I moved to rural Japan for work. The reality of office culture pushed me back to London.

Japan made me realize how much my work-life expectations were shaped by my home in the UK. Georgia Hennessy I moved to Japan from the UK in my early 20s to teach English to high schoolers. Expectations in Japanese workplaces, like giving coworkers gifts after vacations, surprised me. I left after realizing that British workplace culture gave me a better work-life balance. In my early 20s, I moved my life from the bustling metropolis of London to a quiet, scenic town in the mountains of Japa...