Greetings from Brazil!

Thank you for your input.
LS

Dear Bill,
I am too looking for a Japanese language instructor. And you probably speak much better than me. I can only teach Portuguese, if most. DoesnŽt it work? You could live in Macau...It is a change in an environment. DoesnŽt it sound good? Better than Kyoto?
How about blog writing? I would love to read experiences of people living in several different countries in the world.
Regards,
Laura

Hi,

I am Merkle from Switzerland but living and doing business more than 15 years,
I think its one of the best country to live, work or to do business,in the same time I had business in Swiss,UK,USA and Philippines too but Japan is the best in my thinking.
There lot of people from USA in Japan and are in Headhunting and financial business in Tokyo,
As a US passport holder it is much more easy to get a job as teacher,so its good to get office job than other. once you will have the job you mention then it will not be easy to find because its not easy to do off from work.
Try to get a small but cheap place in Tokyo, many people will say impossible cheap in Tokyo but I will say Yes Yes coz I lived in tokyo and still have a Flat in Azabu, Tokyo as I was and I am involved in Law and Real Estate, I have helped more than 200 companies to locate in Japan as good friends they are happy and doing more than me. many people do not know about cheap houses or apartment but go to realtor and askfor cheap one and try to make a deal, do not pay as they ask coz things are changed in Japan,
any thing or any help you need or any body from any country about job, business or legal information for japan for free of charg please contact me and it will be great pleasure to help.
when I came to Japan I was same thinker but things are much more easy if we do in proper easy and life can be much more easy in Japan.

Hi Merkle,
Thank you so much for the encouragement. Just yesterday I read a post about the dilemma of raising teens in Brazil or in the US, and seems like many American parents think that Brazil is actually better than the US. But, then, I have talked to a few people that say that Japan is the best country to raise a family. I may start to polish my Japanese language to my life can be a little bit easier there.
Take care,
Laura Shimizu

Hi Laura,

Its my pleasure,
As it come to raising up family I can not say anything because in my Tokyo office (for study Abroad) when I use to screen Japanese students for their higher education to USA,UK many of them (atleast 25) had very hard time in Japan and Japanese culture, reason was most of them were raisedup, born abroad while their parents were living and working in USA and in other countries, they were pour Japanese but still do not want to live in Japan and some of them even cried and said "they do not want to come back to Japan" coz still there are things in Japan too but if you live and work in international area then there will be 99% no problem but comparing to other countries Japan is best,
but please try to find a job in office in big cities them life will be easy,
Thanks and take care too

Thank you, Merkle, every little bit of information is very helpful so I can get a broad view of Japan.
LS