Life After Quitting My Dream Job in Japan
🏨 **The Nightmare Hotel** - Megan and Ben moved to Tokyo and had to stay in a terrible, cramped hotel for their first two weeks. It was only $30/night but had no window and was infested with rats. - They didn't have much money saved up, as they weren't making any money from their YouTube channel yet. They were grateful to have sponsors like IKEA to help support them. - IKEA gave them a challenge to make the smallest possible sushi. Megan and Ben competed against each other, with the viewers deciding the winner in the comments. 🏠 **Apartment Hunting Nightmare** - Finding an apartment in Tokyo was a huge challenge. They had a terrible real estate agent who wasn't responsive and didn't even start the application process until the last minute. - Renting an apartment in Japan comes with a lot of extra costs - a deposit, "key money" (a non-refundable fee), and the real estate agent fee (equivalent to one month's rent). - They ended up having to take the most expensive option, but were determined to tough it out for at least a month before considering other options. 💼 **Quitting Jobs** - Megan had quit her "dream job" as an English teacher in Japan, and then quit two more jobs after that. Quitting a job in Japan is much more complicated than in other countries. - Companies have a lot of control over your life in Japan - they handle your health insurance, taxes, visa, and sometimes even your housing. Quitting can be a huge hassle. - Megan took a job at a social media/marketing company, but it was very unorganized and had unreasonable deadlines. She ended up quitting that job as well. 🏢 **Corporate Baddies** - Megan and Ben then both got jobs at a tourism company, which was a more stable situation. However, they experienced the unique Japanese business culture. - The customer is treated as "king" in Japan, and the company had to bend over backwards to accommodate even the most unreasonable client demands. - Salaries in Japan are notoriously low, especially for entry-level positions, despite the long work hours. 📽️ **Rise and Grind** - During this time, Megan and Ben were working their corporate jobs while also filming and editing videos on nights and weekends to grow their YouTube channel. - It was challenging to balance the creative work of making videos with the draining corporate job. - They finally got signed with a creator agency in Tokyo called Geeks Plus, which will help them make better videos going forward. Overall, the video chronicles Megan and Ben's tumultuous first year living and working in Tokyo, from housing struggles to job changes, all while trying to build their YouTube channel. Despite the challenges, they persevered and are now in a more stable situation.
