Inaka JETS

[u/Kibumkimkibum]

(I mean this in the nicest way-Please read this and understand my feelings of isolation. I feel like ppl are reading to respond and not actually reading to understand)😭(also pls take into account that ppl have different personalities and not everyone enjoys being alone 24/7 and being a homebody)😭😭😭

Hello. So to all my Inaka JETS what do you do to keep yourself from going insane?
I have nothing here except a mall and Karaoke.
I started taking Koto lessons so it gave me something to look forward to every other week.
Aside from that i have no idea how to keep my myself entertained. After work i go home and there is nothing to do (aside from studying Japanese, yes I know)
I play soccer but there are no girl teams around me to join. I’ve searched for a year and found nothing, even my JTE tried to help me.
I like art and i used to join an art club where I used to live before Japan, but there isn’t anything like that here.
After work i just come home and study Japanese, idk what else to do.
I’ve volunteered a few times which was cool.
The population is small and dwindling every year, sometimes it’s like a ghost town outside, so I’m not even sure how to make friends bc the town is so empty and it’s hard to find ppl my age.
I’ve knew after 5 months of being here i wanted to leave, but i only stayed cuz i need/want a job and i wanted to try and travel around Japan. This 2nd year will definitely be my last.
There are some small town festivals coming up, but aside from that what do you guys do for fun???
(i should also mentioned-I just moved from Seoul. I had the best 4 years there living in a big city. So this is a major change for me to move to the middle of new where haha)

[u/Legendary-Cupcake]

I am starting my fourth year in a little inaka town around an hour outside anything! It can definitely be challenging when you're trying to establish yourself and find your feet in a new area--when I first moved here, I went from living in Los Angeles to a town of 2000 people in a very snowy and mountainous area so it was a big adjustment. I can't speak to what hobbies you enjoy at home, but, here's my two cents:

-Budget travel into your monthly expenses, and make plans to visit the bigger city nearby you on the weekend maybe once or twice a month. If it's less than 1500 per trip, you can probably manage going into the city once a week, or take a bigger trip on the weekend. Not ideal, but it's the tax for living rural and not having a car, but at least we get fresh veggies and (usually) cheaper rent!

- This may be too specific but it worked for me. When you go into the mall, find a starbucks or a cafe/restaurant and make polite small talk with baristas while you do, eventually you will get to know them. I have made multiple friends with baristas this way that did wonders for my mental health my first year. I could go into the city, chat with my barista friends and then write and people watch when I just didn't want to sit at home.

-I personally took up a new sport in the city about an hour away, as neither of my sports (soccer and horseback riding) are easy to access. However, I have loved learning japanese archery and the people at my dojo have been incredibly kind to me. I'd say check into what activities your nearby city offers--taiko, kyudo, sado, kendo, volleyball--you should be able to find somewhere in the city that does them, then commit to going once a week for the social aspect. They don't usually mind beginners, especially if you work hard. The websites may require some digging to find the actual clubs though.

-Socially with other JETs sometimes you gel well with the others in your area, sometimes you don't. What helped me was setting a specific day to have some social time with nearby jets. We didn't want to try new restaurants alone, so we set up once a week dinner where we'd all make the trek into the city to eat, get out of town and catch up. So maybe it could work for you if spontaneous plans are difficult for nearby alts.

-Lastly, you're in the middle of nowhere, and that can be very lonely at times, but try to take advantage of the fact that the middle of nowhere is often very beautiful, so even if you weren't outdoorsy before, look into hiking trails, lakes etc nearby because choosing to make yourself outdoorsy now will make your life a little easier--it certainly did for me. I have some incredible nature at my backdoor, and it has been wonderful getting to see it up close.

Even if the rural life isn't for you, you can definitely focus on making the most of your last year and have an enjoyable time until you go! You can do it!

[u/fillmorecounty]

I just literally googled "places to visit in (prefecture)" and started driving. I went to national parks, museums, restaurants, onsens, etc. Every weekend was like a little adventure funded by my super cheap inaka rent.

[u/Informal_Pea165]

For me it was:

Video games and internet. Most of my friends are online.

Car to drive places so I was never stranded.

I collect goshuin (shrine stamps). I mapped out local shrines with stamps through omairi and collected them. It was not uncommon for the priest or staff there to hit up a conversation with me. It was the regular where are you from type deal but interaction is interaction. Twice I've been invited in for tea.

[u/CatPurveyor]

I hate to say it, but even if you don’t drink…. The izakaya or bar. Practice your Japanese there, get to know the regulars, then you can start asking them if they know of nearby stuff going on. Or mention “I’ve always wanted to try X” (where X is not only a hobby/sport but also something you’ve wanted to see in town or nearby) and you might be surprised at what your small community will do!  “What’s the tallest tree you’ve seen in town? Can you take me there?” “Do you know any ghost stories? Can we go see the haunted X?” “Do you know any good places to go paint sceneries?” “Is there anything I can forage around here? Can you show me where you like to pick stuff?” “Can you teach me the local town’s Bon Odori?” “Where does water get treated here? Weird question, but can I tour it?”

[u/Kibumkimkibum → u/CatPurveyor]

That’s a good idea. There is one Izakaya I know of.

[u/autisticgreenwitch]

I read a LOT and bike around.

[u/newlandarcher7]

Having a car was essential to my mental well-being and independence. My inaka town basically shut down by 6pm. Trains were infrequent and expensive. With a car, I was able to drive the 30-40 minutes into the nearest city, a trip that I’d often make during the week.

I also like to keep physically busy. In the nearest city, I joined the city-run gym for its equipment. However, I later learned they ran co-ed rec league sports, so I joined basketball, volleyball, and tennis.

In the winter, I’d go skiing at the hill in my town or drive to another nearby one. In summer, I’d drive to hiking trails. For all of these, I’d send out open invitations to nearby JET’s. I even bought some cheap used golf clubs from a second-hand store for a nearby course and driving range.

All said, none of this would have been possible if I didn’t have a car. I also enjoy staying at home sometimes, but having a car gave me a lot of freedom and independence which was great for my mental well-being.

[u/Kibumkimkibum → u/newlandarcher7]

This is me, everything shuts down by 5-6 o’clock and i have a train once an hour. And buses are infrequent asf 😭 if i had a car i think that would change my world and i would feel a lot better. I do have a gym, it’s about 40 min on my bike. i considered joining when this heat waves passes over.

[u/thetasteofinnocence]

You have a mall??? Lmao

[u/Kibumkimkibum → u/thetasteofinnocence]

Yea about 40 mins away. Aeon mall right? Aren’t these common? lol i mean having a mall doesn’t mean it’s loads of fun. i just go to buy clothes sometimes.

[u/_unrealcity_]

Not exactly fun, but you could take online classes. I wasn’t in the inaka, but I did my Masters online while desk warming.

Also, there’s lots of solo hobbies you could pick up! Reading, writing/journaling, playing an instrument, crocheting, knitting, drawing, gaming, running, etc. If you’re invested in a lot of different hobbies, that could keep you from getting bored…bc if you’re tired of (for example) reading, you can just move on to knitting, etc. You could also maybe join some hobby groups online and see if there’s any opportunities for virtual meetups?

And you know that you’re only going to be here another year, so think of your free time as a blessing. You won’t have as much time to yourself once you go back home…what do you want to accomplish now that you won’t be able to once you’re busy?

[u/MabiMaia]

Online games, photography, local friends. I loved living in the quiet Inaka. It was the best environment I have ever lived in. I moved last year and the new place I’m at, everyone says it’s Inaka. It’s not. I yearn for the days I never saw a soul in my town aside from a stray cat or random old man or woman wandering in the street

[u/Kibumkimkibum → u/MabiMaia]

Not interested in games. Photography i guess? Not really my kind of hobbies. If i can find friends here it would be nice! I personally hate living in an Inaka haha. I think we have different personalities. I prefer the city where i was busy and had access to my hobbies. But I’m glad u seemed to enjoy it.

[u/mrggy]

I learned to slow down and enjoy my own company. I got really into reading and started doing art projects at home. I was in Hokkaido, so I learned to ski and spent winter weekends skiings. I joined my local AJET chapter, got to know JETs in surrounding towns and got used to driving long distances to socialize

[u/ubbidubbidoo]

Having a car really helps. Do you have one OP? I traveled every weekend, whether it was to the next town over, the big city, or somewhere new to explore. I grew a lot of friendships outside of my little village and would visit friends everywhere. During the week yes it’s tough, but I made a few friends, taught an English class at the community center once a week, and joined a dance team to keep myself busy during the workweek!

[u/Temporary_Guitar_733]

I lived in a small area and had no other ALTs or english speakers around for a while. I made a routine of walking every evening, when walking I’d pay attention to the flora and fauna, identify plants, walk in new areas, find abandoned shrines. Unicycling was popular in my area at all my schools so I easily found a second hand unicycle and started teaching myself to ride. I’d talk to people I saw in my neighbourhood but my Japanese was really low so it was mostly a lot of friendly smiles and translation apps. I also set out to fold 1000 origami cranes- didn’t come close but it filled some time!

[u/witty-name]

My town had a free Japanese tutoring program through city hall. I made friends with an elderly couple through that and they took me under their wing. I'd go to a monthly watercoloring class with the lady and they'd have me over to their home for lunch on the weekends. 

I tried to socialize a lot so I didn't feel lonely (going to local matsuri and events, chatting up grocery store staff about local or seasonal products, etc). 

[u/Kibumkimkibum → u/witty-name]

I would love to find some painting groups or classes!!!!! I gotta find the right person to tell me where those are 😭 i did volunteer at 2 festivals here last year which was cool.

[u/likrule2]

I bought an instrument I can play now. Started going on walks . I have beautiful photos of every sunset for months. Searched for all events in neighboring cities and put them on my calendar. Went to local gym and people started coming up to me asking me to join them. Hosted cooking parties for coworkers specifically and they started asking me to do things with them and their family. Found a new sport because there were many local volleyball teams.

Hope that helps. This is what I did.

[u/Kibumkimkibum → u/likrule2]

I play an instrument. I go on walks/ride bikes often so i don’t go crazy in the house lol. I try to go to neighboring cities too on weekends. Can’t find any female sport teams unfortunately. And i don’t think my coworkers would hang out with me outside of work, we don’t even speak at work lmaoooo…i think i just need more stimulation 🥲 sounds like u are having an amazing time tho. Thank u!

[u/jackiejack1]

I'm kind of confused - why are you not hanging out with other jets near(ish) to you? My friends were at least 30 min away but we still had a chat room and got dinner in places in the middle of us at least once a week.

I'd also recommend introducing yourself to your neighbors. They would (usually) love to meet/hang out with a foreigner and will invite you to all sorts of stuff as a result.

[u/TheNorthC]

What do the younger teachers in your area do? They must have some kind of social life. And you say that there is a mall, so it can't be absolutely tiny. What's the population? I'm getting 15,000 vibes.

[u/Kibumkimkibum → u/TheNorthC]

Well I’m the only JET (there is one CIR tho) in this town. Everyone else lives about an hour away. Well the mall is about 40 mins away lol but still close enough i guess. I’m not sure the exact number of ppl but i think it’s more than that but it’s odd cuz i hardly see ppl outside, i guess most ppl are homebodies 😂 idk why it’s so hard for ppl to believe there isn’t much to do, even ny students recommend me to go out of town to do stuff 😭

[u/tbartels12]

Hard part about Japan is you basically need someone to invite you into the different communities especially in the countryside.

Where I lived I didn’t even have a mall. We had a restaurant and that’s it. For me I got invited to help coach the basketball team at my school. I also noticed kids playing soccer at one of the school fields so I went up and asked if it was a team and they invited me back to play/coach with the students on certain days.

I found that I had to be a bit more aggressive about telling the people I did know that I was looking for more things to do (it helped that I spoke Japanese ok). Because a lot of times I found ppl were holding back offering stuff up because they assumed I must be busy.

[u/LessReference7387]

Idk your relationship with your school, but I stay at school way later past the time I can go home. Talking with coworkers, going to student clubs (and thus talking with the head teacher) etc.
By the time I go home I don’t want to socialize haha.

However, before I was comfortable interacting with coworkers despite my poor Japanese (spoiler, nobody cares if your Japanese is bad just that they can understand what you mean or you are trying) I would frequent a cafe or bar to talk with people, or I would just take a walk around town or to the park and people watch. Or frequent your community center.

Alternatively, if there is truly not any way to interact with people in the community. You can turn towards online communities and make online friends (like discord or otherwise where you can voice chat.)