I gave up my dream life in Japan to move to the Netherlands — now, I couldn't be happier

Brie Schmidt

• I'm an American who lived in Japan for about six years until I started to feel lonely and lost.
• I sold my house in Tokyo and traveled around Europe until I fell in love with the Netherlands.
• I used a special treaty to get citizenship in Europe and I'm happy living here. 

One day in January 2022, it hit me: I had outgrown my life in Japan.

I was an American living in Tokyo and still felt like a fish out of water after six years...