(CNN) — When he traveled to Japan for a “short term” work assignment back in 1992, Dave Prucha, from California, would never have predicted that he’d still be there 32 years later.
The former university professor, who had never visited the East Asian country before then, says he thought he’d stay for six months or a year at the most.
“I didn’t know anything about Japan,” Prucha tells CNN Travel via Zoom. “I looked at this being a stint for me to take some time off and earn some money at the same time.”
Life-changing decision
However, Prucha has gone on to build a home, get married, have three children, and launch an American craft beer company in the more than three decades since then.
“Even after 32 years, I still feel like, ‘Wow, I really like living here,’” he says. “It’s so much fun.”
Prucha’s interest in Japan began when he studied International …