Job Discussion Forums

[DJames]

While applying for jobs it occured to me that I know little about Japanese geography. All these names and places that have little or no meaning. I got a book and did some reading, but it was hard to find info that helped define what it was like to live in the different places. Can anyone out there who share their knowledge of Japanese cities?

What are some good places to live in Japan. Particularly for someone who likes living in a small city(pop. 200to800k) that is within a few hours of Tokyo or Kyoto. Living on the coast and/or near the mountains would be prefered.

Ideally the city would have a music scene or at least some good places to go out at night. A place with some history would also be a plus.

[Glenski]

You'll pardon me if I mention Sapporo, Hokkaido. (Yeah, I know it's not in the location you want, but some people want to know.)
almost 2 million people, but it doesn't feel like that at times.

Down side is winter, if you are not a fan of 6 meters of snow and temperatures (in the city) down to -15 degrees C. Snow is on the ground in the city from mid-November to late April or early May.

Another down side is the lack (IMO) of touristy things to do and see. Oh, there are the Tokekai clock tower, Odori Park, Hokkaido Shring, museum, view from Mt. Moiwa, and newly built Stellar Place shopping center (not to mention the underground malls that stretch for many blocks, as well as the street level covered shops of Tanuki Koji). But not really much more in the city proper, other than the Sapporo Beer Factory.

Winter, of course, has its week-long Snow Festival in February (Google it). Summer has a Hokkaido Shrine festival. Not much else.

Spring and fall are short. Summer is very pleasant, and you may even find a week or two with temps 30-35 degrees C. The summer beer garden seems to close (like clockwork with so many Japanese things) far too early.

People are very nice, and you will find your share of foreigners to keep you company. Transportation is great, and the inner city is laid out in a grid, not some haphazard geometric configuration of streets. Nightlife has its central hub of Susukino.

Plenty of schools and universities and eikaiwas, and even one international school. (Competition, of course, is fierce.) There is really no English source of job information, though, except for Ken Hartmann's excellent Hokkaido Insider newsletter. Otherwise, you'll have to sift other sources for a smattering of reports.

Sapporo is near some interesting places to explore, both urban (eg, Otaru) and rural (eg, Mt. Moiwa, Daisetsuzan, Furano), but you're going to need to drive to most places on Hokkaido. Scenery is great, and the general pace of life is slower than usual. The only thing is getting to the rest of Japan takes time or money for a flight, train through the undersea Seikan Tunnel (12 or more hours to Tokyo), or ferry (even longer).

[DJames]

I've seen several job openings in Sapporo, but didn't apply for fear of being isolated. Does it have any kind of art or music scene?

[Quibby84]

I think I would be happy in Hokkaido, but for some reason we choose to live decently close to Tokyo...but maybe one day we can move to Hokkaido.

If I could live somewhere that I have visited, it would be Nikko, it is SOOOO beautiful and peaceful. But it seems rather small and I dont know if you could actually get a job there.

We live in Ashikaga and I love it. It is about 1 to 2 hours (depending on what train you take) from Tokyo but still sorta countryish. There are mountains everywhere and plenty of temples and shrines that you can visit on your bike. But there are also malls and lots of restaurants (including a yummy one called Hamasushi). I really like it here....

[Apsara]

If you are really into the music scene then I don't think you are going to be happy anywhere but in one of the really big cities. Tokyo, Osaka, maybe Nagoya and Kyoto. There will be small scenes in cities like Sapporo, Fukuoka etc. but most of the Japanese people with a strong interest in the art or music "scenes" end up in the big cities.

[DJames]

There must be some nice small cities that give a taste of nature while being an hour or two from the art and music scenes. I heard Narita was small and within easy access of Tokyo.

[seanmcginty]

Nara, Himeji and Okayama are cities in the 500,000-800,000 population range that are within reasonable distance of the Kyoto/Osaka/Kobe area. They've each got stuff going for them (Nara has a huge park filled with ancient temples and deer, Okayama has one of the best gardens in Japan and Himeji has the best castle in Japan). I lived in Himeji for a few years, its quite a decent city, its got lots of nearby mountains that are great for hiking and exploring. Its a coastal city but it doesn't have much in the way of beaches (which is a problem with just about every coastal city in Japan),.

[womblingfree]

I had a lovely apartment in Ikebukuro, East side.

It was 5 minutes walk from Sunshine street in a quiet residential block.

Ikebukuro is seen as 'unfashionable' and 'dangerous', in fact many Tokyoites prefer to shop there than in Shinjuku or Shibuya as it's cheaper. They then wear their clothes out in Shinjuku & Shibuya

Cost? It was a modern apartment with a 7 tatami bedroom, 6 tatami kitchen, seperate bathroom and toilet and a nice balcony big enough for a couple of chairs with a good view of Sunshine Tower, 75,000 yen a month. It's uncool reputation works in its favour!

Almost 0 taxi fare costs as well as I could just walk/cycle home from most places.

I love the fact that it's possible to live in even the trendiest parts of Tokyo relatively affordably.

Try getting a decent apartment on your own in the nice parts of central London or New York. Virtually impossible!!!

[Apsara]

If you are happy to be up to two hours away from a large city then any one of hundreds of satellite towns of Tokyo and Osaka would suit you. Coastal areas of Kanagawa are nice as you get further south and can be only an hour from Yokohama (where there is a small music scene) and 90 mins to 2 hours from Tokyo- places like Chigasaki, Hiratsuka, Zushi etc are nice, okay beaches (by Japanese standards) and near mountains and decent hiking as well.

[ElleB]

I wouldn't recommend Narita, but the cities in between Narita and Tokyo are alright. I live in one of them. They provide easy access to Tokyo and are relatively inexpensive. My favorite city in this area is Sakura, a small historical city that's an hour from Tokyo and has some surprisingly good museums.

[jademonkey]

Kichijoji in western Tokyo, if you can afford the rent or don't mind a tiny apartment. It's got a nice park, a million nice restaurants, shopping and it's not crowded like Shinjuku et al. Everything you could ever need is within a 1km area. And there're some truly superb little bars, nomiyas, yatai and so on.

[Apsara]

While Kichijoji is well within urban Tokyo so might be too busy for what the OP is looking for, I love it- I live about 5 minutes away in fact. It has its own music scene and is not far away from Shimokitazawa and Koenji which both have a lot of "live houses" i.e. bars with live music. Many of my somewhat alternative lifestyle Japanese friends live in Kichijoji and Shimokita.

[jademonkey]

[Vince]

I liked Honatsugi. It pretty much marks the spot on the Odakyu train line where the Tokyo suburbs give way to rural Japan. It has plenty of amenities, and it's an easy train ride to Shinjuku.

[Apsara]

And Hon-Atsugi is just a short hop from the US air force base...