I promised I'd make a comment about dating here, because it can be so frustrating. The cultural differences make it really hard. And not being able to communicate with the majority of people (Japanese speakers) makes it even more difficult to find someone to date! Cultural differences, like that the men spend more time at work, and do not have the Western "macho" attitude (for better or worse...) make it difficult to know how to relate coming from another culture with different expectations.
But on the bright side, being in Japan is a nice chance to contemplate single life.
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