How did you decide your placement preferences?

14 comments

1. I am also applying the coming cycle. Obviously I am not an expert but if you don’t have strong preferences, I personally would lean into that. It could potentially add to your appeal if you’re willing to go countryside or suburban, as opposed to the many people who want urban. Look up some prefectures with the kind of nature you’d like to see and just keep it general.

2. For me, i did a study abroad there in tokyo for a year + my best friend is currently living in tokyo so it was kind of a no brainer tbh. But my advice would be to just consume Japan travel content. Think about what you want from your exchange (cause it is ab exchange) and find locations that cater to those wants. Obviously getting your first, second, or even third choice is up in the air but they do try to place you in like situations if they can. But also, any placement can be a good placement as long as you’re willing to adapt!

3. I’m applying this fall, so can only speak as an aspiring JET, but I’ve been researching each prefecture in my downtime and making a pros and cons list

   (Is this necessary, absolutely not. A bit excessive? Perhaps. But it will be useful stuff to know for travel purposes regardless of where I end up, and it gives me a way to channel my nervous energy about the application process).

   You can find some cool videos on YouTube that give you brief introductions to each region, as well as a lot of content from current/former JETS. I also recommend googling “*insert prefecture name here* official tourist site” for an english breakdown of cool things to do in each prefecture.

4. I just got placed for this year, and it genuinely looks like very few people got any of their top 3, including myself. I picked mine based on places I’d visited or really wanted to, but I only got semi-close (like, same side of Honshu) to one. I really wouldn’t overthink it. Better to keep an open mind about being happy anywhere than do a bunch of research on one place and start to get attached. Maybe just keep an eye on places that catch your interest as you study Japanese, etc. in preparation for applying.

5. Preference page might as well not even exist. They put you where there’s a spot available.

6. I do want to clarify. Placement requests shouldn’t be factored in as a deal breaker for the job. Expect anywhere.

   That said.. there’s a bit of data floating around from previous years. Roughly 40% got one of their top 3 choices. And despite tokyo being sought out, the majority of people who ended up in Tokyo, still chose tokyo as their first choice.

   It doesn’t mean nothing, but be open to anywhere. I did like 10 minutes of googling and got the general vicinity.

7. I knew I wanted to travel around places I hadn’t visited before and I knew I didn’t want to commute in the snow. All of my requests were in Western Japan for that reason and I was ultimately placed in Western Japan. You don’t need to have passionate reasons. On the application you do have the option of selecting whole regions, as well as specific prefectures and cities. You can also select no preference, so don’t feel pressured to be specific.

   I would do some light research into at least all the major regions (I don’t think you need to deep dive into every single prefecture unless you want to) and just get a general feel for what you like and dislike. You’ll learn pretty quickly that if you like temples/shrines, hiking, onsen, etc. that is accessible in basically every prefecture. Most prefectures are mountainous, though not all have beaches. Most every prefecture has urban, suburban, and rural options. Japan is a very long country, so some of the biggest differences are in climate and how brutal summer/winter is. Many people like to request prefectures that their hometown has a sister city in if this applies to you. If you’re concerned about Japanese ability, tourist towns tend to be more English accessible, even in less populated areas.

   Of course keep an open mind about going anywhere as preferences are never guaranteed, but having some general interests may help you bring up engaging points in your SOP and/or interview. If you get accepted and get a placement you weren’t expecting, you might already have some travel ideas in mind which can help you romanticize a seemingly disappointing placement (though I don’t really think there are any truly disappointing placements). Best of luck!

8. I only really had one preference because of previously living there and loving it. The other two I chose on a whim because I’d heard their names before. Legit didn’t even know where they were and had to Google them after to see what I even “signed up for” 😂 That said, I’d also really be down for a completely new environment so it doesn’t really matter in the end, I suppose.

9. I literally just scrolled the list and clicked 3 random places lol. Ended up not getting any of those either xD.

10. I don’t recall if preferences are mandatory or not, especially if you’re open to anywhere. I know that, for myself, I requested an urban placement because I need easy access to English speaking hospitals (I have terrible health). I didn’t get my city of choice, but I did get a major urban placement not too far away from it.

    I think it’s important that you put in your reasoning more than anything else, I think they look at that more than your specific placement preferences.

    Now, if it won’t let you proceed without making a choice of placement, think of weather. For example, I’m an absolute weakling when it comes to heat. Get heat exhaustion was too easily… half of Japan turns into humid hot hell in the summer. So look at things like geography and weather and make your decision based on that.

    Cheers and good luck!

11. I like cold weather so I just put the 3 northernmost designated cities/prefecture: Sapporo, Sendai, Hokkaido. Then I like cities so I put “urban.” I did very little research into geography. I got called out on it in the interview lol. They were like “you said you wanted urban, but put Hokkaido. You do realize that Hokkaido is one of the most rural prefectures in Japan?” Had to bullshit my way out of that one lol

12. “but i do not think super rural would be my #1 either as my Japanese is super super poor, basically non-existent for now”

    You have time. Fix this.

13. Hey, new JET here with departure on August 6th. I just got my placement with my other JETS, and let me tell you, your preferences won’t matter. I had put that I had no preference for urban, rural, island etc (because I really just wanted to show how adaptable and flexible i am) but then the places I put, the 2 out of 3 were cities (Nagoya and Yokohama) and the Okinawa prefecture. I chose those because I literally searched good places to live in Japan as a foreignor, and they were some that made the list. When I researched deeper, I fell in love with those places. Plus, I considered things like I wanted transportation because I don’t drive, the climate etc.
    My other JETS were very specific about what type of area they wanted and while they may have gotten the general type (most got cities too but smaller ones), their actual places of choice weren’t given. Two of them wanted my city and I got it. Another 2 got my 1st choice (Okinawa prefecture) and I don’t get how that works when that wasn’t even in their choices. Lol

    Literally, I got placed where I didn’t think any JET would get and that’s Osaka City.. and it wasn’t even on my listed preferred locations.
    I’m saying that to say, change your mindset. Just think of this experience that you’re gonna have in Japan as a great adventure. Don’t try to dictate your fate re: placement because honestly, everywhere is gonna be great regardless of what your preference is. Also, because getting your hopes up is useless when you’re not going to get where you wanted to go.
    If any JET has ever gotten their choice, that’s 1 in a million for real. Do research and fall in love with both rural and urban Japan!

14. My preferences were pretty selfish but as follows: Food, Hiking, Familiarity. So my first choice was Niigata, second choice was Shikoku, third choice was Fukuoka. Didn’t get any, got Hyogo. Nbd, place looks gorgeous. But basically, Kyushu is where I’d recommend from my time in Japan previously. It’s far enough away from Tokyo to not feel like it’s in Tokyo’s shadow while also having Fukuoka, Kumamoto, and Nagasaki as worthwhile big cities to visit.