My description of what life is like in Japan is a little different from the people who live on the main island of Honshu. I live in a very small farming community of about 30 households.
Life here is one word "country", we have to look out for bears when we walk through the woods, foxes are a daily site, and the weather is mild in the summer and very cold in the winter, not to mention lots and lots of snow.
Everyone knows each other here, and hospitality is the best I have ever experienced in all of my life. We never buy vegetables in the summertime, either having plenty from our own garden, or everyone else supplying us with so much that we can't possibly eat it all.
In the autumn the trees explode with reds, yellows and oranges, I have snow capped mountains right outside of my window. The air is clean, the water is straight from the ground.
The winters are long and harsh, with snow on the ground for about 6 months of the year. Skiing and snowboarding here is among the best in the world, and it is very cold. You can't leave your house unattended for more than 2 days because your pipes will freeze, and you have to pour anti-freeze in the toilets to keep the toilet water from freezing.
The rents here are very cheap, with the average being about 3-400 a month, and many places giving land away for free, if you build a house and live there permanently.
If your single, you need a degree to get a work visa, but English teaching jobs are fairly easy to find. Teaching English here is very lucrative, and much less competition than mainland.
So that's about it, my answer is much different than living in mainland. When most people think of Japan they imagine Tokyo, but there are a vast amount of places that are very different here in Japan.
If it is your desire to come here and live, If your desire is strong enough, you can accomplish anything. Never let anyone discourage you from your dreams.
