Welcome to Monbetsu

So I finally got my long-awaited placement today. Although the days until I leave are still crawling by, I now know at least the city where I will be living, which helps a lot.

For at least the next year, I will be living in Monbetsu, Hokkaido, which can also be spelled Mombetsu thanks to the lovely Japanese alphabet. Having never heard of this town, I looked it up promptly on Google. Google tells me that this is Monbetsu:



Charming! Turns out that's just the ocean, which is celebrated for being covered in ice. Scientists from all around the world come here once a year for a conference to talk about sea ice, apparently. This is Monbetsu:



It's a town of 26,000, situated along the northeastern coast of Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost main island. Monbetsu is known for the aforementioned sea ice, as well as apparently having the best crab in all of Japan. It's quite isolated, as Japanese cities go, and as a city in Hokkaido it enjoys long winters and heavy snowfall.



When I applied for JET, I requested Hokkaido, as I've always wanted to visit the region and it's said to be full of natural beauty and wilderness. Many JETs don't get placed where they want, and many view Hokkaido as a "worst-case" placement, but I enjoy the cold and I thought it would be a neat place to go, as well as perhaps more available due to the number of applicants who specifically don't want to go there. Apparently, this plan worked, as I'll be headed there in August!

The next step of my process is to hear from both the local Board of Education and my predecessor. The JET program itself does not employ me or any of the other JET program participants; my employer will be the Monbetsu Board of Education. Once they get in touch with me, I'll know more details about the schools I'll be teaching at and my living arrangements. At this point, all I know is the city.

My predecessor is the person who is currently residing in my position, and will be leaving before I arrive. They will tell me all about the area and the appointments, including the living situation and transportation. They may also sell me their furniture and other items that they won't be taking home with them. Again, once I contact this person I'll know much more about my position.

I'll post more information about my placement as I get it; for now, anyone who wants to know more can check out the official city homepage, in English. In my next post I'll be going back in time once again and talking about the interview process, back in February. Until then!