'Living There Was Wild': Wiz Khalifa Remembers What Made Him Feel Left Out While Living in Japan as a Kid

For many children, living abroad would be the adventure of a lifetime. For the "Black and Yellow" rapper, it became an experience that expanded his perspective, challenged his comfort zone, and left him with memories he still talks about years later.

During a 2019 appearance on "The Joe Rogan Experience," Wiz Khalifa reflected on the two years he spent living in Japan as a child. What started as a conversation about earthquakes evolved into a deeper discussion about culture shock, technology, language, and how the experience shaped his worldview.

Why Wiz Khalifa Lived in Japan

The conversation began when Rogan asked Khalifa about his experience with earthquakes after learning that the rapper had once lived in Japan. Khalifa explained that he spent two years there because of his family's military background. He shared:

"My parents are military. My mom was in there for a little bit, but then she got out, and then my dad was in there. He got out but remarried, so that's how I stayed in the military thing — was my stepmom and I would move — we would live on base, you know what I mean, for, like, two years."

The arrangement placed him in an environment far different from anything he had previously known, exposing him to a new culture during some of his most formative years.

Experiencing Japan's Earthquakes and Typhoons Firsthand

One of Khalifa's strongest memories involved the country's extreme weather. When Rogan asked whether he had experienced earthquakes while living there, the rapper didn't hesitate. The earthquakes he witnessed were far more intense than the minor tremors many Americans experience.

He described entire rooms shaking so dramatically that the experience felt more like being on a theme park ride than a natural event. "You see [expletive] moving," he recalled. "It's like, 'Damn, is this really happening?'" But the earthquakes weren't the only challenge.

He also remembered the powerful typhoons that regularly swept through the region, bringing heavy rain and violent weather conditions. Despite the severity of those events, he noted that the Japanese people handled them remarkably well.

Growing Up in Japan During the Late 1990s

While the weather stood out, Khalifa also remembered Japan as an exciting place to be a kid. He lived there during the late 1990s, a period when technology was rapidly evolving. Music was beginning to shift toward digital formats, while pop culture phenomena such as Pokémon were exploding in popularity. He noted:

"It was crazy. Like, it was fun. [...] Just being a kid, like, running around, [expletive] it up in Japan. It was cool, man. [...] Living there was wild."

For Rogan, the experience seemed especially significant because it exposed Khalifa to a culture unlike the one most American children grow up around. The rapper agreed as the conversation went into how living abroad at a young age broadened his perspective and gave him a different understanding of what was possible.

Rogan and Khalifa also agreed that more children could benefit from similar experiences, emphasizing the value of seeing how people live in different parts of the world.

The Unexpected Downside – Feeling Disconnected

Despite enjoying many aspects of life in Japan, there was one thing Khalifa struggled with. As he explained to Rogan, living there often left him feeling disconnected from what was happening back home.

Because he didn't have access to regular American television channels, keeping up with popular culture became difficult. At the time, streaming services, YouTube, and social media platforms didn't exist.

If something was happening in the United States, there was a good chance Khalifa would miss it. For a teenager who loved music and professional wrestling, that wasn't easy. He shared with a laugh:

"I need my entertainment, man. I need to be a part of the world."

The rapper also recalled how frustrating it felt to miss out on the entertainment everyone else was talking about. What may sound like a minor inconvenience today felt much more significant in an era before instant global connectivity. "I couldn't buy all the CDs and [expletive] that everybody was listening to. It was wack," he added.

Did Wiz Khalifa Learn Japanese?

Living in another country naturally led Rogan to ask whether Khalifa had learned the language. The rapper said he picked up "baby Japanese," but admitted that much of it faded over time after he left the country.

Interestingly, he added that speaking the language wasn't the difficult part. Reading and writing, on the other hand, were another story entirely. He continued:

"They have symbols or characters, so it's like one character means, like, three of our words. And then they have, like, three different styles of writing it, too. So, it's like we have print and cursive, they have three different ones."

While he no longer remembers enough to hold a conversation comfortably, he suggested that some of the language would likely come back if he were immersed in it again.

In fact, during the discussion, Khalifa found himself remembering a few details about Japanese numbers and characters as he reflected on his time there.

How He Views the Experience Today

Ultimately, although Khalifa appreciated parts of the experience as a teenager, he acknowledged that he didn't fully understand its value at the time. As Rogan pointed out, children often focus on the things they're missing rather than the opportunities they are gaining. The rapper agreed.

At 13 years old, he mostly wanted access to the entertainment, music, and experiences he felt he was missing back home. After a while, the excitement of living overseas gave way to a desire for familiarity. Today, however, his perspective has changed. Khalifa told Rogan:

"I would probably appreciate it more now as an adult. 'Cause as a kid, you kind of just want to run wild and do everything that you see on TV. [...] But as an adult, I feel like I would benefit a lot more from it."

Looking back, what once felt strange and isolating has become one of the most unique chapters of Wiz Khalifa's childhood — one that continues to shape how he views the world years later.