Koriyama, Japan

This city of 338,712 people may seem like a sizable commercial hub, but reality bites. Bureaucracy is a persistent headache, and the punishing weather - hot, wet summers and frigid, dry winters - is no walk in the park. Still, Koriyama's location at the transportation nexus of Fukushima Prefecture makes it a practical choice for those seeking a regional center removed from the mandatory evacuation zone around the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Whether the tradeoffs are worth it depends on your priorities.