Job Discussion Forums

[sandinista445]

I'm thinking of heading to Japan this summer and was wondering which cities people would recommend. I'm looking at some of the medium to large cities (Kyoto, Osaka). I'd like to go somewhere big, but not too overwhelming. Somewhere fun, but with some traditional Japanese architecture too. Any ideas?

[Nismo]

[canuck]

[Nismo]

Canuck: I'm not implying that sandinista should seek out a job in a smaller city. Read my post over again, maybe my wording was unclear. What I was suggesting was that if you want to get to Japan, you can't be picky about where you will be placed. Heck, you could even be placed in Tokyo if there is an opening. I am aware there are more positions in larger cities, that's logical. But if you start holding out on job offers for a specific location, you might be waiting for a long time to land a position.

I think I might have misinterpreted Sandinista's original post, as I assumed that s/he was going to apply before coming over. So, Sandinista, if you intend to fly to Japan and look for a job once you arrive, just be prepared to travel a lot to interviews in different cities. It took me 2 months to land a part-time job in Tokyo, but I wasn't searching very hard at the time. Actually, that job just sort of fell into my lap, although other positions I had been applying for were not going through. Just be patient with the process, and try to be as flexible as you can (without entirely sacrificing your preferences and happiness).

[sandinista445]

Thanks for the tips. No I don't have a job yet, so I'll wait until I get a contract before booking a flight. I realize I might not have a choice as far as locations, but if I do I'd like to have a good idea of what the options are before I make up my mind. So far I've been leaning towards Kyoto, but wasn't surprised (only disappointed) to hear that it might be hard to get a job there. I actually wouldn't mind Tokyo, it's just that I've heard the smaller cities aren't quite as expensive as Tokyo. I've heard nice things about Osaka too. Anyone here have any opinions on the southern cities like Fukuoka or Nagasaki or any other cities for that matter?

[Nismo]

The most sought after locations are as follows:

1. Osaka
2. Sapporo
3. Tokyo
4. Kyoto
5. Fukuoka
6. Yokohama

After that, a lot of people try and get positions in Saitama or Chiba to be near Tokyo, but on the outskirts of it. Okinawa is pretty much out of the question, as mostly spouses of military employees do teaching on a dependant visa.

You might consider looking for a position in Hyogo-ken. Some cities are about 40 minutes away from Kobe/Osaka area.

[Zzonkmiles]

Don't come to Osaka thinking you can save money just because "it's not Tokyo" because that's likely not going to happen. Osaka and Tokyo seem to constantly jockey for positioning as the most expensive city in Japan. Oh, and Osaka is not a "medium-sized" city by any means. The city itself has about 3 million people and the metropolis has maybe 4 or 5 times that amount or even more.

If you want an actual medium sized city, you might want to give Sendai or Hiroshima a second look. Nagoya is much bigger and seems to be less popular with foreigners, but the cost of living there is considerably cheaper than Osaka and Tokyo.

[Brooks]

for jobs, they tend to be in the Tokyo area and Nagoya, and in the Kansai area. Good luck getting a job in Kyushu. I hear it`s tough.

Mid sizes places could be Hiroshima, Kobe, and Sendai.

If you like architecture, I recommend Kanazawa and Kurashiki (in Okayama). Kurashiki is looking for ALTs.

[Gordon]

If I could choose a city in Japan to live, I'd pick Kobe or Hiroshima.

[homersimpson]

[GreenDestiny]

[joncharles]

I kind of lucked out and ended up in Tsukuba Science City. It is a small city with a mix of modern buildings and small farms. There are a lot of foreigners here too. Very few are English teachers. Since Tsukuba is where most of the Japanese Government's research facilities are located, I have met scientists and researchers from all over the world. There is also a large university, a women's college and a medical school.

It is a very nice place and it is not too far from Tokyo if one wants to take on the city once-in-a-while.

[GreenDestiny]

[Nismo]

Green:

I would have thought Tokyo would be number one as well, but (according to the recruiter who informed me) it fluctuates and current top 2 cities are Osaka and Sapporo. Osaka didn't throw me off as being number one, but I would have not even considered placeing Sapporo on the list above number 7.

A logical explanation is that foreigners looking to come to Japan are finally wising up and realizing that Tokyo is an entirely different beast than Japan. It has a culture all it's own, and that isn't necessarily good. For one thing, the general populace is noticeably more cold-shouldered than the rest of Japan.

[spidey]