"Eric Takabayashi" <etakajp@yahoo.co.jp> wrote in message

> Just what is wrong with the Tohoku area?

Nothing wrong. You gave the explanation yourself.
In addition, I was talking to a person that didn't say she already knew
Japan and the language, so she may feel "isolated" there. Not everybody
likes that. You know there are gaigins that suffer from the lack of choice
in pizzas, English books, people to talk to, etc, in Osaka !

> Finding some house fee simple, with land in Niigata under one million yen
> is not a problem. If not for the 40 km to the highway onramp or 25 minutes
by
> car to the station in some cases, in heavy snow,

Then you fly to your workplace ? Or your job follows you anywhere you move ?
I remind you that you often told us your wife had problems finding a job in
not so rural where you live, so she'd do what over there ? I hope she likes
gardening, knitting, driving 2 hours to go to the supermarket, talking to 90
yr old neighbours.

> Since other home buyers in this group are willing to throw around 40
million
> yen at a time, or take on 35 year loans, you should see beauties like
this:
>
> http://tinyurl.com/q5hd

30-40  km from Himeji ?
I could commute easily, 1 or 2 hours in car or helicopter, 1 hour of
Shinkansen, then the subway. Or 15 minutes of car, 1 hour of train, then the
Shinkansen.
No thanks ! Life is too short.

CC