Placement

Well hello!

This probably won't be a terribly long update, but this concerns the next stage of my journey to Japan. I received a phone call from Interac's Tokyo branch tonight regarding my placement. The way placement works with Interac is that when they find a location open to hiring me on as a teacher as well as being a place that fits my preferences, they call and offer it to me as an option. I can decline if I decide it doesn't look favorable but the longer I take to decide, the more difficult it becomes to place me.

I've been offered a position teaching elementary schoolers (possibly junior high as well but likely only elementary) in Niigata City, Niigata Prefecture. I'll be towards the north of the central island, up in the mountains, and I will definitely be seeing four seasons! Niigata is known as "Snow Country" and the prefecture is famous for its onsen (Japanese hot spring resorts) and its ski resorts! Please excuse the prevalence of wikipedia, but you might find this to be an informative link. Also, I will be fairly close to a shinkansen (bullet train) station, and apparently it's only about a 2 hour's ride to Tokyo. Niigata is on the coast of the Sea of Japan, so it looks like fresh seafood should be available and they also produce a lot of rice locally. The prefecture is also known for its flowers; namely azaleas, tulips, and lilies.

I've also been notified that I will be driving while in Japan, so the company will be assisting me with the rental of a car (helpful with driving to ski resorts). I'll have at least 2 schools, and the average number of schools is about 5, so I can expect to be traveling between about that many schools. There are quite a few other Interac teachers living in Niigata City as well as nearby Sanjo City, and apparently they get together every so often and have a great time, so I'm looking forward to the camaraderie.

After looking over the information I could find about the city and the prefecture, I've decided to accept this placement, so that's where I'll be living in two months! I'm really excited; it sounds like a great place to live and you're all welcome to come check out the skiing with me!

I'll be receiving an email soon with more information, so expect more updates in the next few days! As always, thanks for sticking with me!