Life in Rural Japan was amazing
For photos on Traditional Festivals and foreigners doing sumo, please see- Festivals and Sumo in Japan section
People in life often make many mistakes that they wish they can go back on. I have made very few in my life but made one that I still kick myself in the foot for this one. This big mistake that I made was leaving my job and life in Japan after only a year. I am still ashamed and angry that I did this!!!!
This great time in Japan was highlighted the minute I stepped off my longest nonstop flight. This flight was from Detroit, Michigan to Tokyo, Japan. We had our intake for the JET Program that I was a part of over three nights in Tokyo. It turned into a lot of boring seminars so one of the nights I decided to go out and do some street drinking which was a lot of fun. I also met the person who I was replacing and went out to eat with him…..
As I left Tokyo Haneda Airport for Akita Airport I noticed the scenery changing. It was changing from a city landscape, into rolling green lush hills…..
The town I was going to be living is was Omagari, and it was a part of a bigger city area called Daisen City. I was actually pretty happy to live here as it was my most favorite place I have ever lived…the streets were clean, I rode my bike everywhere and the Izakayas and bars were in striking distance…
The prefecture (state) I would be living in would be Akita. Akita is a descent size prefecture that is more rural than urban. Its market is rice and sake making and is mostly and older population. Most of the young people have left to urban centers like Tokyo….
The school that I worked at was 大曲高等学校 (Omagari High School). Most of these kids were going into business or English fields and it was a very good high school. When you enter high school, you have the choice to go to a technical high school, an agricultural high school, a fishing high school, or the more prestigious schools which gear you toward other careers in university. This system has its benefits and drawbacks as you can imagine but it seems to keep society in check. I taught different English courses at the school and loved the students….
There was many activities to do in my prefecture. I often played sports on a team of adults or sometimes even sports with students during school events:
Then there was skiing and snowboarding which I suck at and will never do again…..
You can do many activities including Samurai houses, seeing the beautiful landscape, trying on old samurai clothes, and visiting Shinto Buddhist temples…
If you ever get tired of the rural life, it is quite easy to travel there. You can jump on the Shinkansen (bullet train) and go down to Tokyo. It is fun just to walk around Tokyo. I went to the busiest intersection in the world and then went to the very famous counter culture section called Roppongi….
Or you can go to nearby prefectures like Miyagi and see all of the sites there including one of the three most picturesque sites in Japan Matsushima and head to islands where you can wash your money in hopes of return called Kinkasan….
I also went on retreats with the English teachers and their family to enjoy a hot bath called an Onsen (no pictures from here because everyone is naked), and eat a traditional meal and of course Karaoke….
Or of course go to the beach with a mix of foreigners and locals, adults and kids alike and play scavenger hunt games, bbq, sports, beer, music, and of course Karaoke…
However the main things I loved where I lived was the friends I made. It was a small town, so you meet people very fast. You can go out for dinner at Izakayas which are eating and drinking restaurant….
You also go out to work parties called Enkais in which you eat with all the teachers from your school and enjoy each other’s company. Please beware if the boss stays out, then you are obliged to stay out with him and if you have a headache the next day, you mention nothing of it…
Of course Karaoke is a must to do in Japan. This is as common as going to the pub in Britain, bar with friends in the United States or any social event in any country. Yes the Karaoke does get wild with a lot of drinking, but it was the most fun thing to do after eating and going to a bar. It was pretty much always the end for a few hours to a perfect night…..
The Japanese have always been very conscious about being clean. I think this pretty much sums it up with their trash collection system. In my apartment I had to divide up my trash. Burnables in one bag, aluminum in another bag, bottles in another bag, magazines and newspaper all bundled together, and miscellaneous in another bag. Then you had to put your name and apartment on it in case you have wrong things in each bag and they put it at your doorstep…..I wish other countries would try and copy this concept, but it is what it is….
Finally Japanese food is one of the most popular foods in the world. Based on how much weight I gained there, I enjoyed myself (too much). Much of the food I ate was traditional food and I did not even eat sushi all of the time…..
Would I go back to Japan? In a heartbeat!!! I would go back to the countryside of course as I have grown tired of cities. This is a place definitely to settle down in life!!!!!