The Difference Between Those Who Return to Japan After Moving to Thailand and Those Who Don't—The Reality I've Seen as a Bangkok Resident.
Living in Bangkok, I periodically receive news that someone has "returned to Japan."
People who said they would "live here forever" when they first moved often return within a year or two. Conversely, those who seemed to have just "come to check it out" end up staying for five or ten years before they know it.
Where does this difference come from? From my perspective as someone who has spent several years in Bangkok, I will organize the factors that separate those who return from those who stay.
I hope those considering moving will read this as an opportunity to think about "which type they are" in advance, and those already living here will use it as material to "articulate the reasons why they are here."
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CHAPTER 01
Common Patterns Among Those Who Return—4 Reasons
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▶ ① Income and Money Issues
The most common reason for returning is financial.
Although they moved believing information from a few years ago that "Bangkok is cheap," they face the reality that the actual cost of living in Bangkok is higher than expected due to the weak yen and rising prices. After a few months pass while just burning through savings without creating a side income, the anxiety that "assets will run out at this rate" pushes them to return home.
This pattern is especially common in cases where people moved with the expectation that "I'll find something after I get there" without preparing by "creating a side income before coming to Thailand."
▶ ② Loneliness and Relationship Issues
This is the case where, having left all their relationships from Japan behind, they fail to build a new network in Bangkok and become isolated.
Even if they participate in the Japanese community, their interactions remain superficial, leading to a situation where they have "no one to rely on when they are truly in trouble." Loneliness drains mental stamina faster than living expenses. Behind the scenes of an expat life that looks fun on social media, there are not a few people who decide to return home while carrying the burden of loneliness.
▶ ③ Attachment to Japan and Family Issues
This is the case where the distance from "important things" left behind in Japan—such as caring for parents, children's education, or relationships with partners—becomes a gravitational pull to return over time.
I often hear people say, "It was only after I left that I realized what I truly valued in Japan." This is not a failure; it can be said that they rediscovered their own values through the experience of moving.
▶ ④ "Disillusionment" with Thailand
This is the case where one cannot adapt to the difference between traveling and living.
Tiring of eating Thai food every day, traffic congestion, air pollution, the discomfort of the rainy season, the complexity of bureaucratic procedures, the stress of not being able to speak Thai—things that didn't bother you while traveling accumulate in daily life. As the feeling that "this isn't the Thailand I imagined" builds up, motivation plummets.
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CHAPTER 02
Common Patterns Among Those Who Don't Return—4 Conditions
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▶ ① Income is Self-Sustaining Locally
What long-term residents have in common is having a "mechanism to earn money while in Thailand."
Whether it's interpreting, translation, consulting, content revenue, social media management, or remote work, even if the form is different, they have created a state where "income continues to come in while staying in Bangkok." If income is stable, the financial reason to return home disappears.
Conversely, those who came without first creating a way to earn money have a high risk of returning.
▶ ② Having "a Place of One's Own" in Thailand
People who continue to live here for a long time have some kind of "reason for being here."
A role within the Japanese community, Thai friends, a cafe they frequent or a favorite restaurant, hobbies, business partners—this sense that "I have my own context in this city" becomes a gravity that counters the pull to return home.
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CHAPTER 03
The Remaining 2 Conditions for Those Who Don't Return—Values and Resolve
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▶ ③ Being Able to Articulate the "Reason for Being in Thailand"
When you ask long-term residents "Why are you in Thailand?", they give a clear answer.
"Because there is a freedom I can't get in Japan," "Because there is something I want to create in Bangkok," "Because I want to cherish the connections with the people I met here"—the reasons vary from person to person, but they have their own answer that isn't just "somehow."
On the other hand, when you ask the same question to those who return, many answer "I just came somehow" or "Because I hated Japan." A move to "run away from something" leaves you with nowhere to go the moment you become dissatisfied with your escape destination. A move to "head toward something" becomes a reason to keep moving even when there are difficulties.
▶ ④ Accepting the "Inconvenience of Thailand"
People who continue to live here for a long time accept the inconvenience, unreasonableness, and ambiguity of Thailand to some extent.
Government procedures are slow, people don't arrive at the promised time, roads change suddenly, squalls come every day during the rainy season—those who can laugh these off by saying "It's Thailand, so it can't be helped" will last a long time. Those who keep comparing by saying "This wouldn't happen in Japan" will gradually wear themselves out.
Adaptability and tolerance may be the most important qualities for long-term residence in Thailand.
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CHAPTER 04
The Turning Point of "Returning or Not Returning"—Timing and Transitions
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▶ 6 Months to 1 Year After Moving is the First Hurdle
The most common timing for returning home after moving to Thailand is between 6 months and 1 year after moving.
The first few months have the "exhilaration of a new environment." New food, new friends, new scenery—everything is stimulating. However, after half a year, this exhilaration begins to fade. When life becomes "daily routine," you are asked, "Do you really like it here?"
People who overcome this period tend to continue for 2 or 3 years.
▶ "Mini-Returns" are an Effective Countermeasure
Rather than a binary choice of whether to return home or not, the choice of "returning to Japan several times a year" is an effective way to support long-term residence.
By regularly securing time for Japanese food, Japanese friends, and family, you can repeatedly confirm your "choice to be in Thailand." The peace of mind that "I can go back when I want to" becomes a mental pillar for long-term residence.
▶ "Returning Home" is Not a Failure
Coming to Bangkok and realizing that Japan actually suits you better and returning—this is not a failure.
The experience of actually trying and confirming what kind of environment you want to live in is an asset. People who have learned what they "wouldn't have known unless they came" will also change how they live after returning home.
The problem is the pattern of "not thinking enough before coming and regretting it after coming." That is why it is important to articulate "why I am coming to Thailand" before moving.
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CHAPTER 05
5 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Moving
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Based on the differences between those who return and those who don't, I have organized 5 questions I want you to ask yourself before moving.
▶ Question 1: "What" do you want to do in Thailand?
Can you specifically articulate what you want to achieve in Thailand, not as an extension of a sightseeing trip? "I want to lower my living expenses" or "I want free time" are motivations, but there are many cases where you will hit a wall in 1-2 years with just that. Having "something you want to create or deliver while in Thailand" becomes the axis for long-term residence.
▶ Question 2: Do you have an income outlook?
Can you specifically map out your income outlook for 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year after moving? Savings will last X months, I will create X amount of side income within X months—moving without being able to draw these numbers carries a high risk of returning for financial reasons.
▶ Question 3: Are you facing the "important things" you left behind in Japan?
Please confirm whether you have the "resolve to let go" or a "mechanism to maintain" the things you leave in Japan—parents, partners, friends, work. If you come while holding onto the anxiety that "the relationship will break if the distance increases," that anxiety will become a gravitational pull to return home.
▶ Question 4: Can you laugh at the "inconvenience" of Thailand?
Traffic jams, bureaucratic procedures, ambiguous promises, squalls, water outages—can you brush these off with humor, or do they become stress because "this wouldn't happen in Japan"? Look at your own personality honestly.
▶ Question 5: Can you decide to "return if it doesn't go well"?
If you are too obsessed with the idea that "I must make this move a success," you will become unable to move when things don't go well. If you decide from the beginning that "I'll try it, and if it doesn't fit, I'll return. That is also a correct answer," the mental leeway in your expat life will be completely different.
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Summary
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The difference between those who return and those who don't is not luck or talent.
"Do you have an income mechanism?", "Have you created a place for yourself?", "Can you articulate the reason for being in Thailand?", "Are you able to accept the inconvenience?"—these four points are the foundation that supports long-term residence.
People who came as a "choice to head toward something new," rather than as a "place to escape from Japan," have lasted a long time as a result. Before you come, please try to carefully articulate "why am I coming to Thailand" once. That answer will become your behavioral guideline after moving.
If you have anything you would like to consult about regarding moving to Bangkok, please feel free to comment or send a DM on X.
※ The information in this article is as of June 2026. It varies depending on individual experience and circumstances.
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