Well, it’s official: I’ll be heading to Fukui prefecture as an ALT at the end of July. I’ve been hired by the prefecture’s Board of Education, meaning that I am a ‘Prefectural ALT’ and will most likely be teaching senior high school. I say ‘most likely’ because while I have been informed that I will be heading to Fukui-ken, I have yet to be assigned to a specific city or school within the prefecture. This, as I have been informed by those who will remain anonymous over the internet, is standard procedure and I will be notified about my specific placement in early July. Yes, that’s right… the waiting game continues! I should not be complaining though; I’ve known what I was getting into when I applied to the program 
I guess the next question is, well… what do I know about Fukui? So far everything I’ve been able to find out is through hours of research via Google. I won’t be contacted by my predecessor till at least next month, and I am finding it difficult to get in touch with any JETs already in Fukui. So to answer the question, here is a small sample of the information that I have found out about Fukui.
Fukui’s prefectural flag (above) is white on blue and shows the prefecture’s symbol. Fukui is located on the main island of Japan called Honshu, and is situated on the Western coast bordering Kyoto, Shiga, Gifu, and Ishikawa prefectures. It is also a convenient 2 hours away from Kyoto. (I think I will have to visit at least a few times… and might even take the train a bit further to visit Osaka and Kobe.)
Fukui is also known as Japan’s dinosaur capital. This is because the largest number of fossils found in Japan have been in the prefecture. Consequently, there is a dinosaur museum that I will be sure to check out. I have been to Canada’s in Drumheller, Alberta and I am curious how they will compare.
Fukui is also well known within Japan for it’s famous dish “sauce katsu don” (Deep fried pork cutlet in Worsteshire Sauce) and the Eichizen Crab which is a local delicacy.
So, that’s just a sample of what I’ve been able to find out. More to come as I get it.
- O
I liked Fukui when I visited! I live in a surrounding prefecture and did a roadtrip there once. Echizen is awesome, and I’ve heard the Dinosaur Museum is amazing. Kanazawa in Ishikawa is a great weekend trip to get some culture. Also, Fukui-shi actually had a decent liquor store in town with imported Belgian beer, which is a big plus in my book.