Job Discussion Forums

[markle]

I'm looking at getting a teaching position and I was weighing up the pro and cons of looking outside the major centres.
A friend who had worked in Japan had suggested that the country might offer better conditions (accom, etc)
So what do you guys think? is there a difference, what are the particular benefits of getting out of town?

[homersimpson]

I have lived in both settings and they can be as different as night and day. In my experience, I paid more for transportation on a daily basis (subway/trains) in the city; in the country "commuting" was not a concern. Cities offer far more discounts/specials on food, simply because there are more restaurants competing for business. Cities over more choices of products at local supermarkets. Traditional entertainment such as movie theaters, dance clubs, musical concerts, etc. can be virtually nonexistent in the country (although most towns have a video rental store). Country towns are quieter and hence offer far less anonymity. (People will know what you do and who you do it with). If you are interested in learning the language, towns will certainly give you more of an opportunity to practice, however, there is a popular misconception that if you don't speak Japanese somehow you will be unable to survive in the countryside (not true; not as convenient a lifestyle, but still doable). Depending on the area of the country, small town people can be friendlier than city slickers (or they can be shier and unaccomodating). In my case, I have enjoyed both cities and towns for a variety of reasons. Actually, I have experienced a city of over 2 million, one of 300,000 and one of less than 40,000 during my stay in Japan. All had different things to offer.

[cafebleu]

Be careful about living in the countryside in Japan.

I have known people who spent a lot of time and money on the weekend or their other time off, getting away from their home in the countryside and going to the city for relief and relaxation. Some foreigners who have lived in the countryside get really restless and bored there.

One really good thing can be the accommodation prices. Accommodation prices can be great in the countryside - I had a friend who could rent a house for 50,000 yen and he was so lucky. It was big and had a good garden and he had a little distance from his neighbours.

However, one of the big downers of living in the countryside is that you
also have to contend with a narrowness that may be present in any number of Japanese people because of their insulated and insular culture and lifestyle, but in the city people it is less pronounced as they are busier and/or aren`t obsessed with what the neighbours think. I lived in a country town for some time and I honestly found the neighbourhood to have too many busybodies. Women around 50 or over are especially bad.

I think much of it has to do with their non-existent relationships with their husbands, something that also happens among younger Japanese. I was amazed at how husbands and wives of working age are separated for a long time because of the husbands` business trips and take it as being normal, and amazed at how kids are sleeping in their parents` bedrooms. One young man I knew had a large family and so he slept in his parents` room. He was 19 (!!!)

But to get back to the countryside women, especially those of around 50 and over - not all but some are racist, nosey, rude, and obviously deprived of a fulfilling life in any number of ways and so concern themselves with foreigners and their activities.

If you do live in the countryside it`s good to put a distance between yourself and your neighbours to some extent. You can get to know the nice ones but be a little aloof. Your life is your life and if your neighbours have narrow ones, it is not your role to be snooped on and annoyed. If you`re a man it will be better because unfortunately women here, especially older ones, like to engage in a certain type of bullying by putting pressure on other women to conform. The fact that what they are asking you to conform to is not necessarily normal by any other number of perspectives, is not the point.

[Gordon]

Yikes, that's a pretty bleak description of small-town Japan. I've been here over a year and haven't really seen that. I'm sure it exists, but I don't think it's that bad.
As far as expenses go, living in the countryside is far cheaper. There is a lot less temptation to spend your money and go shopping. When I go into Osaka or Kobe, I'm glad to leave and am amazed at how quickly my yen is spent.
People stare at you more in the a small town obviously and that can get a little annoying.

[cafebleu]

I think the experiences of foreign men and women are usually different. Where I lived a policeman used to call in to the people next door and I would hear the woman gossiping about me. It`s there in country life but maybe you don`t notice it because you are not a woman.

I also found that Japanese women DO take more liberties with a foreign woman. I knew a foreign man who did not live so far from me but the Japanese women left him alone. I also went off to my boyfriend`s apartment in a different place because had I brought him home then the neighbours would have gone on about it and it probably would have affected the enrolment numbers of the locals at the school I worked at.

As I said, Japanese women tend to bully other women by expecting them to fall in line with their own narrow, decades ago thinking. If you spend enough time around Japanese women (and men) who are not friends with foreigners or who are not open minded or relatively young or young, then it hits you how social attitudes here remain in the 50s. I never knew of anybody living together without marriage in the country and if they had, the neighbours would have made their lives hard. The Japanese do not have those kind of pre-marital, non-marital relationships openly and I have never met any Japanese woman who lives with her boyfriend or older male partner.

[markosonlines]

I'm living in Ise, a city of　about 100,000, with my Japanese girlfriend. It seems to qualify as 'the country' in Japan. Our neighbours haven't caused us any grief (yet), although the only person we share a wall with is a gaijin colleague. We get a few stares, that's about it, and we haven't made much effort to hide our lifestyle. Maybe the locals are cool, or used to gaijin living here. Or maybe it's because we are saving our money and spend a lot of time at home. Either way its been cool for us.

If you want to work your shift, go home and save your money I'd say the country. Cheaper living, less distractions. If you want to party, or work extra shifts, privates, part-time on the side for extra cash, go the big smoke.

Just my two yen

Markos

[3rdEye]

I can't make a complete comparison to urban areas since I've always lived in rural or semi-rural areas, although I visit cities often. Anyways, I think living in the countryside can be an excellent and wonderful chance to meet great people. If you don't mind the inconvenience of not having the city amenities, such as night life, restaurants, clubs and theatres nearby, then rural life can actually be a blessing. In terms of the demographics in many rural areas, the younger generations usually move to the cities for university or job opportunities, so most of the population left behind are older generations or retired. If you don't mind a population generally older than you, than the country is fine. There are some younger generations around, but most young adults leave for careers in the city. Ironically, alot of younger Japanese also like to mock or joke about the countryside, even though some of them may have rural backgrounds themselves.

Initially, I was interested in cities since I love the nightlife, I like to boogie but as fate would have it I ended up rural. One place was so remote that there wasn't even a train station in town, and the nearest one was a 1.5 hour drive through mountains, of course I got a car. Now, I'm still in a rural area, although there is a train station in town, but its a minor local train that comes every 30 minutes. Still inconvenient by urban standards. Materialistically speaking, the best thing about the country is all the money you can save. Its definitely cheaper. If you are concerned about saving money then the country is the place to live. Not to mention all that fresh free country air.

The country is also a fantastic place if you value the human relations aspect, and it is a great opportunity to meet average working class rural people. If I could characterise urban and rural people in general, I would say that rural people are generally more practical and gregarious in their outlook on life. I like the honest no-nonsense attitudes of many of the rural women and men I've had the pleasure of knowing. Anyways, I've always had great neighbours and some really struck me with their kindness and compassion. I would often get free handouts such as vegetables and rice from people that had extras left over from their gardens or plots of land. In one situation, I was practically adopted by the people in my area and treated like family. I was often invited over the years by various families for lunches, dinners, outings, ceremonies, or festival. In a few cases I was lucky enough to attend things that were quite personal in nature, such as a funeral, death anniversary, and wedding. These are things one normally has no opportunity to experience if you aren't close enough to someone. I feel I got that chance to get closer to people faster by living in the country. I don't know if I could have easily done it in the city.

Perhaps the one minus point of the country is that since everyone knows everyone else, there is gossip, but unless you're a hermit with sociopathic tendencies or have anything to be ashamed of, I really don't think its a major problem. Although in one of my more revealing moments, I was talked into wearing a fundoshi, and there was gossip about that. Since my area had orchards I also got to pick persimmons at a family's persimmon orchard. It was a cold and rugged experience, but wonderful as I got to take back all the persimmons I could carry. I had a Persimmon Party at my house and got some of the locals to taste the new recipes I invented for persimmons from raw to cooked. It was a hit!

Sorry for the long ramble on my life, but anyways, I highly recommend you try the rural lifestyle for at least some part of your life. Its so easy to choose a city and knock the country, but what I've found is that the country can be a blessing in disguise. Give the country a try. It was and still is a great experience in my life. Cheers!

[Gordon]

Great post 3rd eye! I agree with everything you said.

[Laura C]

Hi,

I lived in Tokyo while I was a JET, and a few of my friends lived in the country. They all disliked it a lot. Not to say that the advantages of the country posted by others here don't exist, but the main things my friends said was that they found it very lonely as they were the only gaijin round for miles. And, no matter how friendly the locals are (and I have to say my friends didn't find them friendly in their experiences), Japan can be a very intense cultural experience, and it does help to have a few people of your own culture about to talk to.

My friends in question were outgoing, friendly, open to cultural experiences...but they still found that no-one really approached them or made them welcome. And they weren't being arrogant foreigners sitting on their asses waiting for the locals to bow down to them -- they genuinely tried to get involved in things in their community, only to feel snubbed. Obviously this could have been an exception, but it's a big risk to take if you are in a small town with no other foreigners about. One friend in particular, a very outgoing, sweet, friendly guy, spent every evening for 2 YEARS on his own, apart from maybe 5 days when his JET friends could visit.

I would think very carefully about living in the country in Japan. I know it's largely a personal thing whether people like country or city (I loved Tokyo), but the intensity of the cultural exchange/shock means living in the country in Japan is much tougher than living in the country in your own nation. I think the city is much better -- you have everything on hand if you need it, it is possible to actually save money, your accommodation will be ok even if it's not a big house, and you have all the social help you need. And if you get a bit stressed, as big cities can sometimes make people feel, that's the weekend you chill out at home with a few books or videos. In a city you have all the options.

Why not think about a large town somewhere close to one of the big cities? Best of both worlds then -- you can go into Tokyo, Osaka or wherever at weekends, and you shouldn't get too much cabin fever.

Basically I think it boils down to: if you live in the city you WILL have the social/extra-curricular options open to you if you want to take them. If you live in the country you MAY have some, given your own particular area and situation. And I'm saying this as someone who isn't particularly sociable and wants to go out every night -- but no-one wants to sit in 7 nights out of 7. Your situation may be different in the country than my friends' -- but all I know is I thanked my lucky stars dozens of times that year that I was in a city and not the country.

Good luck!

Laura

[ellienihon]

As I'm reading this, I'm wondering what the Japanese levels of different people involvedare? I would imagine that being able to speak conversationally would make a much bigger difference in rural areas. My experience living as a student in Kyoto was that Japanese classmates were extremely welcoming, and neighborhood people were friendly once they realized I could communicate in Japanese.

[cangel]

In my experience, those who spent their time in the country came away with a greater communicative ability in Japanese and with more money in their pocket. Now this isn't true in every case, just a general concensus based on my experience talking with people.

[cafebleu]

Thanks Laura C for your insights. They are in keeping with what I said - and I believe much of the hard times that can be experienced in the countryside are experienced by women (although Laura C did mention a sweet guy who had problems living there).

3rd eye is clearly a man as he talked about wearing a fundoshi. I am glad you found countryside people where YOU lived `open minded` but that is honestly the last thing any number of foreigners would think about when seeking to describe the people in a Japanese country town. I don`t believe open mindedness is so common (from my own experiences and those of more than a few foreigners who are my friends or foreigners I have met and talked to about life in Japan) and I wonder how good your Japanese was. If it is good and you can understand the local dialect you start to understand just how belittling and prejudiced country people can be.

The poster from Ise (Mark) is living with his girlfriend but it`s the other way around that is likely to cause problems for foreign women. They will always be asked if they are married to that man. I think the people in your town presume your girlfriend is your wife but even if they found out she is not, you probably won`t get the same reaction.

I knew a very educated woman from an Arab country and she told me that Japanese attitudes towards male-female relationships reminded her of back home. She did not say it as a compliment. If you are a woman living here and if you have a good grasp of Japanese as I do, you start to learn that any number of Japanese do have a mindset about male-female matters that was found in our western countries in the 1950s. This is more evident in the countryside.

However, assuming the poster of this topic is a male, life will be easier for him. I am glad the man who lived in that country town and became involved with his Japanese neighbors had a good experience. Good for you. Overall, however, I believe that the experiences Laura talked about are more common.

[cafebleu]

I forgot to address 3rd eye`s point about gossip in a country town. Supposedly you are immune from any ill effects of this if you are not a `sociopathic hermit ` or `doing anything to be ashamed of.`

That is simply not true regarding other people. A foreign man I knew had rumours spread about him being in trouble with the police because one of this neighbours didn`t like him and this hurt his standing badly for a while.

If your school is not a big chain school and your boss relies on the local people to come and be customers, you simply cannot get those customers coming if you are perceived as being a bad person or in the case of a woman, having men coming around your house even if you have one boyfriend for a long period of time.

If you do become friendly with a few of the locals eventually you might find out just what the locals were saying about you. Believe me, it can be nasty and even more so if you are living a quiet lifestyle where you don`t socialise in your local area. In that case it`s easy for the nasty ones to make up rumours as you are not providing them with anything to talk about.

The Japanes women (usually it`s the women) who do this kind of slandering of course need a life and their frustrated energies are finding an outlet here. A foreigner is easy to scapegoat, especially when you are in such a narrow culture as this one. There is more to make me stay in Japan than leave it, but it`s also in a weird timewarp. I`d say regarding social mores etc Japan is in the 1950s in any number of ways. I don`t live in the countryside these days, I share an apartment with my Chinese partner and the people around us don`t care as they have lives. They are all under 45 and I don`t think that is insignifcant.

[ntropy]

Spent 6 years in the Japanese countryside 10 years ago and had many of the experiences mentioned above. However, I wouldn't have made it 6 weeks in a city like Tokyo or Osaka. Hate cities even at home and not having a dazzling nightlife isn't an issue for me. Never had trouble finding things to do. On the contrary, was frazzled from the plethora of invitations.

If you're a city person, the countryside will drive you nuts but if you're ambivalent, I recommend the countryside.

[ntropy]

Spent 6 years in the Japanese countryside 10 years ago and had many of the experiences mentioned above. However, I wouldn't have made it 6 weeks in a city like Tokyo or Osaka. Hate cities even at home and not having a dazzling nightlife isn't an issue for me. Never had trouble finding things to do. On the contrary, was frazzled from the plethora of invitations.

If you're a city person, the countryside will drive you nuts but if you're ambivalent, I recommend the countryside.