Celebrating Global Citizens

One More Week to Leave Japan!

My Last Week in Japan
My Last Week in Japan
My wife and I are frantically trying to wrap up our life in Japan. Needless to say, there are still a million things left to do and the clock is ticking. It is a lot of work to leave a country.

Less is More

It really is amazing how much stuff you can accumulate over the years. I thought I was pretty good at limiting my consumption but I have purchased so many things that I barely use or have never used. My wife and I are really looking forward to a simpler existence in the near future. Less stuff, more life will be our motto.

Travel Update

We decided not to bring our car to Europe. We will sell it here instead. Unfortunately, the resale value of vehicles is really low in Japan due to the high taxes. It generally makes more sense to buy a new car than to drive an older one. That is why you never see old, run-down cars in Japan. It probably also contributes to the strength of the automobile industry here.

Anywhere Lifestyle, Here We Come, but I hate to give away my sofa

While we are definitely excited to move on with the next stage of our life, leaving Japan is somewhat bittersweet. We have built a really comfortable lifestyle here with all the furniture, electronics and conveniences we need. We were basically completely set up but now we are giving it all away. It will cost so much money to replace all the things we are leaving. Hopefully, we won’t be looking to settle down again anytime soon.
The next week or so is going to be extremely hectic so please excuse the sporadic posts. I also want to apologize for the spam direct messages on Twitter. My account was hacked and I still haven’t gotten control of it yet. A word of advice; change your passwords often!

JetSetCitizen on other Sites

I have written a few guest posts recently. I would love it if you commented on the host sites. It really means a lot when people add to the conversation. Disagree and call me names. I like it when people hate my ideas.  🙂

Lifestyle Design is Easy, Maybe on Untemplater.com
Authenticity is for Losers, Only Liars Succeed on Untemplater.com
Entrepreneur turns Vagabond: Journeying on, Destination Unknown on SoulShelter.com
I love Japan but it is Time to Go on NoDebtWorldTravel.com

Some Cool People to Check Out

I would also like to give a shout out to some online friends. All are fantastic people that I personally vouch for. (NOT affiliate links)
Adam Baker of ManVsDebt is coming out with a new product Tuesday March 9th so keep your eyes open.
Karol Gajda of RidiculouslyExtraordinary has his ebook, “How to Live Anywhere” coming out on March 5.
Brian Peters at NoDebtWorldTravel published “The Ultimate Guide to Traveling the World.”
Anil Polat of foXMad published “Overcoming the 7 Major Obstacles to Traveling the World.”

The Future

I will be much more mobile in the very near future so hopefully I will have a chance to meet up with more of you on the road. Please comment or email. I love to hear from everyone.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Hi John, I appreciate the shout out. Hopefully our paths will cross as you hit the road – all the best of luck. When you mention it, actually it is kind of funny how easy it is to accumulate stuff but how hard it can be to get rid of it all.

  3. He’s doing it!
    Looking forward to following your travels and experiences outside of Japan. Perhaps our paths will cross at some point!

  4. Hi Anil,
    Thanks for all the comments on my guest posts!
    It definitely is much easier to accumulate than to get rid of stuff. My wife and I feel kind of stupid for all the money we wasted on needless things over the years. I hope the lesson we learned lasts.

  6. Hi Alan,
    Our paths will definitely cross. The world is too small not to meet up somewhere.
    Thanks for all of your support!

  9. Good luck with your move! I can relate to accumulation. We were only in Brazil for 6 months and I thought we hadn’t accumulated much —- until I started packing!
    .-= carmen´s last blog ..Digital Nomad Blog Carnival – Accepting Submissions Now! =-.

  11. Hi Brian,
    Thanks for the comment. We wasted so much money buying furniture, renovating our house and on other things that we are a little reluctant to walk away from everything. I think that is part of our stress now.
    Once we get to the airport we generally calm down. 5 more days now.

  12. I have been in Japan for 13 years, so I definitely had time to master the art of accumulation. It is hard to give up perfectly good possessions but I am really looking forward to a simpler life.

  13. Awesome! I hope your last week isn’t tooooo stressful so you can enjoy it a little bit. You’re on the verge of something extraordinary. And thanks for the reminder about changing Twitter password, I should probably do that.

  14. Hey John – I’m sure it will be an incredible feeling to head to the airport with so little stuff in a week! Perhaps a bit odd at first but liberating before long. And like many of the readers, I too look forward to hopefully catching up with you somewhere out there one of these days.
    .-= Earl´s last blog ..The Joy of Booking a Flight =-.

  15. Congrats on this next phase of your life. Europe is a great experience and I’m sure you’re making the right move, there is always a little stress in the transition, but that will behind you before you know it. I really like your new motto – “Less stuff, more life!”

  16. John, I can’t wait to hear about the next phase of the adventure. Leaving a place can be almost as instructive as going there in the first place, so it will also be interesting to hear your thoughts once you put some distance between you and Japan.
    .-= Sharon´s last blog ..Vacation Planning Better Than A Vacation? Not For Me =-.

  17. Greetings Nate,
    My last week in Japan was definitely one of the most stressful in my life. I am glad it is over and I can finally take a breather before getting back to work on some new projects.

  18. Hi Earl,
    It really is an amazing feeling to clear so much stuff out of our lives. I never realized how much we were constricted by possessions. I hope we can keep up a minimal existence for a long time.
    One thing is certain, I have no interest in shopping any time soon.

  19. Thanks John,
    Yes, I love Europe too.
    I can definitely say that it was more than ‘a little stress.’ My wife and I barely slept for the last few weeks prior to leaving because of all the work needed to be done.

  20. Thanks Sharon,
    I agree that it sometimes takes leaving a place to really appreciate it. I love Japan and will definitely continue to spend time there, but it will probably only be for a couple of months per year.
    I will definitely follow up with some post-Japan articles soon.

  21. You have come a long way since I last checked the site! Congrats!
    Where in Japan do you live/moving away from? I was in Japan last month and sent you an @ reply on Twitter, but only noticed I had spelled your user name wrong when I came back to Thailand 🙁 Would have been cool to hook up over some Sake.
    Since returning, there’s not a day goes by when I don’t think of Japan – It’s easily the best country I’ve ever visited. The barrier to beat the living/lifestyle out there is going to be tough!
    Best of luck with your travels John – Hope it works out for you and the missus.
    Cheers!
    .-= Chris´s last blog ..Pate grilled on freshly baked bread =-.

  22. Hi Chris,
    Thanks for the comment and kind words. It is too bad we couldn’t meet up.
    I was in Nara.
    Japan truly is a fantastic country on many levels. My wife and I definitely plan to return regularly. We would love to spend a few months in Japan every year.

  23. Heya John!
    It’s been a while. Hope things are going good! Interesting to hear about your adventure of moving around the world, I hope you take lots of pictures and videos and keep us updated with your adventures! 🙂
    Ciao!
    Diggy
    .-= Diggy´s last blog ..There Is No Such Thing As Failure (Video) =-.