Best place to live in Japan
 

Hello everyone. I'm strongly considering going to Japan through the JET program but need help choosing a place to live. I know that the odds are I will not get my preferred placement, but nevertheless, I thought it would be worthwhile to pick a good area just in case ;).

At first, I had little preference and looked more at issues such as cost of living. I heard that aside from rent, many products have the same prices throughout Japan.

Now, I'm considering the following cities:

Tokyo
Sapporo (Hokkaido)
Kyoto
Osaka
Fukuoka
Nagoya
Yokohama

Personally, I prefer large cities with well developed public transit systems. I would also prefer a lower cost of living, although if the difference isn't severe, or there are ways to save money (within reason), I wouldn't be bothered.

I also like large, cosmopolitan cities but would not be against living in a city with little foreign influence (so as to better develop my Japanese). However, I am a very disciplined person and have immersed myself in the local culture abroad (ie: in Germany) even when surrounded by English.

I welcome anyone either suggesting why I should pick a city on that list or why I should NOT pick a city on that list. Also, if there is another city that I have not yet thought of that you would like to suggest, please feel free to propose it!

It would be a dream to be in Tokyo but can anyone comment on how much more expensive it is relative to the other cities? I plan to live a fairly modest lifestyle there (won't be going out to bars or restaurants too often). Is the difference only in terms of housing expenses or also in the cost of consumables (food, hygiene products, etc.), clothing and other items.

Lastly and also very important:

Where is the best place to learn the "cleanest," most standardized version of Japanese, including the grammar, vocabulary and accent?


Thank you to anyone that provides me with help coming to this decision. I appreciate the insight and would be happy to answer any questions you may have about either Canada or Germany!

Stacmon, you don't need to make multiple posts to refine your question.

If there WERE mods here....

You are going to lose information, not gain it, if you make too many threads.

Your priorities are ponderous to me, but if you want the "cleanest" Japanese, then Tokyo is the place to be. To me, Tokyo Japanese is sterile, but it's the way people talk mostly on TV shows. A majority of comedians, however are from Kansai (Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe) and knowing the Kansai dialect will open up the world of Japanese humor.

If you plan on going through the JET program (which is an awesome system) I worry a little about you getting your heart set on one (or 5) cities, and then not getting sent there. THEY choose for you, so I would focus on just getting to "Japan". The price of toilet paper in Tokyo is pretty much the same as it is everywhere else in Japan, and it's probably more expensive than what you are paying for now. I worry you are investing a lot of time in the part you have the least control over.

Thanks for another reply :).

The reason I created this new thread is that I noticed my questions were going really off topic. I appreciated all of your (and other posters') responses but they often had nothing to do with (anymore) where the lowest cost of living was anymore. I actually made the new thread because I thought it was the "right" thing to do, given my new questions :D.

One of the reasons I'm putting effort into picking a good place is because there are several things about me that would make me a good candidate. My concern is that if I don't put any thought into this at all, put three random places in my preferences and actually get one of them, I will be kicking myself for not having thought it through more. This would particularly be a problem if I want to extend for 2-3 years!

Regarding the "standardized" version of Japanese spoken in Tokyo, which other areas in the country are close to the standard language?

The reason I am focusing in on this particular question is because of my experience in Germany. I stayed in Souther Bavaria, where the Bavarian dialect of German was spoken among the natives there. The problem was, it differed so much from High German (the written and business language) that I had few opportunities to really practice with locals and instead spoke more often with German students from outside the area.

I heard that in Okinawa it is particularly bad because the language they speak there is not even a dialect, but separate all together.

Is the situation I described above similar in Japan? Can I expect very different dialects if I'm in Hokkaido, Shikoku, Kyushu or in Kyoto that barely resemble the standard Tokyo/written language?

Thanks :D

Well, I understand your reasoning now, but I am still worried you will get your hopes up to getting anywhere near your top choices. Of the many former JETS I know, only one was placed in one of his top three choices. The biggest mistake I saw people make was NOT putting "big city" as their choice in terms of type of area to live. People thought "I don't want to live in Tokyo, so I better not put 'big city'" and what happened is they were sent to population 1000-sized tiny towns.

Because of the shogunate system many years ago, Japan was a very divided country, and sections were seperate from each other (and from the outside world) Because of that, Japan has MANY dialects. So textbook Japanese is close to how they talk in Tokyo, but even Tokyo is influenced by the Yokohama dialect. Areas around there (Chiba, Kanagawa, Saitama) are going to be close to that dialect, but there are always dialects. As you get further north, the Aomori dialect is difficult for non-Aomori people to understand.

People talk about Kansai dialect, but there is no one "Kansai dialect". The way people in Osaka speak is slightly different from Kobe, and slightly different from Kyoto. Where I lived was between Osaka and Kobe, and the dialect there was a sort of combination of the two dialects.

That all being said, everyone pretty much knows and can speak "standard" polite Japanese, and your colleagues in the school you work in will more than likely use the standard way when talking with you.

I have never been to Okinawa, but I understand they speak Japanese, and also a very different pidgin language that is not easy for a non-native to understand.

Great, thanks.

In that case, I'll clearly state that my preference will be "Urban."

The way I see it, if I'm placed in a big, metropolitan city, I'll have more to do around town, meet more foreigners and so on.

On the other hand, if I'm placed in a smaller city, town or (GASP) village, I'll be considerably more immersed and will not be able to "escape" my surroundings, which will make learning Japanese considerably simpler (through total immersion).

By the way, after a person's JET term is up, do they still have a large number of English teaching opportunities in the country if they want to stay? Is there a lot of competition for these positions or is it possible to make a good living/get a good salary after the JET experience?

The Japanese government buys you a plane ticket there, and a plane ticket home, and expects you to use both. You contract does not allow for you to find work after you leave, and your visa will expire once your contract ends. Transferring visas from one employer to another is very difficult and almost impossible for a JET.

The major private English schools mostly recruit outside of Japan.

You can certainly try and look for other work post-JET, but you will need to come back to Canada and then get your visa again of you want to start a new job.

MMM, thus far, you've been an absolute life saver. You've given me such a wealth of information that would have been hard and time consuming for me to find myself. I appreciate the attention you're giving me!

One other thing that I'm curious about is whether or not it is possible for JET participants to set up Homestays. To be honest, I'm far from a perfect cook and as an only child, I've been showered with attention from my mother and grandmother (who will even go so far as to prepare meals for me, even though I live by myself!)

My point though is, if a homestay is somehow possible, it would be a convenient way to facilitate my immersion and force me to communicate with Japanese (rather than isolate myself with other foreigners).

How do these usually work? Does the individual pay the family for room and board or do they agree to some sort of "in kind" swaps, ie: you can stay with us while in Japan if you offer private English tutoring 2 hours a day to our 3 children. If you do have to pay, how much does it cost and how does a person go about organizing a homestay?

:eek: This is all so exciting.

Not really true anymore... used to be 100% 'Okinese', but the Japanese government forced them to speak Japanese a white back

I am glad I can be of help.

I have never heard of a JET doing a homestay. The problem will be that you will be replacing someone who was in an apartment, so the lease on the apartment will have been extended long before you arrive. I am sure many teachers at the school will be happy to "adopt" you, as in have you over for meals or go out shopping with you. It isn't something I would bother asking about, though. Government organizations want nice flexible people that don't rock the boat.

Long time no see Chachava.

"Replacing someone who was in an apartment," can you clarify what you mean by that? Do most JET candidates have predetermined accommodations, or is this something they usually sort out for themselves?

I've heard that in some cases, the organization that you work for will subsidize your housing, pay for it completely (and in other cases only assist in helping you find it, but not pay for it). Can you elaborate at all on that?