Hirosaki City

I have just found out where I will be located. My company is about 90% sure that I will be in Hirosaki City. I am so excited to be moving to Japan. I am a little nervous that I will be quite far from my friends who are in Saitama and Nagoya, but this is what it's all about. I now have a chance to embrace the culture and language. This could also be interesting as I am told that there is a strong dialect in the north. I don't know if this will cause a problem when I travel, but I will soon find out.
The area seems to be rich with heritage; there is a castle, several festivals, and a few temples. From what I can tell, it will be like the Lincoln of Japan but with mountains. Hirosaki is a little more spread out than the bigger cities, the cost of living is lower, and the weather is a bit colder. It is about 168, 000 people or so, which may be a bit smaller than Lincoln, but that's probably why they chose this location. They probably didn't want a little Nebraska boy to freak out in the city.
Enjoy these pictures that I have found online, and for some photos of the snow light festival check out this website: http://samuraidave.wordpress.com/category/yuki-matsuri/