Congrats to those who placed!
Recently I got placed in Hokkaido where I’ll experience most likely 6 months of heavy snow. I’m from US Mid Atlantic area so it’s definitely a huge shift from what I’m used to.
-In order to prepare for my life there, I’m thinking of buying winter clothes while I’m in the US. Is that a good idea? Or should I buy them in Japan instead ?
-I’m going to Asahikawa. I’m hearing that cars are a must when living in Hokkaido. Personally I’d like to avoid getting a car until I’ve decided to stay here long term. Are rental cars affordable? Can I be fine without a car in my city placement?
-Are people in Hokkaido really more chill?
-Is traveling around Japan affordable even coming from the north ?
-Anythintg important to bear in mind with this placement?
14 comments
>I’m thinking of buying winter clothes while I’m in the US. Is that a good idea? Or should I buy them in Japan instead ?
Depends what kind of winter clothing you’re talking about. Stuff that are sport related like waterproof suit, etc you should buy in the US cause its generally cheaper. Things like day wear thermal underlay you’ll probably be fine buying uniqlo heat tech or something. Another factor you should consider is your size, if you are tall or fat its better to buy in the US as it maybe hard to find something in your size. This also applies to shoes/boot if you have a large shoe size.
>Are rental cars affordable?
There are long term rental available but I haven’t use any so I can say.
> Can I be fine without a car in my city placement?
Did you check the “willing to drive” box? If not you’ll probably be fine but its possible that it can be quite inconvenience.
Congrats on the placement! I’ve been in Niigata since 2021 and we also get extremely heavy snow. You can buy cheap, effective winter clothing here and your co-workers will probably give you tips on what works best. I like a store called Workman for good quality and value, even for skiwear.
I have a lease car and find it very convenient if a little expensive. There are some beautiful rural areas and ski courses which can be hard to reach without driving.
I love Hokkaido and would like to move there one day! My partner and I both enjoy skiing and prefer the cooler summer temps. It is our chosen summer vacation again this year. Flights to and from Asahikawa aren’t too expensive if you want to travel. Keep warm under the kotatsu and enjoy!
I’m heading to Hokkaido from South Africa so it’s going to be a HUGE shock for me. I’m so excited!!
Congratulations on Hokkaido!
It’s okay, there aren’t six months of heavy snow. Hokkaido has very balanced seasons. January and February are your cold and snowy months. December and March are transitional – lots of dustings of snow, then melting, etc. Asahikawa is pretty cold, so can dip below freezing at night in November and April, but it’s usually above freezing during the day.
You’ll probably want a car. You can usually pass them on to incoming JETs when you decide to leave.
You can hop on Peach Air from Chitose to Narita for like… $50 USD one-way. I love them. Japanese discount airlines are awesome in my experience and the best way to head south.
If Japanese sizes aren’t an issue for you, wait to buy gear. If they are, before you leave, you’ll want to buy at least a heavy coat, snow pants, snow gloves, and snow boots (rubber soles have better traction on ice). Those can be shipped right before you leave since you won’t need them for awhile.
Yes, people in Hokkaido are generally the best. That one may not be as factual, but I stand by it.
Welcome to Hokkaido! It’s actually not as much of a frigid tundra as you might expect.
In reality, we don’t get to much below 20f/-5c in the winter. While it does snow *a lot*, it really only snows from December to mid March, with the majority of the accumulation being in January and February. Basically the sea keeps things pretty temperate and winters short. It just also dumps a shit ton of snow.
As far as the other seasons go, we have long falls and spring (except for this spring which was very short), and short summers. Summers can still get pretty brutal though since the humidity is *very* high and air conditioners are rare. I regularly have kids end up in the nurse’s office for heat exhaustion
As far as cars go, you’ll be able to get around Asahikawa fine without a car, though you will want one if you want to explore the island. Short term rentals are very much available. Long term leasing options depend on the area. There are none in my part of Hokkaido, but I’ve heard that’s a thing other JETs have done.
In terms of clothes, do you fit into standard Japanese sizing? I don’t know how to describe what that is in men’s sizes, but in women’s that means under 5’6″ with shoes under size 8 US, don’t need wide sized shoes, and are a US size M or smaller. If you answered yes to all of the above then you’re fine to just buy things in Japan. If you answered no, then you may find yourself limited in sizing/availability, especially when it comes to in store purchasing options. Regardless of size, if you have curves you will struggle to find pants that fit.
As far as traveling goes, it depends on what you mean by affordable. Flights in general are expensive right now and trains have never been cheap (train prices are one of the things that always shocks friends and family when they visit). That said though, you should still be able to travel fine without breaking the bank.
In general Hokkaido is more chill, but there’s also a rural aspect to that. Since you’ll be in the city you might not experience the same rural Hokkaido mega chill vibes. I had a friend who worked at a high school in Asahikawa and she had to wear a full suit every day
Went to Hokkaido on holiday. Stayed in Asahikawa for a bit, start of December. It was pretty nice! Snow was pretty deep for me, almost halfway up the shins in the morning, but was significantly flattened down once enough people had trampled it. It was almost always 0C, and I absolutely adored it. Hot drinks exist in every vending machine so you’re never far from a portable pocket warmer/drink, and you’re spoiled for choice on amazing ramen spots to get heated up.
From what I remember, there were plenty trains and buses to get around with, even in the middle of winter. Asahikawa felt big enough, but it was only a couple hours on the train to get to Sapporo, if you crave a big city experience. From there, New Chitose Airport will connect you to the rest of Japan. Flights from there to the usual major spots, like Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka and Okinawa.
Im 182cm, 75kg, and don’t have troubles finding clothes in Japan, though my feet are too big. I’m one size up from what they usually stock in shops (29cm) so I buy my socks online. Haven’t bought shoes yet (apart from indoor school shoes, got some crocs for that) but same situation as socks, nobody has my size! If you’re a similar size or smaller in body, you can wait until here to buy clothes, save your luggage space.
I’m from the coldest parts of the US and so I’ve given this kind of advice before. Probably don’t buy stuff until you’re there for 2 reasons: it’ll take up space in your bag, and it’ll be easier to find good clothes suited to the weather there.
I usually share this video too:
https://youtu.be/KVI-blFfDWc
Even if you’re a too big/tall for normal JP sizes, you absolutely have options via online shopping (Uniqlo) or in person shopping (Big M One in Asahikawa) so I wouldn’t worry too much about buying a ton of clothes and having to ship them. Get some good socks (I stan Darn Tough Merino Wool socks.)
Rental cars are generally pretty reasonable, cost wise. Even used cars aren’t *too* bad all things considered. Asahikawa is technically livable without one (quite a few buses, trains North/South for Sapporo/Wakkanai), but you’d be missing out on some of the best places that region has to offer.
Hokkaido people are, generally speaking, super chill. I’ve traveled extensively over the whole island (finished getting the road station stamps, and do plenty of other side trips) and being able to speak a bit of Japanese really goes a long way. In Asahikawa in particular I had an amazing time at Taco Stand Club Brooklyn. Good tacos, drinks, and very friendly atmosphere when shows are happening.
Domestic travel in Japan is quite affordable, especially on JET salary. Flights are a bit more expensive now that Covid is mostly “over,” but if you plan ahead of time/avoid major holiday weekends it is SUPER affordable to fly to Tokyo/Kansai/wherever.
I guess one thing to keep in mind is even if Asahikawa seems small and distant right now, in terms of HOKKAIDO you’ve basically won the lottery, as there are well over a hundred of us who are in very small towns very far away from any city at all.
If you’re in Asahikawa proper you don’t need a car, but leasing is a popular option and really convenient if you don’t want to commit to car ownership. Asahikawa is pretty well connected to the JR system, but having a car definitely makes exploring and doing errands a bit easier.
Unless you have particular above-Japanese-average sizes, you don’t NEED to bring over a lot of winter clothes, but if you do want to I’d suggest shipping them to your BOE with a service like Yamato. I did that with my winter clothes and it was really easy, you just have to itemize everything and arrange things with the drop off depot. That being said there are so many options for winter clothes in Hokkaido , and lots of good deals at second hand stores. You’re arriving in the summer so you have plenty of time.
I will say it takes more effort to see the rest of Japan when you live in Hokkaido, but if you carefully use the long weekends and your vacation days, you can do a fair bit of sightseeing. Best of luck!
I also got placed in Hokkaido prefecture! Iwamizawa-shi!
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I just left Japan on vacation and literally could only find men’s clothes that fit comfortably 🙁 if you’re a skinny queen you’ll be fine but otherwise i would bring clothes
I also got Hokkaido – Akkeshi-cho!
Winter waterproof boots if you have larger shoe sizes. Women or men, Japan doesn’t do large sizes.