From Abroad in Japan: Where is the Best Place to Live in Japan? City vs. Countryside



My Notes:
This is a very common story.  The JET programme is infamous for putting people out in the middle of nowhere.  Very few JETS actually get placed in big cities.

Me?  I didn't really have a strong preference when I filled out my application back in 2000.
I figured wherever I ended up was where the universe wanted me, so I just left the preference section blank.  And, surprise, the JET programme put me out in the countryside in the middle of nowhere (in Oita prefecture).
But I doubt it would have made a difference.  Many of my JET friends in the countryside in Oita Prefecture had gone out of their way to request cities, and they had all ended up in the countryside just like me.

During my 8 years in Japan, I lived in 3 different towns.  Ajimu, Godo, and Nakatsu.  (Actually 4 towns, if you count the 2 months or so I stayed in Hita).
By Japanese standards, all 4 of these places were considered inaka (the countryside).  Although some of them were bigger than others.  Nakatsu, for example, would be considered a small city by American standards.
Ajimu, however, where I spent 3 years, was well and truly the countryside.

I have a lot of thoughts on what it was like to live in the Japanese countryside, but if I were to list all my thoughts, I'd be here all night.  (Besides which, if you search the archives of this blog, I've probably said it all before at one time or another anyway).
So for now I'll just say: "I agree with what he has to say in the video, more or less," and leave it at that.