Rural Placements: How rural?

[misheruz]

I live in a village of 620 people. It’s also on an island that is a 2.5 hour boat ride to the mainland. We only have two general stores on the island and no restaurants. If you’re dead set on a place with a population in the thousands or more, be careful if you decide to apply for JET, there’s a possibility you might get a placement like mine

[temoshi]

270,000 is rural? Yeah, you might be in for a little shock.

Personally, I live in a tiny town of about 8,000 people. It's technically one of the smallest towns in my prefecture, though I know plenty of people who live in smaller places (that are technically part of a bigger town or something). It is very small (and quite different from my native Atlanta), but it's a comfortable place. Plus, I'm fortunate enough to be close to some bigger towns/cities and (relatively) close to Tokyo.

Edit: And as far as how rural it can get, the sky is pretty much the limit. I think mine is pretty typical, though misheruz is probably in one of the smallest placements.

[Siyris]

I will say this about my rural placement though:

When I first came and realized that I was going from a US city of 700,000 people to a village of 1,300 I was really REALLY nervous. I was pretty sure I would hate it. When I first got here, I wasn't much of a fan.... but now I know all the hang out spots, I am great friends with all of my neighbors, I know all of my students by name and I know what they like, what they don't like, and what they are interested in.
I get to interact with the community and my students in a way that simply would not be possible if I were in a bigger place. And if I feel the need to have a weekend in the city, Nagoya (4th largest city in Japan) is only 2 hours away. So while I know that rural isn't for everyone (I certainly didn't think it would work for me!) it has some unexpected awesome points that you won't get in an urban placement.
It might be worth considering.

I will say again though, if you are really concerned about being in a city of 270,000 or more, JET is not your best option... neither is Interac.

[word]

Just over 1600 people in my village... and the borders of said "village" are HUGE (takes over an hour to drive across the village, border to border). In the immediate area surrounding my school and home, there are less than 300 people. There are fewer than twenty students in my junior high school. Fewer than forty in my elementary school. I'm a 45 minute drive from the nearest 24-hour convenience store. At least an hour from the border of the nearest city, which has a hair over 100,000 people--a huge city as far as I'm concerned.

There is a JET in my area that's even more rural than me (my village at least has a train line).

A city of 270,000 is a frakking megalopolis from where I'm sitting.

[Shem]

That said, if you want an urban placement they do exist. You just aren't guaranteed one. I've been shortlisted this year and placed in Shiga (not sure where yet). Shiga's got cities ranging from 100k-300k but it's also only a short-ish commute from Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe... In some placements you might be in a rural area with easy access to an urban area or you might be more remote. Or you might even be placed IN one of the larger cities like Kobe, Osaka, Sapporo, Sendai, etc.

Nothing says you HAVE to accept the placement they give you. It's bad form not to. You're applying to be placed somewhere in Japan, not for a specific placement but they do take placement requests into account, especially if you don't have a licence. And it is your call, there are a few people that turn down the position if the specific placement isn't palatable to them. At the end of the day you have nothing to lose by applying (except for the time it takes for the application process which overlaps with the application process for private hires) and you might get the kind of placement you want (I did!)

(I wouldn't have turned down any placement but there are some I would have been more disappointed with)

[king]

No offence, but IMO it is rather mad to suggest a city of 270,000 is rural. That is huge! But then I come from a small town, I guess to a Londoner or a New Yorker anything under a million is a village.

That being said though I find that big populations in Japan tend not to match up to a city that feels as big as a similarly sized city would back home.
My city here has over 200,000 people (and much of it is a real city, all clumped together) but I find it has less facilities than the local city of 50,000 back home.
Maybe Korea is similar.

If you really want a city I'd advise you to be smart in choosing placements. Pick lesser known but still respectably sized cities that have a lot of jets and have good reasons for wanting to choose them. Its not a guarantied thing though, many a man has picked Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka and found himself in a tiny village in Akita. Don't turn your nose up at such though, though the advantages of the city are more immediately obvious (since living in the countryside in our home countries sucks), rural placements here have their advantages too.

And yeah, to any newbies wondering about their placement and reading here or anyone wondering where to choose in the future check http://www.hyperdia.com/en/ and check out transport links. What on paper seems a bigger and more exciting urban town might actually be hours from the city whilst what at first seems like the total inaka might actually be 10 minutes from a big city- if I had free reign to choose a placement that would probally be my ideal actually, by day getting the wonderfulness of the inaka but having the choice of the big lights and western-style adventures on weekends if I so choose.

[ness]

Here is the requirement for Japan:
1. Population is more than 50,000.
2. 60% or more of buildings are in the city centre.
3. 60% or more of the households work for non Primary sector of the economy.
4. Has a system to function as a city.

And further to that, once a city always a city. As the population declines in Japan so do the cities. Take Utashinai in Hokkaido, its technically a city, but now has under 5,000 people living there.

And if you ask a Tokyoite anything outside of Tokyo is inaka (rural)

[misheruz]

I get to interact with the community and my students in a way that simply would not be possible if I were in a bigger place.

That is the best thing about living in a rural placement. Heck, I'm on an island and it is hard sometimes when I want to travel or have a bigger selection of entertainment options, but the people here, my goodness! I've never met kinder folk in my entire life. Getting to participate in local events and traditions is an experience only a rural placement will allow you.

[jerseywonder]

I'm fairly rural - my little town apparently has a population of around 7000, but like many others have commented, it's very spread out ... what I consider to be the town is actually just a small central area, whilst tiny hamlets off in the mountains are technically also counted as part of it. There is no train station or supermarket here, but there are two combinis within a five minute walk of each other, I guess because a major road cuts through the edge of the town. I'm a twenty-ish minute drive to the next 'major' town of around 40,000. There's nothing to do there, either, apart from go to the supermarket. I'm four hours by shinkansen from Tokyo. The capital of my prefecture (which has a population of 250,000 and is a buzzing metropolis compared to here) is an hour and a half away by car.

I can see how a city of 270,000 *could* be considered rural by some, as the capital of my prefecture is probably similar to the OP's city in Korea in that whilst it has (limited) shops and some nightlife, it isn't a massive urban sprawl with neon lights everywhere and people on the go 24/7 ... walk fifteen minutes from its outskirts and you're in the middle of rice fields and mountains. However, on the scale of JET placements I'd say rural would be more like a small farming village of 10,000 or less, and a city of 270,000+ is usually considered fairly urban (just try not to compare it to Tokyo or Osaka, etc.).

I know the OP wants urban, but my advice would be try not to let that dictate your decisions and put you off applying to JET altogether. You move to a different country to get a window into a different way of life, but often big cities are fairly interchangeable (Seoul, Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore have all felt pretty similar to me, with the standard western high street shops and Starbucks everywhere) whereas the experience you get from being in a rural placement is totally different and although I was apprehensive at first, I really do think I was so lucky to be placed here and not in the heart of Osaka (seriously!!).

[jasmine.ubc]

Hi everyone, I'm from Vancouver and I just found out my placement is in a small village of 6,000 people in Shikoku.

I'm slightly worried since my internet research suggests that the nearest JR is a 15 minutes drive (no bus!) away, the nearest city Kochi-shi is about 1.5 hours away, and the nearest major city Osaka is 5 hours away.

I know ESID, but I was wondering if anyone could share their personal experiences of living in an inaka arrangement:

Did you have to get a car? How difficult/expensive was the process? Did you rent or buy (and sell it before you leave)?
How many JETs or English-speaking people were there in your town?
Are you responsible for pretty much all the schools in your town?
Realistically how often would you make 1-hour or 5-hour trips out to the bigger cities?
Were there differences in the students in terms of interest in studying or pursuing post-secondary education? (I read in some forums that said some students were from working class families and didn't care a lot about school since they were just going to work in trades)
How often do you feel lonely? What do you do to deal with it?
What are some good ways to approach/make friends with your neighbours and community? (are there always local groups to join?)
How difficult was it setting up internet, getting a cellphone, finding a bank that you could access elsewhere?
Were there certain items that were particularly difficult to buy?
I'm a strict vegetarian...should I expect to never eat out lol?
What's your favourite and least favourite part of living in inaka?
What's one thing you wish you knew before you came to this arrangement?

I know the questions make up almost an interview itself...but feel free to answer whichever ones you feel like.
And thanks a TON in advance!!

[tofufordolphins]

Hi everyone, I'm from Vancouver and I just found out my placement is in a small village of 6,000 people in Shikoku.

I'm slightly worried since my internet research suggests that the nearest JR is a 15 minutes drive (no bus!) away, the nearest city Kochi-shi is about 1.5 hours away, and the nearest major city Osaka is 5 hours away.

I know ESID, but I was wondering if anyone could share their personal experiences of living in an inaka arrangement:

Did you have to get a car? How difficult/expensive was the process? Did you rent or buy (and sell it before you leave)?
How many JETs or English-speaking people were there in your town?
Are you responsible for pretty much all the schools in your town?
Realistically how often would you make 1-hour or 5-hour trips out to the bigger cities?
Were there differences in the students in terms of interest in studying or pursuing post-secondary education? (I read in some forums that said some students were from working class families and didn't care a lot about school since they were just going to work in trades)
How often do you feel lonely? What do you do to deal with it?
What are some good ways to approach/make friends with your neighbours and community? (are there always local groups to join?)
How difficult was it setting up internet, getting a cellphone, finding a bank that you could access elsewhere?
Were there certain items that were particularly difficult to buy?
I'm a strict vegetarian...should I expect to never eat out lol?
What's your favourite and least favourite part of living in inaka?
What's one thing you wish you knew before you came to this arrangement?

I know the questions make up almost an interview itself...but feel free to answer whichever ones you feel like.
And thanks a TON in advance!!

Hey, sorry I can't answer any of your questions, (because I'm a new JET too ) but I noticed you said you are near Kochi City! I've been placed in Kochi Prefecture, and it's always good to see more of us! haha

[AVN]

Hi everyone, I'm from Vancouver and I just found out my placement is in a small village of 6,000 people in Shikoku.

I'm slightly worried since my internet research suggests that the nearest JR is a 15 minutes drive (no bus!) away, the nearest city Kochi-shi is about 1.5 hours away, and the nearest major city Osaka is 5 hours away.

I know ESID, but I was wondering if anyone could share their personal experiences of living in an inaka arrangement:

Did you have to get a car? How difficult/expensive was the process? Did you rent or buy (and sell it before you leave)?
How many JETs or English-speaking people were there in your town?
Are you responsible for pretty much all the schools in your town?
Realistically how often would you make 1-hour or 5-hour trips out to the bigger cities?
Were there differences in the students in terms of interest in studying or pursuing post-secondary education? (I read in some forums that said some students were from working class families and didn't care a lot about school since they were just going to work in trades)
How often do you feel lonely? What do you do to deal with it?
What are some good ways to approach/make friends with your neighbours and community? (are there always local groups to join?)
How difficult was it setting up internet, getting a cellphone, finding a bank that you could access elsewhere?
Were there certain items that were particularly difficult to buy?
I'm a strict vegetarian...should I expect to never eat out lol?
What's your favourite and least favourite part of living in inaka?
What's one thing you wish you knew before you came to this arrangement?

I know the questions make up almost an interview itself...but feel free to answer whichever ones you feel like.
And thanks a TON in advance!!

Hey I'm in a town of 4300 people. I'll try to answer some of your questions.
1. Yeah I had to get a car my nearest train station in an hour drive from my town.
2. There are about 4 people who speak English really well in my town, one of them runs a little in house eikaiwa, one works in the town office (not where I'm based) and the other two are teachers I work with. I don't really speak to them in English alot though I will admit. I'm friends with the one woman and we switch between the two. I work with the other two but out of class we usually end up speaking Japanese and the other woman is not my cup of tea.
3. I teach at every school in my town from Nursery all the way through high school. A municipal JET at a high school isn't that usual though. Technically there is a Prefectural JET who goes there but they only go once or twice a year! So because of a sister city thing we have a special deal with the HS and I go once or twice a week. I have a total of 11 schools
4. When I'm not busy I usually go to the big city an hour away around once a week or every two weeks for grocery shopping. I sometimes go a bit more if I have plans with other people but usually never during the work week.
5. No matter where you teach you're going to find variability in your students' motivations and abilities. Especially when in a smaller town where the students have less opportunities to go to a school out of their town.
6. When you move in ask your supervisor (or someone, or alone if you speak Japanese) to take you around to meet your neighbours. Some small omiyage will make a big difference in how they view you and they'll know you're new and the other person is gone
7. I already had my cellphone when I came here but when I got mine originally it wasn't that hard but take someone with you and make sure you ask your local JETs about their provider etc. The internet was set up in the BOE's name not the ALT so I was set up with the internet before even moving in. At my last location I used BBapply to get the internet and it took a little under a month but was super easy. I know other people who have had real issues and it took months.
8. You'll be able to eat out as a vegetarian just be careful and ask questions. Learn key Japanese words.
9. The people, the kids, the welcoming feel. I really feel a part of the town.
10. Hmm that's a good one. My pred told me pretty much what to expect and I was moving from within Japan so maybe some other people will have more input.

[jasmine.ubc]

Hey, sorry I can't answer any of your questions, (because I'm a new JET too ) but I noticed you said you are near Kochi City! I've been placed in Kochi Prefecture, and it's always good to see more of us! haha

Omg I'm so glad to meet another Kochi-ken JET as well! Which town are you in?

I'm in Ochi-cho of Kochi-ken and I have the feeling that I'll be the only JET in my village...so yeah, really hoping that some of you guys will be close by so I can have people to hang out with on weekends!

Hey I'm in a town of 4300 people. I'll try to answer some of your questions.
1. Yeah I had to get a car my nearest train station in an hour drive from my town.
2. There are about 4 people who speak English really well in my town, one of them runs a little in house eikaiwa, one works in the town office (not where I'm based) and the other two are teachers I work with. I don't really speak to them in English alot though I will admit. I'm friends with the one woman and we switch between the two. I work with the other two but out of class we usually end up speaking Japanese and the other woman is not my cup of tea.
3. I teach at every school in my town from Nursery all the way through high school. A municipal JET at a high school isn't that usual though. Technically there is a Prefectural JET who goes there but they only go once or twice a year! So because of a sister city thing we have a special deal with the HS and I go once or twice a week. I have a total of 11 schools
4. When I'm not busy I usually go to the big city an hour away around once a week or every two weeks for grocery shopping. I sometimes go a bit more if I have plans with other people but usually never during the work week.
5. No matter where you teach you're going to find variability in your students' motivations and abilities. Especially when in a smaller town where the students have less opportunities to go to a school out of their town.
6. When you move in ask your supervisor (or someone, or alone if you speak Japanese) to take you around to meet your neighbours. Some small omiyage will make a big difference in how they view you and they'll know you're new and the other person is gone
7. I already had my cellphone when I came here but when I got mine originally it wasn't that hard but take someone with you and make sure you ask your local JETs about their provider etc. The internet was set up in the BOE's name not the ALT so I was set up with the internet before even moving in. At my last location I used BBapply to get the internet and it took a little under a month but was super easy. I know other people who have had real issues and it took months.
8. You'll be able to eat out as a vegetarian just be careful and ask questions. Learn key Japanese words.
9. The people, the kids, the welcoming feel. I really feel a part of the town.
10. Hmm that's a good one. My pred told me pretty much what to expect and I was moving from within Japan so maybe some other people will have more input.

Thanks for sharing your experiences!

I only speak a bit of Japanese so I think it might be a bit more difficult in a town where people don't speak English.

Do you mind if I ask you how much you paid for your car? Was it second-handed and did you have to go through a lot of trouble to get it? Also what sort of omiyage would you recommend for neighbours?

[Siyris]

Hi everyone, I'm from Vancouver and I just found out my placement is in a small village of 6,000 people in Shikoku.

I'm slightly worried since my internet research suggests that the nearest JR is a 15 minutes drive (no bus!) away, the nearest city Kochi-shi is about 1.5 hours away, and the nearest major city Osaka is 5 hours away.

I know ESID, but I was wondering if anyone could share their personal experiences of living in an inaka arrangement:

Did you have to get a car? How difficult/expensive was the process? Did you rent or buy (and sell it before you leave)?
How many JETs or English-speaking people were there in your town?
Are you responsible for pretty much all the schools in your town?
Realistically how often would you make 1-hour or 5-hour trips out to the bigger cities?
Were there differences in the students in terms of interest in studying or pursuing post-secondary education? (I read in some forums that said some students were from working class families and didn't care a lot about school since they were just going to work in trades)
How often do you feel lonely? What do you do to deal with it?
What are some good ways to approach/make friends with your neighbours and community? (are there always local groups to join?)
How difficult was it setting up internet, getting a cellphone, finding a bank that you could access elsewhere?
Were there certain items that were particularly difficult to buy?
I'm a strict vegetarian...should I expect to never eat out lol?
What's your favourite and least favourite part of living in inaka?
What's one thing you wish you knew before you came to this arrangement?

I know the questions make up almost an interview itself...but feel free to answer whichever ones you feel like.
And thanks a TON in advance!!

I'm in a village of 1300 (no train stop or buses) and will try to answer some of those questions for you:

1) Yes, I did need a car. The nearest grocery store is in town which is a good 40 minutes away so I go into town about once a week to get groceries. I bought the car from one of the leaving JETs and it wasn't horribly expensive, nor was it a difficult process. If you need a car, odds are your pred will have one that they will want to sell you. Makes life simple.
2) In my village, there are no other JETs, in the city that I am technically part of, there are 10 other JETs, plus 3 40 minutes the other direction, and a few more about an hour north. It's easy to hang out with them if I put in a little bit of effort. There aren't any people who speak English in my village, though there is an Eikaiwa group with a few people who can get by using english. Then again, my supervisor would never place someone that didn't have at least a conversational Japanese language ability in this placement and told me so.
3) As there are only two schools in the area, yes. I have one JHS and one ES.
4) I make the 40 minute trip into town between 2 and 3 times a week. I make the 2.5 hour trip down to Nagoya about once or twice a month, and I will go further afield on 3 day weekends. I also go to closer cities (Gifu, Seki, Mino each about 1-2 hours) about 2 times a month.
5) I actually have found the opposite of that to be true. All of my students really REALLY try in school and work harder and more seriously than those in Takayama proper. They all have big dreams of going to college outside of Gifu prefecture and work really hard to make sure they reach their dreams.
6) I sometimes feel lonely,but there are a lot of really good benefits to being a small town too... and it's far easier to make close friendships with your neighbors in a small town than it is in a city. Loneliness happens... wherever you are. But there are things you can do to make it better. Invite people over, get out of your place, go for a drive, join a club, etc.
7) Just be friendly and outgoing. They're going to want to get to know you. All you have to do is smile and be part of it. If they invite you somewhere, say yes. If someone tries to talk to you on the street, talk to them. Also, try to make friends with your coworkers... enkais are expensive, but a great way to get to know your fellow teachers better than you do at work. Just be friendly.
Internet I don't know about, cell phone was pretty easy, your pred might help you with it, if not, your supervisor probably will. Bank account will be set up with the help of your supervisor in the first week... if you REALLY want one that you can access anywhere in Japan, go to the post office and open one there... that's also really easy to do.
9) I"m not sure how to answer this... is there anything particular you are wondering about buying?
10) You might be able to eat out, but it will be difficult. Also, expect to have to eat your lunch separate from your students. Teachers are expected to eat the same school lunches that the students do, and if you are bringing your own, then you will most likely be told you can't eat with the students as your lunch is different from theirs.
11) Least favorite: It's the middle of f'ing nowhere and there's nothing to do in the evenings. Favorite: Everything else. It sounds like a cop-out, I know, but it's true. The people, getting to know my students, being part of the community, having fresh clean air and beautiful scenery, being able to perform in the matsuri, having small classes, having my coworkers and neighbors not only know me, but care about me enough to bring me food when I'm sick..... it's all awesome. I was really worried about it coming in, but living here has been fantastic.
12) I wish I knew more about cooking. My first month was the same meal over and over and over again because I didn't know where any places to eat were, nor did I know how to cook much... so it was the same meal day after day and it sucked. Since then I've traded English lessons for cooking lessons and can make a lot of different things!

Hope that helps at least somewhat.

[smstack]

Hello all! I just found out I was placed in a "town" of about 4,000 people (and shrinking). I grew up in a small town and moved to a big city and I have noticed that I have a pretty different idea of what rural means. In San Francisco, it seems that anything past the Oakland hills is considered rural. I wouldn't consider my placement rural. Maybe it's because I'm an avid hiker and camper, but if there's running water and a phone line, it's not rural just small.