioned about your own happy place. People failed to understand that where ever you go there you are. At the end it's what you make of it, life is an experience.
@@SuperBigdude77 Africa is always home that’s why I’m here with my fam at peace and enjoying the sun and fresh food and ocean Africa is our home. Best place ever
Im almost done with the video but man I disagree with his choice, but ultimate I wish the best for him and the families involved. Hope they all find peace and happiness mentally and physically. Edit: finished the video, nicely done as always. Again, I’m still in disagreement but I can see why he chose what he did.
You cant tell a man what to do wit his family... BUT when I heard From Atlanta I kinda paused... I dont think Atlanta is safe for young kids with the covid crime spike.
He made the right choice, to go back home and improve the place he comes from. Besides Japan is the homeland to only the Japanese, that must be respected.
@Okinawa 4K why you so mad? Did I hit a nerve? The truth hurts doesn’t it? This country isn’t yours, never was. This country was built by the Japanese, for the Japanese. We’ve allowed you in and you have the audacity to say that me saying “ japan is the homeland to only the Japanese” is crap talk? Have a little gratitude for even being allowed here, in a country that isn’t yours. You seem to have that same western arrogance Europeans had when they found new land. Just because you found this place and like it here doesn’t mean its home to you and your people. Japanese people have been here for thousands of years, you haven’t .
I lived in Japan for closed to 10 years and came back in 2019 and I'm still here in the US. If I could've had a vision to tell me not to comeback but stay in Japan. I even had a little hatred for Japan, but Japan is much better than living in the United States!
Same, I lived there 6 years and moved back to the states. Love hate relationship with Japan… we’ve been back in the states for 4 years now and still not sure we made the right decision..
@@Dropkickurteacher hate to break it to you man. But you can't escape certain problems and issues no matter how far away from your home country you go. Life doesn't work that way. You either face it or fall.
These Japanese bills for gasoline, kids school tuition, renewing my visa, rent, insurance and residence taxes along with a mandatory pension payment I WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO USE is also bonkers. Everywhere has its costs, and the money just goes to different places.
Good job Jason! I totally agree! I lived in Yokosuka for 10 years as a child and as my first duty station in the Navy. So right about there are many great experiences and people are wonderful, customer service is the best! But there's nothing like home in America💖🙏🏾
Unless you live(d) in Japan, you'll know as a foreigner every time you live your flat, you walk an uphill battle. A foreigner in Japan, will always be a foreigner. Without a Permanent Resident Visa (or some form guarantor), almost impossible to obtain your own Credit Card. You will find the posts keep moving when asking for services. Apartment? many will reject you. Ride your bike at night? Cops will pull you over to inspect if the bike is stolen. Annually to have 1-2 circumstances that cops decide to strip search you its within the experience. Career? limited choices, regardless of skills, you will be constrained, in particular with the language part. Learn the language? expensive, class schedule inflexible. Have kids? at some point you need to question what type of education do you want for them. Private foreign schools are $20K or more per year regardless of the grade. Home comforts, (food) for me to get a proper NYC pizza slice or just a burger can involve taking trains. Vegetables accustomed to, may not be available, to get beans/peas/lentils is a hassle. The work culture, unnecessary long hours, unproductiveness, stalemate - no one wants to make a decision. Needing to have drinks with colleagues everyday, because all the important decisions are decided after work the 12+ hours at work weren't enough. Unless you live in the country side, hardly ever will a Japanese will invite you to their home to chill out... and regardless, after all that, I prefer to live in Japan over the US, the safety factor. It's a love - hate relationship. If Jason wants to leave Japan, its his life. 20 years is a lot of time, he will get his pension from here, assuming after all that time has obtained a PR visa, and possesses roots to easily return should he change his mind later on.
Think it's a wonderful move Brother...Japan is also a part of you, STAY CONNECTED...You your wife and kids have a lot to offer in the US and will soon MAKE IT BIG TIME...HAVE NO REGRETS...you'll be fine ...
Let me see this man walking in Atlanta, I will respectfully ask for a pic with him. He is so well spoken and is full of experiences, it would be truly a pleasure to meet this man. I def won't ask for one if he's with his family. I'm not rude like that.
The mayonnaise story is the truth! I've only been here a few months and had this EXACT experience at the Cup Noodles Museum in Yokohama. We don't eat pork and ALL of the seasonings contained pork. They would not allow us to purchase our make your own noodles without the seasonings added. We literally paid, my kids decorated their cups and was midway through the process adding veggies to the cups and couldn't move forward with the process all because we told them no seasoning. Kids were super disappointed but they didn't care. They gave us a refund, took the cups back and we left. If follow the instructions by the book by ANY means necessary were a person it'll be Japan.
My story is being in Asakusa and looking for a place that didn't have pork soup base. One lace thats famous for its windows of faux food, i wen tin and had a seat. I asked for an item with 'no pork (spoke no jp at the time). It because innocent to totally nuts that no one understood what i was saying. And this is near sensoji, a huge tourist area! It took three to four people asking each other what 'no pork' meant. Fortunately they figured it out, and i had to leave. I still swear soemthing on that menu ha a veggie or fish base.....ah well. Even with the little Japanese i know, that was extraordinarily difficult. PS- lol i should remember how to say pork...but i dont at the moment .
@@simonmaduxx6777 I understand that. I have to use Google translate or put up the X sign with my arms so they understand lol. I was most excited to taste the foods until I realized most of it has pork. It's extremely difficult to enjoy this culture's food bc most broths and recipe bases are made from pork. Even the popular ramen dishes most are made from pork broth & the ground beef is mixed in with pork so I have to be leary of certain restaurants. I can appreciate that on food labels it has allergy information that let's you know what allergens are possible and they list just about every food category.
I couldn’t move back to the states, but as a father, I can definitely understand where you’re coming from. Also, paradise is in the mind but it’s also on the coastline of West and Southern Africa 😉
@Jason, great interview. You're very self aware. Good luck w/ the return home. To your point, paradise is in your heart and head...that's the same thing w/ home. It's unfortunate that your parents and family did not visit or spend time with your family while you were in Japan. I hope your time in the U.S. will be what you need it to be.
Living in South Korea for one year was my all time best experience. Travel the world, and taste, smell and intermingle with a culture other than your own. Patience is paramount.
Apart from the desire to be closer to family, I'd say mans has some strange strange priorities, and that Japan hasn't changed him as much as he thinks. He knows what he's lived, but I'd ask him if he objectively thinks that raising his children in America would be better than raising his children in Japan.
thank you for the encouragement, sir. having a goal to travel to Japan one day, saved my life full of depression and I thank you for being real not just too much positivity in japan but giving me ideas and be open to the culture more. I am very interested in Japanese culture but it gives me a reason to work and earn enough to travel there and do what I wanna do and have the reason to fulfill my dream. it saved me
That is so true about them being stuck to one process in Japan. The first time I went to Japan in 2001 I was like wow its so futuristic. Then I went again in 2018 and I was like....not much has changed since 2001. It felt like the 80s version of the future. My wife and I were shocked the keypads on the ATMs were like keyboards from the 80s.
and then you bought a plane ticket to shanghai, and yea.. that happened to me.. 2008 Japan (wow) 2016 Japan (ooo it's nothing has changed woah). 2009 Shanghai (holy shit everything is under construction it feels real industrial age-like) 2016 Shanghai (holy fucking shit am I in the goddamn 24th century?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?! how did they build up everything so fast? Everything has changed ? OMG? )
@@lordblazer I had that exact reaction in Shanghai also. I have pictures from Shanghai in 2001, 2002, and 2004. 🤯 between 02 and 04 i barely recognised anything. Each year the city changed massively. I haven't been back to mainland China since 2004. I can't imagine how much its changed now. 2001 hardly anyone had their own car. If they did the cars were mostly cheap VW cars or jeep Cherokees and Buick Regals.
Please do a followup interview with him after 1yr of his return/reintegration back to the US. And, if he agrees I would like to hear from his children about the impact the cultural change have had on them.
You are the Wise. Thank you for your input and honesty about Japan, and why you’re leaving to go back home in America. I think it is great for your kids to get out the bubble that Japan lives in and explore more in life. I think one of the concerns for the wife and incase he don’t know, the rise of Asian Hate Crimes that’s been happening. Other than that, good luck to ya’ll, and will follow through on ya journey. You’re right, paradise is only in the mind, the way we perceive it. I’m known to be into Japanese culture but I’m not as gullible about it like I use to because I appreciate and accept the reality of it outside of its entertainment. Just stepping out of the airport and on Japanese side walk was good enough to be happy about rather than going to tourist spots. I just appreciated the environment, and the atmosphere. BUT I still gotta remember, visiting is different from living in it.
This is sooo true. I left my comb at my host house at an air bnb. He wrapped it in plastic and drove it to the train station to give it back to me. The comb wasn't even worth the trip. Lol
My goal is to live both in America and Japan, split the year in half, one half in each place. I don't want to be totally disconnected from my home state so I need to spend enough time here still, and to see my loved ones enough. But at the same time I found my happy place in Osaka and would love to be able to reside there (and real estate is affordable in Japan). The only issue with this would be starting a family, or even being married if my wife would be alright with going back and forth every 3-4 months
Lived in Thailand for over a decade, but always knew it was temporary. My home is America, my roots are there, and are connected to me via my ancestors who built it. Thailand is nice but it'll never be 'mine'.
i don't know how you guys even convince yourself of this silly opinion. UK is my home but my parents are immigrants like most black people here Yet most of us know that our parents country isn't 'ours' either even if most/all our ancestors are from there Life is short. Be somewhere safe and nice that you enjoy. All this ownership nonsense is just NONSENSE You don't own a country, state, town, culture. You just exist within one and you are comfortable within some
I met Jason in Nagoya in perhaps 2007/8 He's a genuine and very good person. I wish you all the best Jason. I honestly hope you achieve all you and your family hope for. Whenever you're in London....
Lenny! Good to see you over here m8! I always wondered why you decided to head back (I didn’t even get to have a last round at Hub Pub!!) Thanx for the well wishes.
Thanks for watching! Watch our first interview with Jason here: bit.ly/2UgvDLr
You can follow Jason's journey on his Instagram (@starrwulfe) or on his RUclips channel here: bit.ly/35E2GLZ
That mayonnaise story is so relatable... Always well spoken Jason. Safe travels back home man!
Yes it is! I remember it not being allowed for me to add lettuce on my McDonalds’ fish filet. Never mind why I was in McDonalds in the first place lol I’m just saying. Adhering to rules is fine but being too too rigid is stagnating. I loved Japan overall though.
Thanx my guy! (I’m a big fan of yours by the way; keep holding it down!)
MAyonnaise or safety I would pick mAyonnaise anyday
He needs to be careful these Repubturds are trying to get on school boards and alter the way education is taught in schools...They want to be able to teach racism in schools
@@mattyghost3409 Yeah I fear he's gonna run into some wackjobs shitting on a mixed family, and then there might be guns involved. USA is a fear mongering madhouse.
Ranzo, if you could do a remote interview with him, I'd love to see another interview after he's been back in the states for 6 months. Would be interesting to hear his perspective after being gone for 20 years. I'd also like to see a recap of folks you interviewed 3-5 years ago that are still there, and their current perspective vs. when they got there. Love this channel!
I strongly suspect he'll regret moving back. I'm sure this update would be filled with platitudes and euphemisms, but reading between the lines I'm sure he'll regret it. I'm predicting this. Like that guy from apocalypse now said "You can never go back home". But his attitude is a good one. "Paradise exists in your mind". That's no lie.
@@elmatasesues3630 I’m more like Jackee Harris from 227. “Ain’t no place like home chile.”
…until the next adventure at least.
@@starrwulfe I don't disagree you know. And after looking at the experiences of other people who emmigrated to Japan, I begin to think there have to be other, perhaps more embarrassing factors motivating this move. But I won't lie, at least the Japanese 'other' everybody, not just black people. I would think it would be easier to raise kids where you're totally an alien, not in a state where you're in a space of inbetweenity, and where there is such savage violence against you, where the state has, for the past couple hundred years, been attempting to legislate you into perpetual poverty and dependence.
@@elmatasesues3630 You hit the nail on the head. I know a guy who was in Japan for 8 years and left very recently due to “embarrassing” things just as you suspect here. The guy has been back for 6 months working as an uber driver living with family… He wont say it but hes starting to realize how good he had it being an outlier in Japan, how he was just one night out from meeting someone who could offer him opportunities that would be hard to find in the US..
@@codeninja100 you know looking at this video the first time, my immediate thought was 'this dude has some strange priorities'. But now, I don't know so much. The US might have laughably bad race relations, and of course other disadvantages like limited access to quality education, excess taxation with limited returns etc., but I have come to think that the openness and flexibility of its economy might say something for it, especially as compared to Japan. This notwithstanding the realities of the pandemic; my state has only been able to survive because of our natural resources, our reserves, and the fact that our government basically runs on a form of democratic socialism. So the government can unilaterally declare, for example, that mask-wearing be enforced in public, etc. And so far, our numbers have been commendably low, our vaccination proceding in an orderly fashion, and welfare systems functioning at descent capacity. I think of how poorly Japan has been dealing with the pandemic, and the low likelihood of that changing, given, for example, their insisting on going forward with the Olympics during this time, and I have come to think that in the long run, economically, Japan may not be headed in such a good direction, considering COVID's abilty to deplete a workforce in quick time etc. Maybe this fellow is futuristic in his outlook. Who knows, he might have to work uber or some less desirable job, but his kids already have an advantage having been educated to some extent in Japan. He's got family, so finding a place to stay might not be so tough in the immediate future. And America's economy is maybe the most diversified in the world. He might bounce right back in his lifetime, and his kids may have more options for employment in the future, whether through civil service, or entrepreneurship. I don't see Japan as being anywhere near as flexible.
Ppl take it for granted that not everyone has a home to go back to. No parents or siblings. So the only option is to create one. Sad times for those
Not necessarily, it can be a new beginning and happy times. It doesn’t have to be something negative.
Yes!! I will be one of those people in the future
Wishing him the best. I live in America, and I have lived in 3 different states (long term). I think what people fail to realize, is that not all parts of America are the same. If all you do is watch the news, you will think that every day here is a struggle....and for many it is....but not for all. As a child of West Indian immigrants, I have grown up seeing a lot of the good things this country has to offer. Of course we have experienced bad times as well...just as most people. The key wherever you are, is learning how to move around obstacles. If you are unhappy in one area of the country....believe it or not there are other areas where you will find happiness. Traveling is great, but there is nothing wrong with wanting to come home.
The US sucks everywhere. Sorry, you have a weird culture. I have lived there, and there was absolutely nothing about the culture that could inspire me. Even countries like Lithuania were more inspiring.
For me I'm planning on moving back to Japan from the states due to gun violence (which has touched my family), police brutality and rising crime. I'm not searching for utopia, but I do want peace of mind and don't have to worry every time my wife & kids walk out the door.
Don't worry, he will realize soon, just let him have the reverse culture shock on his first shooting 🤣
Through it still America but that's why I'm leaving Nebraska to relocate futuristically to Wyoming thats right across the state line dispite Wyoming being a predominant white state without much cultural diversity but its cost of living is very low and its crime rate is very low including that that states population is barely around 6 hundred thousand which fits into my realm of being in a quiter atmosphere which will beat being here in Nebraska which has cities like here in Lincoln and Omaha where more crime is prevalent although its worser in Omaha than here in Lincoln but Lincoln has its elements which may be headed in the exact worse way that Omaha is and plus more people are moving here to Lincoln and that unfortunately is adding to the atmospheric here turning toward the way things are in Omaha and me moving to Wyoming will definitely beat me going back to a place like Detroit, Michigan ., USA . so even with me being black in a time of racial tension in America i still feel i can settle for an environment like in Wyoming rather than me going back to a urban repository like my place of birth Detroit ans other similar places like Detroit that i been to. So me and you are on a very similar page and hopefully i plan on leaving America altogether to a entire different that dont have the high crazy situations like here in America.
Me personally if i was in his shoes coming back to America i would not go to no major city especially like Atlanta or my hometown of Detroit.
But regardless of my opinions i made in the other comments below i still respect the brother's decision .sometimes people must do whats best for them.
I concur with u brother
We all have to make challenging decisions. I left America (Atlanta) in 2005 were is was able to do an inter company transfer to London, England. After 10yrs I thought I was ready to move back to the USA and I moved back (Chicago). After 1.5yrs in Chicago I felt that I needed to be back in the UK / Europe and yes I moved back. Now back in the UK this is home for me. (You have to make the best decisions for you.) All the best and safe travels.
My grandfather did similarly. He moved out to the UK during WW2 then eventually moved to the US. My wife and I moved out here to London a few years ago and I flew my grandfather, now in his 90s, back to the UK to visit. He regrets staying in the US and not moving back to the UK.
The UK isn't perfect but after spending the part of Father's day yesterday in the Children's ER its nice not having to worry about massive medical bill.
America isn’t the last stop for sure, but it’s a place where I can tend to personal stuff, let my kids know my side of the family, let my wife know my story from not just me but the family around me growing up, and also make more money!
London is the best city in the world. As a Londoner I'm extremely biased. 😂😂
@@mrlin1687 it's in my top 3 so far.
@@TenshiR what are the other two...
He's basically homesick I feel, I would not raise kids there, but they will definitely get a different perspective that's for sure, well wishes
Safe journey back to America sir thank you for sharing your experience in Japan 🇯🇵 I can’t wait to visit Japan oneday💯💪🏾
Bro this guy totally unlucky when he went to this asian county, Japan is really really good, I hope y can visit Japan
The burger story is quite literally the best description of Japan
Yea, very bureaucratic. Then there's the US where service is objectively the worst out of 5 countries I've visited.
@@chrisc1184 🤣🤣🤣🤣👍
I feel the same way. Even when I travel to various places for a while, I still feel homesick. I’m half-Nigerian and I still feel homesick for the US even at the home of my ancestors. Idk maybe it’s because I live in a majority black area of the US that was relatively safe and felt like a community.
I’m way younger, a teen, but I see myself in the same parallels as Jason sometimes. I also moved around a lot and I’m in Atlanta now. I also want to move to Japan, but the big difference is that my brother and I want to move to Japan for nearly the same reason. My dream is to use what my brother and I want to make a good influence on the view of black people. If there’s any points that I would definitely consider in this video, it’s values changing over time and spending time with family. My family are the first reason at all why I even feel so strongly about helping the image of black people and giving back to them for how much they’ve done for us as a family. Finally, my initial draw to Japan was Nintendo and anime. Those gave me the best early childhood memories I could’ve ever imagined. Nintendo’s games helped me build the strong bond with my cousins that I didn’t get to see often and anime was the reason I started learning Japanese. My classmates even wanted to join in learning too. Those things have had the biggest impact on my life thus far: Family and Japan. Therefore, I have a really strong will to give the most back in whatever I can.
I said “If there’s any points that I would definitely consider.” A better way to reiterate that is the points that I’m mainly focused on.
Alright but the most important thing is to go back home to improve the place you grew up in. That how progress is made.
@@渡辺春樹-z7x Progress can be made in many different ways. My opinion is that it’s best to make progress in any way that we wish. Whether it be direct through media, representation, spreading knowledge towards each other, or even something as small as influencing one person. I feel like if we make progress through a natural will to do so in any way, it should be fine.
@@joseph3036 True, but not if its in homogenous asian countries, no one wants to see foreigners coming to their land and gaining economic and political power, it has to be in your own country like the usa, brazil, or African countries.
@@joseph3036 Exactly. Too many black men are just lost. Always trying to nest in another man’s community instead of improving his own. SMH.
Good luck. Be sure to have the "Talk" with your children. And you know what I mean by that. Dizzy Gillepsie sang "I'll Never go back to Georgia" for a reason. Stay safe and don't burn any bridges here. You might be wanting to return some day.
Yeah, good luck! I know he'll be leaving again!
@@jondo3817 He's coming back and everybody else is trying to leave. To each his own I guess 😎
So he hasn't the talk with his children??? You know better 🙃
@@zakiyabambozzle2933 calm down, he wasn't being an ass and i think he's genuinely concerned for their safety despite jokingly.
Truth
I applaud him as a FATHER..
BEST WISHES AND GOD BLESS..
This is a really good interview. Jason is a great speaker and I was holding onto every word. Really puts things into perspective and makes you think. Great job ya’ll!
Oh man. I live in Vietnam and all his reservations he has going back to America is exactly why I’m not ready to go back.
When I retire I'm taking America in small doses. Maybe 1-3 months out the year to visit friends and family. But the world is just too big and there's too much to see to just stay in the US. Plus between the violence, politics, and racism you need a different vibe.
Agree 1000%!! The world is HUGE and should be explored and that's just how I feel about it. I am looking forward to traveling the world and learning about new cultures and environments. People have ALWAYS moved from place to place -- nothing has changed. God Bless him and his family! Be safe out there!!
💯
Let's meet up in Singapore someday
It's funny you say that when you're secretly experiencing racism Were you are
Yes I plan to travel all over the world
Ranzo, no offense but you need to save this man from himself! I believe he's just homesick. I give him 1 year back in the US and he will be heading back to Japan! Real talk!
Or maybe he won't. He stayed in Japan for 20 years. That is a very long time.
@@Hellsing7747 Well, I guess we'll just have to wait and see! But, good luck to him! I hope it works out!
@@frankellis9627 I’ll be alright. 20 years is enough, and until you’ve been gone from the people you love that long, it’s hard to understand. Ironically a lot of my brothers who have been locked down along with anyone who’s been in the military doing overseas for a long time really get this.
No he’s made a great decision, going back home to improve his country. The us needs him more than japan, besides Japan isn’t his home as he’s not Japanese. So all foreigners coming here should do the same .
I give him two weeks. When he takes his kids to a public park where strippers dance and twerk that will be enough to have him running for the hills.
God Bless this brother! Always a straight shooter, and a big reason for this channel's authenticity! Blessings to him and his family! Another great interview!
That story about the hamburger & mayonnaise really hits home for me. Interestingly, there are tons of situations like that in Japan. I lived in Japan for 5 years as an educator and had many similar experiences.
Jason 's video 2 years ago was my introduction to The Black Experience Japan. First BEJ I 'd ever watched. I subscribed and have been watching ever since.
Me too. Exactly!
Same here
I totally understand. Reverse Culture Shock is not joke!
Jason, I’m one of those people which started to follow you on IG & Twitter after the initial YT interview.
This interview resonated on many levels … though I’ll never miss Amerika enough to move back there.
Getting me to visit is a chore in itself, especially in today's climate. I left San Francisco, in December 2002,
and I’ve only been back to the USA twice since then. I pray all works well for you, the wife, and children.
Hopefully if time permits, you'll continue to update via Social Media moving forward
As always Ranzo... AWESOME INTERVIEW!
It was nice to hear more about his story. I totally agree about leaving your hometown, at least once, to live somewhere else. My husband and I left Amsterdam for Amsterdam. And on fact in European history they would send their kids to travel from the age of sixteen or so. To study abroad or just travel, to grow. Anyway after this we are planning to go to Korea. He was adopted as a baby but has been in contact with his biological family for years. And now he wants to live there for a while. I think what helped us in London is to have no expectations, and to learn to be flexible and yes patient. And to plan ahead but to understand that things might not go according to plan🤓
Love your videos, as usual👍🏽✊🏽
Before I left the US, I had a close friend from Pakistan who used to say "the country I am from only exists in my mind because the Pakistan of today is not the Pakistan of my childhood" and now I know EXACTLY what he means now. The US is too violent and the people are behind time without knowing it. I'm down for the departure from Japan, but I don't think moving back to US is the answer.
exactly. I'm living in DC now, and last summer was insane. shootings every single day. multiple casualties sometimes. this is unheard of in Japan, and this aspect of having security is seriously what I do miss about Japan. You can actually build a life in Japan. Albeit the Japanese make this shit as hard as possible. But albeit if you grind and take your time, you'll reach your goals. Without having to worried about getting carjacked, mugged, kidnapped, or shot. All of which are everyday normal things that happen in America.
@@lordblazer - Yes. I live in India, so the observation he made about Asian countries being a bento box made me laugh a lot 😊 I understand the homesickness part, it happens every now and then, but the lack of guns and the intelligence of the people are two things you cannot get in USA. I hope he doesn't force his kids to stay. I think he just needs a long visit ❤🌹
@@lordblazer Don't forget the hate crimes. They are so common no matter how they try to downplay it in the US.
Maybe it depends on where he goes. If his children were born in Japan and don't really know the USA will have a difficult time. At the same time children are very adaptable.
US still ain't as violent as was in the 90's, not even close. Them crack days was wild.
No matter where I go, America, although crazy, dangerous, racist, is still my home. There's crime and tragedy no matter where you go, some places it's more prevalent than others. Out of every place I have visited, or lived, which it was Korea where I lived for 5 years, the yearning to return back home was in me. Also, job wise, I was able to work in my field, have mycareer in America, but in Korea? That didn't happen. To each his own, whatever makes a person happy.
Yeah but at the same time in asia, as a black person you'll always be seen and treated as a foreigner, while in america, even a just arrived Ghanaian will find people who ask him "you accent is funny, which STATE are you from? And not always "country"
I am American. I am grateful but if I find a better quality of life somewhere else that’s also well rounded, I’m out. People over here complaining that commemorating the end of slavery is a problem. Demonic, Neanderthal thinking is what I can do without
America is alright, I was born here but grew up in another country, I grew up in a developing country, so America does not seem too bad
America isn’t racist. Americans are actually one of the least racist countries.
@@delightfulinsanity3622 yet demand for racism is greater in America than in other countries.
When I went to Japan, i was surprised I couldn't get customized food. We take that for granted in America.
You gotta ask for it on the side ROFL. Just gotta customize it yourself.
I think Jason is clear eyed about his move back to America. He's lived here before and he sees what is going on now. For him, it is more about his family, his children, knowing their American family. He and his wife seem to be a good match, on the same page. America may not be this family's last stop. Safe travels to him and his family.
Once he goes back, he will get stuck there.
I can totally relate to everything he is saying. To all the comments saying he's making a mistake, you truly don't understand until you leave America and realize all the trivial things you will miss and realize those things make you who you are.
Not gonna lie, if you miss this country enough to come back and financially participate and put money into the hands of the folks who make it this way, you might be trash too.
I live in America now. With that being said....If I ever leave America to live in Japan...I would never go back.
If I move to any foreign country I would never move back. Only way I’d travel back is to visit or if there’s an emergency
He summed up his life in Japan pretty well, I hope you’ll enjoy your new life chapter.
And yes, Japan is amazing and a pain in the ass.
Great interview! I totally see where you coming from. All the best in Atlanta and if things don't work out, I don't see a problem with moving to somewhere else.
Recently started following Jason on IG and he was one of my inspirations to coming going to Japan I’m 34 and have a wife and 3 kids I think when covid is over we want to experience this.
Do it do it do it doooooo iiiiiiiit!
It will change your lives for the good
@ yeah those Japanese schools dont teach Critical Race Theory or about LGBTBBQ. That Atlanta school is perfect for his mixed kids.
BRO... you just decided to come to America at the WORST POSSIBLE TIME! This country is LITTERALLY turning into a trash can! But I wish you the best... just remember to stay safe and avoid danerous neighborhoods. I for one cant wait to leave but I know No country is paradise. We as blacks need to work togeather and help Africa develope so that there are better options for our children.
and ATLANTA at that.... I keep hearing that that city is doing VERY BADLY right now but idk. He shoulda stayed in Japan imo
@@jusblaze99
Nothing is ever going to be as bad as the north side of St. Louis where I grew up, so I think will be OK. And the worst possible time was Ashley when Donald Trump was in office! Things are at least a little bit better now. Come over to my Instagram and I’m giving the detail blow by blow on some of these topics. Japan as an idea for being around for a couple of years sounds good, but once you’ve been here long enough to see it for what it truly is it’s damn near the same actually.
@@jusblaze99 Wooh... Buckhead Atlanta is getting SO BAD that they want to leave Atlanta to get their own police force... Atlanta has always been bad but now Gangs in America are targeting private citizens more with strong armed robberies and car jacking because the people are too broke to buy their drugs post covid. Too many guns in America and too many traps for kids in the USA... The cost of living is too high in the USA. Countries like Germany seem to have the best safety and work life balance.
Will there ever be a good time to return to America? I mean us as black people, when have we seen a good time here? People have to do what makes them happy .
@@starrwulfe "And the worst possible time was Ashley when Donald Trump was in office! Things are at least a little bit better now."
Things may be better NOW, but I don't know about the future.
Trump is the manifestation of the type of people who got him in. Trump may be gone, but his base still remains. Not only that, but Trump indirectly helped "spawn" Q-Anon and Margorie Taylor Greene. Compared to Q-Anon and MJT, Trump is pretty SANE.
Anyways, I wish you the best upon your return.
I am so on the same wave length with his perspective on COVID-19. I hate that people have died from it. At the same time, this has forced me and some family members and friends to re-evaluate our lives and determine what is important. I also like his perspective on where home is as well as no place one goes is nirvana. Each place has its positives and negatives. I wish him and his family the best.
Such a Gatewood fan now! He's such an eloquent young man and yet so unimpressed with himself. Wherever he ends up, I hope he's happy and fulfilled.
Ask him how he feels about USA after he's lived here after a month lol. He's romanticizing back home and seeing loved ones. Which is normal. All in all he's probably just homesick and needs to see those who he grew up with and cares for. Although once that nostalgia fades (give or take a couple weeks to a month) hell be ready to bounce his ass back to Japan. The pros of foreign life far outweigh the helllish experience he'll face living in the west. One routine traffic stop by the 12 over a brake light and he'll reconsider his transition. A lot has changed in 20 years homie. Shit a lot has changed in the last 2 months
Atlanta is bad , since May 2020 Atlantas homicide rate shot up by 58% and shootings went up 40%
@@Dropkickurteacher especially Minnesota. I grew up in North Minneapolis and it was a good place back then. Back in middle school, you would see hundreds of kids out trick or treating at night without adult supervision and you see all your fellow students in the streets. Everyone having fun without a care, same for Christmas. Now its impossible. I have moved out to the suburb many years ago and i see news on my old street being shot up on a daily basis. It makes me sad that kids in this generation can't have that.
I would love to see another interview on what he sees different being 20 years away. My neighborhood turn 180 in only 10 years.
Those kids moving to ATLANTA of all places.. I dont think this was well thought out but hes a grown man I’m just some random comment on youtube. I hope to God theyre going to a private school. I honestly wish the best for him but 6 months from now he’ll be kicking himself for moving back to america and then Atlanta of all places lol.
@@codeninja100 yeah if his problem with raising kids in Japan is because they could be victims of hafu bullying, then it won't be much different in the states, especially Atlanta. Hope he doesnt thinks those black kids cant be bullies because Nick Cannon said complexion means compassion... Those kids will go through worse bullying for being swirled children and mixed.
@@Pepe-dq2ib Grew up here in Atlanta. Screw the bullying thats the least of his problems. With the degen society of America and especially Atlanta, the things his kids will have to do to FIT IN will do way more damage.. This just feels like a bad call all around but what can I say i havent lived in japan for 20 years. But really? Mayonnaise on a burger is your biggest problem? That example just exposed his rose colored lens of the states cause i know he wouldnt trade japanese fast food with America’s fast “food”..
I think there was one guy who left America to go to Japan. Then he came back to America. Now he wants to leave America again to go back to Japan.
See before moving a person has to make "sure" they have "cleared" things up within themselves so that when they leave for "better places" they won't have things lingering over their head.
It'll be really sad and depressing to have the aggravation following you everywhere on earth no matter the job or geography. Sometimes folks are looking for something, running away from issues, etc and they carry the issues everywhere cause they did not "clear" things up before they left.
I hope it goes well for the brother and his family. I personally think America is a hell hole, and I live here.
Yes, it is! Hahaha
Well in your perspectives others might view their own country the same way
Plus, they have a protection bill here for asians (like his wife) while we (blk folks) have none....wish him luck though
@@gamegamer9523 and so wouldn't trade their countries for America, especially when they learn about the medical system.
Where do you live in America lol 😂
Great interview and something needed for people to hear. Family is so important.
I respect his decision, and I truly feel the same and after 30 yrs I'm still never going back to America, PERIOD!
I have a feeling he'll be leaving again!
Yeah where r you now?
@@渡辺春樹-z7x I live in San Francisco but I'm originally from Illinois. I'm an Air Force Vet so I've done my fair share of traveling. I have a good job but I plan on leaving the US in January next year. I'm going to live a Digital Nomad lifestyle. I have a Bachelors Degree and a TEFL certificate. I've already been offered jobs by teaching agencies. I'm just tying up some loose ends and getting my finances right before I leave.
@Okinawa 4K well its your home american, not japan.
@@frankellis9627 and not back to Asia but another continent. Or maybe stay in America and just live in the country. Lol
As a person that lived in japan for about 4 years I resonate with a lot of what he’s saying. I think the culture shock he will experience coming back to America is going to be big. The fact that he also sees people leaving you alone as a benefit tells me he will be shocked by the level of intrusion he is going to experience in America. I enjoyed the video and him sharing his experience with. Those probably planning to visit or move.
Fascinating and thought-provoking. I’ve lived in Japan in about 25 years all together, but unlike Jason I am a sedentary person who is not much interested in new experiences (LOL), and I do not have family back home that I want to be with so much that I would uproot my life here. But Jason really gets to the heart of the worst and best aspects of both Japan and the U.S. “Paradise isn’t a physical location. […] Paradise lives up here.” So true. I wish him well.
Excellent interview! Jason offers an interesting perspective on so many things. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The word he's looking for is anecdote. I'm so smart. 🙌🏽
Good luck!! Keep your children as safe as possible.
Critical thinking as a whole in the U.S. is on a massive downswing. I really hope he doesn't regret coming back to the US, or at least doesn't have expectations. If he does he's in for a rude awakening of the state of our country.
He will go back... My buddy is AA and married to a Korean... Every few years, the family moves back to the states for a year, just to go back to Korea for another 5 years and another kid later lol
@@DJ_BROBOT I imagine having the ability to do that is really nice, tbh. I can understand it.
You say critical thinking , your statement doesn’t sound like critical thinking. When you mentioned America as a whole , that statement is false. How do you know it’s on a massive down swing? Other than social media , tv etc. How much traveling have you done in the US ? How many groups of people have you live with other than the people that look like you? I’m just guessing , since you’re a critical thinker you’ll come up with the typical defensive answer.
@@mosijahi3096 Don't worry about it 😘
@@deathsheadcashew 😘
Good luck and all the best to you and whole family!
I had to pause and comment…your relative is correct, ATLANTA HAS CHANGED. Born in Crawford Long hospital, been here my whole life, I do not recognize it. Best of luck my brother. It’s NUTS here now, sadly.
Very good interview. Wish you the very best back home. Love everything you mentioned about your own happy place. People failed to understand that where ever you go there you are. At the end it's what you make of it, life is an experience.
We are kinda of nomadic people in a way. We don’t truly have a place we can call home that is truly ours.
Not even Africa?
@@SuperBigdude77 Africa is always home that’s why I’m here with my fam at peace and enjoying the sun and fresh food and ocean Africa is our home. Best place ever
thats bullshit
Jason is always super thoughtful when i hear him.
wish he had a podcast or was more active on RUclips!
Im almost done with the video but man I disagree with his choice, but ultimate I wish the best for him and the families involved. Hope they all find peace and happiness mentally and physically.
Edit: finished the video, nicely done as always. Again, I’m still in disagreement but I can see why he chose what he did.
You cant tell a man what to do wit his family... BUT when I heard From Atlanta I kinda paused... I dont think Atlanta is safe for young kids with the covid crime spike.
He made the right choice, to go back home and improve the place he comes from. Besides Japan is the homeland to only the Japanese, that must be respected.
@@KAIZENURAMESHI Japan belongs to the japanese. America won’t occupy it forever
@@KAIZENURAMESHI No where in the world is safe…safety is an illusion. You just have to be prepared and have a strong intelligent mind.
@Okinawa 4K why you so mad? Did I hit a nerve? The truth hurts doesn’t it? This country isn’t yours, never was. This country was built by the Japanese, for the Japanese. We’ve allowed you in and you have the audacity to say that me saying “ japan is the homeland to only the Japanese” is crap talk? Have a little gratitude for even being allowed here, in a country that isn’t yours. You seem to have that same western arrogance Europeans had when they found new land. Just because you found this place and like it here doesn’t mean its home to you and your people. Japanese people have been here for thousands of years, you haven’t .
Family is everything. But if that burger story is the worse thing that’s happened I’m moving to Japan. I guess I’m a rules kind of person.
@ana sheee where I live 3 people were shot yesterday. So many homeless people. Yeah I’m willing to trade for that.
@ana sheee what is this kid even talking about??
@@obladioblada9667 I'm pretty sure he's referring to the work culture of Japan and how they work almost like machines i may be wrong tho ...
@@zenwishes9948 Well if Jason doesn’t want to work maybe America will be a good move for him 😂🤣
I would of just wiped the Mayo off in 2 seconds and not given it a second thought.
I lived in Japan for closed to 10 years and came back in 2019 and I'm still here in the US. If I could've had a vision to tell me not to comeback but stay in Japan. I even had a little hatred for Japan, but Japan is much better than living in the United States!
Same, I lived there 6 years and moved back to the states. Love hate relationship with Japan… we’ve been back in the states for 4 years now and still not sure we made the right decision..
@@mallison7191 From my prospective, mistake. Mostly, because of my kids.
I'm planning on leaving soon. could you please tell me more?
I'm glad this update video exists. People need to understand that just because you're going to another country, doesn't mean everything is sweet.
Louder for the people in the back please.
It’s true that Japan isn’t perfect, no country is, but moving back to America(with the way it is now) especially Atlanta is no joke.
@@Dropkickurteacher hate to break it to you man. But you can't escape certain problems and issues no matter how far away from your home country you go. Life doesn't work that way. You either face it or fall.
@@justinhearst bottom line, how safe it is in japan is one reason to stay. America is only good for visiting imo
going to have to watch this when I have more time at work currently.
Yeah, it's must see tv!
Its crazy seeing Jason going back because he was one of the people who inspired me to leave America as a kid.
Jason's the one that got me hooked on the channel.
This interview is worth gold. So much good information being shared. Thanks!
No thanks, I will remain overseas unless I absolutely positively have to move back to America.
So…like me then? 😆
Same here, when I study/live in China I won’t return unless it’s for a visit or an emergency
Mans decided to pull up and spit hot fire. Respect
My girlfriend is Japanese in japan I wanna go there just for here but we will eventually move back to America or somewhere more relaxed.
All the best to Jason and his family.
*when those US bills $$$ roll in, he'll be back- God forbid you get a hospital bill*
🤣🤣🤣🤣
No lies detected
These Japanese bills for gasoline, kids school tuition, renewing my visa, rent, insurance and residence taxes along with a mandatory pension payment I WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO USE is also bonkers. Everywhere has its costs, and the money just goes to different places.
@@goutfromfriedokra7099 you ain't never lie!!
Good job Jason! I totally agree! I lived in Yokosuka for 10 years as a child and as my first duty station in the Navy. So right about there are many great experiences and people are wonderful, customer service is the best! But there's nothing like home in America💖🙏🏾
Unless you live(d) in Japan, you'll know as a foreigner every time you live your flat, you walk an uphill battle. A foreigner in Japan, will always be a foreigner. Without a Permanent Resident Visa (or some form guarantor), almost impossible to obtain your own Credit Card. You will find the posts keep moving when asking for services. Apartment? many will reject you. Ride your bike at night? Cops will pull you over to inspect if the bike is stolen. Annually to have 1-2 circumstances that cops decide to strip search you its within the experience. Career? limited choices, regardless of skills, you will be constrained, in particular with the language part. Learn the language? expensive, class schedule inflexible. Have kids? at some point you need to question what type of education do you want for them. Private foreign schools are $20K or more per year regardless of the grade. Home comforts, (food) for me to get a proper NYC pizza slice or just a burger can involve taking trains. Vegetables accustomed to, may not be available, to get beans/peas/lentils is a hassle. The work culture, unnecessary long hours, unproductiveness, stalemate - no one wants to make a decision. Needing to have drinks with colleagues everyday, because all the important decisions are decided after work the 12+ hours at work weren't enough. Unless you live in the country side, hardly ever will a Japanese will invite you to their home to chill out... and regardless, after all that, I prefer to live in Japan over the US, the safety factor. It's a love - hate relationship. If Jason wants to leave Japan, its his life. 20 years is a lot of time, he will get his pension from here, assuming after all that time has obtained a PR visa, and possesses roots to easily return should he change his mind later on.
Think it's a wonderful move Brother...Japan is also a part of you, STAY CONNECTED...You your wife and kids have a lot to offer in the US and will soon MAKE IT BIG TIME...HAVE NO REGRETS...you'll be fine ...
Do what's best for you and your family, it's crazy in America right now but you know what you're getting into.
Brilliant! Always exciting and learning from the blogs!
Let me see this man walking in Atlanta, I will respectfully ask for a pic with him. He is so well spoken and is full of experiences, it would be truly a pleasure to meet this man. I def won't ask for one if he's with his family. I'm not rude like that.
From Austell to Alpharetta to Lithonia on down to Stockbridge. If you see me, holla at me ✌🏾
Now I understand why the Toyota and Lexus brands are so solid and reliable.
The mayonnaise story is the truth! I've only been here a few months and had this EXACT experience at the Cup Noodles Museum in Yokohama. We don't eat pork and ALL of the seasonings contained pork. They would not allow us to purchase our make your own noodles without the seasonings added. We literally paid, my kids decorated their cups and was midway through the process adding veggies to the cups and couldn't move forward with the process all because we told them no seasoning. Kids were super disappointed but they didn't care. They gave us a refund, took the cups back and we left. If follow the instructions by the book by ANY means necessary were a person it'll be Japan.
My story is being in Asakusa and looking for a place that didn't have pork soup base. One lace thats famous for its windows of faux food, i wen tin and had a seat. I asked for an item with 'no pork (spoke no jp at the time). It because innocent to totally nuts that no one understood what i was saying. And this is near sensoji, a huge tourist area! It took three to four people asking each other what 'no pork' meant. Fortunately they figured it out, and i had to leave. I still swear soemthing on that menu ha a veggie or fish base.....ah well.
Even with the little Japanese i know, that was extraordinarily difficult.
PS- lol i should remember how to say pork...but i dont at the moment .
@@simonmaduxx6777 I understand that. I have to use Google translate or put up the X sign with my arms so they understand lol. I was most excited to taste the foods until I realized most of it has pork. It's extremely difficult to enjoy this culture's food bc most broths and recipe bases are made from pork. Even the popular ramen dishes most are made from pork broth & the ground beef is mixed in with pork so I have to be leary of certain restaurants. I can appreciate that on food labels it has allergy information that let's you know what allergens are possible and they list just about every food category.
Can't wait for the update
I couldn’t move back to the states, but as a father, I can definitely understand where you’re coming from. Also, paradise is in the mind but it’s also on the coastline of West and Southern Africa 😉
????
@@cuffyland674What are you confused about? How can I help?
Hes going to Atlanta though.
@@Pepe-dq2ib i know. I felt it necessary to let folks know that paradise for black people is a place as well as a mindset.
@@t.e.stroud1781 Paradise for you maybe but not every black person.
@Jason, great interview. You're very self aware. Good luck w/ the return home. To your point, paradise is in your heart and head...that's the same thing w/ home. It's unfortunate that your parents and family did not visit or spend time with your family while you were in Japan. I hope your time in the U.S. will be what you need it to be.
Some family came through regularly actually. Just not my mom (yet) or grandparents when they were alive. C’est la vie
Man I clicked that notification so fast 😅😌 Lol
Faster than you! Haha Ready for this! 🍿
I was fastest though. LOL
@@starrwulfe lol
Living in South Korea for one year was my all time best experience. Travel the world, and taste, smell and intermingle with a culture other than your own. Patience is paramount.
He’s going to move back to Japan
Apart from the desire to be closer to family, I'd say mans has some strange strange priorities, and that Japan hasn't changed him as much as he thinks. He knows what he's lived, but I'd ask him if he objectively thinks that raising his children in America would be better than raising his children in Japan.
thank you for the encouragement, sir. having a goal to travel to Japan one day, saved my life full of depression and I thank you for being real not just too much positivity in japan but giving me ideas and be open to the culture more. I am very interested in Japanese culture but it gives me a reason to work and earn enough to travel there and do what I wanna do and have the reason to fulfill my dream. it saved me
That is so true about them being stuck to one process in Japan. The first time I went to Japan in 2001 I was like wow its so futuristic. Then I went again in 2018 and I was like....not much has changed since 2001. It felt like the 80s version of the future.
My wife and I were shocked the keypads on the ATMs were like keyboards from the 80s.
and then you bought a plane ticket to shanghai, and yea.. that happened to me.. 2008 Japan (wow) 2016 Japan (ooo it's nothing has changed woah).
2009 Shanghai (holy shit everything is under construction it feels real industrial age-like)
2016 Shanghai (holy fucking shit am I in the goddamn 24th century?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?! how did they build up everything so fast? Everything has changed ? OMG? )
@@lordblazer I had that exact reaction in Shanghai also. I have pictures from Shanghai in 2001, 2002, and 2004. 🤯 between 02 and 04 i barely recognised anything. Each year the city changed massively.
I haven't been back to mainland China since 2004. I can't imagine how much its changed now.
2001 hardly anyone had their own car. If they did the cars were mostly cheap VW cars or jeep Cherokees and Buick Regals.
Hey can you please fax your comment to me so that I can read it and respond.
Man this was a great interview!
Truth is there’s no place like home! Very interesting video thanks for sharing!
That's what an airplane is for for visiting.
@@REAL6 if I were him I would just get a visa just in case he changes his mind.
Please do a followup interview with him after 1yr of his return/reintegration back to the US. And, if he agrees I would like to hear from his children about the impact the cultural change have had on them.
I never felt home in America.. until i gained knowledge of self and realized i am my home 🖤🖤🖤
You are the Wise. Thank you for your input and honesty about Japan, and why you’re leaving to go back home in America. I think it is great for your kids to get out the bubble that Japan lives in and explore more in life. I think one of the concerns for the wife and incase he don’t know, the rise of Asian Hate Crimes that’s been happening.
Other than that, good luck to ya’ll, and will follow through on ya journey. You’re right, paradise is only in the mind, the way we perceive it. I’m known to be into Japanese culture but I’m not as gullible about it like I use to because I appreciate and accept the reality of it outside of its entertainment. Just stepping out of the airport and on Japanese side walk was good enough to be happy about rather than going to tourist spots. I just appreciated the environment, and the atmosphere. BUT I still gotta remember, visiting is different from living in it.
Good luck and Safe travels👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
You got older, slowed down, got more life-wisdom, and found a new plan in life.
That's life.
Moving back to America is like hooking back up with your abusive ex. Best wishes on your journey though.
Delusion
Lol
This is sooo true.
I left my comb at my host house at an air bnb. He wrapped it in plastic and drove it to the train station to give it back to me. The comb wasn't even worth the trip. Lol
that mayonaise story. yea Japan is a fucking nightmare with people who have food allergies trying to find accommodating restaurants.
My goal is to live both in America and Japan, split the year in half, one half in each place. I don't want to be totally disconnected from my home state so I need to spend enough time here still, and to see my loved ones enough. But at the same time I found my happy place in Osaka and would love to be able to reside there (and real estate is affordable in Japan). The only issue with this would be starting a family, or even being married if my wife would be alright with going back and forth every 3-4 months
Lived in Thailand for over a decade, but always knew it was temporary. My home is America, my roots are there, and are connected to me via my ancestors who built it. Thailand is nice but it'll never be 'mine'.
💯 THIS.
i don't know how you guys even convince yourself of this silly opinion. UK is my home but my parents are immigrants like most black people here
Yet most of us know that our parents country isn't 'ours' either even if most/all our ancestors are from there
Life is short. Be somewhere safe and nice that you enjoy. All this ownership nonsense is just NONSENSE
You don't own a country, state, town, culture. You just exist within one and you are comfortable within some
Talk about Nostalgia. Jason video from 2 ago was the first video I ever saw on this channel.
Black or White, japan is hard for Foreigners
I met Jason in Nagoya in perhaps 2007/8 He's a genuine and very good person. I wish you all the best Jason. I honestly hope you achieve all you and your family hope for. Whenever you're in London....
Lenny! Good to see you over here m8!
I always wondered why you decided to head back (I didn’t even get to have a last round at Hub Pub!!)
Thanx for the well wishes.
The America from twenty years ago is long gone my friend. If you can afford to leave you should leave. Every year its getting worse
I'm a black American and i definitely want to stay here.
Edit: or south Africa, Ghana, Liberia or Ireland.