I moved to Japan on a one-year visa. Many areas of my life have improved, but I’m still struggling with a few changes.

• So far, some of the biggest benefits have been the cost of living, food, and great public transit.
• Being far from family and making new friends have been some of the biggest challenges.

Here, people have been polite and welcoming, but spontaneous conversations happen significantly less than they did back home.

I know that this is largely on me: My Japanese is still a work in progress, and language barriers naturally make it harder to form deeper connections. Plus, since I’ve been moving between different cities, I haven’t had the long-term opportunities to build friendships through things like work, school, or hobbies.

I’ve had plenty of great interactions since moving here, but I wish it were easier to turn those moments into friendships. Moving forward, I’m going to try to be more intentional about starting conversations and putting myself out there socially.