Nagasaki-ken

I found out where I have been placed! Japan has four main islands. Hokkaido up North, the main island Honshu, then Shikoku and Kyushu in the South. Japan is also composed of prefectures (like states). I have been placed in Nagasaki-ken (prefecture) which is on the Southern-most island Kyushu. It is number 42 in gray on the map... (For reference, Tokyo is number 13).

I still don't know where in Nagasaki-ken I will be, so I have been hired at the prefectural level. This means I will probably be teaching at the high school level. Nagasaki-ken is mostly coastal, and gets unbelievably hot and humid.

Nagasaki was actually my first placement choice, so I am very surprised and pleased I have been placed there! Now I am just anxious to find out where in Nagasaki-ken I will be...

So...where in Japan will you be going?

This is the question of the week! I am starting to become anxious about my placement, as I am supposed to find out where I will be going within a week or so.

I am pretty sure I will be happy with my placement regardless of where I am, but I know I am hoping for some places more than others. I requested Nagasaki, Ishikawa, and Hiroshima. All three of these places are in the Southern half of Japan (where is is warmer). I also requested a suburban placement. A city placement would mean more people would speak English, and better access to stores and entertainment, but also less of the traditional Japanese cultural experience. An inaka (rural) placement means less people would speak English, it might be hard to travel, and less forms of entertainment around, but a chance to experience a more traditional Japan. I definitely want to experience both sides of Japan, and living in a city would probably be more comfortable for me, but I think I might be leaning towards living in a rural area.

Where would you live if you could choose?