Our Mission
Life Abroad was created to bridge the information gap that many international residents face when living in Japan. Whether it's navigating the healthcare system, understanding everyday products, or figuring out how daily life works — reliable, easy-to-understand English information can be surprisingly hard to find.
We want everyone living in Japan — exchange students, professionals, long-term residents, and everyone in between — to have important information at their fingertips, so they can not just live, but thrive.
Who's Behind This Site
Hi, I'm Susumu — a Japanese national with a deep appreciation for what it means to navigate daily life in a foreign country. I spent time in Canada on a working holiday, and that experience gave me a real sense of how difficult it can be to find clear, reliable information in your own language.
Life Abroad was co-founded together with an American who had lived in Japan and experienced the same frustrations firsthand. Her deep knowledge of life in Japan from an international perspective, and her passion for helping others, were the driving force behind everything this site is built on. Without her vision and dedication, Life Abroad would never have existed. I am truly grateful for every piece of this site that we created together.
Today, I continue to build on that foundation — adding new content and expanding the resource for everyone who calls Japan home.