Should I Stay in Massachusetts or should I take the job in Japan?

Question:

I was recently accepted for a job in Japan teaching English to kindergartners. I have experience working with kids and an interest in language acquisition.I have wanted to go to Japan for years, and I speak a little Japanese and would plan to study in my spare time and do a little travel during breaks. My best friend (known 10 years) thinks that it is a very bad idea and he does not want me to go. (We're both gay, so it's NOT a romantic thing) I am having a really hard time making a decision. I think that it would be a good experience, and I've "done my homework" on living in Japan, and know that I can handle it. I'm not some glossy-eyed otaku/weeabu either. He says that it will be hard/impossible for me to transition back to life in the US after a year and that it will put a serious damper on me getting a job when I get back and hold me back in terms of completing my education. I still need to go for my masters... He says that if I want to teach ESL that I can just get a job at his school and that it would look better on a resume, and that I'll be seen as a transient free-loader if I work overseas. If I get the job at his school there are more financial benefits, and there's also the possibility of a long-term job and the school would pay for my masters. No such benefits/long term things will come out of the kindergarten job.

He's worried that I won't come back, and I'm worried that he'll stop talking to me. I don't feel like going back to school and going to Japan are mutually exclusive... he thinks that I'll never recover financially from going over seas.... and I think that I'm gonna feel disappointed and be seen as a cop-out if I don't go.

Answer:

If you applied for this job, you should take it. It's a once in a life time opportunity that you will cherish the rest of your life.
If you plan only to teach for one year, go for it. It would look good on your resume.
I really doubt if you'll have any problems when you get back.
If your friend is a real friend, he should respect what you want to do & wish you well.
Go with your heart, give Japan a try. There will always be a " should I have " thought in the back of your mind if you don't.