[Nyororin]

Jason gives a lot of good answers on the teaching side, which I really don`t know too much about. I`ll try to answer from the normal-everday-life side.

How many foreigners do you encounter on a daily basis? And of what nationality are they usually?

Very rarely. I really would only say I "encounter" foreigners around once a week at the most - if just seeing them walking on the street as I drive by, or walking past them at the store counts. If you mean actually encounter as in speak to, etc... Well, then maybe once every 6 months or so. I have no idea the most common nationality would be, but if I had to guess, I`d say I encounter more Brazilians than any other nationality.

Also do you have alot of foreign friends? (and do they speak Japanese?)

No. I only have one single non-Japanese friend, who is completely fluent in Japanese and in a very similar situation to mine. All of my other friends are Japanese. I`m sure if I tried, I could meet more foreigners, but it isn`t really a necessity. Also, my husband speaks virtually no English, so it would be a really uncomfortable situation to try and "mix". I`d also like to avoid the English bubble that seems to develop around groups of foreigners.

Which do you think is the best city to start off in? Or live and work in once you're settled?

I would say that is totally up to your personal preferences, and what it is you want to do. I just don`t think Tokyo is a good option... ever. I personally love the Nagoya area, and wouldn`t choose to live anywhere else. But of course, that`s me, so I can`t say where would be best for you.

I also read you can get free Japanese classes once you're there. I think that would help alot (even if I spoke abit of Japanese once I get there)

As Jason said, they are offered by most community centers, and in larger cities you will find volunteer groups offering them. There are tons around here and I imagine it would be the same in any larger city.

Concerning jobs. This might sound weird, but would someone turn me down for a job just because of me being a foreigner? (even if I speak/read/write fluent Japanese?) Have either of you ever experienced this?

I have never experienced this, but I also haven`t applied for that many jobs. From what I have seen, *if* your Japanese is at a close to native level there should be no problem. Of course, if your Japanese is awful when you apply they definitely won`t even consider you. Before you apply for any serious position, you should have the JLPT 1. The JLPT 2 doesn`t mean anything in a business situation, but might help you get a lower level job, ie. manual labor, etc.