Not just Japan, the world in general has changed. The peace dividend ran out and there are wars every where.

Thanks for doing what you do, Paul. I’m just a wistful American looking in with little hope at this point of moving my family there, but I appreciate the thoughtful way you explore topics on your channel. I’ve found it very helpful and heartening to hear your perspective. :)

As a 20-year veteran living in Japan, I think this video is fantastic—you nailed exactly how much things have changed!

Hey Paul, the best video of yours I have seen so far. You took me down memory lane that hit home and is exactly what I sent through in the 80s and 90s living with my Japanese wife and our three boys. I left five years before you arrived after a 20 year gig there. Japan has changed a lot for sure, but there is always a part of the culture that remains and keeps people staying, wanting to be there, or coming back after they've left. One new phase that you may go through is when your children reach that age where their future has to be considered. I left Japan for that reason as I felt my kids would have a better future in an open society western country like the States, Canada, or Australia. They were in high school.  Not sure if that is the case today. I have missed Japan all these years although I have gone back almost every year since I left. Sometimes I envy you for still living the dream I had 45 years ago. "Kansha" 感謝 to you for soldiering on in the hot, humid Japanese summer to give us your message.

I love your honesty and the tone and content of your videos. Please keep it up! And thank you for sharing these deep insights and for taking us along on your walks.

Your love for Japan is unconditional. Bravo.

Started visiting Japan in 2016 ..... When I came back from Japan the first time, everyone was in awe, so curious about how it was, seemed like a different planet to them.... Fastforward to 2026 and people have the attitude "You haven't been to Japan yet???"  because of the social media overexposure.  In my opinion, 2020 lockdowns with Tiktok was the major shift.

That being said, regarding changes IN Japan. I am soooo glad Google maps works ok now!

The English signage in Tokyo really struck a chord with me.  When I was with a tour back in 2005, I remember traveling from Tachikawa to Tokyo by myself on our free day with very limited Japanese, and it was a challenge.    The main train lines weren't too bad with a good paper map, but I remember a lot of the Kanji matching you mentioned when going on the subway lines.  I actually loved the challenge back then, but it sure is easier to access far more places (especially those not on the regular tourist tracks) now.

Hey Paul,
My name is Sven (M70) a 13-year ex-resident (surfer/university-level English teacher) of Japan: 1986-1999. Your insights are always interesting. From this particular piece, clearly many things have/are changing: Japanese society as a whole, but it seems that on an individual level, some things remain the same. Your chats and mindset make me feel as though I never left: Im literally right back there. We left for the sake of the children, but I still miss Kamakura, and its green hills!

Paul, I just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for making this channel and sharing your experiences! I've always loved Japan and fulfilled my dream of moving there this past September. I really thought that I was going to want to stay forever, but ended up leaving after 6 months after some very extensive soul searching. Six months may not seem like a long time, but I made the decision with a clear mind and awakened heart. Your videos made me realize that some of the realities of Japan were not aligned with me and that I ultimately didn't want to live there long term. Regardless, I'll always love Japan and I'm continuing to study Japanese and delving deeper into the beautiful parts of the culture. It will always be a part of me. The experience also inspired me to start my own YouTube channel a couple of months ago and Japan is one of my content pillars. Once again, thanks for all you do and I have no doubt that you're changing Japan for the better just by you being there. Your soul knows you're meant to help Japan! All the best to you!😊♥

When I came here in '86, one of the first things an old, wise gaijin told me: "Japan will change you before you change it." Mostly true...

Paul. I dont always comment but I always watch. You and Sundai Love are my two favorite Americans living in Japan YouTubers. You in particular, standout out from other youtubers for your pretty much nonbiased unique perspectives and consistent interesting topics. I hope your channel keeps growing and evolving.
PS I am watching from Atlanta Georgia by way of Brooklyn New York. Okay now that I have gotten that off my chest, I can watch the video😁🍿

Love the various locations of your videos. Nice rounded summary. I first visited Japan in 2013 while I was still working in my birth country. For the next 9 years I went back and forth on short trips, met my now wife, before retiring and deciding to move to Japan in 2022. If there was one thing that stood out for me from your video is the 'being home' feeling. I was so impressed with Japan during those 9 years, that every time I flew into Kansai or Narita, I had this overwhelming feeling of coming home. So when it came time to make that decision about where we would live in retirement, it was a 'no brainer'.

I hear what you're saying about being tarred with the same brush as some of the foreign tourists. I worked and lived for more than 20 years in a popular tourist town in my birth country. Luckily the percentage of clowns that visit Japan is low, but the tourism factor did play a large part in the decision we made of where to live in Japan. Our community is relatively small, but very friendly. Unfortunately my Japanese is terrible, but your videos are providing the motivation to improve. Thank you!

Shout out for the JET programme shirt. 😂😂😂

I first moved to Japan in 1993.  I lived there only six years.  I recently returned after not having visited for quite some time and was surprised at how much easier it is to get around.  Signs in English, English buttons on the train ticket machines, more young Japanese speaking  English.    My kids and grandkids are Japanese citizens and my love for the country will never die.  I would give my life to help defend it.

That feeling of not noticing that you are a foreigner is very relatable. It is something I wish we could communicate more to Japanese people.

More than 40 years since I lived in Japan as a teen, the changes are huge … as they have everywhere.

Hey Paul,

Great video. I lived in Japan from 1998 to 2004 and still return regularly for work, so a lot of what you said resonated.

I couldn’t agree more about smartphones. In fact, I believe their rapid and total ubiquity was the single biggest reason tourism and the foreign population took off in Japan. The forlorn, solitary Japan portrayed in Lost in Translation (yes, I know it was a film about loneliness) in 2003 had largely vanished by 2008. Suddenly there was no longer any need to know your way around the way we did in my college and JET days, armed with a paper dictionary and a sense of adventure. Now you can simply copy-paste an address in kanji into Maps, and it tells you which train to take, from which platform, at what time, and even the expected cost and duration. It has very little to do with the yen; the weak yen simply turned Japan from a tourist destination into a budget tourist destination.

You may remember this, since you said you moved there in 2002: maps to a particular company used to be printed right on the business card. They’d show the nearest recognizable station, a few landmarks, and a star marking the company’s location.

And the ATMs  were particularly vexing. Throughout my years in Osaka (2000–2004), I never understood why the ATM had to keep the same hours as the bank itself. The entire point of an automated teller is to give you cash when a human teller can’t be there. It’s almost as if that basic logic escaped the original implementation. Going out on a Friday night? Better make it to the ATM by 4:59.

All in all, I think this is one of your best videos, an interesting and well-observed take on just how rapidly the country changed in the space of about five years (2003-2008) and the changes happening at a geometric rate from that point on.

Great perspectives.
I was a student in Kansai then worked for a Japanese company in Tokyo in the 90’s. On trips back I miss some of what was but also enjoy many of the changes. I really like not being noticed as much. Just talking in Japanese without shocked reactions is really nice. The food & service is always amazing!

Every time I stumble upon on of those videos you mentioned I remember your channel and think to myself - they don’t hold a candle to you, Paul san.