Job Discussion Forums

[kidkensei]

If I were placed in say Komagane or Chino in Nagano prefecture would I find it a problem to meet other foreigners? Would it be difficult to find and get involved with local group activities like martial arts or hiking? Will find that language is a serious impediment to communication?

I would love to hear from anyone in the area.

Cheers
Kensei

[kitano]

My first year in Japan I lived in that area and I found it very isolating. It depends on your personality but there are very few foreigners living there and few places to meet them. Very few people speak English at all. The winter is very cold and it is hard to get around, and the good ski resorts are not near by. That said if your job includes a car you can access a lot of hiking. Also people were very conservative and traditional in general but very kind and often people would make a big deal over you which can be good and bad. If I went back there now I think I would really enjoy it as a Japanese speaker but as a non Japanese speaker it was hard. Also keep in mind at that time there was bizarrely little internet connection but now I'm sure everything is completely wired. Somewhere a little bigger like Matsumoto or Nagano city would be better for a new comer who also wants access to the outdoor stuff.

[Apsara]

I'm sure you will find high speed internet connection in Nagano now. Japan went through a stage where it was behind other countries in terms of high speed internet but has well and truly caught up now.

I lived near Chino city when I first came to Japan. It is a small city surrounded by mountains so you will not lack for beautiful scenery, hiking etc. There are lots of ski resorts in the area, although kitano seems to think they aren't the best- I'm not an expert on that kind of thing, but the ski resort I worked at and the surrounding resorts seemed ok to me.

The winter is cold (we had temps of down to -21 on the mountain I lived on), but the summer is really nice. Coming up to Chino in summer from a sweltering 35 deg Tokyo is the best feeling- I wish I could spend every summer there.

I think you are set for outdoor stuff in the Chino area, but there won't be a lot of other foreigners living in the city, so you may find it hard to meet people- depends what kind of set-up you have, i.e. working alone or with other teachers who can then introduce you to other people etc.

Matsumoto or Nagano would offer more opportunities socially, just due to having larger populations.

[Yawarakaijin]

Wow, small world. I'm in Komagane myself. If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask.

Here is the low down on Komagane. It's small, about 30,000 people. As far as entertainment goes you really have to rely on nature and the friends you make. The middle of summer and winter are great if you are into snowboarding or hanging out down at the local swimming hole. BBQing is a big part of the social scene in summer.

There are quite a few foreigners, mostly along the lines of Japanese-Brazilians/Peruvians who are working in a few factories. There is the Japanese training centre for Japanese nationals wishing to volunteer abroad so you might even run into a few of the Spanish/French/Hindi/whatever teachers who work in town. As for "north americans" there aren't too many of us in town, around 6 of us i think, but to be honest everyone kind of does their own thing.

One thing I can say about Komagane though is that it is a place where you can make true Japanase friends. The hobbies of the japanese guys out here are actually things like mountain biking, hiking , camping and such, rather than the exciting hobbies of sleeping, working, resting and watching movies that is so prevalent with the salary men of large cities. I rarely have a "night on the town" where I don't run into someone I know.

Nightlife is pretty non-existent with only one or two proper bars in town. Izakayas are plentiful but nothing that would stand out. You won't miss much here as there are numerous banks, parks, grocery stores, homestores and so on. You might still want to get all your fashion in tokyo or bring it with you. You wont be impressing the locals with your style if you shop at the local clothiers.

Rent is quite reasonable. I have a 3LDK for 650$ a month. The city tax is quite high however compared to other cities I have lived in in Japan. Internet connection is not a problem. I had the fastest connection available in Japan installed withing one week. TV is however a little harder to come by. If you want anything from home a sattelite dish is needed. Not a problem though, very easy to deal with. About as much trouble as getting an internet connection. That being said, Japanese ability or a friend who can translate for you is pretty important out here as few shopkeepers have any English.

So far, I have had no beef with city office. They are quite friendly and most major correspondence from the cityis usually sent to you in English. Apparently my surname isn't american sounding enough at first and for a while i was getting all my city announcements in Spanish lol.

[kidkensei]

Hey Yawa,

I like what I'm hearing so far but how did you get connected with your Japanese friends? And where is this swimming whole you speak of?

What is transportation like in the area? You know, in case I wanted to go to Hakuba or Nagano for a day of real hard skiing.



Is Komagane an old city?
Are there Buddhist temples or gardens to hang out in and get zoney?

Cheers
Kensei

[Yawarakaijin]

Hey Yawa,


I teach English inside the biggest company in the area so most of the Japanese guys I know are from work. I hang out with a few guys from the main office but most of my friends are guys from the factory who I have bumped into around town. "Hey, you are our companies English teacher" is how it usually goes. That being said, if you are at a park and walk by a group having a BBQ you are likely to be asked to join in or at least have a beer with them. As I mentioned, there is one proper bar in town and all of it's regulars, japanese and foreign alike, are pretty friendly.

In regard to transportation. Komagane does have a main bus terminal which can get you anywhere around Nagano and to major cities like Tokyo or Nagoya. A car is definitely a bonus as the municipal bus system is pretty much a non-entity. A bike is a good idea but be aware that Komagane is in a valley and the entire town is on an approximately 20 degree slope. Great travelling in one direction, a bitch going in the other.

I wouldn't categorize it as a temple town by any means but we do have the Kozenji temple.
http://www.fotosearch.com/UNA432/u12863042/ It's a nice cool area to hang out in during the summer. I heard it is one of the older temples in Japan and the grounds are a nice stroll, especially in the cherry blossom season.

The swimming hole is the central point for most of the foreign crowd during the summer. It is up in the mountains a bit and sadly it is getting more and more popular as the years go by. It isn't huge by any standards but its very nice and there is a large rock we all jump off of for a little excitement. Almost like being back in cottage country back home.

[kidkensei]

Hey Kawa,

That temple looks very cool! I think its awesome that when people get together in rural nagano they're either BBQing, or jumping into (glacial??) lakes. I guess if there are only two bars in town and apartments are as small in the countryside as they are in the city, then hangin out will inevitably be done outside under the stars or cherry blossoms. Really, I don't see myself having any trouble fitting in.

I asked about transportation because I'm curious how feasible (expensive/time consuming) it is to get up to the bigger mountains in hakuba for skiing and hiking as 20 degrees isn't enough to get my heart beating anymore.

Thanks again for your answers.

Kensei