From Enthusiast to Disillusioned: Navigating Japan’s Lost Decade

Japan had been in a long era of economic decline, known as the Lost Decade, for two decades. Little did we know, it would turn into three. The gloom that hung over the country in 2003 seemed never-ending, despite efforts to recover from the economic downturn. The economy had peaked in 1989, but since then, Japan had been unable to shake off the effects of the recession.

Despite the economic struggles, the malaise was not immediately visible to me when I first arrived in Japan as part of an exchange program to teach English in rural Hiroshima. Having been exposed to Japanese culture since my childhood in Ireland, I found Japan to be a sophisticated and technologically advanced country. It felt like a good fit for someone fresh out of college, offering a unique sense of adventure being far away from home.