{
  "id": 12927687,
  "title": "I always thought I'd settle down in Canada. Living in Japan for a year changed my mind.",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/08/i-always-thought-id-settle-down-in-canada-living-in-japan-for-a-year",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-08T18:37:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Business Insider",
    "slug": "business-insider",
    "url": "https://www.businessinsider.com/returning-home-after-living-in-japan-for-year-changed-plans-2026-10"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Alessa Hickman, born and raised in Ottawa, moved to Japan for a year with the intention of returning home afterwards. However, her experience living abroad changed her perspective. She found herself craving adventure and the spontaneity that came with living in Japan. The train system made it easy for her to explore new places on a whim, unlike in Ottawa. As her visa was nearing its end, she knew she wanted to continue her exploration. Despite missing Canada at times, she felt more at home in Japan than she expected. She plans to visit Southeast Asia after returning to Canada and hopes to continue traveling internationally.",
  "summary": "As someone from Ottawa, I always thought I'd settle down in Canada, but then I spent a year living in Japan. Now, I'm second-guessing my plans.",
  "key_points": [
    "Alessa Hickman moved to Japan for a year.",
    "She craved adventure and spontaneity.",
    "She plans to visit Southeast Asia after returning to Canada."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}