So I want to submit an application to a language school in Japan to go learn Japanese in May, and maybe stay living in Japan.
Short story, I have a bachelor and a master (International Development), and completing an online MBA. I'm still living with my parent, in a dead end job (unrelated to my domain too), and no GF.
I want to go to Japan to try my luck (and because everything in Canada is so goddamn expensive)
I already have been to Japan 5 times, 2 of the times because I had a GF living there. I visited 30 of the 47 prefectures, so I did went around a bit and I know the country. My Japanese is poor though. I did learned Japanese for three years during my undergrad studies, but it's rusty and limited. .
I need your inputs to know which city would be best to live in, when it comes to quality of life and cost of living. For disclosure, I need a big city, or to be close to one. Like Matsuyama is a small city in my books and I would not be able to live there long term. But I like also convenient access to nature and hiking.
I don't want Tokyo, because even if I love Tokyo, everybody goes there, and it would be more expensive than all the other options (and no way I'm gonna go live in Saitama or Chiba, although along the Chuo line in Western Tokyo I would not say no). And Osaka is a no too, because I always had troubles to vibe with the city.
So I have those final contenders I'm considering, from South to North, namely Fukuoka, Kyoto, Yokohama and Sapporo.
Fukuoka: I already visited it for like 4 days. It was nice, but I don't know how it would be living there for an extended amount of time. Also, I know by experience traveling in Kyushu by train is limited, so if I want to go to more destinations, I would need to rent a car.
Kyoto: I like Kyoto, like I love to go sitting by the Kamo River, it's my favourite spot in the city. I can easily go to Osaka for shopping. But I don't know if life there is expensive.
Yokohama: Next to Tokyo, and I know extensively Kanagawa (because my ex lives there). I don't have much worries about living there. But I don't know how easy/challenging it is to be housed there, and at which price.
Sapporo: I already visited it for 3 days during fall and I liked it. As a Canadian, the cold is not an issue for me, and I think it would be the cheapest option. But I don't know what would be the reality of living there long term, as there's not much around, and no extensive rail network.
So do anyone have living experience in one of those cities and could have suggestion when it comes to live there long-term/cost of living?
by cityle