• Brendan Pon and his family left Canada in May 2024 to pursue a slower life abroad. • They initially moved to Chiang Mai, Thailand, but felt that it wasn't the right fit for their family. • They ended up buying a house remotely and moved to Osaka, Japan, over a year later.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Brendan Pon, 36, an entrepreneur and part-time content creator in Osaka, Japan. It has been edited for length and clarity.

I was born and raised in Toronto. I spent 10 years as a recruiter specializing in senior-level accounting roles. Before that, I was an accountant myself.

My wife and I had a comfortable, predictable life with our two kids, but we wanted something new. They're both under five, and we wanted to make the most of these early years by being pre

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