Hi,
I've been thinking about moving to Japan for 8 years. I did my first trip there a few months ago, went there for almost two months, it was wonderful. Now I definitely know that traveling in Japan is different from living there. I've been reading the different Japan subs for years and know that life can be hard there, especially considering I currently have very good working conditions (50 days paid holidays a year, 37h/week, no overwork, good salary, mostly remote).
I have a plan too, I've been studying Japanese for a few years, got serious about it 6 months ago and currently spend one hour everyday on it, also started online lessons with a teacher weekly.
I'm aiming at a Japanese language school at the beginning of next year, I plan to study there one year and then get the N2 then search a job. I now have many years of experience in my field, so I'm confident I'll find a job there.
Now, the ugly part. I suffer from tinnitus, I have been dealing with it since I'm a teenager, I don't know the reason since I have a perfect hearing and got multiple tests at the ENT. At first my tinnitus was not an issue at all, I never thought about it.
But one year and half ago it worsened, I woke up in the middle of the night with a huge spike and it never went back to my previous baseline. Since then I had frightening spikes episodes (3 since the worsening) where my ears get muffled, the tinnitus reacts to everything and I get hearing loss for like 2-3 hours before it comes back to 'normal' (the new 'normal' I'm experiencing since the initial spike I mentioned above).
Anyway, there's no cure, nothing to do, and I have to learn to live with it, it's hard, because I can hear it above the TV, I can hear it when I'm in the office, even in a noisy open space, because it's a very high pitched sound.
It's really hard getting used to it and I'm always afraid it gets worse and worse.
Now I have this dream of moving to Japan, I'm getting close to my 30s, and I'm feeling like, if I let tinnitus controlling my life, in 10 years, I'll deeply regret not having trying going to Japan.
So I'm currently willing to choose to leave everything from my current life (a good job, a good income, no stress in my daily life) to something that could make everything worse, especially because I know mental health support is not as good as my country in Japan.
So far, I didn't take any meds, no sleeping pills, nothing for the stress, I'm just dealing with it, sometimes it's really hard, but I'm hopeful that there will be a cure in a few years because I'm following the research about tinnitus.
So what I am looking there? Well, I'd say I'm looking for validation, I'm looking for people telling me to live my life and not letting this shitty condition control it.
I know Japan will have many challenges for me, I also know that after the one year study I have the option to come back to my country.
I'm also curious if anyone here lives in Japan with a moderate-severe tinnitus, I actually tried searching on forums but didn't find anything.
Do you have any tips for me regarding my life there with tinnitus, and if I should inform the school about it?
by Oshikafu