Moving to Japan wasn't in American expat Cyndi's plans, but now she's finding that she's enjoying living with her family in the capital city of Tokyo. Read on for some information on what life is like for one foreigner in Japan, and the experiences and things that Cyndi will remember fondly about the Land of the Rising Sun when she and her family move to Australia.	Cyndi Bates

-Where were you born?

USA, Texas, in a very very very small town

I currently live in Tokyo, Japan.

-Are you living alone or with your family?

I live with my husband and two young sons.

7 years

I'm 38.

-When did you come up with the idea of living in Japan?

In a way it was sort of a fluke. Way back when, before I got married and had children, I lived a bit like a nomad. I had been living and working in the US for 2 years when I decided it was time to hit the road again. I applied for teaching jobs in several different countries, most of which were Spanish speaking, but Japan was one of them. Even though I had my heart set on living somewhere in South America, I somehow ended up in Japan.

No.

No.

-How do you make your living in Japan?

I used to be an English teacher, but now I'm a SAHM.

I can't really claim to speak Japanese, but I think it is important if someone is considering coming here to live that they be able to speak and read a bit.

Not really. My children were born here so I feel fully connected to this place. Although we are moving to Australia in the coming months which is where my husband grew up. My favorite recreational activity here as elsewhere is hiking. Japan has some really beautiful scenery.

-Do you have other plans for the future?

Well, as I said above we are moving to Australia soon so we are planning for and really getting excited about that. As for my personal plans, I'd like to someday open a yoga/meditation/alternative health co-op in Melbourne. That's may be 5-10 years down the road.

We are renting. Ballpark figure....a 3-room flat (50 m2) built in the early 80's would cost around 90,000-100,000 yen.

High. I don't know exactly. One is able to live reasonably here though, but you have to be really super budget conscious.

I find the Japanese to be really kind and generous. Most are very friendly and would help a foreigner in need.

-What are the positive and negative aspects of living in Japan?

I don't speak the language and that's made my life really difficult, especially with two small children. Other than that there are just really little things that bug me about living here. Although I must say that the waste disposal system is really complicated and confusing even for many Japanese. Garbage has to be cleaned and separated into many different categories and certain things simply cannot be discarded and so you find yourself just holding on to garbage not really knowing what to do with it because the city refuses to take it. The flip side is that the Japanese are very quickly becoming really environmentally and socially conscious.

-Do you have any tips for our readers about living in Japan?

It's such an amazing place; if you have the opportunity to live here you've got to seize it. It's a such a wonderful mixture of old and new Japan as well as Eastern and Western cultures. I've thoroughly enjoyed my time here and will look back on it fondly.

My blog is just about our life here and homeschooling/unschooling our children. please feel free to visit anytime

www.ladybug-zen.blogspot.com