Job Discussion Forums

[harliqueen]

I was initially told I'd be placed somewhere in and around the Osaka/Kyoto/Kobe area. This is what I wanted so I was happy with it. I don't yet have an exact location. However, I was just recently contacted asking if I'd like to go to Kagoshima where there is a new school opening. From the googling I did, the city looks really nice. My only concern is there not being a lot of other foreigners there? I know in all the other locations they put you in a building with other teachers so I wasn't too concerned about being totally lost when I get there. And I guess I'm also wondering if there's a lot to do in Kagoshima? It looks like a very laid back town, which is nice. But I prefer to have things to do, places to go, people to see etc...so I'm not sitting in my apartment not doing anything.

Thoughts?

[nightsintodreams]

I've never lived in either city but I've visited both multiple times and know Osaka pretty well, I've also had close friends who've lived in both areas. I'd recommend Osaka myself, you're in the heart of Kansai with lots of other awesome cities all around you and plenty to do. Nagoya, Shizuoka and Tokyo aren't too far either.

Kagoshima on the other hand is in the very south of Kyuushuu, so that will really limit your travelling options and make it extremely expensive to visit Kansai or even Tokyo. When I visited I couldn't find a single nightclub and the nightlife seemed pretty dull, the scenery on the other hand was absolutely beautiful. The volcano was cool to see erupt, but I've heard it can be a pain in the ass if you live there as any clothes outside drying on the line get covered in soot, along with the roads and everything else.

There will be plenty of foreigners in both areas, but definitely more so in the Kansai area, this could be seen as a good or a bad thing but it sounds like a pro in your opinion.

Osaka people are also much friendlier and easier to talk to than the typical Japanese person. I'd love to live there myself and hope to one day.

[nimaime]

I visited Kagoshima when I lived in Fukuoka for a few months. I remember a one way ticket there on the shinkansen was 10,000 even though it's not particularly far. It was a nice place, a bit tropical, clean beaches, very laid back atmosphere, calm and quiet, but I can imagine it getting boring quickly if you're the type that needs constant excitement.

However, the biggest thing worth mentioning is the live volcano that looms over Kagoshima, Sakurajima. Every morning people have to sweep up the soot it leaves behind over night, as it's constantly spewing ash. You can see cars that have been parked for a long time literally covered in layers of black sand.

I'm not a doctor and my friend who lives there swears it has no harmful health effects, but I can't see how breathing that black dust in daily can't have adverse effects. That being said, I probably wouldn't let that stop me if I were to get a job offer there. I did think it was a nice place.

But I'd probably take the Osaka/Kyoto/Kobe choice over there. All those great cities connected by train you can't go wrong.

[rxk22]

I love Osaka, but the English job market there is awful.

As for Kagoshima, it isn't that small. You are talking about night life and what not to do. You really have to go pretty small to have not much to do.

[move]

How is the English job market in Osaka awful?

[rxk22]

[harliqueen]

Well for me it isn't really about the job market. I already have the job guaranteed. Anyway, I was leaning towards osaka and that it what I will go with. Thanks!

[Rooster.]

Kagoshima seems really beautiful, but I wouldn't want to live so far away from a big city.

And Osaka does have horrible job prospects.

[timothypfox]

I have lived near Kagoshima for 6 years, and I have also lived in Osaka and Kyoto. While the population of Kagoshima is smaller than either place it is far more interesting than the posters here suggest. There is a vibrant night scene if smaller with bars and clubs around the clock. There are numerous events that people connect to through Facebook groups as one way to always have a band to see or a cool thing to do at a local cafe every week. The images of Sakurajima being dangerous for our health or continuously making a mess are exaggerated and in fact Kagoshima has fewer earthquakes than Kyoto or Osaka. The fact that there are fewer foreigners is actually a plus as many people want to do a language exchange or have private English lessons or make friends with foreigners. It is also not as overwhelmed by tourists as Kyoto or Osaka and allows you to get really into Japanese life. One downside is that the museums are not too exciting. But, mountain climbing and ocean views more than make up for this as well as a first class aquarium.

[nightsintodreams]

Well there you go then. I must have just not been able to find them. I did ask a couple barmen if they knew of any clubs though, all of them sucked their teeth a lot and said no.

[rxk22]

[hivans]

I have lived in Kagoshima for a number of years, and I really love the place.
It is a prefectural capital with half a million population, and two universities, so I think there is enough social and cultural life going on, but of course it is going to be smaller scale than what Osaka or Kobe could offer.

I think there are enough expats here, that you could easily find some to link up with if you wanted, but not so many that it stops you from striking out and doing something different with Japanese friends if you prefer that.

I have found Kagoshima and the surrounding area to be a particularly friendly place too.

The time taken to get to other parts of Japan can be a minus, but there are a lot of interesting places to go in Kyushu, and there is a string of islands going south to Okinawa, plus short direct flights to Taipei, Seoul, and Shanghai (which did not seem too expensive to me, especially out of season.

It looks like the OP has decided to go to Kansai, but I am sure that if you had to fall back on your second choice you could still have a good time in Kagoshima.