Moving to Taoyuan from Japan/Sweden?

Gun violence in us really scares me too.

Grass isn’t always greener.

If you’re talking about driving, Japan has one of the most polite drivers in the world. I realize that in the countryside like Sendai, it can get little sketchy but nothing comparable to the drivers here in Taiwan.

I have families in Japan, lived in 4 countries, and I’d say that Japan is by far the most organized country in the world. If you think Tokyo is polluted…you know where this story is going.

4 Likes

I’ve lived in Japan for 2 years and I’ve lived in Taiwan for 1 year so I can give you a real comparison between the two.

The two countries are vastly different in culture and lifestyle. Lemme try to break it down.

TRANSPORTATION - If you live in Taipei then transportation is great. They’ve an excellent and clean subway system. However if you choose to live in Taoyuan or anywhere else in Taiwan then the transportation becomes horrible.

In Japan you’re used to getting trains and buses on time right? Forget that happening here. I’ve waited upwards to 40 minutes for a bus here. Erratic driving only worsens the experience. Japan wins in this area.

You say you are almost blind? You should certainly be careful on Taiwans streets then as I see at least one crash involving a scooter or a car every week. People die here because nobody can damn well drive.

CUSTOMER SERVICE - Japanese pride themselves on the customer being number one. Even if it’s superficial, you will always be made to feel welcome in a store. In contrast, I’ve encountered plenty of sour faced clerks, people who throw your change on the counter and general poor service here. You’ll need to adjust to this. No more kissing your ass like in Japan.

POLLUTION AND CLIMATE - As others have no doubt mentioned, the air is terrible here unless you live in the east. It’s dirty, gives people cancer and other sicknesses and it’s not a good place to raise a child in.

By contrast the air in Japan is very clean. The biggest difference weather wise is the humidity here. Japan is hit but not as humid as Taiwan. All the locals perspire profusely and the air in the streets and in public places reeks of sweat and bodily odours. It does not help that Taiwanese love to eat garlic constantly also. Which worsens the smell.

PEOPLE - Be prepared for staring at a level you’ve not encountered before. In Japan you will be looked at but not stared at. In Taiwan people will STARE and boy do I mean stare. Often creepily maintaining eye contact without blinking for upto 60 seconds. Be prepared for dead eyed stares and gawping from witless, betel nut (Google this nut by the way ) chewing locals. They think it’s ok to stare, point at, snigger and smirk at foreigners as as if we are animals in a zoo. It’s not very welcoming and you’ll need a thick skin to get used to it.

There is a very self one sided belief that Taiwanese as a whole are friendly to foreigners. But define a foreigner? White Caucasian? Then yes you will get countless hellos, requests for pictures and girls hitting on you as I do.

But when I’m with a black friend or SEA friend then you’ll hear and witness racist comments and all the friendliness will stop in an instance. No more hellos. Just finger pointing and derogatory comments. A lot of Taiwanese are simply very ignorant of other cultures and of the world outside of Taiwan. Combine that with the average Taiwanese being very immature and childlike even upto the age of 30 and you have a strange man-child like combination.

This is a very xenophobic country. Google David Bond and Nick the explorer who exposed how xenophobic the national media is towards foreigners. They basically trolled the Taiwan media good. I’m not a fan of them but they did good work this time.

A foreigner throwing a banana out the window of a car in Taiwan makes national news. In Japan it would never. The media here caters towards people with no real world experience with a low IQ. There is very much a us vs them mentality here.

THINGS TO DO - Do you like nature and travelling? Then Taiwan is a great place for you. For a small island there is a lot of beautiful natural sights to see from waterfalls to mountain you can enjoy yourself here. If you’re more of a city person then you’ll be disappointed as the cities are dull aesthetically in comparison to Japan (there are no Kyoto’s, Tokyos, Fukuoakas or Osakas here).

COST OF LIVING - This is where Taiwan edges out Japan. Housing is very cheap and you can get a nice apartment for half the price of what you would in Japan. Everything is cheaper here. Well Japan is expensive. Food is cheap if you like shopping. Don’t eat out as a lot of the food is very unhealthy and you’ll get fat like the locals.

JOBS AND SALARY - I’ve worked at both cram schools and public schools in Japan. It’s easy and well paid work (the latter being a cakewalk ) in Japan. You can find TONS of English teaching work around Japan. A degree holder can expect at least 2500 euros a month working in the above in Japan for a minimum of 30 hours a week.

Expect about 700 euros less in Taiwan at least. There are not as many jobs around either. Buxibans pay poorly and the hours are inconsistent. Public schools pay better but you need to be a certified teacher in your home country to work there. Private schools are where the money is at. Try work there.

TAX - If you’re gonna come here come before between January and July. You’ll only be taxed 5% for a year. But if you come after July you’ll be taxed 18%. You don’t want that as you’ve student debts that need repaying.

Anymore questions about Taiwan feel free to ask.

6 Likes

You get the tax back later though . Good summary overall.

“”“COST OF LIVING - This is where Taiwan edges out Japan. Housing is very cheap and you can get a nice apartment for half the price of what you would in Japan. Everything is cheaper here. Well Japan is expensive. Food is cheap if you like shopping. Don’t eat out as a lot of the food is very unhealthy and you’ll get fat like the locals.”""

One comment, living in Sapporo before and visiting Sendai for work a few years ago. I will say rents are cheaper outside of big cities in Japan (Tokyo, Osaka) in the case of Sapporo living in a Single family house was cheaper than my Kaoshiung home now and in general better house in Japan. Food is quite a bit cheaper though standards in general are lower in Taiwan (One of have Fav sushi places in KHH with old school Japanese Sushi chef/owner is 50% less here in KHH, he says costs are less (labor) but mostly he can not charge same rates as it makes the price out of reach of locals). One thing way cheaper is transport such as trains, The high speed rail for example between KHH-Taipei which I use a lot because it’s cheap compared to other countries (except China), same trip in Japan/States will be 2X/3X more, and local bus in KHH is NT$12, compared to NYC at NT$75 or Japan often NT$60. Cost of a car is the same (parking is a problem for me in Taiwan though as far costs). At the end cost of living for me is a wash (same) for the same standard of living, though if you accept a lower standard of living Taiwan can be very cheap.

2 Likes

Didn’t he say that he couldn’t get any job with his qualifications? You actually believe that anyone, with or without a degree, can just hit it off in the US and the EU? That’s absolutely delusional.

It is lower but it’s not that much lower.

Let me get this straight. Both of you are too scared to live in the US (for whatever reason), have issues in Japan, can’t find work in Sweden, and are terrified of possibly coming to Taiwan.

I don’t want to sound like a bitch but you guys need to either get over yourselves and start living in the real world, or move to Mars.

7 Likes

Taiwan is a bad choice if you have to be there

It’s not delusional. For instance they could easily both move to Ireland and they could get jobs within weeks in service industries or construction and make more than minimum wage. However they could move to a cheaper city or town and they could still be paid at least minimum wage and probably more .

The problem is accommodation costs. I’m sure they could do the same in some US states as well as labour market tightens . It’s tougher without degrees but you don’t need a degree for lots of manual, retail and service jobs .

That sounds like the deal he gets in Taoyuan, except that they’d be even worse off financially because they wouldn’t even afford rent.

His wife can’t work in Taiwan . In Europe she can and she would be guaranteed minimum wage which is substantial in places like Ireland and also you dont pay much tax on it. 9.55 euro an hour. You can easily get more if you work in construction or perform at your job
With two of them working 40x9.55x2x4 they can pull in around 3056 euro. They should be able to do much better than that with some application . Probably 4000 euro within a year . In this way not EVERYTHING depends on the OP! If he gets fired or cant work it’s not the end of the world. Thet will also not be turfed out because of losing work visa like Japan or Taiwan .
He can get in through the 3rd country rule of non EU spouses of European internal movement workers.

Basically I don’t see why the OP should be subsidising her ass, he has his own challenges already which he is trying to deal with.

Taoyuan isn’t the worst option either, but the OP has to do all the hard lifting.

I still see some red flags with the story (unemployed for 6 years in Sweden…Both of them…Suspect all details not being shared ?).

1 Like

I got two brothers working in Sweden in tech, and 10+ friends working in either finance or legal in Sweden. They all moved there because the employment prospects in Sweden are better than in many other places in Europe.

Now, I can accept that it might be hard to get work in some shitty countryside town that historically relied on a solve employer in the form of some factory that relocated to overseas.

But, if you are prepared to relocate to any of the bigger cities you can for sure find work. Perhaps the work in question might not match your qualifications or education, but it is there.

Something seems a bit off concerning the OPs story.

1 Like

Hey guys, a quick update after all this. I’ve accepted the job in Taiwan, they’ll pay me a bit more than originally promised too. Learning Chinese is progressing nicely.

As for some of the stuff you guys’ve mentioned since last time:

— Basically, I’m not worried about any social aspects in Taiwan at all. I’ve had people pointing, laughing and shouting “a foreigner!” in Japan, people blowing smoke in my face and shouting “fuck you!” in Sweden, Chinese shopkeepers stalking me thinking I’m stealing stuff in America, cashiers literally hugging the cash register and crying instead of ringing me up in Iceland. It’s just like… whatever. As long as I’m not being physically threatened I’m alright. I understand that for many of you coming to Taiwan was your first time abroad, or maybe your first time being a minority, but it’s not for me. It’s just my first time “in Taiwan”.

— Some of you guys are confused about Sweden’s situation. Unemployment rate in my area was basically 20% with adjustments higher or lower based on age (youth unemployment was commonly said to be 60%), and I didn’t live in the middle of nowhere, nor did I have the money to move or go to an interview across the country. I think unemployment is officially underreported in general because ex. temporary part-time employment, studies or stuff like mental impairment due to depression from unemployment can count as “no longer unemployed”. Also don’t underestimate how hard it is to get interviews for even the shittiest jobs when you’re almost blind (employers think I’m too blind to work when I’m not). The one part-time job I managed to get was slave labor where only immigrants who didn’t speak Swedish worked, I literally lost money working there because they paid so little it didn’t cover transportation to and from the workplace.

— Taiwanese friends here in Sendai have confirmed that Taiwan is “less hot than today’s weather” (a day in which I walked more than 40 minutes out in the sun, with luggage) so it seems like I won’t die of the heat after all.

— Once my degree’s finished I’ll move back to Japan. Lowered income due to low taxes (only 18%!!) is by far better than no income at all.

1 Like

Best of luck to you.Don’t worry head hunting went out years ago in TAiwan.

1 Like

Congratulations and good luck. Oh and Taiwan only takes 4 minutes (sometimes less) to feel like your going to die of the heat.

1 Like

OP, you’re complaining about how dirty Tokyo is… one of the cleanest major Asian cities I can think of… and you’re thinking of moving to Taoyuan??!

Yeah, I don’t see that lasting long then. Good luck!

4 Likes

Taiwan is a lot hotter than Japan. I’ve lived in both countries and the heat is Taiwan is borderline intolerable. It’s far more humid in Taiwan too. Combine those factors with the toxic air all around you and you’re in for one hell of an experience during the summer.

Plus side is that the winters in Taiwan are lovely. Not cold at like Japan. Oh yeah, be prepared to tell your students why you left the (perceived by Taiwanese ) paradise that is Japan for dirty old Taiwan? People here have serious fetish for all things Japanese at the moment. Ask any student or any person under 40 where they want to live/ go on vacation and most will answer Japan.

The number one reason? It’s clean and safe. You’re in for a surprise with Taiwan in the clean area. Everything here is coated in a fine grey, like a sludge sandstorm just passed through. Still, there are far worse places around and once you get away from the city there is a lot of natural beauty to take in. Get away from the city for both you lungs sake and for your mental wellbeing.

3 Likes

i hope it works out for you. but i don’t think you are reading the comments, you absolutely will die of heat. 40 mins? try no minutes.

Right now Japan is gripped by a horrible heat wave. Currently Northern Taiwan may have top temperatures of 35/36. Problem is humidity. however, we also have plenty of cafes and public places where to escape from the heat.

Most public schools do not have air conditioning but most buxiban do. Workplace conditions may vary.

I am a bit concerned though with OP being almost blind…and Taiwan traffic. It is dangerous enough as it is, so 2 pieces of advice for OP: make sure you purchae extra insurance in case you are run over as your national insurance may not cover all costs. Second, extra caution anytime you go out on the road, sidewalks, etc.

2 Likes

A near blind man isn’t safe anywhere here. OP, I am sorry if you are nearly blind but please be aware that people drive and park scooters all over the pavements designated for pedestrians here.

Heck, I can see great and even I end up from time to time trapped in a maze of parked scooters. I hardly every saw a scooter in Japan or anywhere else in my life until I moved to Taiwan. Now I’m sick of them. Eyesores

1 Like

Actually, Japan is having a record year with massive heatwave all across the country this summer. Last week, they had records shattered all over the nation and was way hotter than here in Taiwan. The deaths from heat related complications have risen considerably, (in the past 50 years history) and people are advised to refrain from prolonged outdoor activities and to stay indoors. I am heading to Japan this Friday and hoping the temperature will tone down by that time as I have plans to take my family out everywhere.