i am currently living in kansai area (wakayama prefecture; southeast japan)...1.5-2hrs south of osaka, and a further 30mins to kyoto and/or kobe. i am here on the JET programme, which is kind of like ESL, except it is in the public school system (rather than the ubiquitous private orgs). the job is fantastic, the weather is mild, the riding is splendid, and i plan to finish up three years here before eventually making my way home. gokiburi knows a little about the my area.