Job Discussion Forums

[senza_vavoom]

Hello,

I have applied to JET and they have called me back asking me to send them a piece of information that I had " forgotten " in the application. As far as I understood it in the instructions, if you have graduated, just send in a copy of your degree. I did not include my transcript as I had already graduated but they called me back to ask for this, with a special permission code that they gave me. It seems as if they may be interested, bc if they were not, then my package would have been surely dismissed if they saw initially that it was lacking one piece of document. I also don't think they will take the trouble to call from the Embassy just to give me a piece of permission code so that I can send it to them.

Anyway, besides that, I have a few questions on the rural areas of Japan. I am very interested to work in semi-rural / rural area. I will find it an exciting challenge as I have always been a capital-city type of girl. I've lived the city life and drop me in any city and I will survive...but I want to know how I will fare well in the rural area.

So if there is anyone in the JET programme working on a rural area, could you pls let me know the following?

- Roughly how big is the population ?
- What is the transportation like in the rural area?
- Are the ALT accomodations right in the school or elsewhere where transporation is needed?
- What are the pros?
- What are the cons?

Thanks!!!!!

[Gordon]

Rural varies from place to place. Rural could mean a medium-size city with good transportation, cultural events and plenty to do. Rural could also mean being the only foreigner, no train and the only way to get around is by car (which they will probably provide) or infrequent bus and having few people around who speak English.
Accomodation is not in the school, it would be in an apt somewhere else.

[Glenski]

Pros of living in a rural area
1. You have the best opportunity to learn about the "real Japan".
2. You have a good opportunity to learn Japanese because there won't be much English around.
3. You won't be bothered by pesky foreigners.
4. Rent and utilities will likely be lower than in big cities.
5. Because there are fewer urban amenities around, you have more potential to save money unless you make trips to the big city.
6. You will be known by most people in town, so if you have problems or questions, it is likely that people will be willing/able to help you, even if you don't ask for it.

Cons of living in a rural area
1. There will be less English around, so communication will be tougher.
2. You won't have a comforting blanket of other foreigners around.
3. There are fewer urban amenities around.
4. Transportation will often be less frequent than in the big city. You may even have to drive (left side of the road).
5. Your comings and goings will be known to nearly everyone in town. So, if you imagine any personal privacy, you lose it. This means a lot to people who want to date locals and who want to break the rules about not taking on private lessons.

[GambateBingBangBOOM]

Because you, like me, are from Canada (I'm actually from Toronto, too), another con you often get, especially in rural areas, is a lot of "You not flom Amerlika? We Japanese like Amerlika. Please teach Amerlika and other country. We think you come from minor country. So please teach us [about] major country." -my JTE

This is my third year. It's been going on since I got here. It's still happening now. I also get pretty tough questions about American history, but none about any aspect of Canada at all, except for "Canada is very cold, isn't it?" (so that time studying Canadian history is really paying off! ). Many rural people also assume you know everything about every other country (I've been asked the differences between neighbouring African countries in class with no forewarning although I've never been to that continent) because they are all gaikokuland.

One old guy once said (in Japanese) "Not America? Canada, eh? You don't look like you're from South America".

Huge pro of living in rural Japan is the kids. No 'tude from most of them (possibly until middle or end of JHS, then only sometimes, but it goes away once they've left that JHS and you see them again on the street sometime when they're in SHS).

[JimDunlop2]

[Dipso]

When I applied to JET I asked to be placed in a large city. I was then actually placed in a fishing village. Hey ho.

I grew to love my little town though. Be prepared to be a bit of a local "celebrity", with all that that entails, both good and bad. I did feel like the town mascot at times.

Transportation was an issue for me as the buses and trains stopped running very early in the evening. A lot of boards of education don't let their ALTs drive, so you can feel a bit isolated at times. You will need to be quite self-sufficient.

Still, in a small town the people are much friendlier and the children have a kind of joyful innocence about them. All in all, it was a very positive experience for me and I did the full three years. I will be returning to Japan next year but I will be in Nagoya this time around!

[TL]

Hi there,

I'm currently living in a town with a population of approximately 20,000. I would say that it's semi-rural. My town has a Uni-Qlo (something like an Old Navy).

What is the transportation like in the rural area?
Luckily for me my town has a JR station which makes it really easy to travel. But many towns don't have a JR station so it can be difficult.

Are the ALT accomodations right in the school or elsewhere where transporation is needed?
I live relatively close to my schools. I use a mountain bike to get to school.

What are the pros?
Nice, friendly folks
More Japanese friends
Become better integrated in the community
Better kids

What are the cons?
Fewer restaurants
Smoke from the burning of weeds and grass by farmers

[Big John Stud]

I've been living and working in Japan for more than 10 years. My Japanese is pretty good. I've been living and teaching in a small rural area for two years now. I can't wait to move back to a city.
Someone above listed all the cons, which is exactly my situation.
The train hardly ever comes to the closest station and the bus even less. There is no night life at all, only snack bars. It seems like only families live here. Single people 20 and older move to the city.
Shoping not much of a veriety. Stores pretty much carry the same products. Japan has changed the way they teach English for the better. However in most rural towns, very few adults speak English. Most are also too shy to talk to a guijin. Guijin means outsider and in this small town, I am an outsider. The kids are great but after work the only time I talk to an adult is if I order something in a restaurant.
The only pro I see about living in a small town is how cheap my rent is. That is all.