Seven months ago, I left Canada after living in Ottawa my entire life.
When my apartment lease was coming to an end, I knew I didn’t want to make another expensive yearlong commitment in the only city I’d ever lived in — especially as the cost of living kept rising.
I’d visited Japan once before, loved it, and couldn’t stop thinking about going back. I was also itching to leave my hometown and travel more, so my husband and I sold almost everything we owned and moved there with one suitcase and one carry-on each.
Instead of renting an apartment once we arrived, we decided to spend the year living out of short-term rentals so we could experience different parts of Japan.
So far, I’ve lived in Tokyo, Osaka, and Kumamoto, plus visited other cities on day trips. I can confidently say this lifestyle has worked out better than I ever expected.
I wasn’t sure I’d ever feel at home
Before moving abroad, I’d stayed in Airbnbs while traveling, but never for more than a few days or maybe a week.
I’d always lived somewhere I planned to be for a while, so I could decorate, organize, and make it feel like home. Here, moving around meant arriving somewhere I’d only ever seen in photos, with a different setup every time.
I also knew that once I got comfortable in a new place — learning my neighborhood, finding my go-to grocery stores, or picking a favorite restaurant — I’d eventually have to start fresh somewhere else.
I won’t pretend it’s always easy. Moving day means packing everything back into my bags, dragging them across a city, and becoming best friends with Google Maps all over again.
Even so, I’ve genuinely enjoyed every place I’ve stayed so far, and I’ve adapted to each new apartment much faster than I expected.
I’ve found it easy to settle into a routine
When I’m booking a place, I spend a lot of time reviewing the workspace, kitchen, bathroom layout (one of my biggest deciding factors), location, and the price.
As long as I’m content with what I find in those categories, settling in has been surprisingly easy.
Whenever I arrive somewhere new, I unpack right away. My clothes are organized in packing cubes, so if there’s enough closet space, they go straight in. If not, my suitcase becomes my dresser for a while.
Cooking also looks different depending on the kitchen and tools I have, but I can still make a few meals I love, and every city gives me new local restaurants to try.
Thankfully, by booking rentals with bathrooms I know I can work with, I’ve been able to keep up my hair-care routine and very long wash days, too. As anyone with curls knows, this is basically non-negotiable.
I’m spending less on housing than I did in Canada
Back in Ottawa, I paid more than CA$1,900 a month for my two-bedroom apartment before internet, utilities, tenant insurance, and all the other expenses.
In Osaka, I stayed in a two-bedroom Airbnb that cost a little over CA$1,600 a month with everything included. Now I’m staying in a smaller place in Kumamoto for around CA$1,200.
Housing costs naturally vary by city, but I’ve consistently spent less than I did back home.
Since these rentals are essentially all-inclusive, budgeting is much simpler. I don’t need to worry about varying gas or electric bills, and I’m left with more money for the things I actually care about, like trying new foods and taking day trips.
The flexibility has been one of the best parts
Instead of spending the entire year in one place, I’ve lived life in different cities with the flexibility to move when I’m ready to go somewhere new.
I also haven’t had to worry about buying furniture, signing long leases, or dealing with big security deposits and complex move-out procedures.
I usually have a rough idea of where I’d like to visit next, but I don’t force it. If I can’t find a place that checks my boxes, I just look in another city.
That’s actually how I ended up in Kumamoto on the island of Kyushu.
It wasn’t on my radar before I moved to Japan, but I found a great place at the right price, decided to give it a chance, and it’s one of my favorite places here so far.
As someone who naturally overthinks everything, living this way has taught me to be more open and go with the flow when things don’t go according to plan.
I’ve realized I need a lot less than I thought
Before moving, I had a closet full of clothes, shelves of beauty products, kitchen gadgets, and more shoes than I ever needed.
Even after getting rid of so much before leaving Canada, I still managed to overpack. I actually ended up shipping some things back home, because dragging the extra weight between cities just wasn’t practical.
I’ve also been living with a simple capsule wardrobe.
Sure, I repeat outfits more, and some everyday products I relied on in Canada aren’t available here, but I’ve learned to simplify my overall routine.
Living out of a suitcase made me a lot more intentional about what I own, and I realized I don’t need nearly as much as I once thought.
I’d choose a year in Japan over 20 extra shirts in my closet any day.
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