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[monkeymike]

Hi all

I've been doing a fair bit of research on life in Japan and intend to move out there this September. Narrowing down my choice of country was hard enough but now narrowing down the city I'd like to go to seems even harder. I've heard many positive and negative reports about cities such as Osaka and Tokyo but having never visited Japan I don't know where to start my research on what the cities are like to live in.

I've been teaching for the last year in Barcelona and have taught in Paris too. These two cities are fantastic but the pay is not very good, hence my need to come to Asia to look for a credit card solution. I love Barcelona for its great nightlife, proximity to mountains and beaches, fantastic food, Catalan culture, superb public transport system, beautiful parks and scenery and weekends that just go on and on. Its also a big city but not on the scale of London. Is there anywhere in Japan which compares (of course I want asian culture and food!)?

Can anyone give me a lifestyle-lowdown on the Japanese cities they live in?

Are there any websites which provide instant info on Japanese cities?

THANKS!!

[Glenski]

If you visit travel sites, you can get some idea of what certain cities are like. Try Lonely Planet or JNTO.
www.lonelyplanet.com
http://www.jnto.go.jp/

The following also seems to be a good general site.
http://www.listacartoni.it/paolo/j-region.html

What kind of climate are you into (or not into)? The further south you go, the harder you will be hit by typhoons every year. North of Tokyo, you will find tons of snow and winter temps from 0 degrees C to -20C.

If I may ask, how did you finally settle on Japan as the country of your choice? This may help us to help you. To say you "want asian culture and food" is like saying you want to move to the USA for American culture and food, but don't know which state is best.

I'm in Sapporo. 1.8 million people. Plenty of snow 4-5months a year, so the tourist trade focuses on skiing and snowboarding. Summers are pleasant but relatively short. Nature hikes and treks are 30 minutes from downtown, so you can experience a comfortable big city life with easy access to the countryside.
http://www.welcome.city.sapporo.jp/tourism/e/

[Rorschach]

I'm currently in Osaka and have been for the last seven months. If you like nature and trees and can't live without them Osaka is probably not the best place to move to. That said, the people here (in general) are very friendly and patient towards foreigners. Osaka is a big place but there are areas you can move to that aren't as built up as the inner city. The rail/subway system is fantastic (the JR Loop line can become hairy at around 7/8pm when everyone is coming home though).

The best thing I like about Osaka though is that it is close to everything you could possibly want to see. Nara, Kyoto, Kobe, Uji, Himeji and Wakayama (to name a few) are all within 40 minutes of the major stations. I've only recently begun to explore the hiking trails around the Kansai region and have been surprised by how many there are. I didn't like Osaka much at first because it was a big shock adjusting to big city life and an ugly cityscape. However, it has grown on me - enough that I would recommend it to anyone thinking about coming to stay in Japan for an extended period of time.

[monkeymike]

Glenski/Rorschach thanks for the info... I settled on Japan for various reasons but in short I have visited southeast Asia on 3 occasions and loved it every time, but I also need to save some money and Japan appeals more than Korea and Taiwan. And re. Asian food and culture, sorry for being vague but I meant like how I've enjoyed Catalan culture here in Barcelona... I love Japanese food and am looking forward to discovering much more than what little I know about the culture ASAP!

I do love the mountains and go skiing and snowbaording as often as possible, but being English I hate the grey miserable weather I grew up in... is this what it's like in Sapporo? How easy is it to get to ski resorts from Sapporo? Is there much to do other than enjoy the nature? Whats the nightlife like there?

Osaka certainly sounds like a fun city but maybe a bit too built up. Are there any cities in southern Japan in a warmer climate which people can recommend?

Cheers!

[Mtnkiwi]

IMHO Kansai is the place. I live in Osaka, but have also lived near Kobe. Kyoto is damn fine too. Haven't spent much time in Nara, but seems pretty nice. There is a huge mountain range to the south and east of Osaka, lots of hiking.mtn biking to be done. Kobe/Ashiya also has some fantastic mountains, Rokko in particular.

Party-wise you'd be looking at Osaka i guess, though some good bars in Kobe/Kyoto. For beaches Wakayama ain't half bad, not far from Osaka. Suma, near Kobe is a bit grubby. fairly east to get to the Japan Sea side from Hyogo (Kobe, Nishinomiya etc), nice beaches there. From Kobe you can also head across to Awaji Island or Shikoku. Osaka/Kobe have a few decent ferry services to Shikoku, Kyushu and even Okinawa.

Kansai-ben, the regional dialect, is fun to learn and use, especially in Osaka.


Yip, KANSAI

[Mtnkiwi]

FUKUOKA!