Where to teach in Japan

[MTLteacher]

Hello

I would like opinions about where the three best locations for being an ALT in Japan.I will be in Japan for one year if my application is accepted.

I am from Canada so I manage well in cold weather but would like to escape for one season.
I am allowed to request three locations.

Is there a semi-urban city that is on the pacific side that isn't too far from a ski hill? I dont' want to be too far from the action in the city.

I would like the best of both worlds, am I dreaming?

[gfell]

If you're looking for ski slopes and the action of cities, then there's heaps of places you can choose in Japan. Winter in Japan gets quite cold so snow does fall in most parts.

Nagano could be an option. In 1998, the Winter Olympic Games were held there and it has a decent population of just under 400,000.

Kobe is another great location, but you would need to drive a few hours north in order to get to the ski fields.

I would avoid living in a place that has no international airport nearby. I used to live in Sendai in Miyagi-ken. To get to Narita airport it would involve a night bus (7 hours), and then another 90 minutes from Tokyo to Narita airport. Not a pleasant experience.

[MTLteacher]

Thanks
I wrote down Nagano as one of my options. I have been considering places that are near Tokyo for easier access to the airport. Do you know anything about Yamanashi?

[gfell]

I think you will find Yamanashi too quiet a place to live in. Yamanashi has many farms and vineyards, and in fact is the biggest fruit producing region in Japan.

If you wanted some nightlife, then it's still a little far to travel to Tokyo. Chiba-ken could be your other option and it's right where the airport is.

[dederick]

Not sure how big a city you want to live in, but if you prefer a smaller place like Nagano, you might consider a city called Mito in Ibaraki Prefecture. Like Tokyo, it's in the Kanto area, so quite a few people commute from Ibaraki. Mito is a nice-sized city (you can walk everywhere), but it is also the capital of Ibaraki, so it's got just about everything you'll need. Ibaraki also had very good "sake" and local beers.

One other possibility is Sendai. A little farther away from Tokyo (2 hours by Shinkansen), and quite a bit bigger than Nagano or Mito, but the locals are VERY friendly. The population is around 1 million, but the city is very clean, easy to get around, surrounded by loads of nature, lots of good places to eat (very famous for grilled tongue!) and again, the people there are very kind and cheerful. They also got themselves a pro baseball team 2 years ago! Go Eagles!