Best city in Japan

[michael2 0]

Oh, well, yes, 5 million sounds like crap does it? Living in Matsumoto?

 

 

We do have high standards.....

[eddie 0]

miteyak

 

5 million not a great salary?

And you spell "paid", as payed???

 

Tell me what number you're on

[miteyak 0]

Eddie, I slip quick notes to the forum between rather tedious (only 'cause i've done it soooo long) design assignments, w/ no proofing whatsoever. Sorry for the rather poor spelling.

 

The poor salary comment was experience and job specific. For jobs requiring technical computer skills, experience and fluency in Japanese, as well as proofing/editing experience in industrial translating, the salary could be better. A twenty-one year old fresh off the banana boat can walk straight into 3-4 mill for a 30 hour week!

 

After seven years with the same company, yes, I earn more than 5 mill, and my message to Ocean11 reflects the fact that he's got a few years on me, speaks fluent Japanese, and therefore in his situation, the salary could be more inviting, i'm sure.

[miteyak 0]

Oh, and I didn't say 5 mill was 'crap', I'd prefer 5 mill meself in Matsumoto, to what I get here. It costs me half a mill a year just to ski, and that's not nearly enough time on the mountains. Unfortunately, me Japanese aint up to the job.

[eddie 0]

Understood miteyak. Apols for the possible "tone" of my earlier mail.

 

5 mill in Matsumoto is surely worth 8 mill plus in Tokyo.

 

BTW Is Mr Ocean a computer specialist?

[CubedOne 0]

Kobe is also getting a lot of thumbs up. Whats so good about the place?

[Ocean11 0]

I'm a freelance industrial translator. That means I do technical and corporate translation for manufacturing companies. I do a fair bit of design-related translation too.

 

Actually, I looked into moving from Suwa to Matsumoto, and was surprised to hear that Matsumoto prices (real estate and food) are pegged at the same level as Hachioji near Tokyo. Rent is significantly higher than Suwa, as is general shopping. Matsumoto is more convenient for Hakuba than Suwa though. Nagano is more convenient for Tokyo than either because of the fast new shinkers (not that you'd want to go and get yourself black snot in Edo for any reason).

[Brain 0]

After Tokyo, I vote for Nagoya.

[Ocean11 0]

miteyak, I checked out that job ad.

Crestec not safe.

 

Thanks for the info.

[Gellar 0]

Let's hear it for Toyama and Kanazawa!

[Ronie 0]

Sapporo.

[yodel 0]

Sapporo is a great place. Too bad I can't be there more often.

 

Yokohama gets my vote

[blinkin'ek 0]

N-A-G-O-Y-A

 

[riddled-with-fun 0]

TOKYO!

[HoTRoD 2]

I like Fukuoka.

Got some mates down there.

[cal 6]

My favorite Japanese cities, for differing reasons.

 

Osaka, Kyoto, Tokyo

Nagano, Gifu, Joetsu, Sapporo

[---- 0]

After Tokyo, Osaka then Kobe for me.

The places I have most fun in.

[Wade 0]

Saporo, Osaka, Hiroshima are the best big cities I have enjoyed. I do think that Nagoya here is underrated, but it doesnt make the best-cities list. It seems that territorial gaijins do seem to lurk in some of the 'cooler' cities cities, ie. Kyoto, Osaka...

 

As for smaller cities and towns, the list is full of chill places. I guess it depends on what you want.

[Ocean11 0]

What do these territorial gaijin do? Cock their legs on fire-hydrants and bark ferociously when you approach? Or do they throw turds like baboons do?

 

Or do they use Victorian phrases like "I don't believe we've been introduced" or, "Peters, I understand the gentleman is not a member of this club. Would you see him out?"

 

Do tell, I'm really curious now.

[Timothy 0]

Shizuoka!!!!!!!!

[Mudguts 0]

Depends what you're into but I think Tokyo has all other Japanese cities covered. work,entertainment, not far from the ski fields.

[Timothy 0]

It's also:

 

- Dirty;

- Noisy;

- Expensive;

- NOT near the ski fields;

- Tiring;

- Stressful

[Davo 1]

I'll go for Osaka as it's big enough and cheaper than Tokyo in some ways. Many people here have strong characters and are boisterous, rude and noisy which I prefer over meek any day. Foods good, good cafes are appearing just about everywhere and the bars and clubs are getting better. Close to Kyoto and Kobe plus a lot of countryside for daytrips when you get sick of the concrete and pushy old ladies on the train. This may be a big city but in a lot of ways it reminds me of a small town. Why any gaijin would want to be territorial about a Japanese city amuses me. I'm sure Tokyo or other cities are better than here in some respects and not in others, but at the end of the day you're still in Japan which means things are much of a muchness in a lot of ways. I would love to live closer to the mountains though-Nagoya seems to be the best big city in that respect. Kobe is a cool city, Kyoto is nice to visit but I wouldn't want to live there-agree with the snob analysis NoFakie. Would like to live closer to the mountains so maybe Nagano or Matsumoto would be good.

[NoFakie 45]

In my experience the territorial thing is what you sometimes get when on going to a "hip" event that attended by 99% Japanese. In some cases the few Westerners that are there will plain ignore you if you're friendly and try to talk to them. I imagine that this is because they are ego-tripping on getting away from the "lumpen" gaijin who go to the local gaijin bar and finding a place that's full of cool Japanese kids. To have other gaijin present just destroys their little dream of super coolness and robs them of some of copious attention they get from being the sole gaijin in that group of people.

 

I don't expect every gaijin in Japan to be my mate. However, we're all in the same boat in many respects. I would have thought that that would have created enough common ground for people to be at least civil, if not friendly in return.

[Davo 1]

I used to work in a club in Osaka in 1997 at a time when it seemed few gaijins were into techno,house,trance, drum& bass etc. The place attracted mostly Japanese clubbers and quite a few gaijins depending on the event-most of whom were pretty cool and friendly, stoked to be dancing to something better than Robert Miles or Shaggy. However you did get the odd person who came in and like you say seemed to come out in a rash because they had to deal with another gaijin. At another bar I worked at once this gaijin girl was speaking to me in Japanese & I told her to speak f::ing English and stop being such a prat. I guess some people come here and start to think they're some kind of legend because they're basically insecure or whatever. I don't expect or want every gaijin to be my mate either, but I have little patience for pretentious self deluded "underground" wannabes or people who can't stand to be around other gaijins.