4 ms·

Could you share which destination city you chose and/or why?

by HungSu 5y ago

benrbray 5y ago
Tokyo! I'm not sure if I'll stay here forever, but so far I really enjoy life here. I had many reasons, including: * Car culture was really grating on me. Before I moved to Tokyo, I lived in Atlanta, a city carved up by I-75/85, where getting almost anywhere takes a 15+ minute drive on the highway. Highway traffic regularly spills onto neighborhood streets, and I felt like I was risking my life every time I went out walking / biking. I've also lived in downtown Seattle and suburban Michigan, and the situation was slightly better, but with the same car-first paradigm. * As I've gotten older it started to dawn on me how isolating American cities can be, especially without the community structure imposed by a school / university. People talk about America losing its "third place", and with permant-WFH we now seem pretty eager to get rid of our "second place" as well. * By comparison, Tokyo is designed at human-scale. I have everything I need within a 5 minute walk, which means I regularly run into the people who live near me. When I want to go farther I can always choose the appropriate mode of transportation for the journey: feet, bicycle, train, car, all in perfect harmony. For this reason, I also found it easier to maintain and build friendships -- no need to organize transport, just hop on a train. * I'm still young with few obligations and I want to learn more about the world before I choose a place to settle down. I know what life in America looks like. I'm learning about Japan. I hope to spend some time in Europe, eventually. * The political situation in the US concerns me. I'm not confident the US will be a nice place for me to live/retire 40 years from now. So for me, choosing to stay put seemed at least as risky as moving somewhere unfamiliar. Even if I eventually decide to return, I'd like to know that it was my own choice and not just inertia.
- laurent92 5y ago
  The tax strings which tie me to every former country I’ve lived in is what keeps me from changing again… This, and retirement which is tied to a country, I can’t spend 4 decades in 4 countries and hope to have enough retirement at the end.
  - tharkun__ 5y ago
    Interesting. Do you mind if I ask which countries? I did hear that the IRS 'gets you' where ever you are but I assumed it was sort of unique in that. Aren't most countries either no longer interested in you once you leave (tax wise) or have tax treaties with one another? Including government pensions in the treaty?

Could you share which destination city you chose and/or why?

by HungSu 5y ago

Could you share which destination city you chose and/or why?

Tokyo! I'm not sure if I'll stay here forever, but so far I really enjoy life here. I had many reasons, including: * Car culture was really grating on me. Before I moved to Tokyo, I lived in Atlanta, a city carved up by I-75/85, where getting almost anywhere takes a 15+ minute drive on the highway. Highway traffic regularly spills onto neighborhood streets, and I felt like I was risking my life every time I went out walking / biking. I've also lived in downtown Seattle and suburban Michigan, and the situation was slightly better, but with the same car-first paradigm. * As I've gotten older it started to dawn on me how isolating American cities can be, especially without the community structure imposed by a school / university. People talk about America losing its "third place", and with permant-WFH we now seem pretty eager to get rid of our "second place" as well. * By comparison, Tokyo is designed at human-scale. I have everything I need within a 5 minute walk, which means I regularly run into the people who live near me. When I want to go farther I can always choose the appropriate mode of transportation for the journey: feet, bicycle, train, car, all in perfect harmony. For this reason, I also found it easier to maintain and build friendships -- no need to organize transport, just hop on a train. * I'm still young with few obligations and I want to learn more about the world before I choose a place to settle down. I know what life in America looks like. I'm learning about Japan. I hope to spend some time in Europe, eventually. * The political situation in the US concerns me. I'm not confident the US will be a nice place for me to live/retire 40 years from now. So for me, choosing to stay put seemed at least as risky as moving somewhere unfamiliar. Even if I eventually decide to return, I'd like to know that it was my own choice and not just inertia.

laurent92 5y ago
The tax strings which tie me to every former country I’ve lived in is what keeps me from changing again… This, and retirement which is tied to a country, I can’t spend 4 decades in 4 countries and hope to have enough retirement at the end.
- tharkun__ 5y ago
  Interesting. Do you mind if I ask which countries? I did hear that the IRS 'gets you' where ever you are but I assumed it was sort of unique in that. Aren't most countries either no longer interested in you once you leave (tax wise) or have tax treaties with one another? Including government pensions in the treaty?