Where should we live, Spain or Japan?

Hello everybody;

Me [30's spanish] and my gf [30's japanese] will get married in a year, and now we're thinking about where to live.

Both of us are in the same situation: Living in our own country at the moment, working, and with little knowledge of the other's language.
Also, my degree it's not validated in Japan.

Asking some friends and looking on the internet, it seems that life is more relaxed here in Spain, but it could be tricky for her to get a job [but probably for me in Japan too, isn't it?]

So, I'd like to read opinions from people who are or were in our situation.

Thank you for your time :D

That's a major decision, to put it lightly! I'm not familiar with Spain so can't compare the two, but thought I would just say this: whichever place you choose, it's likely going to be very hard on whoever's the foreigner, particularly since they can't speak the language. This is the kind of thing that can break marriages, so I'd say that you and your fiance's personalities and how you each cope with being stuck in a foreign environment for an extended period of time is going to matter more than anything else. Have either of you lived in the other's country for enough time to know what to expect?

That and jobs of course - are either of you capable of supporting the other in your current jobs? Since like you say, it's probably going to be tough to find jobs for both of you in the other's country.

Good luck!

Very good advice from gfoulk. I agree.

I notice that a lot of international-marriage couples actually try living in both countries, and perhaps even a third country, and then decide for good by the time their child starts school.

But if you have no other reason to choose one country over another, obviously it depends on who is going to be the bread winner. Ask yourselves who is making more money now, and live in that person's country. But if you're expecting a baby very soon, you need to think about which suits you best in terms of hospitals, welfare, and support from your parents/in-laws who would be the grandparents.

By the way, I know a Spanish husband and Japanese wife couple who lived in Japan (where they met), then Spain, then another country, and then Spain again, and it was mainly to do with the husband's job opportunity. They found each job first before moving.