Job Discussion Forums

Jess · Joined: 02 Jul 2003 Posts: 11

Hiya

I will be leaving to begin work in Niigata city in March. Can anyone tell me about this place - the good and the bad? Also - I will be owning a car, any idea of the costs? (I know the parking space costs).

many thanks!

Gordon · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 5309 Location: Japan

Can't help about Niigata, but I can about the car. The cost varies greatly depending on what type of car you have (yellow or white plates). Hopefully they're yellow and they're also called k-cars. Every 2 years you have to do a shaken test (general overview maintenance of your car). This takes 1-2 days and costs anywhere between 45,000-75,000 yen (k-car). I can't tell you about the costs of a larger type of car as I don't own one. This shaken also covers basic insurance for the 2 years.
Besides the basic insurance, many people get optional insurance for about 4-5,000 yen/month.
Gas here is about 100 yen/liter.
Expressways are toll roads and are expensive (about 20 yen/km).
The car tax is about 7-10,000 yen/year.

If you have a car with white plates many of these figures should be doubled or tripled. You don't need a car with white plates unless you have 3 or more kids.

denise · Joined: 23 Apr 2003 Posts: 3419 Location: finally home-ish

Jess--

I'm in Niigata-ken, about 40km out of the city. I don't know the city terribly well, but if you've got any specific questions, PM me and I'll see what I can do.

I DO know that there is an excellent Indian restaurant, a few ex-pat bars where everyone seems to know everyone, and it is, in my opinion, a clean and fairly pretty city. And of course it's got both the sea and nearby mountains.

I just upgraded to a white-plate car. When I arrived, I bought a used k car from the departing director of my program. Agreed to buy it via email without ever seeing it, and paid $300 for it. My "new" used car cost about 260,000 yen, plus insurance for two years and other costs--paperwork, snow tires, tune-up, etc.--about 400,000 overall. I was just told that if you have a yellow plate car you don't need to show proof of a parking space (why not?!?!? even small cars have to park somewhere!), but you do for a white plate car.

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Brooks · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 1369 Location: Sagamihara

what is optional insurance?

Tonester · Posted: Wed Mar 24, 2004 2:33 am Post subject:

Optional insurance refers to insurance that is taken out to cover things that are not covered by the compulsory insurance. It can be expensive but of course that depends on the type and the amount of cover you desire. Most Japanese people take up optional insurance due to accident risks and the crippling debt he/she would face if an accident occurred and the circumstanced weren't covered by the compulsory insurance.

By the way, I'm not in Niigata city but live 2 hours by train away from it. I live about 20 min from Nagaoka. I do not know about the costs in Niigata but I am living quite reasonably because I'm in the boonies. Where is everyone else?

denise · Joined: 23 Apr 2003 Posts: 3419 Location: finally home-ish

I'm about 40km from Niigata. I am also doing well financially, largely because my rent is paid--loads of disposable income. Unfortunately, in the past few months I have been disposing of it a bit too quickly, not saving as much as I would like...

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Tonester · Posted: Wed Mar 24, 2004 5:09 am Post subject:

My rent is not paid but subsidised by my BOE. As a JET, I find that I have good money at my disposal and like you I am also guilty of disposing of it too quickly. I save a third of my pay though so I try to control myself that way. I'm so happy the snow is melting. It was the first time that I've experienced winter here and is was freezing. I live in Ojiya which is a mountainous area on the Joetsu line and it got to zero sometimes. Not to mention buckets of snow!!!

denise · Joined: 23 Apr 2003 Posts: 3419 Location: finally home-ish

Tonester--until just a few short months ago I would have agreed with you about winter/snow (being born and raised in beautiful southern California), but then a dear friend introduced me to snowboarding, and now I am almost in tears because the snow is melting! Time to start heading further afield, perhaps into Fukushima.

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Tonester · Posted: Wed Mar 24, 2004 11:39 pm Post subject:

Denise, it's good that you have started to enjoy snowboarding but I never got a chance to do it. Maybe next year......... However I did go to Muikamachi once and did some skiing. Wow, I've never done such a difficult thing in my life. I fell over so many times I may as well have rolled down the slope not skied down it.

denise · Joined: 23 Apr 2003 Posts: 3419 Location: finally home-ish

Looks like there are a few of us out here in Niigata--woo-hoo!!! I thought I was all alone!!

Anyone up for a get-together in the city? I'd love to meet some fellow posters.

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Tonester · Posted: Thu Mar 25, 2004 10:44 pm Post subject:

I'm all for it! As I said, I am not so far away. I can get off at Nagaoka and then catch the Shinkansen to Niigata within 30-45 min. From Ojiya it isn't that far.......

denise · Joined: 23 Apr 2003 Posts: 3419 Location: finally home-ish

Cool! Anyone else?

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tsubame · Joined: 21 Jun 2004 Posts: 2

I have been looking for about 2 months for full time employment here with no luck. Have been teaching since 1991, but all offers here are for part time. How did you do it?