Interesting topic, as usual, Maciamo.

Since I am not living in Japan at the moment, but will definitely move back in a short while, I can only give my opinion on why I stayed for nearly two decades.

Moving there at 18 with the US military I came to truly love Japan, made many Japanese friends, married, eventually left the service to attend university in Japan and divorced in Japan while a student.

It became a place that I was comfortable with and it felt (at least to me) no different than living anywhere else. I learned the language, lived and worked as any Japanese would, married again, and it just became "home". I worked at both teaching English and working for a Japanese company or two as a sarariman and eventually started my own English school.

Sure, Japan had/has it's problems with discrimination and finding an apartment and such, but I did find one or two in a short time and I never faced the problems that other foreigners faced or let them get to me like the typical 20 question routine, or the shock and awe that I could use chopsticks, enjoyed a Japanese bath, or slept in a futon and had virtually no furniture other than a kotatsu and clothes box. In other words, I never made them bigger than what they were. I understood Japan was Japan and I would either have to adapt and accept it or I could just leave.

Never letting Japan's downsides bother me made for a much better living experience which I have enumerated on in previous posts. I would probably still be living there if the Japanese economy did not crash when I was just getting started in life and a few years into my business.

However, what kept me there, besides from ignoring the downsides, was the ease of living, the ease of making friends and just the overall nature of the place which appealed to me. What it exactly was/is I cannot put a finger on it. All I know is that I was more more comfortable living there than anywhere I have ever lived or am living presently even though I knew I would always be a gaijin no matter how well I spoke the language or how long I had lived there. In all honesty it never bothered me. Even being arrested in Japan and confined for two weeks did not deter me from continuing to live there. Weird to be sure, but it is something that defies explanation.

Therefore, I can understand where Mr. Kitto is coming from on his desire to live in China. Even though he was shafted, and lost his business, it is something that cannot be fully explained or understood by one's countrymen or other foreigners as I was/am asked the same questions. Why are you still here? Why do you want live out your days in Japan? Why do you want to go back?

It is something that is inside you and you just follow what's in your heart and what makes you feel most comfortable even though others cannot understand it. It could be China, Japan, Korea, Europe, Australia, Canada, another state, etc. It's wherever you feel the best and are most comfortable with and the heck with what anyone else thinks.