Seven months ago, I left Canada after living in Ottawa my entire life.
When my apartment lease was coming to an end, I knew I didn’t want to make another expensive yearlong commitment in the only city I’d ever lived in — especially as the cost of living kept rising.
I’d visited Japan once before, loved it, and couldn’t stop thinking about going back. I was also itching to leave my hometown and travel more, so my husband and I sold almost everything we owned and moved there with one suitcase and one carry-on each.
Instead of renting an apartment once we arrived, we decided to spend the year living out of short-term rentals so we could experience…
