How Has Japan Changed in 26 Years?
How Has Japan Changed in 26 Years? over the past 26 years from the perspective of an American expat. Discover insights on cultural shifts, personal Japan !!
HAPPENING NOW
KEY TAKEAWAYS
How has Japan changed in the 26 years I have lived here from America?
Has Japan changed for the better or for the not so better?
What was the difference between then and now in Japan?
How have I changed since living in Japan from America?
Does Japan like America?
How does Michael Briggs add to the Japan America relationship?
How can I contact Michael Briggs to hire him to be on a TV show, put him in a movie in Japan or America, give him a lot of money just because I like him? How?
Has Japan Changed In The 26 Years I Have Been Living In Japan?
Michael Briggs Staff Writer Tokyo, Japan
Hey there, you!
The other day I caught myself thinking, "Wow... I've been living in Japan for about twenty-six or twenty-seven years now." That number honestly surprised me. It doesn't feel like it's been that long, but then I look in the mirror and... well... the mirror never lies.
When I first came here from America, I was younger, had a lot more hair, a lot more confidence, and probably thought I knew everything. I definitely didn't.
People often ask me, "So how has Japan changed since you've been here?"
It's a fair question.
But after thinking about it for a while, I realized maybe that's actually the wrong question.
Maybe the better question is...
How has America changed while I've been away?
Because when you live overseas for a long time, something strange happens. The country you left keeps moving forward without you. You still remember it the way it was, but every year it quietly becomes somewhere different.
Meanwhile, you're busy building another life somewhere else.
That's been me.
When I first landed in Japan around the year 2000, I started off living in Saitama.
Back then, Saitama wasn't exactly famous for having lots of foreigners. If you wanted to find English teachers or international workers, most people imagined Tokyo. Saitama felt... local. Really local.
Sometimes I honestly wondered if I was the only American walking around my neighborhood.
Japanese people noticed.
Sometimes they stared.
Sometimes they smiled.
Sometimes they looked nervous.
Back then the word "gaijin" was everywhere. Foreigners were simply different. Even today you'll sometimes hear the word "alien" on official immigration paperwork.
Technically...
Yep.
I'm an Alien.
Boooooo!
I still laugh about that.
Looking back, I think Japan was honestly a little nervous around foreigners. Not in an aggressive way most of the time. More in a cautious, "We're not really sure what to do with you" kind of way.
At least that's how it felt to me.
I remember walking toward Omiya Station one afternoon.
Out of nowhere a guy flew past me on his bicycle.
As he passed, he looked straight at me...
...and gave me the finger.
Just like that, he was gone. No conversation, no argument, no explanation—nothing. He disappeared down the street as if he'd just completed some important mission. I just stood there for a second, thinking, "Okay..."
To this day, I honestly have no idea what that was about. Maybe he was having a terrible day. Maybe something completely unrelated had put him in a bad mood, and I just happened to be the person he crossed paths with.
Maybe he didn't like foreigners.
Maybe he thought I looked funny. Who knows? For a little while, I actually felt pretty bad about the whole thing. But after thinking about it, I reminded myself of something that ended up shaping the rest of my life in Japan.
I wasn't home anymore—I was the visitor. That realization changed my perspective. Instead of judging everything around me or expecting Japan to be like America, I decided I'd simply observe. Almost like I was on a safari.
I'd watch the locals, pay attention to how people behaved, see how society worked, and try to understand the culture before forming opinions. Looking back, that simple decision probably helped me enjoy life in Japan far more than if I'd spent all my time comparing it to the country I'd left behind.
Try to understand before complaining.
Looking back, I think that attitude saved me from becoming one of those foreigners who spend twenty years living in Japan while complaining about everything Japanese, yet somehow never decide to leave.
I've met a few people like that over the years. They seem permanently frustrated, but Japan is still home for them. I never wanted to become that person.
As it turned out, Saitama was the perfect place to start my life in Japan. The rent was affordable, there were parks everywhere, and life moved at a much slower pace than it did in central Tokyo.
It gave me the space to make mistakes without feeling overwhelmed. I slowly picked up bits and pieces of Japanese, figured out how the train system worked, and discovered one of Japan's greatest inventions—the convenience store.
Seriously, those places can solve almost any problem. Need dinner? Convenience store. Need socks? Convenience store. Need to pay your bills? Convenience store. After a while, it almost felt like they had an answer for everything.
Need coffee at three in the morning?
Yep... the convenience store again. After a while, I started wondering if there was anything they didn't sell. Living in Saitama was comfortable, and I'm really glad I started there, but after about four years I began feeling restless.
I was ready for something bigger. Tokyo was calling my name—the place where, in my mind anyway, all the foreigners lived. At least, that's how I pictured it back then.
So I packed up my things and moved to Azabu-Juban. In my imagination, it was going to be this amazing international neighborhood filled with beautiful women, luxury apartments, embassies, interesting people from all over the world, fancy parties, and exciting career opportunities.
It sounded like the beginning of the next great chapter of my life... or at least that's what I hoped.
Girls.
Girls.
Girls.
Well... reality has a funny way of reminding you that life isn't a movie. Azabu-Juban wasn't exactly the glamorous fantasy I'd built up in my head, but honestly, I ended up loving it anyway.
Somehow I managed to find an apartment in a high-rise building with rent that wasn't completely outrageous.
Even now, I still don't know how I pulled that off. My best guess is that it was about a twenty-minute walk from the nearest station, and maybe that was enough to keep the price down. Whatever the reason, I wasn't about to question my good luck.
Maybe I just got lucky.
Sometimes life surprises you with a gift when you least expect it, and that apartment was definitely one of those moments.
Moving to Tokyo also opened up a lot of new doors. There were more jobs, more opportunities, and people from just about every corner of the world.
The food scene alone was incredible. It felt like there were more restaurants than anyone could visit in a lifetime, and every weekend became a chance to discover somewhere new.
Not every adventure turned out the way I'd hoped—some were great, some were complete disasters—but that's just life. Looking back, I wouldn't trade those experiences for anything.
So...
Has Japan changed?
Honestly, Japan hasn't changed nearly as much as people might expect. Sure, some things are different.
Prices have gone up, rent is more expensive, groceries cost more than they used to, and opening a utility bill isn't exactly anyone's favorite part of the month. That's one change we can probably all agree on.
Technology, though, has moved forward at an incredible pace. When I first arrived, flip phones were everywhere.
People were texting on tiny keypads and proudly showing off the latest model. Now everyone carries what is basically a supercomputer in their pocket.
Cash is still surprisingly common in Japan, but digital payments have become much more accepted than they were when I first arrived.
The workplace has changed too. Twenty-six years ago, if someone had suggested that employees at large Japanese companies would regularly work from home, most people would have laughed.
Japanese work culture was built around showing up at the office, staying late, and being physically present. Then COVID came along and forced companies to rethink the way they worked. It didn't completely transform Japanese business culture, but it certainly pushed it in a new direction.
Today, working from home is a normal part of life for many people, something that would have seemed almost impossible back when I first moved here.
I've also noticed more women moving into management and leadership positions than I saw in the early 2000s.
There's still room for progress, of course, but the conversation has definitely changed, and that's encouraging to see.
Some traditions remain deeply rooted, while others have slowly evolved with the times. That's probably true of every country, not just Japan.
Some old traditions remain incredibly strong.
Other parts of Japanese society have changed more gradually. Some traditions remain deeply rooted, while others have slowly started to shift with each new generation.
When you think about it, that's probably true of every country.
But if you ask me what stands out the most after all these years, it isn't the buildings or even the technology. It's the people—more specifically, the number of foreigners living here.
Twenty-six years ago, I could spend an entire day riding trains around Tokyo and Saitama without seeing another Western face. Today, it's completely different. You see people from all over the world everywhere you go.
They're students, engineers, teachers, designers, business owners, families raising children, digital professionals, tourists, and long-term residents who, like me, decided to make Japan their home.
It's one of the biggest changes I've noticed, and it's hard to miss once you've lived here as long as I have.
Japan feels much more international now.
Sometimes I joke that they're all coming over here to steal my jobs, eat at my favorite ramen shops, and claim everything that I had all to myself twenty-six years ago. Of course, I'm kidding... mostly.
The truth is, it's actually nice to see Japan becoming more international. It's just funny to think back to when I first arrived and sometimes felt like a curiosity.
Back then, seeing a foreigner wasn't an everyday occurrence in many parts of Japan. These days, it's simply part of daily life, and that's been one of the biggest changes I've witnessed.
Now I blend into a much bigger international crowd.
That's been one of the biggest changes I've noticed over the years. At the same time, I've also seen conversations about immigration become much more common.
Japan still faces the challenge of an aging population and needs workers in many industries, but there's also ongoing discussion about how many newcomers the country should accept and how immigration should be managed.
People talk more openly now about visas, residency, taxes, and what it means to build a society that welcomes people from overseas while still preserving Japanese culture.
It's an interesting conversation because it isn't unique to Japan anymore. You see similar debates happening in countries all over the world, each trying to find its own balance.
One thing that really hasn't changed, though, is the value of speaking Japanese. It still opens doors. When I first arrived, there seemed to be plenty of full-time English teaching jobs, and for many people that was enough to build a life here.
Those jobs are still around, but competition has grown, salaries haven't always kept up with the rising cost of living, and it's become more difficult for people who don't speak Japanese to move into higher-paying careers.
On the other hand, Japan has also created new opportunities. People with specialized skills—especially in technology, engineering, finance, or artificial intelligence—often have career options that simply didn't exist when I first arrived.
I've also noticed that recruitment agencies and career consultants play a much bigger role than many newcomers realize. Finding the right recruiter can sometimes make all the difference between struggling to find work and landing a great opportunity.
In Japan, introductions matter.
In Japan, relationships matter. Personal recommendations matter too. It's still very much a country where introductions and trust can open doors that might otherwise stay closed.
That's one reason I've come to appreciate good Career Search Consultants over the years. A great consultant doesn't just send your résumé to companies—they get to know you, understand what you're looking for, and work hard to connect you with opportunities that match your skills.
Looking back, I wish I'd understood how valuable that kind of support was when I first arrived.
Has Japan changed?
Yes, Japan has changed... a little. But if you ask me whether America has changed over the same period, I'd probably say even more.
Every time I go back to visit, I notice things that I don't think I would have seen if I'd never left. The conversations feel different, the politics seem louder, technology has completely reshaped everyday life, and social media has changed the way people communicate with each other.
Even the overall rhythm of life feels different somehow, although it's hard to put into words exactly why. Then again, maybe it isn't just America that's changed. Maybe I've changed too. Or maybe the truth is that we've both been changing all along.
Living overseas does that to you.
Living overseas for that long changes the way you see the world. You eventually stop thinking that one country has all the answers while another has everything wrong.
Instead, you begin to notice that every place has its own strengths, its own weaknesses, and its own way of doing things. Japan isn't perfect, and America isn't perfect either. Honestly, I don't think any country is.
After more than twenty-six years, Japan doesn't feel like some mysterious foreign land anymore. It's simply home.
It's a home that still manages to surprise me from time to time, still frustrates me every now and then, and still teaches me something new when I least expect it. I guess that's one of the reasons I've stayed here for so long.
A home that still makes me laugh almost every week.
And every now and then, when I'm walking through Tokyo and see dozens of foreigners chatting on the train, I remember those early days in Saitama when I wondered if I was the only one around.
Time has a funny way of changing everything without asking our permission.
The biggest surprise of all is that somewhere along the way, Japan didn't just become the place where I live.
It became part of who I am.
And maybe that's the real story after twenty-six years.
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