I moved to Japan 12 years ago and while I love it and it's the only home I know, I agree with you. Retiring, picking up and moving to a new country with a new

I moved to Japan 12 years ago and while I love it and it's the only home I know, I agree with you. Retiring, picking up and moving to a new country with a new culture would involve pretty serious culture shock. Betting the farm, so to speak, on wanting to live there for the rest of your life is kind of crazy I think. I've also had some health issues while I've lived here in Japan and even though I speak Japanese quite well and the Japanese health system is quite good, it's incredibly frustrating having to deal with something so important in a way that is foreign to you. In kind of a less extreme situation, I've known several couples who retired in the UK and moved lock stock and barrel to Spain. Even there, I've heard horror stories of getting soul crush homesickness, not being able to sell the house, and eventually returning to the UK and living a very much reduced lifestyle thanks to all the assets being tied up in Spain. It's a massive risk.