Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

I was collecting FANG salaries in the states. I was in the 1% for my age, and most people would consider this the "American dream".

I was miserable.

I moved to Japan with a much lower income, but my standard of living is so much more higher.

> you may not realize how powerful America's culture of individual freedom has impact on other countries

Does individual freedom include not wearing masks? Does individual freedom include feeling unsafe from crime?

Japan feels much safer than any urban center in America, especially during this pandemic. This feeling of taking public transit without anxiety throughout the pandemic alone is already worth forgoing those FANG salaries.

I grew up in Portland, Oregon. That place has deteriorated. Parts of San Francisco is more dangerous than Vietnam or Egypt. NYC is filled with confrontation for all sorts of minor problems, none of which you would ever face in Tokyo.

> Any ideology that forces individual to be less ambitious for the prosperity of the group only gives more power to the enforcer's of the ideology.

This is not inherently unique to America or individual liberty. In fact, Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations is based on the idea that the whole benefits because the individual is acting in their own self regard, not altruistically for society at large.

Asian countries are collectivist with much less individual freedom.

> What other countries are great compared to America? With all its flaws America is the only country where you can dream of building spaceships, create multi billion dollar tech companies in less than a decade.

Speaking of great, how about China? China's bullet train networks span longer than the rest of the world combined. All of that was built within a decade. They have spaceships and unicorns too.



what kind of work do you do in Japan?




Consider applying for YC's Winter 2026 batch! Applications are open till Nov 10

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: