Aleksandra, a 22-year-old news reporter living in South Tangerang, remembers her 12 months studying in Paris, France last year lovingly.

“Living there makes healthy life easier. For example, Paris and other European cities have many healthier options in the market such as sugar-free snacks, vegetarian and vegan options, as well as organic stuff,” she told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

She also reminisced about the clean air and the vast, lavish green spaces and parks in Paris, in which she enjoyed picnics in nice weather.

“And also, I got to free the nipple! No one says bad things to you if you walk bra-less even to school,” she said.

Aleksandra said she’d like to return to Paris if she had the chance.

Her sweet memories of good welfare in a foreign country is shared with many Indonesians. In fact, recent studies by YouGov Omnibus research service stated that three in five Indonesians have considered moving abroad.

In research results made available to the Post, YouGov Omnibus said that based on 1,289 Indonesians surveyed, most of them had the intention to move abroad with hope of a better life quality.

“As the world becomes increasingly globalized, many Indonesians are now seeking opportunities abroad. Migration seems particularly on the minds of young women, for a multitude of reasons. It’ll be interesting to see if these thoughts turn into actions in the coming years,” Jake Gammon, head of Omnibus APAC at YouGov Omnibus commented.

According to the survey, some Indonesians have taken it one step further. A third of those thinking of moving abroad (33 percent) have actively taken steps in the past six months to do so. Those aged 25 to 34 are the most likely to have taken action, with almost two in five (38 percent) having done so.

Interestingly, Japan is the most popular destination for migration mentioned in the survey.

The survey finds that 14 percent of the survey takers said they wanted to move to Japan, while 9 percent said they wanted to move to Germany, 7 percent to Singapore, 7 percent to the United Kingdom and 6 percent to the United States.

The most common reasons to consider moving to these countries are the hope of a better quality of life, better public services and better job opportunities.

Yonathan Harvridus, 32, an advertising agency worker in Jakarta, is one of the Indonesians with hope to move to Japan one day. He even tried his chances in 2017. With a one-way ticket to Japan and a three-month staying visa, he started his adventure in Ibaraki Prefecture, a region to the northeast of Tokyo.

He said prior to the move, he had often gone to Japan as a tourist to see concerts, festivals and perform with his band. He fell in love with how the Japanese respect art and creativity, as well as the country’s beautiful scenery that results from the genius city planning and the residents’ clean habits.

“After moving there I worked odd jobs such as harvesting at farms, applying to several retail houses and live houses, but they did not accept people who only had a staying visa. They would not risk losing their business employing people illegally,” Yonathan told the Post.

Not being able to hold a steady job, Yonathan left Japan with a heavy heart and returned to Jakarta where he remains today.

However, having stayed in the country for three months, Yonathan now has a more realistic view of living there as a resident and as a tourist.

“As a tourist, if you are bored of that country, you can always go home. But if you are a resident, you would be bound by many things that prevent you from returning easily,” he said.

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