Stay Put or Pack It In

Written by Billy W on June 7, 2009

A friend of mine, who has lived here in Tokyo for a few years and has loved almost every day of it, has decided to pack it in and head back home. I don’t know the details surrounding the reason for his impending departure, but it’s got me thinking about my own future here in the land of the rising sun.



Why am I thinking about a possible departure myself? Well, there are two main reasons:

• I’ve had enough of my job and am not sure if I’d be interested in working one of the few other jobs in Japan for which I’m qualified. And,
• My long-term poker winrate is so high that it seems like a waste to not play poker full time, where I could likely double my current income.

To be honest, I’m not looking to get out of Japan, or even just Tokyo, for that matter. I’d like to stay. But, unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll be able to save enough money at my current income level to set up my own business here in Japan in the next few years, which is ultimately what I’d like to do.



It seems at this point that my best bet would be to relocate to Vegas for the time being, play poker full time while enjoying the freedom of not being tied down to a company job, and save as much as I can doing it to get a business going in the next couple of years. While having a lot less stress in my life is one benefit of not slaving away at a regular job, I’ll also have more time to think creatively about my plans for the future.



Well, no matter what, I have a strong feeling that this year needs to be a year of unprecedented change for me. A positive change, of course, but one that’s going to take an extraordinary effort on my part. When the dust settles at the end of summer, I should be on a course that will bring me closer to my destiny.