Job Discussion Forums

[MattElz]

I am planning to go to Japan this spring (to teach.) The locations I am most strongly considering are Osaka, Kobe or Fukuoka. (Tokyo looks too much like Times Square, seems like a harder place to learn Japanese/avoid English, and doesn't seem to be surrounded by much scenic excursion potential.

Any experiences, thoughts, opinions? Thanks.

[Brooks]

well I am moving to Osaka in March so you can get back to me.
Yeah, Tokyo is ugly but so is Osaka. But Osaka is not far away from good places: Nara, Kobe, Kyoto, and Shikoku.

Tokyo is too big with too many workaholics and not too many friendly people.
From what I hear, EFL teachers in Osaka find it to be a good place to stay, but Tokyo seems to be a place for transients.

don`t know about Fukuoka, but I hear good things about it and Kyushu in general.

Kobe is a good place. Right behind the shinkansen station is a trail that I have been on.

[Gordon]

The few times I've been in Kobe, I've really liked it. Osaka is too big for me and the traffic is terrible.

[MattElz]

Well here was my thinking (though my knowledge only comes word of mouth and from books):

Tokyo looks like one huge Times Square and I hate Times Square (I'm a New Yorker.) It also looks extremely stressful, densely packed, and not the best place to learn Japanese (since there are so many foreigners.)

I heard that the people in the Kansai region were friendlier and that things there were (in relative terms) more laid back than in Kanto, with a lower cost of living (trans. major student loans to pay.)

Kobe just looked like it was both scenic and metropolitan without being too huge. I wasn't sure about Osaka, but was told there might be more to do there than in Kobe. Still, I'm undecided....

I've heard great things about Fukuoka and it certainly looks like a nice place, but my concern is that being surrounded by mostly rural areas, it could be easy to exhaust the possibilities of the city a little too quickly.

Feel free to weigh in, or suggest someplace I may have overlooked.

[shmooj]

If I was going to choose one of those four I would choose Fukuoka. Tokyo/Osaka I wouldn't touch for the reasons you mention. Kobe is nice and central but just too close to Osaka to really be friendly I would guess. Fukuoka seems about the right balance of size and proximity to interesting stuff.

How long you are here for may make a lot of difference. A year and you could manage just about anywhere. Longer and it starts to become more crucial.

[MattElz]

Well I'm only planning on a year - initially. But in reading these forums, it seems like the teachers who aren't overtaken by cynicism often wind up staying longer.

A friend of mine was in Fukuoka for a year and a half and though he really enjoyed it, he said that it started to get old and that if he were to do it all over again, he'd go to Kansai. Still....Fukuoka seems like a really nice place to be.

[cafebleu]

Fukuoka is a great place with great people, and to boot is not too expensive. However, a big word of caution - the job market is really drying up here. If my partner did not work for a company that he cannot leave for the foreseeable future, I would move to Kansai or Kanto tomorrow.

If you are genuine about teaching and you are not here on a working holiday visa with the intent of going home relatively soon, you are not going to like being asked to work for one hour per week at a school. That is where the job opportunities are drying up. If you work at one full time job with one eikaiwa company/school then that is okay. However, there is a seemingly irreversible trend towards job advertisements that expect so much but are willing to give so little.

Obviously these `demand so much, pay so little and give so few hours` employers will find working holiday teachers or even those who have lived here for a while to work for one or two hours a week, usually for low or relatively low rates. If you want to be able to live in the expensive country that is Japan (even Fukuoka is expensive although compared to Tokyo and Osaka it is not so expensive) you need to find real employment with employers who genuinely appreciate your skills.

Unless you work full time for one employer, the work opportunities are poor here. The answer is to boycott employers who want to offer one or two hours of work a week but expect dazzling credentials.

[MattElz]

I am going to be in Japan with one of the "Big 4" so I can only express preference as to where I will be placed. But I imagine then, that there will be more work in fukuoka if I'm there, then if I was going to look for work with a smaller co. Right?

[cafebleu]

I`ll be honest and say I don`t like the sound of the Big Four and so have never worked for any of them. But yes, you are correct. Go for a big company if you want to work in Fukuoka.

I started out in Japan working for one eikaiwa (not a big company one) and then moved to different jobs. That is the key - start with a secure, full time job and you can be more flexible later if you stay in Japan. The increasing number of advertisements asking native speakers to teach for one hour a week for crap pay is insulting. Don`t be suckered by them.

One word of warning about established companies - Interac is the front company for the Mormon Church. If you like being paid late all the time, accompanied by lies on the telephone from Interac reps - go for it. If not, give these clowns a miss. Don`t take yourself down to their level. I didn`t work for Interac but there is plenty of evidence on this website and other places of what sh------------------ they are.

[Laura C]

Tokyo rocks! I love it.

But of course it's all a matter of opinion...Some cities/countries will sometimes just click with someone, and some not.

Good luck choosing.

L

[Mike L.]

Tokyo is where the bucks are!

Higher living costs can be offset by the sheer number of chances to make extra cash. This is not a depressed local economy.

Also contrary to a view I read ealier, there are plenty of day trip oppurtunites around. Easpecially, if you like hiking.

Of course it can take time and cost a lot to get there.

Osaka? I have no idea. The rest of Japan should provide a wealth of natural surroundings.

True, the people aren't too friendly but being ignored is not a bad thing in a densely populated area or on crowded trains.

I will also say that having been to Kobe that it's a great place! Lots of night life. Not too big. People are laid back.

If I had to do it over again I would choose Kobe.

Though i have no idea what the employment situation is like there.

[cangel]

I was a JET in Fukuoka City for 3 years and I am so lucky to have been placed in such a tremendous city. The city is very easy to navigate. The subway isn't complicated nor the trains. You have easy access to the beach, islands, airport, and bus. Travel from Fukuoka is also easy to include the airport, shinkansen, and ferry services. These locations are very easy to reach. The people are friendly, they have a great sprots scene with the Japan pro baseball champions, Fukuoka Daiei Hawks, soccer, and even host one of the major sumo bashos. Outside the sity, you have many onsens, mountains for skiing (even year around skiing/snowboarding at an indoor facility in the city-Big Air) etc. The nighlife area is central and not very spread out. As you can see, I'm a bit impartial when it comes to my beloved Fukuoka. I'd highly suggest Fukuoka to anyone.

[nihontone]

This is my two cents worth.
I've lived in Kobe for 4 and half years. I've been to Osaka a lot. I've never been to Fukuoka.
Osaka I like where it is. That is, not in Kobe. It's a great place for shopping, partying, exhibitions, concerts etc.. But it's big, dirty, crowded and not so friendly. It's great to leave Osaka and come back to Kobe.
Kobe is a pretty small place. It's easy to get around and you can't really get lost if you remember that the hills are to the north and the sea is to the south. There so many fantastic restaurants to try. The people, while perhaps not overly friendly, are well used to foreigners and don't get too freaked out. Everything you need is in Kobe, as well as most things you want. Anything you can't get in Kobe you can get in Osaka. It's only 20 minutes by train to central Osaka from central Kobe.
Of course where you'll be happy depends on who you are and what you like. Not to mention the people you hang out with. For me, that means Kobe is a great place to be. For you it might be Osaka. Or Fukuoka.

Hope this helps a bit.

CHEERS

NIHONTONE