Looking for personal experiences...
 

Hi, I'm interested in a number of personal experiences regarding life a little further inland... specifically the Nara Prefecture and the city of Nara itself... I've read a few short surveys about Nara and to me it seemed like an interesting town to me. However I'd like to hear the opinion of people who have lived in Nara (or traveled and stayed there for a distinct amount of time, i.e on vacation etc.), how life there looks like, what's the traffic like, the availability of good jobs etc... is it a town that offers a lot for an average citizen wanting to live in Japan?

Thanks

I lived just across the border from Nara prefecture (I could literally ride my bike into Nara-ken in about 10 minutes). I visited Nara City several times while I was there. It's a very nice city, close to Osaka but not as hectic, and close to Kyoto as well. It has the large park filled with ravenous deer and the famous giant Buddha, etc. Nara prefecture also has a lot of smaller rural towns and natural beauty, such as the Yoshino valley. There seemed to be good public transportation (like almost all of Japan). I'd certainly recommend Nara as a nice place to live.

Nara City is one of my favorite places in Japan. It is much more mellow than nearby Osaka.

Seems like useful advice... hope there'll be educational jobs in Nara. I seem to have the impression that a lot of people on JF here look for educational jobs in Japan... hope there's some in Nara too. I also hope that the residential availability is also moderate (so I can find an apartment for sale or rent easily)

Everywhere there are schools and students, there are educational opportunities. Nara is no different.

And finding places in the city should be possible, it isn't the mecca for big business the way Tokyo and Osaka are. But if necessary, just live a little ways outside the city and drive or take the train in as needed.