JET bucket list

Well, here is the first draft of my list.  I realized that if I only stay for one year I probably won't get to see everything that I want to.  Even if I stay for two I might not get everything knocked out.  So I decided to prioritize what on want to see and try to do them in order.  Here it is:

1. Kansai region - this region is what people tend to think of when they think about historical Japan.  This place is filled with old temples, castles, Mt. Fuji, and lots of other cool stuff.

2.  Sapporo ice castles and Niseko ski resort - Niseko is one of the best ski resorts in the world.  The Sapporo ice festival would be awesome as well, how cool would that be to sleep in an ice hotel.  If I can only see one thing then I would definitely pick the ice castles though because at the end of the day I can go snowboarding in a lot of great places here in Aomori.

3.  Australia and New Zealand - I've always thought that it would be cool to go see places like the Great Barrier Reef or the filming sights of The Lord of the Rings.  A plane ticket from Tokyo is half the price as from Portland, and I will never again get the chance to go there without having jet lag. 

4.  South Korea - Lots of cool things to see here like Seoul or Gyeongju, also it's cheaper than Japan. 

5.  Hong Kong - I have no idea what there is to see here but lots of other JETs visit here and seem to really like it. 

6.  China - I would probably combine this with a trip to Hong Kong.  Some nice scenery when you get outside the cities.

7.  Taiwan - probably would also roll this into a trip to China, mostly for the reason of 'why not see it if I'm already there.'

8. Thailand - Come with an empty suitcase, leave with a few custom tailored suits.  Also, food!

9.  Okinawa - The Hawaii of Japan.  They also have an aquarium that has whale sharks.