hi Danny,
sorry to disappoint, but i'm not actually Japanese
i'm an Australian that came here about 4 or 5 years ago, but Japanese lifestyle and culture seems to work better for me, so maybe i am half Japanese inside (^-^) I specialise in materials and metals research, which is why i tend to answer those horrible "materials/finish effect on sound" threads
Where is Tsu, and what kind of work were you doing?
Sapporo is a great place to live.. except for salary. Most Japanese say they would love to live in Sapporo, because it is more relaxed, cleaner, closer to nature etc. However the jobs are not as good as down south.
Cya, Stewart