"Chino" Chino by Tellme

Just a word to anyone who might be considering a job in this area... When I was searching the internet for ESL jobs in Japan Chino popped up as a good prospect - a lakeside community nestled in the Japanese Alps, close to ski areas and hot springs. Sounded pretty good. The reality is Chino, Suwa and Okaya are just 3 towns grouped together full of empty dying businesses. Lake Suwa is also known as Lake Sewer due to it's contents and smell. The ski areas are little more than bunny hills that I'm told are usually icy. I'm just a bit bitter at the moment as I came here to ski - it's the end of December and there's no sign of any snow whatsoever so far. Aagh! The gaijin community is quite full of middle aged marrieds and there's no sign of any decent nightlife. Be warned.

• Pros:If you're here for the Onbashira festival (every 7 years) you're in for a treat.
• Cons:BORING!!
• In a nutshell:Don't do it!