Job Discussion Forums

[Littlebird]

Can anyone give me a list of places which have the most extreme climates ? When is the rainy season ? Cornishmuppet - you're right I'm British, from Staffordshire. Looks like I should avoid Tokyo then.

Thanks

[AgentMulderUK]

Littlebird,

Ignore him. Every forum has at least one person who can't resist but try to make others feel bad. Just ignore the stroppy little git.

The temperature could be a factor here if high humidity bothers, depends on what you are used to.

As you are a Brit too, then the cold here won't phase you. You will be sitting on trains in short-sleeved shirts long after the locals are wearing the winter coats. You will miss central heating and be amazed at the crap old oil heaters they have. Or you might have aircon that works in reverse blowing out warm here and shreds yen at an alarming rate.

Humidity is a bit relentless in the summer, particularly in big cities, but remember , unlike us, they have aircon everywhere. So, ironically, you are actually more comfortable in a hot humid country than back home mid-summer, as long as you are inside.
It's just a case of minimising walking distances outside, use an umbrella, drink a lot. It's nothing that bad and you will get used to it.

In summmary, north is colder, south is warmer, as to be expected.

Don't let that phase you. Work on getting a good employer first.

[yamahuh]

[Glenski]

If you are referring to places that have the most extreme summer vs. winter temperatures both, then I really don't think you're going to get much of an answer. Japan is an island, not a place like Minnesota affected by the jet stream winds to give it cold winters and hot summers.

Sapporo has 2 million people, but no real humidity to speak of, and air conditioners are not that common, as Mulder pointed out for other large cities. Depends on location. I've had 5 homes in Hokkaido (3 in Sapporo), and one has had A/C. We have no rainy season up here. When typhoons come, they almost always blow out before reaching Hokkaido.

Take Mulder's advice and look for work first, but concentrate in areas where you think the overall climate is acceptable to you. It'll be tropical in places like Okinawa, quite wintry in Hokkaido with pleasant summers, and everything in between on the other islands. Compare places closer to the coast vs. inland, too.

Oh, and remarks like this:

[Apsara]

[Brooks]

Shizuoka.
On the Japan Sea side, in the winter there is rain and snow.
Shizuoka gets a fair bit of sun.
But good luck getting a job there. Maybe only Shizuoka city has work.

for sunshine I think Okayama may get the most.

Nagoya, Osaka, Kyoto, Hiroshima and Fukuoka all are hot in the summer.
Saitama and Gumma get hot too. All that hot air in Tokyo moves north.

I don't think the weather is all that bad in Japan.
Summers are hot but winters aren't so bad. In Tokyo, I would say that there really isn't much of a winter. It is just perpetual fall.
In Tokyo I think there are only 3 seasons. Tohoku, Hokkaido, Hokuriku, and Koshinetsu do have four seasons. Sanin too (Shimane, Tottori).

[G Cthulhu]

[yamahuh]

[Glenski]

yamahuh,
GOT ME! (I plead pre-caffeine morning attempts to type, something that most people on discussion forums should realize.)

[stevenbhow]

Also, the most extreme weather is usually in August and December/January. One of the nice perks of being an English teacher is this is when your holidays kick in. Personally, I try and travel to other countries during these times because I don't like the humid summers here in Nagoya and like taking tropical vacations in the winter. Even at the low end of most English teaching salaries you can generally afford to get away for at least a few weeks a year and avoid the worst of the heat and cold.

Good luck,

Steve

[Littlebird]

Thanks for your answers.

If someone needlessly atttacks me for not reason other than they think I am asking stupid questions I will react back. Whether they are more qualified than me is neither here nor there. People should not be so intolerant of others weaknesses. I cannot bear humidity here on the rare occasions it is humid in the UK. This year I desperately wanted air-con and obviously it could not have been as humid as it is in Japan. So that is why I'm asking. Maybe I 'm a total wimp and I don't care.

It looks like I'm going to have to be very careful where I work. Why can't there be something you can buy that could keep your body at a cool temperature then it would not matter if the air-con didn't work ? Something technological.

[elkarlo]

What areas get his with the monsoons the most and the least?

I was in the Osaka region, and it always seemed to rain, and not just during the monsoon season either.

While I hear Okayama is much drier.

How does the rest of Japan stack up?

[Glenski]

Not monsoons, but typhoons. Picky point, but it's something you'll have to learn if you come here.

As for the answer, I already wrote that Hokkaido does not have a rainy season. That implies it doesn't get hit by the typhoons.

[Apsara]

It's not a real monsoon in Japan, just a cloudy, rainy front that sits over the country for 6 weeks or so. As far as I know, it's only Hokkaido that doesn't get it.

As for the typhoons, which can come any time between June and October, the further south you are, the stronger and more frequent they will be, and they are stronger on the Pacific Coast than the Japan Sea side.

[Brooks]

if you can't bear humidity, don't bother to come to Japan. It is a humid country, since it is surrounded by water.