Things I don't miss about living in Japan (Japan Ramble)

In Japan’s 60–80-person guest house, he felt profoundly lonely and disconnected, especially from non-English-speaking groups, despite abundant potential friends. Noise, crowded shared facilities, pests, store greetings, squat toilets, rush-hour trains, earthquakes, and workplace culture became major sources of discomfort. He prefers Britain’s quiet family life; any Japan return would be a two-week hotel visit, not living or working there.

Repeated visits shifted Japan from an idealized home to a carefully bounded travel destination.