"JAPAN" a Japan Travel Page by KevinMichael

My reasons for living here:

- Low crime. Japan is one of the safest (if not the safest) countries in the world.

- Lower taxes. I'd be paying a lot more in taxes living in California.

- Nice people. Japan lacks an abundance of sue happy people.

- Easy to live in. Teachers do pretty well here.

- Great food. Japan has some of the best restaurants in the world.

- No guns. People don't have 'the right' (the liberty) to kill each other with guns unlike in the U.S.

- Fewer drug problems (not including the nicotine addicts and alcoholics).

- There are still many places of beauty.

Niigata city is a relatively nice place to live. It used to be referred to as snow country. But, since things are warming up a bit the weather's been getting better. It's not as snowy as it used to be. Yet, it's still possible to go down to the beach in winter and see the snow all over the beach. And it's interesting to watch the steam rise from the water as the cold snow meets the warmer body of water. Niigata is safe. The air is clean. And there isn't too much noise. It's a better place to live... if you like tranquility like I do.

I live in Niigata (Niigata inaka : Niigata countryside)

To people from Tokyo, Niigata is the boondocks or inaka as Japanese say. It's 2 hours from Tokyo by Japans fastest train: the Shinkansen.
Here in Niigata we have both the feel of a city and nature is not so far away. Unlike Tokyo... there is wildlife here. Lot's of it. In the woods not so far from my home, I've seen tanuki (raccoon dogs), wood peckers, blue jays, owls, bats, and even a monkey once.

Unlike Tokyo, the cost of living is not so high here. In terms of housing, the standard of living is lower than that of many other industrialized countries. Japanese people often say they live in rabbit holes (due to the compact nature of their homes and 'lives' in general).