Best city to live in...

[Snowy]

Heya, I assume this is a pretty common theme, but I wanted to ask what you guys thought would be the best japanese city to live in.

I'm due to come to Japan in a couple of months with GEOS and I want to choose a city to stay in. I don't want to go to Tokyo, mainly because it would be too expensive for me to live and actually save some cash. I hear Osaka is also fairly expensive.

What do you guys think of Nagano? Preferably I would like to be in good proximity to Tokyo (ie. not a 6 hour trip) because I plan to go there a few times.

What about Shizuoka? Maebashi? My preference is for big cities but not Tokyo or Yokohama.

I'm basically going on whats in my Lonely Planet book which really doesnt give any indication of living conditions (obviously since its a tourist guide!)

Any comments are highly appreciated.

[Shonai Ben]

Check out Sendai.

[Damien]

Nagano is a very nice place - a lot more laid back and there's always the chance to do some snowboarding in winter. Which city is "best" however, is entirely in the eye of the beholder. It seems like you'd want somewhere quiet as you don't like the sounds of Tokyo or even osaka. Just remember that there are quiet parts of even Osaka however. But if you want total relaxation, a lot of school have branches in Kyuushuu - the southern island. Places like Miyazaki offer good surf all year around and great mountains for hiking. Food there is cheap and it's not so completely "cut off' that you can't buy what you have/want to.

Hope that helps.