What’s it like to live in Iruma/Saitama?

I have been offered a position teaching English with a company in Japan and one of the areas they would like to send me to is Iruma, Saitama Prefecture.

I am finding it hard to find any information on it through the internat, and wonder if anyone has lived there, or visited and what they thought of it?

I am happy about its proximity to Tokyo, and I would like the oportunity to travel into the Capital without living right in Tokyo itself. However I am concerned that it is a tiny place with little going on in it?

Any information would be much apprecaited.

Depends on where in Iruma, but at least the area around the Irumashi station is urban enough to have a couple of fair sized department stores, and a few year ago a big Mitsui Outlet Park shopping mallopened (http://www.31op.com/iruma/foreign/index_en.html).

The train ride to Ikebukuro is only a bit over half an hour, and only 10 to 15 minutes to Tokorozawa which is a fairly well developed area.

There's an airbase in the city but it is not a fighter base and normally its only transports and utility planes so the noise gets no worse than if you are near any local airport. There's an airshow once a year and its a lot of fun if you don't mind the crowd (some 200,000 thousand visitors for a one day event!).

It's not Manhattan, but it is a nice suburb and its not bad at all. If you can't own a car, get a bicycle or even better, a moped and you will be OK.

If you are not the type to get homesick easily and can handle living in Japan / Love Japan it will be fine.

It's not exactly close to Tokyo and the train ride will cost a bundle. You'll only be able to do it once or twice a week and even that will probably cost 1500-3000yen per round trip (15-30$ish)

i had a friend who worked for an eikaiwa out in the sticks in utsunomiya and she could not handle it and left japan after a year.

if you're weak to homesickness or you're not sure about your future in japan you should choose a different location. otherwise you'll be fine.

Emma,

Iruma-shi to central Tokyo is a commuting distance for many locals.

Iruma to Ikebukuro (on the western side of central Tokyo, on JR Yamanote Line) is about 1 hour on local trains (depends on the exact station but it should be 500 - 600 yen one way), and Utsunomiya to Ikebukuro is around 2 hours on local/rapid trains or 1 hour using Shinkansen train. That's a difference! You'll be fine.

What? Iruma is a commuting suburb of Tokyo. It is not far away at all. The Red Arrow should get you into Ikebukoro very quickly, it is only two stops. Local trains will take longer but not so much at all. The cost should not be very high even for the Red Arrow, 800 something yen and probably half that for local.

Iruma also has a Costco. I think it is a good option for you.

Utsonomiya? The sticks? Nice joke.

compared to someone living in a place like shinjuku or ikebukuro, utsunomiya is definitely the sticks.

anyway instead of attacking me, i'm just giving the OP some advice that might help save them some heartache.

my friend packed up and left japan due to her posting in utsunomiya being too far from anything. she couldn't handle it. iruma may only be an hour away but on typical entry level salaries 900yen there and back can be too expensive for many people.

just putting it into perspective. for people who have lived here years or who are japanese, commuting is no big deal but for someone who's not even sure they want to be in japan for long it could be a mistake to move to such a city.

winterwolf,

Well, just as you wanted to give it the cautious, non-Japanese perspective, I wanted to give the local's view, that's all.

As Emma initially seemed to be relatively happy with the idea that she wouldn't have to live right in the midst of Tokyo but near it, I found the general location quite in line with her preference.

Winterwolf, it would only cost her about 400 yen, and that should be affordable, even for entry-level. Besides, there is plenty to do in Saitama, it is hardly the middle of nowhere.