We Moved From The UK To Japan – A New Life!
Moving 8,000 miles across the world from the UK to Japan is how we started our 2026, so you could say, it’s gone off to a flying start!
The decision to leave the UK and start a new life in Japan is one that has been in the works for 18 months, whilst it’s not been an easy process to get there, now we’ve arrived, we fully believe this has been the best decision we have ever made.
This is the story of Nicole, James and our chow chow Papi, and how we sold our home, car and most of our possessions, packed our lives into just four suitcases and travelled half way across the world, something some may call crazy?!
Why Japan?
If you’ve ever visited Japan it’s likely that you left a different person. It just has that effect on you. After visiting Japan twice for extended periods of time, it’s fair to say we fell in love with the country, and everything it had to offer.
Nicole and myself had often spoken about moving abroad, but not knowing where that country may be. After our initial trip to Japan we really looked into how we could make such a move, and in fact, whether it would be possible for us. Considering Papi was always at the top of our priorities, it had to be somewhere that would be comfortable for him, and enjoyable.
Everything that Japan has to offer aligns with our values and what we want from life. Japanese people are some of the kindest, they’re welcoming, friendly and the attention to detail and devotion to their work is admirable. This is a huge reason why people love Japan so much, the service you receive here is on another level. If you fly with a Japanese airline throughout Japan, you’ll be bowed at by the ground staff before take off.
The food is absolutely incredible, you experience four proper seasons, and for us, we chose Hokkaido because of the vastness of nature. After visiting lots of different places throughout Japan, Hokkaido was the place that felt like home to us.
It has similarities to the English countryside, and one word I’d use to describe it is ‘wholesome’. Unlike Honshu and other areas of Japan, you don’t experience the same heat and intense humidity in Hokkaido. This was a key factor in why we chose Sapporo in Hokkaido as Papi is much more suited to cold weather, and a summer in Tokyo or Osaka would be unbearable for him (and probably for us!).
Of course, moving half way across the world is not financially possible for everyone, and not one that doesn’t come without a cost. But for us, we felt like this was the last time an opportunity like this may present itself, and a time in our life that we’re healthy and young enough to fully give it our all and enjoy it. If we wait until we’re retired, would we be as fortunate? We’re grateful to have been in a position to do this and experience a whole new life, and all signs pointed to Japan for us!
So, when people ask us why Japan, we think, why not?!
Moving From The UK To Japan
Japan is one of the most complicated countries to emigrate to from the UK. One of the biggest barriers to entry is of course language, and what you’re going to do for income. It was also just as difficult exporting our dog, we’ll share more on the process of moving a dog to Japan in a future post.
If you’re also considering the move, we really recommend doing a lot of research online. Understanding the visa types and what might be possible for you. There are plenty of different routes to entry from enrolling as a language student, to working as an English teacher under the JET programme to being sponsored by a company to work here. You can also visit Japan 3 months at a time on a tourist visa, but this does not grant you the permission to reside here permanently. We have also purchased a property here, but it’s important to note that whilst there are no restrictions on foreigners buying property in Japan, this doesn’t grant you residency.
We have been able to move to Japan with the Business Manager Visa, we also engaged with an immigration lawyer based in Hokkaido who was able to help us with the paperwork and process. The lawyer came recommended to us from the local prefecture. Whilst it is possible to do it on your own, having a local lawyer in the prefecture you’re applying to will massively help with getting your application right and all the paperwork that comes with it. Especially true with the Business Manager Visa as there is still plenty of setup and work to complete when you arrive in Japan. There have been big changes to the Business Manager Visa since October 2024 which include much higher capital requirements which has made it much tougher to come here under this visa type, but if you can meet all of the requirements and you have a business idea/existing business, it’s an option worth considering if you’re serious about moving to Japan.
There was a lot of work we had to put together for our application including an extensive business plan, and we submitted this in August 2025. We were approved and received notification of our certificate of entry literally as we were about to board our flight back to the UK in November 2025! It took around 3 months to hear and during this time our house was moving through the sale process, and it was incredibly stressful not knowing if we were going to be able to come or not. But, as they say, the rest is history. We then had 3 months from the point of issue to enter Japan and begin our residency.
We sold our home, sold our car, our furniture and the majority of our possessions. Our whole life is now in two packing boxes in our parent’s garage and 4 suitcases that we brought with us to Japan, with at least half a suitcase of just Papi’s toys!
Was it petrifying? Yes! The ‘doing part’ is the scariest part and it’s often what puts people off from making a big move or change like this in life, as staying in the UK would have been the easiest thing for us to do, to just continue coasting along. That initial leap of faith is scary, but we knew we would regret not taking this opportunity that was staring us in the face.
Now, we have arrived and settled into life, despite the new challenges that come with navigating life in a new country, we’re already having an amazing time, and a real flip the script moment which might just be the making of us as a family.
We look forward to continuing to share this exciting journey with you online, and most importantly the amazing places, things to see, eat and do in Hokkaido, the northern part of Japan that has so much to offer. Life feels peaceful here, it’s collected, and it’s beautiful. If you want to see more from our life here, check out our Youtube channel and Instagram.
If you have any questions about our move, please feel free to leave us a question in the comments box below.
James, Nicole & Papi.
