Where is the best and worse place to live in Japan, and why?

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Musashi Maru

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I lived in Japan for 4 years but didn't get to travel around the country to much. I'm planning on going back. Any advice as to where to go and where not to go?
 
From my own experience, I've found that anywhere you go in Japan, as long as someone will rent you an apartment, where ever you settle should be just fine. I would select an area where it would be quite easy to find employment. If you plan on teaching English, that should be just about anywhere save for the really isolated places. However, others on this forum who are actually living there, may be better suited to give you advice.
 
I like the city to be honest. If I was going to live anywhere other than Tokyo/Osaka, it would need to be next to a mountain where I could easily go snowboarding each weekend. I did live in Shizuoka for a trimester once (a school trimester, not pregnancy). It wasn't bad, but again - I prefer big buildings and gridlock.
 
That's a very relative question and answers will vary based on one's own experiences or preconceptions, heh. As for myself, i've lived in Sapporo, Nagoya, and as of last month, Fukuoka from here on out. All three places have pros and cons and all three cities are very different from each other (Nagoya being the worst imho but I digress). I guess it really depends on what things you enjoyed about living in Japan during your first four years.
 
I went to Mt. Aso earlier this month actually but due to the weather that day we were unable to see the actual caldera. Ohh well. I am looking forward to going back soon. A beautiful place indeed.
 
Iron Chef said:
I went to Mt. Aso earlier this month actually but due to the weather that day we were unable to see the actual caldera. Ohh well. I am looking forward to going back soon. A beautiful place indeed.
Click to expand...

It recommends going to "Aso" in May and June.
Clouds will be reflected in the water surface if water goes into a rice field.
It seems to be a lake.
👍
 
I lived right between Osaka and Kyoto and found that to be a perfect place for myself. In addition, Nara and Kobe are also very close.
 
I really liked living in Tokyo, and I would say that was the best place to live in Japan for me as I lived only two other places.
Living cost is a lot more expensive than in the country, but the wages are also higher. If you explore enough, you will find places and spend less than you would think.

I have to say though, the air polution is sometimes unbearable in some parts of the cities; I used to feel like I was covered with the exhausts after walking around for like an hour.
 
Personally I like Kyushu because of its beautiful nature and good food.

When I visited Kyushu last year, I talked to a man who has travelled all over Japan (he was Japanese), and he reckon Hokkaido is the best place to live.
In fact, from my experience (I worked as a technical support/customer support agent for a computer company for two years and received calls from all over Japan), people in Hokkaido were the nicest people on the phone. They had the best manner and attitude.
The other day I was talking to people from Hokkaido, and they said that the history of Hokkaido is short. They all came from somewhere else. So, they are more open to new comers and try to get along with each others.
Either Kyushu or Hokkaido will be my choice. Although Hokkaido is a little too cold for me... :shiver:
 
ralian said:
Personally I like Kyushu because of its beautiful nature and good food.

When I visited Kyushu last year, I talked to a man who has travelled all over Japan (he was Japanese), and he reckon Hokkaido is the best place to live.
In fact, from my experience (I worked as a technical support/customer support agent for a computer company for two years and received calls from all over Japan), people in Hokkaido were the nicest people on the phone. They had the best manner and attitude.
The other day I was talking to people from Hokkaido, and they said that the history of Hokkaido is short. They all came from somewhere else. So, they are more open to new comers and try to get along with each others.
Either Kyushu or Hokkaido will be my choice. Although Hokkaido is a little too cold for me... :shiver:
Click to expand...

Got any good advice for going to Kyushu, anything i must see and do while im there, any good restaurants etc in Fukuoka?

Im going there to the university next year to study language. I choose it because i heard very good things about the surrounding area. Having never been though maybe you could let me know a bit.
 
I've travelled through most of Kyushu, Kanto and Shikoku , and in my opinion Fukuoka is the best city to live in. It's not as hectic as Tokyo, nor as large, so you could walk from end to end in a day without feeling crazy, and the foreigner:Japanese ratio is much larger (except on a weekend night in a bar). It's also a friendlier place, I feel, than other larger cities like Osaka or Tokyo. And what's more, it is the greenest of the three, meaning you aren't polluting your lungs as much.
 
I agree wholeheartedly which is why I chose to open my business here as opposed to some of the other tokai areas i've lived in.
 
"I lived in Japan for 4 years but didn't get to travel around the country to much.'
why was that?
"Fukuoka is the best city to live in."
fukuoka steady be having earthquakes + aftershocks?
 
Yeah, we've been hit by a new wave recently although about two weeks ago it seemed like I was living in the epicenter of aftershock central, heh.
 
The earthquake of this week was large. 😲
After there was "YAMANARI(rumbling of a mountain)" from the direction of Hakata, the big shake came. :mad:
There was a big shake no less than 3 times on the DAY. :LOL:

It was slightly interesting although it was imprudent. :sorry:
 
Oh Yeah. I'd love to live in Kamakura actually. Beautiful place.
 
Tim33 said:
Got any good advice for going to Kyushu, anything i must see and do while im there, any good restaurants etc in Fukuoka?

Im going there to the university next year to study language. I choose it because i heard very good things about the surrounding area. Having never been though maybe you could let me know a bit.
Click to expand...

Fukuoka is a nice place. I thought I could live there.
They have great food. There are so many good restaurants, there, but I don't remember the name of the restaurant I went. Sorry.

You should go to Onsen. Beppu is famous for their hot-spring resort. There are 168 public baths there. Boiling Hells (Jigoku)(scalding sulfurous cauldrons) would be interesting to visit.

I you are interested in ceramics, Saga will be interesting. Thier pottery towns have been produsing high quality wares for 500 years.

In Nagasaki, you can see a lot of foreign influences. I went to Shimabara Peninsula and Unzen. It's so beautiful. Unzen is another good place for Onsen. It also has Hells(Jigoku).

Mount Aso is awsome! It is a series of five volcanic cones, and is the world largest caldera with a circumference of 130km. You should see it.

I hope you'll have great time in Kyushu! 👍
 
Tim33 said:
Got any good advice for going to Kyushu, anything i must see and do while im there, any good restaurants etc in Fukuoka?

Im going there to the university next year to study language. I choose it because i heard very good things about the surrounding area. Having never been though maybe you could let me know a bit.
Click to expand...

One restaurant in Hakata is introduced.
It is near the Tenjin station in Hakata.
It is a restaurant "CHIKAE."
A fish dish is delicious.
Please go to surely eat. 👍

http://www.chikae.co.jp/fukuokaten.html

Ramen-noodles information on Kyushu
小西研究室 – Konishi Lab.
 
There are many sh1tty places in Japan, namely poorer areas or places filled with the ignorant-of-all-foreigners-and-we-don't-give-a-flying-fook-for-you people that will laugh or stare at you.

Avoid Konohana-ku, Osaka (near USJ), it sux large ones. Lived here seven years... 3LDK though for 60k a month, rascist neighbours, nowhere to go except USJ and filled with the above people.
 
Japan's countryside, mountains, and small towns are very beautiful, fascinating places. However, if you're in a small town, everything shuts down really early, and you'll do everything there is to do there in maybe a week or less.

I prefer the Tokyo area, you can get pretty much anything there, there's so much to do, and you can get out to more rustic areas on the weekends pretty quickly if you need a break. In particular, I'd recommend the parts of Chiba-ken that border Tokyo, like Ichikawa-shi. It's cheaper than Tokyo, very nice/clean/safe, and you can get to pretty much any part of Tokyo very easily.
 
Japan Alps, Hokkaido , Hida-Takayama, Japan is a country of mountains and forests close to 70%? If you're an outdoor person you'll love it. Try to take the train, it helps you to get in touch with the everyday lives, but rent a car in Tohoku or Hokkaido it helps.
 

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