Experiences and Location Recommendations for Half-Japanese Households

Hi,

Segmenting this post to relevant parts. Apologize if the format is unsightly.

Question: To all parents or ハーフ out there – What has been your experience with the education system, general social interactions, and location (city/neighborhood) selection; focusing on getting your recommendations on locations to potentially move my family to?

Brief Context: Half-Japanese household (American and Japanese); Japanese spouse. Young children, leaning more towards "American"/Caucasian appearance. Financially well-off, own enterprises. Visited Japan many times myself, speak the language, have professionally managed/interacted with Japanese people. Focus is on children's experience growing up. Very socially active and flexible, but as a parent, of course, I always wonder. Rather than world-class education, focusing more on best social interactions.

Thanks in advance.

Further Context:

In my many travels and interactions in Japan, I have grown to really appreciate the culture and geography, with some of my businesses even being tied to Japan. My wife is Japanese, and my children speak both English and Japanese. I myself also speak Japanese and have the JLPT N1. Not worried at all from a logistics context, given I own my own business and could always either open a branch in Japan and/or leverage the spouse visa.

My main point of wonder is where would be optimal for us to have a Japanese base, where my children might go to school in. From a social standpoint, I know nowhere in the world is perfect, and it ultimately boils down to the people. So rather than focus on extreme or edge cases, I want to learn more of where – based on your experiences – would generally be best to establish a base in; knowing kids will be kids, for better and for worse.

Clearly, the Tokyo metropolitan core tops the list for easiest transition, but also curious for other prefectures/cities such as Toyama, Niigata, or even the Hokkaido area. Read, non-obvious places. Coming from the PNW, I have a strong appreciation to more "scenic" locations, though being in business also clearly appreciate metropolitan cores.