JET placements finally came today--and I'm going back to Shinjo! I kind of had a feeling that I would be going back there, but to know for certain that that's where I'm going is amazing. Truth be told, I was also sort of hoping to be placed somewhere I'd never been before, just for the whole newness of it, but thinking about it, Shinjo really is the best place for me. I already know the town fairly well; I've worked with several of the teachers and so will be able to pull on those experiences (and especially if I go back to Hagino Middle School and teach with Kakizaki-sensei and Kusakiri-sensei again!); I have people like Nishida-mama and Mama-chan and Papa-chan to look after me, which will help when culture shock and homesickness hits (which is will, and hard). And I'll still get to travel all over Japan and southeast Asia, so it's not like I'm missing out on anything.
