I've decided that I want to move to either Shanghai, Seoul, or Japan and teach English. The only problem is, I'm having a hell of a time deciding. So, I'm looking for some input from you guys and any information on these three places is greatly appreciated. Which place has the best night life? Which place has the best opportunity for starting a business? Which place has the coolest culture? Which place has the brightest future? Which place has the hottest chicks? Seriously, and and all information on these three places is welcome. Anything that can help me make a decision. Anything that helps me compare and contrast these three places is what I'm looking for. Thanks in advance.

I shouldn't reply since I have been to none of them but I have nothing better to do.

I've heard nightlife in Shanghai is the nuts. Best in Asia from what people tell me. Curious if others on here agree

Well japan is surely the most intersting country to' live( great culture, food etc. ) anyway is also the most expensive..

Shanghai and seoul are both really fun, id have a hard time deciding myself.

Shanghai if you have large capital backing you for money sake.

Culture wise the Japanese win, they are very polite but same time bat **** crazy

Shanghai is really buzzing, the ex-pat community loves to party. But to live and work there.... Nah, I would choose Japan over it any day of the week. Soul a distant third I just don't like it.

Shanghai, if their economy doesn't melt,the amount of money on show is unbelievable.

Unless you have $$$ shanghai girl's won't look at you, they are very picky and gold digging bitches. South Korea/Soul has the hottest girls and it's easy to score there even if you look like a troll, Japanese women are the most beautiful though but can be hard to pick up.

I loved everything about Japan. Never been to the other two but hopefully soon. Hong Kong next month wooo! I'd pick Japan just because I'm a japanese fanboy.

Seoul is the stone cold nuts. I've been to Shanghai too but it didn't live up to Seoul in the ease and safety department. Also, there was a lot more low level English around Seoul than there was around Shanghai. Girls are available everywhere. There are beautiful and ugly ones. They look remarkably different to anybody that has spent time in those three nations so you might want to look into telling them apart and considering which ones you find most attractive. For me, it's Korean women hands down. The ease and availability of plastic surgery in Seoul probably has something to do with that.

Never been to Japan.

I have never lived in Seoul or Japan, but Shanghai is definitely the nuts. Lots of expats, too, so you will be able to get around without speaking Chinese (although you should learn, because it makes quality of life a lot better, obviously).

Shanghai is pretty cheap living (as far as big cities go), too, I think you can get a decent flat in a reasonably central area for as low as $800 / mo or so, whereas I've heard that prices in Seoul and Tokyo are ridiculous. FWIW "excellent" apartments aren't too bad either, I think ~$2-3K a month will get you a great, spacious flat (eg: 2 floors), in a gated complex in a reasonably central location. PuDong is cheap but you probably don't want to live there as it's hella far.

As far as night life, it's on par with HK (if not better, it's the best in the world from what I've seen), but cheaper. And you don't have to tip in most situations (gratuity charge in nicer hotels / nicer nightclubs).

As far as poker, there have been high profile busts in recent years, so don't play in home games for any significant amount of money; take a cheap flight down to Shenzhen, then take turbojet from airport to Macau.

Just read you want to be an English teacher. As someone who doesn't speak Chinese and isn't familiar with the culture (unless you do/are, or are rich, then ignore this), you may not like Shanghai as much. It will be tough to pull in decent money without connections (as the people who hook you up with a job will take their cut), and people sort of "look down" on English teachers in China, especially in Shanghai where most expats are making a lot of money. Not quite as pretentious as Hong Kong, but close. This might also be the case in Korea or Japan, though, so do your homework. From what I recall (this could be inaccurate now, as I haven't talked to an English teacher in a few years), upper end of teaching salary will generally be about $1.5 - 2.5K / mo for part-time-ish hours. I have heard it's around $4K / mo in Japan and around $3K / mo in Korea.

I've spent time in all three countries.

Japan is the most livable and probably my favorite. The quality of living is the highest, it is easy to navigate for travel noobs, the people are super polite, and the food is the best in the world IMO. Tons of interesting stuff to see practically around every corner. It's also the most expensive by far. It might be difficult to really enjoy yourself on a teacher's salary.

Korea is similar to Japan, in that it is a very modern and comfortable place to live. Though I think it lacks the variety of interesting sights and culture that Japan has. But the nightlife is crazy and the women are amazing. Also much cheaper than Japan.

I love China and always enjoy my time there, but I have mixed feelings about Shanghai and it is definitely the least livable of the three. It's crowded, polluted, and the traffic is terrible. If you have never been to China, you might be in for a bit of culture shock. Chinese people are quite rough around the edges, also stuff here never works the way it should. The level of English speaking here is by far the lowest of the three. But if you are looking for adventure, Shanghai is definitely the place to be. The city changes a ton every time I go there, and the people I have met there (expats and Chinese) are doing really interesting stuff. Also you can fly practically anywhere in China for under $100 on Spring Airlines. It's a huge and amazing country. If you are thinking about your future, go to Shanghai and learn Chinese.

I'm actually considering this myself as well...

I've always been attracted to Asia, but still not quite sure where to begin.
From all the responses here, I think I'll start in Japan.

Can someone please tell me which city in Japan is the most tourist friendly? As in: locals know English, good food & a sick nightlife?
What kind of budget would you recommend for someone going to Japan for 3 weeks? I'll never be in my hotel so I don't think I should get an expensive one..

OP, do you mean Tokyo, Japan.. or would any city suffice? It's a fairly big country lol

You can get a bunk at a youth hostel for about $40/night. A bed at a capsule hotel or a ryokan for maybe $60.

On top of that I spent an average of about $100/day. I'm not really a nightlife person, but I often eat out at good restaurants. An average meal might cost about $10 for an amazing bowl of ramen or plate lunch, but can go much higher. Alcoholic drinks are $4 or more. Taxis are exorbitant, but the public transportation in Japan is very good.

You could spend three weeks in the Tokyo region and take daytrips to the surrounding areas. Or the Kansai region (Kyoto/Osaka/Kobe/Nara) and the surrounding regions there. Or with three weeks, you probably have enough time to get a Japan Rail pass and do both.

LOL- yeah, I know, I was vague. I'm not 100% sure where I'd live if I went to Japan. Tokyo is definitely an option, but I'd also consider Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, and am open to suggestions for other Japanese cities. Japan sounds really awesome, but I'm leaning away from it for two main reasons:
1. I've heard it's a pretty expensive country, and not as easy to enjoy oneself on a teacher's salary.
2. I want to work for myself, which doesn't seem that easy as a Western foreigner in Japan. Put differently, I know I might fall in love with whichever place I choose and want to stay there for life. So I try to keep my long-term career goals in mind when weighing these places against one another.

If anyone disagrees with points 1 and 2 above, please speak up. (If I'm under the wrong impression, I'd definitely like to find out.)

Though of Taipei? Nightlife is great, girls are hot and not very hard to pick up.
Expenses are cheap, food is about 2-3$ a meal and beer is cheap, hostel was costing me 8-10$ a night. Transportation is dirt cheap, taxis won't cost much here, didn't even know how they made a profit . They have a bullet train and nice mountains to go hiking.

Oh yeah and if your Canadian, Australian, New-Zealander? or Japanese, you'll be able to get a working holiday visa for 1 year.

thinking about going to Taipei for a lil bit.. i am a Japanese citizen, where and how do i get a working holiday visa? is it easy to get?

thanks