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Climbing in Japan 12-Nov-2004 At 7:34:30 PM wombats

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I spent a year in Japan and would highly recommend AGAINST the Nagano region!Great for the 1998 winter olympics but that is about it. A VERY VERY cold area of Japan and still quite backwards. Dalai has given you some good links but I hate to break it to you....Japan ain't known for it's good rock climbing. Peaceful little temples with an amalgamation of curious foods seem to be their preference in the mountainous/climbing regions - mountains and climbing ain't really their thing. Get used to Tako-yaki and unusual rituals as you near the mountains.

Japan is a very mountainous country with SEEMINGLY good rock but as climbing is not very popular, the rock is generally pretty crap and over-vegetated. The Japanese have a thing against cleaning up rock for the sake of climbing - the mountain regions are the most underpopulated (in a country that has Australia's entire population and more in Tokyo alone) and are kept very sacred and beautiful. Enjoy the scenery because it is breath-taking but don't expect to climb much of it.

If anything I would recommend GIFU-KEN or Nagoya. A relatively underpopulated region (for Japan) with lots of mountains/rock good for development. If you are a trad climber then you shouldn't have a problem finding your own lines. Nagoya is the 4th largest city in Japan so it is FULL of all the right ammenities for a foreigner without the clastrophobic, greasy feel of cities such as Tokyo or Yokohama. As much as you are no doubt going there for the experience of another culture (and Japan is an AMAZING culture), you will start to crave vegemite etc by month 3 - you will need a larger city such as Nagoya to find your home comforts - yes, they sell vegemite for approx $15AUD. I lived/worked in Gifu-ken for 12 months and while I didn't climb, I found it preferable to most other prefectures I visited in Japan. The only exception is Kyushu! I would have given anything to have lived in Kyushu - and of course Hiroshima which just happens to be about the most peaceful city in the world (amazing what an atomic bomb will do to people's lives)

So from the list you gave -
Nagano - NO
Saitama - Too close to Tokyo (probably a lot of gyms but can't see the potential for a lot of outdoors.)
Aichi - Great part of Japan - close to Nagoya
Nara - Not sure
Saba - Saga? not sure where this is but if it is Saga, then you are on Kyushu so that would be my number one choice.
Hyogo - mmmmmm....nup!

Suggestions:
climbing - okinawa - a looooooonnnnnnnnggggg way from the rest of Japan and an entirely different culture from mainland Japan altogether but aparantly great for climbing.
lifestyle - Nagoya/Gifu, Hiroshima or Kyoto

Another thing, developed climbing sites are often a BIG drive away and your main transport in Japan will be bicycle (sorry but it was my MAIN mode of transport) or train. Neither of these are great to be getting to rock so you will need to find transport fast or build yourself a GREAT woodie over there. Sorry to be so negative about the climbing but it's really not much chop over there - Japan is all about the CULTURE. It is an UTTERLY, altogether different world so emerse yourself in the food, language and history and don't expect to do a lot of world-class climbing.

Out of interest - what organisation are you applying with? While Japan has a very high cost-of-living - you have the potential to make quite a bit of money on the side as a private tutor. I would highly recommend AGAINST going through NOVA and if you want more info on that, please email me!

Well, sorry to go on a bit - I have finally found a topic that I can contribute to rather than learn from. If you want any more info on ANYTHING Japan-related, email me.