Since I have a teaching degree in English, there was a very strong chance that when I came to Japan I would teach English. It was very easy to get a job teaching English in Japan.

The puzzling thing for the Japanese people I knew was that I chose to teach in Nagano. 

“Why don’t you work in a private school in Tokyo? You can get a good salary and you don’t have to live among the rice fields.”

Well, I wanted to live among the rice fields. I didn’t want to work in the Big Mikan. How can anyone really experience Japan by living in Tokyo? Tokyo is Tokyo, and it isn't the real Japan. Since it's a melting pot, you get all kinds of people from around Japan and overseas, and everyone is busy trying to live... in Tokyo. No, thank you.

My decision to teach in Nagano was a wise one because I got to know many kinds of people that I might not have met in Tokyo. Like rice farmers! Also, the pace of life in Nagano was much more relaxed than  living in a big city in Japan. The cost of living was low and I could live well. Most importantly, I was appreciated.

As you can imagine, there aren't a lot of non-Japanese in Nagano. When I was living there, there were even less of us. Of course, we enjoyed hanging out together. I always enjoyed summer festivals in Nagano. We non- Japanese would walk along the streets in the evening and slightly drunk people would offer us some food, and drink. If you want to make Japanese friends quickly, you should enjoy drinking alcohol.

I learned a lot about life in Japan when I was in Nagano. Much more than would learn in Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka and many other large Japanese cities. I learned even more about teaching when I was in Nagano. The students at junior high schools in Chino were my best teachers. They listened to me, answered my questions and often chatted to me at lunch time and after school. Some even came into the English teachers room and checked my kanji when I was studying Japanese.

Have you heard the anecdote about becoming a good Japanese speaker? I've been told that you are a good Japanese speaker when Japanese don't tell you, "Your Japanese is very good."

Japan may not be the easiest place to teach English, but Japanese people do appreciate people coming to Japan and finding out about Japanese culture and the local  lifestyle. Nobody asks me, "Do you like Japan?", they just show me their kindness and tell me, "You are like a Japanese." That's the ultimate compliment.

When you choose a career, remember that your quality of life is far more important than the money you might earn. Try it, spend some time in rural Japan and find out how Japanese you are, and how much better a person it will make you.