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Hong Kong vs Seoul vs Tokyo

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  1. #1

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    Hong Kong vs Seoul vs Tokyo

    Couldn't find a similar thread about this (at least not recent)...

    Anyone have extensive experience with living in Seoul or Tokyo and can help make some comparison for living as expats with Hong Kong?

    Pros of Hong Kong that I would be sad to give up:
    - trails and countryside at doorstep
    - ability to find a niche non-concrete neighborhood with other expats, trees/birds around us, open garden/roof for an affordable price
    - some commuting by bicycle (!)
    - generally English speaking culture; groceries have English label

    Things I'd like to find elsewhere in covid times:
    - new weekend outings and areas to explore
    - ability to travel around a country
    - a way to avoid cramped commuting (like by bicycle)
    - more freedom to travel abroad if needed and have a lesser quarantine
    - trust in authorities to treat citizens with dignity... no "government quarantine, lock up pets".

    Comparable salaries for expat jobs to Hong Kong (considering tax, too), so there are still savings to be made.

    Having visited both cities, it seems they are both an urban sprawl with either small or tall residential buildings, but little end to the concrete and perhaps cramped public transport to get out or get anywhere.

    Which city would offer a more adaptable office culture to foreigners? I think perhaps Seoul, as my impression is they have a more "let's be funny" approach to awkward situations.
    Thoughts?

    Coolboy, blueagles and Tom007 like this.

  2. #2

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    I would definitely choose Seoul over Tokyo based on my experience of visiting them both for business (visiting our local laboratories). work life seems better in our Seoul Offices, plenty of open spaces with trees n parks in Seoul, I find Tokyo very cramped, maybe DeletedUser will come back with more info on Tokyo.

    Some good Seoul Vs Tokyo info below.

    https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-livin...an&city2=Tokyo


  3. #3

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    Quote Originally Posted by chuckster007:
    I would definitely choose Seoul over Tokyo based on my experience of visiting them both for business (visiting our local laboratories). work life seems better in our Seoul Offices, plenty of open spaces with trees n parks in Seoul, I find Tokyo very cramped, maybe DeletedUser will come back with more info on Tokyo.

    Some good Seoul Vs Tokyo info below.

    https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-livin...an&city2=Tokyo
    I've spent a little more time in Tokyo than Seoul, but only as a tourist in both places. Tokyo is very much a city of neighbourhoods - I've been to a couple of less-visited areas, less-touristy summer festivals, things like that, and there can be a very different feel in different parts of the city.

    I don't think either place would be anything like as easy as HK as an English-speaker, and I don't think wages/taxes would be comparable either (unless you're very in-demand, maybe?). Pros and cons...

  4. #4

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    Should mention, office would be very central/business district in either, so that limits being able to live off in the woods... Except, now the company is opening up to a work from home arrangement. Concerned such an arrangement would be totally unacceptable in Seoul or Tokyo...Any ideas?

    I know the country park at your doorstep will never be like HK, but we're just soooo bored here.


  5. #5

    Seoul is pretty cold in winter - hilly - and less international than Tokyo - unless you count hooker hill - the entertainment area near the (former) us army base.

    I think you will like Tokyo better. Tokyo has trails and walks - mountains are not too far away.


  6. #6

    I didn't live there long term but I used to go a lot to Seoul and stay for several weeks to a month at a time for work.

    So for Seoul vs HK

    Pros:
    - Very clean and well organised
    - Much more interesting nightlife and cultural scene.
    - Local food is vastly better than HK, probably my favourite city in the world for dining. Has less international cuisines though.
    - People are very polite, no cutting lines, shitty driving other or annoying behaviour
    - Considering it is a city of 20+ million people it mostly feels really calm

    Cons
    - Cold af during the winter
    - English level of the average person is much lower in Seoul. Even in some hipster districts you'll find cafe staff won't speak any english at all.
    - Not many interesting historical buildings or architecture.
    - Nature is much further away, although there are some amazing places you can travel to in South Korea, but they are usually overnight trips rather than 30min ferry/taxi rides.

    Elegiaque and alexdown like this.

  7. #7

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    Stayed in Tokyo for a few years and love it there. Worked in Central Tokyo and stay about 30mins train ride away. BIgger house besides a river as its family oriented. There are tons of places to go during the weekend. Or hop on to the bullet train to go somewhere a bit further like Nagano or even Osaka.

    Alot of people do actually cycle to work and they are much more bicycle friendly compare to HK ( of course nothing like Amsterdam).

    One thing that I still havent get use to is the earthquake. Practically it happens nearly once a month and you wont see it reported cause its just a small quake.


  8. #8

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    8 years in Tokyo (most of my 20's), 12 years in Hong Kong (most of my 30's), never lived in Seoul but visited countless times, sometimes for 3 or 4 weeks at a time (assisting my company open a branch office in 2008, assisting company closing branch office in 2017).

    Seoul was OK and very interesting, loved the food. But I have this memory of it being minus 28 degrees outside and freezing my balls off. So Tokyo it is for me.

    Now in my 40's I'm in Australia with a big house and 2 car garage. Japanese wife. So boring as hell for me but the wife likes this new experience. But once the borders open again, kick the kids out of home in the next 10 years, I'll be in my 50's and ready to buy a small apartment in Tokyo and split my life 50/50 between Tokyo and Australia.


  9. #9

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    If you dont speak japanese or korean I find it's hard in both tokyo and seoul. Lived and worked in japan for a few years. HK is much easier to navigate using just english.

    on the tax front, the expat tax scheme in korea has a ceiling (I think it's 5 years, after which you pay as per locals). if your company will arrange a kind of 'lease premium' housing benefits can be tax-free.

    in japan, there is an equivalent to rental reimbursement so there's some simple/common ways for easy tax planning as long as your company is open to it.

    Also, I find public transport in Tokyo much easier than in Korea.

    Personally, I feel japan is easier for me. I even managed to pick up some of the language so would choose japan over korea for sure. my hanko (chop thingy) is still registered with the authorities.

    For japan - the pension is the same as in HK in that you can make a claim to have to reimbursed to you when you leave permanently. I did it when I left. Took a while but got there eventually.

    blueagles likes this.

  10. #10

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    Lots of useful info. Thank you!

    Helpful to know if the perspective is coming from someone who has a spouse from that country... We wouldn't have that luxury of the local help.

    Agree, I've really fallen in love with visiting Japan, but I worry it's less flexible culturally with the need to be totally devoted to work (while we actually want to be a little less to have more time for exploring). Also, in my brief experience there, if something doesn't fit the expectations or is "off schedule", it can be a very difficult situation with lots of X'ed arms. Koreans seem to like to laugh and have more fun. Anyway, both would be interesting to explore, so I'm more focused on daily quality of life, how close to nature we could be... Cycling.

    Did look at the weather and was surprisedby how cold the low is for Seoul. But it seems short and brighter than European winters?


    For language, I'm not sure. Koreans seem to be studiously pushing to a higher level, perhaps Seoul is quickly evolving. But I read some Chinese (and have watched countless hours of anime), so perhaps it's easier to catch up with Japanese.


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