I live in rural Japan, and moved here in 2009 to build a house and raise a family with my Japanese wife on a 5-acre farm. It is isolated, but to me that's a perk! It's so quiet and at night we only hear the wildlife: deer, owls, boars, foxes and tanuki. I'll take this any day over sirens, car alarms, sub-woofers, stereos, TVs and loud drunken parties. The neighbors keep a distance and that's fine. Our closest city is 45 minutes away by car. If I was in my 20s or 30s, I wouldn't like it, but now in my 60s I like the space, privacy and solitude.
"over sirens, car alarms, sub-woofers, stereos, TVs and loud drunken parties." That doesn't happen in Japanese suburbs and most parts of a city either.
Asian cultures have always seemed good to me and I did toy with the idea of living there. If you are interested, I would like to learn more about your experience while living, their practices with government, participation in the community, what the community requires of you, what the people are like... all those kinds of things. I'm really interested and I would still like to go to Japan. I am running out of time unless my Android comes online quickly. :-) I know very little japanese, 70 years old and hoping they have good street signs.
Almost no Japanese youth wants to live in a rural area. Let that sink in. The fact is, you have to have an insane level of commitment to be accepted in a rural community. Another thing to consider. Quite a few Japanese city dwellers have the same idea and buy a house dirt cheap and move to a rural area like after they retire. I'd say well more than half end up regretting it. Now, how harder it'd be if you are not familiar with all the unwritten cultural no-nos and not proficient in the language... Some expats do seem to live happily, so i'm not saying it's impossible, but for most people it'll be super hard.
A lot of young people leave because there is not much to do and for employment not a lot of jobs. You get used to living in the countryside once the locals get to know you it’s pretty easy.
@@deadby15 They ask my wife, where is your husband? He is on a business trip. He is visiting his goat farm in Pakistan of his condo in Nha Trang. I will be a phantom to the locals.
I am from the rural area in Eastern Europe. The only disadvantages for me are the lack of workplaces, lower chances of finding a wife and the lack of emergency services. Remember, if you get injured in the countryside, you'll have to wait a while for the ambulance to arrive. And sometimes that can be the difference between life and death. I'm speaking from experience.
I live in rural Idaho, and we have a volunteer ambulance and volunteer fire department, and as good as everyone has the $75/yr per household life flight insurance. By car, the specialized hospital is 4 hours' drive away in Spokane, Washington, but our local hospital can stabilize a patient and summon a helicopter to get there in significantly less time. It's not always ideal, but it is what it is. Our local hospital is subsidized by government grants that enable rural communities to maintain hospitals at all. I had surgery there last year and the staff and doctor were skilled. Most had grown up in the area and moved back after attaining their medical degrees, because rural hospitals have relocation bonuses.
I'm an introvert so I didn't mind living in rural Japan. But going on my 3rd year in rural Japan, I miss human interaction. The isolation is real. I have JLPT N3 and can speak and understand Japanese but I have 0 Japanese friend until now. I'm planning to move to a big city soon. I'm done with rural Japan. Even an introvert like me feels so lonely. It's crazy.
the key is to have something to do and people with similar interests would come by. being a Chinese from rural China that lived in Borneo now rural Japan I would say it is the same everywhere. remember that deeds is what matters more than words.
A lot of my colleagues asked me about language proficiency needed for living in Japan today. Many of company's guideline (at least from my experience with Japanese companies operating outside of Japan) always list it as lvl 2. But i really have no idea for current status in Japan especially rural area. Things are really different than 2-3 decades ago. Is lvl 3 enough to live there comfortably for first time foreigner today? Which one more acceptable by the local, full family or single person moving to the area? I found many of my colleagues started to inquire about rural Japan mor and how it attracts especially those who's tired with how suffocating the city is. And rural Japan always comes out as the favorite plan in the discussion.
Ookkwong, if you are Korean Asian then you got big advantage; looks and cousin tongue, but if you are a woman, you have higher sense of self-preservation ( guys will suffer for years while gals will hightail out...)
Aussie here, living on the Pacific coast in Mie, in a tiny fishing village of around 400. It's a 15 minute drive to shops, we have our own doctor. Peaceful, beautiful, friendly. Wouldn't have it any other way. Of course it is possible thanks to the convenience fast internet has given us. Embrace technology, make the move!
I'm an Aussie to and love Japan. Can I ask your age as reference to myself of 64. I've lived in isolated parts of Australia and understand what living a quiet is like..take care Aussie 🙃
i was about to say, if you are older and they have decent internet access it seems fine. his walk around his village looked quiet and charming. if i was young no, but being older its appealing. 🎉
I mean, if you're a young person, living in a rural area is kinda depressing. But if you are retired and want a nice quiet place, rural is probably a good choice.
@@nhitc6832 I used to teach college anx university 14.5 hours a week with 5 months paid vacation in Tokyo and Saudi Arabia This is not the life of a typical Japanese salaryman Adding stocks capital gains, dividends and my wifes income, I doubled my household income. What 90% of Japanese workers especially those under 40 has no bearing on my life or lifestyle. 8 years ago I had 4 cars in 3 countries. I am not like 90% of Japanese people.
I live in rural California USA, and I also come from Rural México, is way different than Rural Japan, because I have many stores that are close and more life than this Japanese towns
I've been in Osaka for 24 years and am considering a move to the countryside, except for the ONE thing I expected you surely were going to mention in this video: critters. A friend of mine moved to a rural part of Ishikawa a couple years ago and she tells me all kinds of stories of finding mukade (giant poisonous centipedes) and huntsman spiders inside her home, not to mention suzumebachi (giant Japanese wasps) buzzing about outside. Not sure that's something I could get used to...
Those things are eventual in any subtropical or tropical country really... I had gekkos on my ceiling, a hornet queen trying to nest on my balcony, a giant spider in my office, and giant millipedes (the herbivore, not the bitey poisonous)
@@larrikinjapanYou’re post made me truly laugh! I clicked to reply to the OP and was going to say “well at least you’re not living in Australia”…..and then I saw your comment!!!🤣🤣🤣
Just ask some older locals what to avoid and you will be fine. For example: if you moved to some places in the southwestern United States, an older person might tell you to shake your shoes out before putting them on so you don't stick your foot on top of a scorpion or spider. If the wildlife is terrible, nobody will live there.
To learn Japanese, it is best to go someplace where no one speaks English. I went to college at Okayama U. in the 1970s. I met only one English speaker, and only saw him a few times. I spent a lot of time in the country then and later, but I prefer a medium sized city such as Okayama or Hiroshima. I had one hilarious experience. A young Japanese American women visited the campus. She spoke no Japanese, so I escorted her around the town. We had a good time. People did a double take when she spoke English and I interpreted into Japanese! I strongly recommend learning Japanese in a structured class in the U.S. before you go. Up until around 2000, they had no internet service in the countryside. Now they have it, so you are less isolated. The downside is you are tempted to watch English TV and UA-cam. While I am on the subject: a lot of Japanese internet TV is geo-restricted. To watch Japanese internet TV from overseas you need a VPN. You wonder why they geo-restrict things. They don't want people watching their programs? They think no one in the U.S. speaks Japanese? Weird.
All countries geo restrict content, it's about licensing rights and is nothing uniquely Japanese. Even netflix catalogue varies from country to country.
Countryside isn't boring, you have to find entertainment for yourself, don't wait for others. You can equip your home gym, playing musical instrument, watch movie at home, exercise in nature and all other things
As someone born and raised in rural Alabama, all of these problems sound incredibly familiar. Youth flight, aging populations, isolated, nothing to do… But on top of that we don’t even have the bare minimum of public service, we don’t have festivals, and community is limited to church gatherings - not even touching on how the majority of people in rural areas have lost their minds over the last decade and have become increasingly hostile. If I could learn the language and find work, I’d honestly prefer living there to here from the sounds of it…
I lived in a rural location in Japan for four years in the 90's, but worked in central Tokyo, which was a nice contrast...despite the 2-hour commute every morning and evening. Cycling home in the summer from the local station to my apartment past Buddhist temples and paddy fields with the cicadas chirruping in the trees was magical.
Isolation is honestly the reason I want to move to rural Japan. I'm a loner and always have been. I want a place where I can be alone. I spend as much time as I can alone already. I am learning Japanese though, so I will be able to speak to people. No matter what, I'm sure that'll be necessary.
I would prefer having access to the internet so that i can peruse online resources and materials or work remotely. Do you believe it might be possibly to bring a generator and find some way to access the internet? (I obviously don't know much about what this would involve.)
I was raised in the countryside and when I taught English in Thailand, I lived in the countryside. It was fun to do my tefl certification in a large city but I never did enjoy the nightlife, shopping and partying that my classmates did. I am the type of person who is more comfortable with my hands in the dirt.
Added problem with community obligations especially on the North Island. Plowing/Shovelling snow for evryone when you may be one of the handful of people left young enough to shovel snow can literally be back breaking.
I was thinking of this. If you end up in one of these rural areas and want to integrate yourself into the community, you're probably going to end up as the go-to person
US rural dweller here. Helping others is what we do. It's how one builds social capital. You see someone that needs help you jump in and help out. Even if it means digging ditches in the rain! You don't expect money back. They probably don't have any money. It pays off in unpredictable ways.
Don't dig too deep. Get in a rhythm. Get a narrower shovel. Don't expect too much out of yourself. It's the gift of your time that counts, not the end product. A narrower path will buy you as much social credit as a wide one. Either that or get a snow blower😅
The only reason I would be hesitant to live in rural Japan is the same reason why I would be hesitant to live in rural America: I prefer city life, infrastructure, shopping, culture, and conveniences, and I don't want to own a car and be forced to drive it everywhere, everyday, for everything. The ideal living situation for me would be an apartment in the city with a small rural recreation property near a small town with a train station on a line that goes relatively directly to the city.
Moving away from troubles, to get a fresh start, does not change you but it does change the game. If you change when you change places, you have indeed done the right thing.
I could probably be more physically active, but I'll face other challenges. The community events is obligation I probably would be very dysfunctional with. I don't really know how to interact with people well, and I think I'll just make situations worst with the more "conservative" ones by reflecting hostility back like mirror.
I lived in Okinawa and Tokyo from 1970 to 72 but i learned enough Japanese in those 2 short years to be able to get around, socialize and enjoy myself. It helped that my own language is constructed closer to Japanese than English. But even that did not prevent me from joining the US military and retire 24 years later. Anyone can learn any language if you really want to.... especially if your life or happiness depend on it...
Great job. Have been on the English teaching wagon here in Tokyo for 30 years and have always wanted to get out but your video has shown me some reality in all that. Will watch some more and thanks.
I think it's a matter of age more than a matter of preference. I am 24 I grew up in a rural area of my country, I moved to the city when I turned 18, and I loved it ever since. The amount of people you meet, entertainment you have, and all the possibilities of a city still excites me to this day. But I sometimes this noisy life gets tiring and I come back to my grandmothers and grandfathers house in a rural area to rest and recharge, I meet my old friends there living peacefully. But after 3 days of rest it gets boring real fast to me. I do get the appeal both city and rural lifestyle and both are needed. But currently I like the city more, I think it's because of my age and my current goals in life. But I do see myself getting old like my grandfather and living with my wife in a rural area enjoying simple and peaceful life. Just like my grandparents
In the end it depends on a lot of factors. While I've never lived in the Japanese countryside, I have spent a lot of time there (especially in Gunma-ken), and I did live for a while in an area best described as semi-rural - a short train ride away from the downtown area with its department store and shotengai, but my apartment was also a short walk from an endless stretch of rice fields where I used to go for walks in the morning. In my late 20s/early 30s I lived in Tokyo and could never have seen myself being anywhere else, but as I got older the idea of moving away from the urban center became more appealing. Now that I'm in my early 60s I could see myself retiring to a home in the countryside. As for work, there are many examples of gaijin decamping to the inaka and starting up businesses such as cafes or restaurants. I knew of one Canadian who quit English teaching and moved to a rural corner of Kanagawa-ken where he built guitars.
Gunma is a nice, green place. I used to live there in a small town (hey, we might have bumped into each other!). I would love to go back. Maybe someday...
I live in the countryside with no car. I hate it. I moved to Japan because I wanted to live in a country with good public transportation. I will stick it out for about 10 years because what I'm doing here is important to me. I'm kumicho of my building and it's exhausting on top of often having weeks where I work 12 hour days doing emotionally straining work. When I lived in a bigger city, people treated me like a normal person and I was a known figure in the local community. Here, many people treat me with open suspicion and are wildly rude towards me for zero reason. Every time I start to think I'm just hallucinating it, I go back to where I used to live and I immediately feel more safe and relaxed and people act normal. I am proficient in terms of language but to be honest, some of the things people say to me (usually discriminatory remarks towards people other than myself) make me wish I couldn't understand Japanese.
Been living rurally in south-west Japan since 1999 and you couldn't pay me enough to live in a city or even a town area, ever again! Hard work keeping the farm upkeep in summer, but I wouldn't change it.
If you do move ro rhe countryside, think about how close you are to the nearest fully functioning hospital with a 24hr emergency room. Japan actually has a strangely fragmented health service, and even when an ambulance does show up, they could spend longer on the phone working out where to take you. If you are going to live in rural Japan, only have accidents or need emergency treatment between the hours of 8am and 6pm.
I haven't lived in rural Japan, but I live in a small town in China that has a pretty sizeable expat community. I don't know how many similar places there are in Japan, but if you want a happy medium, you may want to consider moving to a bit more diverse town like where I live. The foreigner community here is of course like still only one percent of the population maximum, but it just makes life a lot easier in many ways. The locals are already accustomed to seeing foreign faces and are generally more polite (they don't ask the same few stereotypical questions anymore) and if you need to de-stress, you can head to a foreigner-owned cafe or pub and chat in English with a more diverse crowd. We also get the benefits of rural life, living next to a large farm.
I'm going to be real. I've seen a bunch of foreigners who are influencers hyping buying houses in the country side, but I feel like they are going to ruin things.
You are right there are a lot of channels push to buy Akiya’s. Some people are buying them on short term visas. What happens if they can’t get work and renew their visa. I have permanent residency I built my house 20 years ago.
Lmao how. It's already being ruined by people moving out to seek greener pastures. Blaming foreigners has got to be the Japanese national pastime istg.
Your right about those influencers. They make it sound it is very easy to come into Japan and carefully omitted the important point. Buying the Akiya is the easy part. Emigrating into Japan is extremely difficult especially they have a zero immigration policy. Meaning you can buy the house but that doesn’t guarantee you can stay here. BTW, I live in Japan for 13 years.
I’m 67 and live in Minamiaso-mura, inside the Aso Caldera. I might be at N5, self taught, and get by okay. The nearest conning is 10 minutes by car or 20 minutes by hilly bike ride, supermarket 20 minutes or 35 hilly bike ride. I have fiber optic internet and streaming, neighborhood cleaning projects, a ton of gardening and grow my own veggies. Luckily I’m relatively busy helping out at my wife’s family’s farm. I do spend time cycling and hiking, usually alone, but occasionally meet locals on my adventures. There are no bars or karaoke around and no Daiko to get home. When the sun goes down I’m usually at home, people come and visit us, so we cook and party at home. Nice and quiet, safe and clean. Been living here for 3 years after 2 years suburban and 5 years in a city. I’m glad we bought our place, stress free life, no worries.
The places you are describing are rural indeed. But there are very accessible rural areas as well. Take Atami for example. 1 hour 45 minutes to Tokyo by regular train and 39 minutes by bullet train to Tokyo. One can buy a secondhand home for 5,000,000 Yen or $35,000 USD. Live close to the ocean, eat the best seafood and veggies, and make a trip Tokyo when you get the itch for a big city.
The average price of a used home in Atami is considerably cheaper than 50 million yen. You can buy a large second-hand house for 10 million to 20 million yen in Atami City . Atami City is close to the sea and is a popular area among foreigners.
@ wow, I’ve never seen a house so cheap in Atami. One 20 year old house in ShimoTaga with great views and sun recently sold for over 50,000,000 Yen or $350k. Another one is on the market for 45,000,000 Yen. But I have seen very old homes built on land that needs significant erosion proofing sell for 1/10 of that.
@ there are many farms and fishing villages near Atami. Atami proper, the area with the resorts, certainly is not rural but the outskirts certainly are as far as lifestyle and atmosphere goes.
I started to learn the language when I have a good skill I will start thinking about moving. Thanks for your videos, thats the inside of Japan I really need.
I’d prefer the countryside. You soon tire of the overcrowded subways and shopping malls. In saying that, if I was to live in a city or near a city, I’d prefer a city the size of Nagasaki which is a bit more laidback than say Tokyo or even Fukuoka.
Agreed. I have lived in Fukuoka and love it, but there many smaller cities just as pleasant. Sorry, but Nagasaki is too hilly for me, I do a lot of bicycling and it is almost impossible in Nagasaki.
Thank you, good information. Sounds much like where I live, in rural 🇮🇪 even the language aspect -can't tell if my neighbor is speaking Irish, or just has an amazing accent!
I went to Tokyo 20 years ago. I was lucky to meet a Swedish guy who had been living in rural Japan working on farms etc, massively over stayed his work visa and worked cash in hand for years. He'd decided to return home but not before partying and spending all his money in Tokyo. Had one of the craziest nights of my life with him.
I’m an American from New York and I lived in rural China. I don’t think rural Japan would ever be a challenge for me. In fact, it would be a beautiful experience.
if u could handle rural China then rural Japan would be a walk in the park. I hailed from the western rurals of Changsha where civilization was almost non existent! picked up Japanese through daily interaction with the locals and recently English through internet gaming and 90s rock music. there are also alot of similarity when it comes to mindset and culture, just have to retool the mindset a bit but if made it in rural China, rest assured its no sweat. and rural folks here aren't as nosy and way way nicer!
Precisely. It isn't just buying a packet of land but buying into a whole set of social mores and obligations. If you're not prepared for it, don't do it, because you won't enjoy life and will regret the move and will (perhaps ironically) leave another abandoned house.
Looks like here in my village in Sweden not many wonders the streets here, got lots of cars driving through though but that´s it. Further out on the countryside there are not many cars driving though.
Loved the tour through the countryside. Looks so relaxing. Would suit me perfectly. Would like for your post to have included some of the traditions of rural Japan. What kind of festivals are important to them? Etc. ...what they like and dislike about Americans and foreigners in general,?
I remembered watching a female Japanese UA-camr who was sexually harassed and threatened. By an old man who had a high position in the small town. The other old seniors didn't help her. Smh
As long as there is a significant area or population within a 15 - 20 minute drive, I'm good. Rural area on the outskirts of the city is the absolute perfect setting.
Rural life isn't for everybody, but that's true for any country. An American would struggle in rural Spain, an Italian would struggle in rural Minnesota etc
at the end of yr vid. I've lived in several big cities over 5 mill. seoul, osaka,melb and spent a month in each of orlando, guangzho and bangkok. i am worn out with crowds and currently live in the outskirts of a 90k small city, i grow many vegies and fruit and go dumpster diving. i prefer this life at this age. good vid. okini !
I really appreciate the things you said about learning Japanese and putting effort into being a part of the community. I can't stress enough how important it is to learn Japanese if you're moving to Japan! In my opinion, this is true even if you live in a major city. Why move to a whole other country if you're not going to participate in the culture and community? How can you participate in a culture you can't understand? How can you find community if you can't talk to your neighbours? You don't have to be native level, but something around N3 shouldn't be difficult to achieve with modern study methods and actually living in the country surrounded by native speakers. If you can't discuss the weather, or local politics, or ask your neighbour about their sick mother or how their son is doing in school AND UNDERSTAND THE ANSWER, how can you expect people to treat you as one of them? More importantly if you're not willing to put in the effort to learn their language and their ways, why should they bother? The number of people who move to Japan and CBA to learn Japanese and are content with hanging out with their other expat friends, treating the country like an amusement park and the people like funny animals in a zoo for them to coo over is shameful to me. Just learn the language! Anki is free and Bunpro is $5 a month it's not THAT hard lol
None of your business dumbo, no one asked for your opinion, no one cares if you think someone else needs to learn some language. Mind your own business retardo
@CB-sx8xh it seems full most of the time. The problem with more frequent services is that I think they only have the two train sets, and the timing with the low speeds on the line makes it impossible to have a train going each way more often. I wish they could have a tilt train to increase the speeds without straightening the line. Shizuoka has diesel tilt trains which would be good except that they're narrow gauge.
Evening from the U.K and it's interesting viewing, I have always been interested in Japanese History and I do like my own company, it's a bit of a tricky one for me, but keep post coming please ❤
I lived in a small city in Ibaraki for seven months. It was tough to get by without speaking the language and especially not being able to read. Once you knew where things were, it wasn't so bad, but it absolutely wasn't as rural as in this video. There were still supermarkets, some conbinis, and it was only a two hour bus trip to Tokyo. I had a car for my work as an English teacher which I could use outside work, but I think it was speed limited to about 80 kmh so I couldn't use motorways. The first couple of months were extremely isolating, especially because back in 2002 I couldn't get a mobile phone and could only access email at work (and was charged for it). The only ATM I could use was at the post office, and most stores didn't accept my Australian bank credit cards. By the time I left, I wanted to stay longer. I think living in a more rural area would be easier now than it was twenty years ago. I'd suggest looking for a happy medium if "real" rural living is too hard. A small city might have more facilities and work opportunities while not being as stressful as a big city like Tokyo or Osaka.
In the beginning it is always tough but after a bit it gets easier. I could not live in a big city living in a tiny little apartment. It would drive me crazy.
@larrikinjapan I lived in a small apartment in Ibaraki but a friend who lived in Tokyo said it was big! 😅 My wife's apartment in Yokohama is a good size. You're right, if you hang in, a more rural lifestyle can be good. 👍
I would like to live in rural japan, but what are the overheads like? Could you live on a farm and be self-sufficient, or would the land rates and taxes be too much?
Sounds like rural areas in Nebraska. Conservative, depopulated, laid back, interdependent. Traditional too. The big difference would be Nebraska towns where large numbers of immigrants were brought in to work in meat processing plants.
@@davidbudka1298 planning to buy near Lincoln Nebraska and within 90 minutes of Buffalo or Rochester. New York. I can go into the city fir 4 or 5 days whenever I want Twice a month is enough or 2 or 3 days every 5 or 6 Travelling frequently for 68 years. Father was a pilot Grew up in Tokyo and Seattle, born in Hiyama. Kanzgawa. I can live 30 minutes out of Fukuoka Go into the city whenever I want. I can live 1 hour from downtown Kyoto. Japan is tiny compared to America, which is nearly 3x India.
@ understandable. Many years it can be extremely snowy, other years it can just be very cold! Ice storms are the worst! During the Spring we get severe thunderstorms and tornadoes! Nebraska “isn’t for everybody.” However, I love being in rural regions, and I can relate somewhat to conservative and traditional people.
To move into a rural Japanese town at retirement age for a foreighner is like to commit sueside. You will not be accepted does not matter how nice or kind you are even if you speak Japanese. Best video and helpful advice.
I would like to live in a rural area of Japan. Would you be able to explain, how do foreigners like me go about starting a livelihood there, given I do not need a permanent job to sustain my living there?
You would have to look into get a visa. I think depending on which country you are from. Also now I think they have some new types of visas to try go get people to move to Japan.
I have been living in rural Japan for almost 25 years (lived in Tokyo for 15 years before that). I think the issue you raise has as much to do with living in a small town as it does with Japan. Obviously if you dont speak the language, you cant expect to have an easy time of it. That shouldnt require explanation. The issues of "isolation" and "social integration", however, are points that need a little bit more context. Having grown up in a very rural area of the US, much of the social "standoffishness" that you describe has been a far greater problem for my wife -- who is Japanese -- than for me. I guess my expectations about what things are important to my rural neighbors are more in tune with how they actually behave. If you move into a tiny town in Iowa or Cornwall, I bet you find the same sort of difficulties. I can recall how even when I graduated from high school, people in my home town still referred to our farm as "the old Roberts place". Ive had the same experience here - after a quarter century, only now are people in town starting to see us as "part of the community". If acceptance and a busy social life are priorities for you, then certainly rural Japan is a poor choice of domicile. But those who understand what its like to live in a rural area, and want that slow-paced lifestyle, Japan is one of the best places I can think of, to live. Inexpensive land and housing, good education and a pretty comfortable standard of living, even if all you are capable of doing is teaching English.
I wouldn't live in a rural area in my own country, especially in a small community. So I woul never do it in an unfamiliar culture. Trying to fit in such an environment is often way more difficult than fitting in a large cosmopolitan area.
@@larrikinjapan It's the ideal situation. Because, unlike in a big town, you have no choice but to put up with the way those few people perceive you. Not all small communities are so welcoming, and even when they don't see you as a threat or an intruder, they can sometimes breed resentment between eachothers.
I had a chance to live in an area in Aichi that could be called semi-rural. It was a good blend of countryside, but with fairly good access to Ichinomiya and not terribly far from Nagoya. Each morning I would take a walk and admire the Shinto shrines, pass women on bicycles on their way to get meal ingredients, and watch the farmers in their fields. It was beautiful and quiet. However, I could also access public transportation for trips to more urban areas. I didn't take the opportunity to move permanently, but I spent some time there.
I couldn't live like that. Not only because I've read that you need to be very involved with the community (I am a total introvert), but because of the nasty critters especially huge spiders.
It’s because their countries have been overrun and destroyed by foreigners. Japan doesn’t really have any foreigners so it’s homogeneous, safe, and clean.
@@larrikinjapan It’s because their homeland has been overran and destroyed by f0reigners. Japan doesn’t have many f0reigners so it’s still homogeneous, safe, and clean.
You want a peaceful existence? I don't think it's the "real" question. Some do, and this video was helpful for anyone considering living in the Japanese countryside.
I am about to retire from the Navy after 26 years and was stationed in Japan for 10 years. I plan for is to move to Japan for good soon after retirement. I really want to live in a more countryside area or truly rural. But my Japanese wife does not. She is worried about the force socialization that happens in the rural villages.
Informative and interesting; personally as an oldie I would be drawn to accepting the challenge of living in rural Japan as opposed to frenetic pace of life in the city.
7:00 frankly, that is the most scary aspect; there had been many terrible story circling around related to these "obligation". while some argue that this is the norm everywhere; personally... no? I live in rural south east asia, there is no such ridiculous "obligation to the community". while I don't mind every other issues, this is the aspect that scare me the most.
Yep! I've lived in rural Africa and South East Asia and there were none of these obligations. It would put me off rural Japan as well. I have heard some scary stories about this in Japan and there can be a fair amount of bullying in these villages. My current Japanese girlfriend grew up in one and she never wants to go back. But she loved living with me in rural Thailand.
Why do you consider it scary? Seems like a small price to pay to enjoy their culture and live in a clean community. I almost wish we had that where I live, people here just dump trash anywhere and there are used needles all over the place because nobody gives a fuck about their community.
One of the big issues I would have with living in the Japanese countryside vs. the city is the food choices - even when I want to cook at home. In the countryside the range of food ingredients is strikingly smaller than in the city. And again, when you want to go out to eat the choices are going to be limited and pretty much only within the range of standard Japanese cuisine. You might have a "Family Restaurant" chain in your vicinity but quite likely there will not even be a lot of those.
If I live in an area with a high proportion of foreigners, there will always be some who behave badly. Where I am the only foreigner, the attitude of the locals towards foreigners will soon be shaped entirely by me. Since I am not looking for a job and will be fluent in Japanese in a year or two, the visa issue is the only problem.
I loved living in a small seaside village the community was small but kind and lovely. I like to be alone most of the time and keep a small circle of friends. It was ideal for me ☺️
Hi I am a Chinese person but I don't have any motivation to move to Japan, I clicked this video by chance, any chance for ppl like you which is English speaker be a English language tutor on a certain language learning platform? i genuinely curious I heard rumors say japanese ppl they would like to move to Australia Canada UK while ppl from those countries would like to move to Japan, it's interesting isn't it?
I spent about a month and a half in a rural area in Japan and I would love so dearly to be able to live there. It was everything my soul needed. Beauty, quiet, seclusion, ample nature, kind and generous neighbors, deep-rooted tradition around every corner. Absolute bliss, truly
Not all foreigner's want to mingle with other foreigner's in Japan I've lived rural for 6 year's amd enjoy the solitude i have never liked cities to many people, car's, pollution and people with attitude even in Japan where as rural it's exactly the opposite.
5:16 I think this is why Persona 4 hit it off in the US so well about 10-14 years ago. It was very similar to a rural American town, cars everywhere not much to do, maybe a nearby city you could go to once in a while if you were lucky. 10:01 yes but I’d have to talk with my girlfriend about it.
I live in rural Japan, and moved here in 2009 to build a house and raise a family with my Japanese wife on a 5-acre farm. It is isolated, but to me that's a perk! It's so quiet and at night we only hear the wildlife: deer, owls, boars, foxes and tanuki. I'll take this any day over sirens, car alarms, sub-woofers, stereos, TVs and loud drunken parties. The neighbors keep a distance and that's fine. Our closest city is 45 minutes away by car. If I was in my 20s or 30s, I wouldn't like it, but now in my 60s I like the space, privacy and solitude.
Very similar to me. I have lived in the countryside since 1996. I couldn’t live in a city.
"over sirens, car alarms, sub-woofers, stereos, TVs and loud drunken parties."
That doesn't happen in Japanese suburbs and most parts of a city either.
Asian cultures have always seemed good to me and I did toy with the idea of living there. If you are interested, I would like to learn more about your experience while living, their practices with government, participation in the community, what the community requires of you, what the people are like... all those kinds of things. I'm really interested and I would still like to go to Japan. I am running out of time unless my Android comes online quickly. :-) I know very little japanese, 70 years old and hoping they have good street signs.
❤❤❤❤
exactly my plan. awesome to hear a kindred spirit. how do the kids like it? do they have friends? school?
Almost no Japanese youth wants to live in a rural area.
Let that sink in. The fact is, you have to have an insane level of commitment to be accepted in a rural community.
Another thing to consider. Quite a few Japanese city dwellers have the same idea and buy a house dirt cheap and move to a rural area like after they retire. I'd say well more than half end up regretting it.
Now, how harder it'd be if you are not familiar with all the unwritten cultural no-nos and not proficient in the language...
Some expats do seem to live happily, so i'm not saying it's impossible, but for most people it'll be super hard.
A lot of young people leave because there is not much to do and for employment not a lot of jobs. You get used to living in the countryside once the locals get to know you it’s pretty easy.
They can ignore me till I die. I dont care.
as per yr last part of your last sentence, are you implying there is no need for the BLUE PILL ??
@@deadby15 They will barely see me
@@deadby15 They ask my wife, where is your husband? He is on a business trip. He is visiting his goat farm in Pakistan of his condo in Nha Trang. I will be a phantom to the locals.
I am from the rural area in Eastern Europe. The only disadvantages for me are the lack of workplaces, lower chances of finding a wife and the lack of emergency services. Remember, if you get injured in the countryside, you'll have to wait a while for the ambulance to arrive. And sometimes that can be the difference between life and death. I'm speaking from experience.
I live in rural Idaho, and we have a volunteer ambulance and volunteer fire department, and as good as everyone has the $75/yr per household life flight insurance. By car, the specialized hospital is 4 hours' drive away in Spokane, Washington, but our local hospital can stabilize a patient and summon a helicopter to get there in significantly less time. It's not always ideal, but it is what it is. Our local hospital is subsidized by government grants that enable rural communities to maintain hospitals at all. I had surgery there last year and the staff and doctor were skilled. Most had grown up in the area and moved back after attaining their medical degrees, because rural hospitals have relocation bonuses.
I'm an introvert so I didn't mind living in rural Japan. But going on my 3rd year in rural Japan, I miss human interaction. The isolation is real. I have JLPT N3 and can speak and understand Japanese but I have 0 Japanese friend until now. I'm planning to move to a big city soon. I'm done with rural Japan. Even an introvert like me feels so lonely. It's crazy.
Hope you make some friends in the city
the key is to have something to do and people with similar interests would come by. being a Chinese from rural China that lived in Borneo now rural Japan I would say it is the same everywhere.
remember that deeds is what matters more than words.
@@shadowmod3 thank you. yes I know what you mean. I join sports events here as well. I have a lot of friends here but 99% are foreigners as well. 😂
A lot of my colleagues asked me about language proficiency needed for living in Japan today. Many of company's guideline (at least from my experience with Japanese companies operating outside of Japan) always list it as lvl 2.
But i really have no idea for current status in Japan especially rural area. Things are really different than 2-3 decades ago. Is lvl 3 enough to live there comfortably for first time foreigner today? Which one more acceptable by the local, full family or single person moving to the area?
I found many of my colleagues started to inquire about rural Japan mor and how it attracts especially those who's tired with how suffocating the city is. And rural Japan always comes out as the favorite plan in the discussion.
Ookkwong, if you are Korean Asian then you got big advantage; looks and cousin tongue, but if you are a woman, you have higher sense of self-preservation ( guys will suffer for years while gals will hightail out...)
Aussie here, living on the Pacific coast in Mie, in a tiny fishing village of around 400. It's a 15 minute drive to shops, we have our own doctor. Peaceful, beautiful, friendly. Wouldn't have it any other way. Of course it is possible thanks to the convenience fast internet has given us. Embrace technology, make the move!
I'm an Aussie to and love Japan.
Can I ask your age as reference to myself of 64.
I've lived in isolated parts of Australia and understand what living a quiet is like..take care Aussie 🙃
Wife & I are looking around Toba or Wakayama
It's possible because of fossil fuels.
@@EastWindCommunity1973 We should be all thankful for fossil fuels. Life blood of the modern world.
i was about to say, if you are older and they have decent internet access it seems fine. his walk around his village looked quiet and charming. if i was young no, but being older its appealing. 🎉
I mean, if you're a young person, living in a rural area is kinda depressing. But if you are retired and want a nice quiet place, rural is probably a good choice.
@@nhitc6832 I used to teach college anx university 14.5 hours a week with 5 months paid vacation in Tokyo and Saudi Arabia This is not the life of a typical Japanese salaryman Adding stocks capital gains, dividends and my wifes income, I doubled my household income. What 90% of Japanese workers especially those under 40 has no bearing on my life or lifestyle. 8 years ago I had 4 cars in 3 countries. I am not like 90% of Japanese people.
But what is the difference between rural Japan, and rural wherever you're from? Probably not that much.
@danielch6662 Japan is unique from other countries Spent 17 years there.
I live in rural California USA, and I also come from Rural México, is way different than Rural Japan, because I have many stores that are close and more life than this Japanese towns
We even have a Walmart haha and my town is of 20k population
I've been in Osaka for 24 years and am considering a move to the countryside, except for the ONE thing I expected you surely were going to mention in this video: critters. A friend of mine moved to a rural part of Ishikawa a couple years ago and she tells me all kinds of stories of finding mukade (giant poisonous centipedes) and huntsman spiders inside her home, not to mention suzumebachi (giant Japanese wasps) buzzing about outside. Not sure that's something I could get used to...
We get plenty of them. They don’t bother me I am used to all those sort things being brought up in Australia.
Those things are eventual in any subtropical or tropical country really... I had gekkos on my ceiling, a hornet queen trying to nest on my balcony, a giant spider in my office, and giant millipedes (the herbivore, not the bitey poisonous)
Interesting. Thanks!
@@larrikinjapanYou’re post made me truly laugh! I clicked to reply to the OP and was going to say “well at least you’re not living in Australia”…..and then I saw your comment!!!🤣🤣🤣
Just ask some older locals what to avoid and you will be fine. For example: if you moved to some places in the southwestern United States, an older person might tell you to shake your shoes out before putting them on so you don't stick your foot on top of a scorpion or spider.
If the wildlife is terrible, nobody will live there.
To learn Japanese, it is best to go someplace where no one speaks English. I went to college at Okayama U. in the 1970s. I met only one English speaker, and only saw him a few times. I spent a lot of time in the country then and later, but I prefer a medium sized city such as Okayama or Hiroshima.
I had one hilarious experience. A young Japanese American women visited the campus. She spoke no Japanese, so I escorted her around the town. We had a good time. People did a double take when she spoke English and I interpreted into Japanese!
I strongly recommend learning Japanese in a structured class in the U.S. before you go.
Up until around 2000, they had no internet service in the countryside. Now they have it, so you are less isolated. The downside is you are tempted to watch English TV and UA-cam. While I am on the subject: a lot of Japanese internet TV is geo-restricted. To watch Japanese internet TV from overseas you need a VPN. You wonder why they geo-restrict things. They don't want people watching their programs? They think no one in the U.S. speaks Japanese? Weird.
Where I live no one around here speaks English. That is strange that they gel-restrict the shows.
Japan has bizarre copyright laws. It’s counterproductive to spreading their culture.
@@JedRothwell I plan to buy a house in Setouchi, Okayama, Kyoto prefecture , Fukuoka and Nagano, but only in Japan 5 or 6 months max.
@@JedRothwell Elon musk - Starlink!
All countries geo restrict content, it's about licensing rights and is nothing uniquely Japanese. Even netflix catalogue varies from country to country.
I'm 41 and would love to live there. I enjoy the peace and outdoors.
I'm Swedish and rural Japan looks like a dream. Beautiful nature, quiet and cozy farmlands. Stunning mountains and verdant forests.
Countryside isn't boring, you have to find entertainment for yourself, don't wait for others. You can equip your home gym, playing musical instrument, watch movie at home, exercise in nature and all other things
@@vladimirpopovic8136 bonsai farming real estate projects finacial matkets businesses To busy, active to be bored In 10 to 15 cities a year.
@@vladimirpopovic8136 agree. Bonsai cooking designing remodeling too busy to be bored
I think there's a regulation for noise in japan
@@multatuli1doesn't matter if there's noone else to annoy within earshot
BONSAI TREES!!!!!!
As someone born and raised in rural Alabama, all of these problems sound incredibly familiar. Youth flight, aging populations, isolated, nothing to do… But on top of that we don’t even have the bare minimum of public service, we don’t have festivals, and community is limited to church gatherings - not even touching on how the majority of people in rural areas have lost their minds over the last decade and have become increasingly hostile. If I could learn the language and find work, I’d honestly prefer living there to here from the sounds of it…
Once you settle in you don’t even think of it being another country.
I lived in a rural location in Japan for four years in the 90's, but worked in central Tokyo, which was a nice contrast...despite the 2-hour commute every morning and evening. Cycling home in the summer from the local station to my apartment past Buddhist temples and paddy fields with the cicadas chirruping in the trees was magical.
It would be nice change after being in Tokyo all day peace and quiet.
Isolation is honestly the reason I want to move to rural Japan. I'm a loner and always have been. I want a place where I can be alone. I spend as much time as I can alone already. I am learning Japanese though, so I will be able to speak to people. No matter what, I'm sure that'll be necessary.
Where I live is nice no traffic, just peace and quiet.
I would prefer having access to the internet so that i can peruse online resources and materials or work remotely. Do you believe it might be possibly to bring a generator and find some way to access the internet? (I obviously don't know much about what this would involve.)
Most places in Japan have optic fiber very fast internet and electricity so you would have no problems.
@@larrikinjapan That's nice to know. I do a good bit of my job online and if I make a move like that I'm sure that would increase.
I was raised in the countryside and when I taught English in Thailand, I lived in the countryside. It was fun to do my tefl certification in a large city but I never did enjoy the nightlife, shopping and partying that my classmates did. I am the type of person who is more comfortable with my hands in the dirt.
I'd rather have my hands in other more enjoyable objects...
@@yootoober2009 😉
Added problem with community obligations especially on the North Island. Plowing/Shovelling snow for evryone when you may be one of the handful of people left young enough to shovel snow can literally be back breaking.
I was thinking of this. If you end up in one of these rural areas and want to integrate yourself into the community, you're probably going to end up as the go-to person
US rural dweller here. Helping others is what we do. It's how one builds social capital. You see someone that needs help you jump in and help out. Even if it means digging ditches in the rain! You don't expect money back. They probably don't have any money. It pays off in unpredictable ways.
Don't dig too deep. Get in a rhythm. Get a narrower shovel. Don't expect too much out of yourself. It's the gift of your time that counts, not the end product. A narrower path will buy you as much social credit as a wide one.
Either that or get a snow blower😅
The only reason I would be hesitant to live in rural Japan is the same reason why I would be hesitant to live in rural America: I prefer city life, infrastructure, shopping, culture, and conveniences, and I don't want to own a car and be forced to drive it everywhere, everyday, for everything.
The ideal living situation for me would be an apartment in the city with a small rural recreation property near a small town with a train station on a line that goes relatively directly to the city.
In other words you want to live in a city.
This a good video. Very informative, direct to the point and no time wasted.
If you have troubles in your home country, you will have them in Japan. Moving doses not change who you are.
If the troubles ARE the country and its decisions, they might. Just gotta check if they have a similar degree of issues before you plan to leave.
Moving away from troubles, to get a fresh start, does not change you but it does change the game. If you change when you change places, you have indeed done the right thing.
I could probably be more physically active, but I'll face other challenges. The community events is obligation I probably would be very dysfunctional with. I don't really know how to interact with people well, and I think I'll just make situations worst with the more "conservative" ones by reflecting hostility back like mirror.
This is extremely true.
the conclusion was concise. i noted it down. thank you
Basically, living in rural Japan is the same as living in any rural area. However, you have the added difficulty of not knowing the language.
I lived in Okinawa and Tokyo from 1970 to 72 but i learned enough Japanese in those 2 short years to be able to get around, socialize and enjoy myself. It helped that my own language is constructed closer to Japanese than English. But even that did not prevent me from joining the US military and retire 24 years later.
Anyone can learn any language if you really want to.... especially if your life or happiness depend on it...
@@yootoober2009 Well said
Great job. Have been on the English teaching wagon here in Tokyo for 30 years and have always wanted to get out but your video has shown me some reality in all that. Will watch some more and thanks.
I think it's a matter of age more than a matter of preference. I am 24 I grew up in a rural area of my country, I moved to the city when I turned 18, and I loved it ever since. The amount of people you meet, entertainment you have, and all the possibilities of a city still excites me to this day.
But I sometimes this noisy life gets tiring and I come back to my grandmothers and grandfathers house in a rural area to rest and recharge, I meet my old friends there living peacefully. But after 3 days of rest it gets boring real fast to me.
I do get the appeal both city and rural lifestyle and both are needed. But currently I like the city more, I think it's because of my age and my current goals in life.
But I do see myself getting old like my grandfather and living with my wife in a rural area enjoying simple and peaceful life. Just like my grandparents
I think when you are young the city is great I grew up in Sydney had a blast. Now I am older the pace of the country is right up my alley.
In the end it depends on a lot of factors. While I've never lived in the Japanese countryside, I have spent a lot of time there (especially in Gunma-ken), and I did live for a while in an area best described as semi-rural - a short train ride away from the downtown area with its department store and shotengai, but my apartment was also a short walk from an endless stretch of rice fields where I used to go for walks in the morning. In my late 20s/early 30s I lived in Tokyo and could never have seen myself being anywhere else, but as I got older the idea of moving away from the urban center became more appealing. Now that I'm in my early 60s I could see myself retiring to a home in the countryside.
As for work, there are many examples of gaijin decamping to the inaka and starting up businesses such as cafes or restaurants. I knew of one Canadian who quit English teaching and moved to a rural corner of Kanagawa-ken where he built guitars.
You have been here a long time. When you get older the countryside is a nice pace.
Gunma is a nice, green place. I used to live there in a small town (hey, we might have bumped into each other!). I would love to go back. Maybe someday...
I live in the countryside with no car. I hate it. I moved to Japan because I wanted to live in a country with good public transportation. I will stick it out for about 10 years because what I'm doing here is important to me. I'm kumicho of my building and it's exhausting on top of often having weeks where I work 12 hour days doing emotionally straining work. When I lived in a bigger city, people treated me like a normal person and I was a known figure in the local community. Here, many people treat me with open suspicion and are wildly rude towards me for zero reason. Every time I start to think I'm just hallucinating it, I go back to where I used to live and I immediately feel more safe and relaxed and people act normal. I am proficient in terms of language but to be honest, some of the things people say to me (usually discriminatory remarks towards people other than myself) make me wish I couldn't understand Japanese.
Sounds like you are having a rough time. I don’t have any real problems where I am. It’s tough working 12 hour days. Take care of yourself.
Good solid advice and opinion thanks heaps
Been living rurally in south-west Japan since 1999 and you couldn't pay me enough to live in a city or even a town area, ever again! Hard work keeping the farm upkeep in summer, but I wouldn't change it.
I know exactly what you mean
If you do move ro rhe countryside, think about how close you are to the nearest fully functioning hospital with a 24hr emergency room. Japan actually has a strangely fragmented health service, and even when an ambulance does show up, they could spend longer on the phone working out where to take you.
If you are going to live in rural Japan, only have accidents or need emergency treatment between the hours of 8am and 6pm.
The bear protection game is strong when sun goes down.
I haven't lived in rural Japan, but I live in a small town in China that has a pretty sizeable expat community. I don't know how many similar places there are in Japan, but if you want a happy medium, you may want to consider moving to a bit more diverse town like where I live. The foreigner community here is of course like still only one percent of the population maximum, but it just makes life a lot easier in many ways. The locals are already accustomed to seeing foreign faces and are generally more polite (they don't ask the same few stereotypical questions anymore) and if you need to de-stress, you can head to a foreigner-owned cafe or pub and chat in English with a more diverse crowd. We also get the benefits of rural life, living next to a large farm.
I'm going to be real. I've seen a bunch of foreigners who are influencers hyping buying houses in the country side, but I feel like they are going to ruin things.
You are right there are a lot of channels push to buy Akiya’s. Some people are buying them on short term visas. What happens if they can’t get work and renew their visa. I have permanent residency I built my house 20 years ago.
@@larrikinjapan New laws allow Japan to even take away your PR if you don't do several things.
Lmao how. It's already being ruined by people moving out to seek greener pastures. Blaming foreigners has got to be the Japanese national pastime istg.
Because any foreigners like people like you who cant understand why they wouldnt want you there make it crappy. @sanjeev.rao3791
Your right about those influencers. They make it sound it is very easy to come into Japan and carefully omitted the important point. Buying the Akiya is the easy part. Emigrating into Japan is extremely difficult especially they have a zero immigration policy. Meaning you can buy the house but that doesn’t guarantee you can stay here. BTW, I live in Japan for 13 years.
Thanks for a good walk. I enjoyed seeing the village :)
You’re welcome
I divide my time between urban Taiwan and rural Hokkaido and it's perfection.
Hokkaido is very cold in winter
Where are you from originally?
@ Australia born in Sydney and was living on the Gold Coast before coming to Japan.
@@larrikinjapan No I meant the guy who started this thread, guess I should have been more specific 😅
@@Serjo777 okay what PilotedRobots?
I’m 67 and live in Minamiaso-mura, inside the Aso Caldera. I might be at N5, self taught, and get by okay. The nearest conning is 10 minutes by car or 20 minutes by hilly bike ride, supermarket 20 minutes or 35 hilly bike ride. I have fiber optic internet and streaming, neighborhood cleaning projects, a ton of gardening and grow my own veggies. Luckily I’m relatively busy helping out at my wife’s family’s farm. I do spend time cycling and hiking, usually alone, but occasionally meet locals on my adventures. There are no bars or karaoke around and no Daiko to get home. When the sun goes down I’m usually at home, people come and visit us, so we cook and party at home.
Nice and quiet, safe and clean. Been living here for 3 years after 2 years suburban and 5 years in a city. I’m glad we bought our place, stress free life, no worries.
Sounds good
The places you are describing are rural indeed. But there are very accessible rural areas as well. Take Atami for example. 1 hour 45 minutes to Tokyo by regular train and 39 minutes by bullet train to Tokyo. One can buy a secondhand home for 5,000,000 Yen or $35,000 USD. Live close to the ocean, eat the best seafood and veggies, and make a trip Tokyo when you get the itch for a big city.
The average price of a used home in Atami is considerably cheaper than 50 million yen. You can buy a large second-hand house for 10 million to 20 million yen in Atami City . Atami City is close to the sea and is a popular area among foreigners.
@ wow, I’ve never seen a house so cheap in Atami. One 20 year old house in ShimoTaga with great views and sun recently sold for over 50,000,000 Yen or $350k. Another one is on the market for 45,000,000 Yen. But I have seen very old homes built on land that needs significant erosion proofing sell for 1/10 of that.
Atami and Kakegawa are great but I don't know if you can really consider a town with a shinkansen stop countryside.
@ there are many farms and fishing villages near Atami. Atami proper, the area with the resorts, certainly is not rural but the outskirts certainly are as far as lifestyle and atmosphere goes.
Sounds nice. Far enough from Tokyo that you don’t have to deal with the place every day but close enough that it’s easy to get to when you have to.
I started to learn the language when I have a good skill I will start thinking about moving.
Thanks for your videos, thats the inside of Japan I really need.
That's great!
I’d prefer the countryside. You soon tire of the overcrowded subways and shopping malls. In saying that, if I was to live in a city or near a city, I’d prefer a city the size of Nagasaki which is a bit more laidback than say Tokyo or even Fukuoka.
Agreed. I have lived in Fukuoka and love it, but there many smaller cities just as pleasant. Sorry, but Nagasaki is too hilly for me, I do a lot of bicycling and it is almost impossible in Nagasaki.
And to some people the isolation and inconvenience also gets very tiring.
@@mikaellarsson7932 Setouchi, Okayama is nice population 700k
@@mrbHanoi I am sure Setouchi, Okayama is nice. But I think I am stuck with Kyushu, have too many friends etc. Arigato!
Thank you, good information. Sounds much like where I live, in rural 🇮🇪 even the language aspect -can't tell if my neighbor is speaking Irish, or just has an amazing accent!
You’re welcome
I went to Tokyo 20 years ago. I was lucky to meet a Swedish guy who had been living in rural Japan working on farms etc, massively over stayed his work visa and worked cash in hand for years. He'd decided to return home but not before partying and spending all his money in Tokyo. Had one of the craziest nights of my life with him.
Sounds like you had a blast
How is the internet service out in the country side?
Optic fiber very fast
I’m an American from New York and I lived in rural China. I don’t think rural Japan would ever be a challenge for me. In fact, it would be a beautiful experience.
if u could handle rural China then rural Japan would be a walk in the park. I hailed from the western rurals of Changsha where civilization was almost non existent!
picked up Japanese through daily interaction with the locals and recently English through internet gaming and 90s rock music.
there are also alot of similarity when it comes to mindset and culture, just have to retool the mindset a bit but if made it in rural China, rest assured its no sweat.
and rural folks here aren't as nosy and way way nicer!
Thank you for your insight. The community obligations bit is never explained in detail much.
I know.
Precisely. It isn't just buying a packet of land but buying into a whole set of social mores and obligations. If you're not prepared for it, don't do it, because you won't enjoy life and will regret the move and will (perhaps ironically) leave another abandoned house.
Looks like here in my village in Sweden not many wonders the streets here, got lots of cars driving through though but that´s it. Further out on the countryside there are not many cars driving though.
Loved the tour through the countryside. Looks so relaxing. Would suit me perfectly. Would like for your post to have included some of the traditions of rural Japan. What kind of festivals are important to them? Etc. ...what they like and dislike about Americans and foreigners in general,?
I might make a video on those things. I will have to do a bit of research on it first.
I remembered watching a female Japanese UA-camr who was sexually harassed and threatened. By an old man who had a high position in the small town. The other old seniors didn't help her. Smh
I think this happened everywhere not just small towns
@@larrikinjapan you're right
Nice video! I should be working there next year. I definitely want to be in the city.
As long as there is a significant area or population within a 15 - 20 minute drive, I'm good. Rural area on the outskirts of the city is the absolute perfect setting.
Rural life isn't for everybody, but that's true for any country. An American would struggle in rural Spain, an Italian would struggle in rural Minnesota etc
at the end of yr vid. I've lived in several big cities over 5 mill. seoul, osaka,melb and spent a month in each of orlando, guangzho and bangkok. i am worn out with crowds and currently live in the outskirts of a 90k small city, i grow many vegies and fruit and go dumpster diving. i prefer this life at this age. good vid. okini !
@@adurasarangheyo9597 same
very interesting
I really appreciate the things you said about learning Japanese and putting effort into being a part of the community. I can't stress enough how important it is to learn Japanese if you're moving to Japan! In my opinion, this is true even if you live in a major city. Why move to a whole other country if you're not going to participate in the culture and community? How can you participate in a culture you can't understand? How can you find community if you can't talk to your neighbours? You don't have to be native level, but something around N3 shouldn't be difficult to achieve with modern study methods and actually living in the country surrounded by native speakers. If you can't discuss the weather, or local politics, or ask your neighbour about their sick mother or how their son is doing in school AND UNDERSTAND THE ANSWER, how can you expect people to treat you as one of them? More importantly if you're not willing to put in the effort to learn their language and their ways, why should they bother?
The number of people who move to Japan and CBA to learn Japanese and are content with hanging out with their other expat friends, treating the country like an amusement park and the people like funny animals in a zoo for them to coo over is shameful to me. Just learn the language! Anki is free and Bunpro is $5 a month it's not THAT hard lol
None of your business dumbo, no one asked for your opinion, no one cares if you think someone else needs to learn some language. Mind your own business retardo
What do you reccomend for
Sorry i don't understand what you mean
@@larrikinjapan you know...
2 trains an hour? Same as Newcastle to Sydney (if they are running on time lol).
That is funny
How about three trains a day between Canberra and Sydney? 😅
@@theharper1 I travelled that route a month ago. Every seat was full. Surely that would justify more services?
@CB-sx8xh it seems full most of the time. The problem with more frequent services is that I think they only have the two train sets, and the timing with the low speeds on the line makes it impossible to have a train going each way more often. I wish they could have a tilt train to increase the speeds without straightening the line. Shizuoka has diesel tilt trains which would be good except that they're narrow gauge.
@@CB-sx8xh I can drive 24/7.
Evening from the U.K and it's interesting viewing, I have always been interested in Japanese History and I do like my own company, it's a bit of a tricky one for me, but keep post coming please ❤
Glad you enjoyed it
I like living near water, lakes, rivers or the sea. Maybe a community near the sea would be good.
I am about a 10 minute drive to the water
Do you make these videos to keep your English in practice? Or do you get enough practice from other sources?
I just like making them. I also teach English.
I lived in a small city in Ibaraki for seven months. It was tough to get by without speaking the language and especially not being able to read. Once you knew where things were, it wasn't so bad, but it absolutely wasn't as rural as in this video. There were still supermarkets, some conbinis, and it was only a two hour bus trip to Tokyo. I had a car for my work as an English teacher which I could use outside work, but I think it was speed limited to about 80 kmh so I couldn't use motorways. The first couple of months were extremely isolating, especially because back in 2002 I couldn't get a mobile phone and could only access email at work (and was charged for it). The only ATM I could use was at the post office, and most stores didn't accept my Australian bank credit cards. By the time I left, I wanted to stay longer. I think living in a more rural area would be easier now than it was twenty years ago. I'd suggest looking for a happy medium if "real" rural living is too hard. A small city might have more facilities and work opportunities while not being as stressful as a big city like Tokyo or Osaka.
In the beginning it is always tough but after a bit it gets easier. I could not live in a big city living in a tiny little apartment. It would drive me crazy.
@larrikinjapan I lived in a small apartment in Ibaraki but a friend who lived in Tokyo said it was big! 😅 My wife's apartment in Yokohama is a good size. You're right, if you hang in, a more rural lifestyle can be good. 👍
I will start a wall art club to give the place some colour. Next would be a competition for the best traditional Japanese garden.
Japanese garden is a great idea don’t know about the art wall. I think younger people might like it maybe not so popular with the oldies
What would it be like living in Okinawa?
I think pretty nice good weather
@ thanks, how about making friends and the conveinace of everything?
Making friends is not that that difficult you can buy most things you want or get them from Amazon
I would like to live in rural japan, but what are the overheads like? Could you live on a farm and be self-sufficient, or would the land rates and taxes be too much?
Depending on how much land you have. My house is about $800 a year.
The only reason I would dream of moving to Japan is because of the urbanism, I've had too much rural life in the states! I do admit, it's beautiful
Fair enough
What I learned from three years in Germany is that there is not much point visiting other countries if you do not speak the language.
Sounds like rural areas in Nebraska. Conservative, depopulated, laid back, interdependent. Traditional too. The big difference would be Nebraska towns where large numbers of immigrants were brought in to work in meat processing plants.
@@davidbudka1298 planning to buy near Lincoln Nebraska and within 90 minutes of Buffalo or Rochester. New York. I can go into the city fir 4 or 5 days whenever I want Twice a month is enough or 2 or 3 days every 5 or 6 Travelling frequently for 68 years. Father was a pilot Grew up in Tokyo and Seattle, born in Hiyama. Kanzgawa. I can live 30 minutes out of Fukuoka Go into the city whenever I want. I can live 1 hour from downtown Kyoto. Japan is tiny compared to America, which is nearly 3x India.
Nebraska seemed grim and monotonous to me during a summer, cross-country drive.
In the winter, I'd find Nebraska unbearable.
@@carpediem44 I only go there 1 month a year In foreign countries 10 months New York 1 month Hard to get bored
@ understandable. Many years it can be extremely snowy, other years it can just be very cold! Ice storms are the worst! During the Spring we get severe thunderstorms and tornadoes! Nebraska “isn’t for everybody.” However, I love being in rural regions, and I can relate somewhat to conservative and traditional people.
To move into a rural Japanese town at retirement age for a foreighner is like to commit sueside. You will not be accepted does not matter how nice or kind you are even if you speak Japanese. Best video and helpful advice.
Would be interesting to go for an extended visit to get out of a big city.
I would like to live in a rural area of Japan. Would you be able to explain, how do foreigners like me go about starting a livelihood there, given I do not need a permanent job to sustain my living there?
You would have to look into get a visa. I think depending on which country you are from. Also now I think they have some new types of visas to try go get people to move to Japan.
@@larrikinjapan is it possible for someone who is undergraduate to get a job? In rural Japan.
I have always wanted to go to Hokkaido. But will hopefully be on the sailboat. Being from a northern area I would like to see the wildlife.
But very cold in winter
In short, the countryside is beautiful but boring and very inconvenient.
It depends on what you want. I like it it’s peaceful.
Sounds like France 😂
@@japanbobtuna I am in 4 countries 10 cities a year, how do I get bored even if in a rural area 80 to 90% of the time.
man that is almost perfect. you mention language, but do you differentiate spoken vs written skills? do you need to be able to read/write?
as Half Japanese I love staying in Rural Areas , Actually we have stayed there in my Grandparents home 🏡
Very informative.
Thanks
I have been living in rural Japan for almost 25 years (lived in Tokyo for 15 years before that). I think the issue you raise has as much to do with living in a small town as it does with Japan. Obviously if you dont speak the language, you cant expect to have an easy time of it. That shouldnt require explanation. The issues of "isolation" and "social integration", however, are points that need a little bit more context.
Having grown up in a very rural area of the US, much of the social "standoffishness" that you describe has been a far greater problem for my wife -- who is Japanese -- than for me. I guess my expectations about what things are important to my rural neighbors are more in tune with how they actually behave. If you move into a tiny town in Iowa or Cornwall, I bet you find the same sort of difficulties. I can recall how even when I graduated from high school, people in my home town still referred to our farm as "the old Roberts place". Ive had the same experience here - after a quarter century, only now are people in town starting to see us as "part of the community". If acceptance and a busy social life are priorities for you, then certainly rural Japan is a poor choice of domicile.
But those who understand what its like to live in a rural area, and want that slow-paced lifestyle, Japan is one of the best places I can think of, to live. Inexpensive land and housing, good education and a pretty comfortable standard of living, even if all you are capable of doing is teaching English.
It’s not for everyone but as you get older the slower pace is preferable to the crazy pace of Japanese cities.
I'd go. Are they offering incentives?
They might be you would have to check their website
How about Suburban Japan?
Not sure never lived there
this footage would count as suburbs in my state. is it meant to be rural?
Japan is a pretty small country there is not a lot of land
Rural life is literally what rich people save up to do. Idk why people are scared of it, it seems to be the ultimate goal in life.
Cool, thank you.
My pleasure!
I wouldn't live in a rural area in my own country, especially in a small community. So I woul never do it in an unfamiliar culture.
Trying to fit in such an environment is often way more difficult than fitting in a large cosmopolitan area.
It depends the people in my area are very kind easy to get along with.
@@larrikinjapan It's the ideal situation. Because, unlike in a big town, you have no choice but to put up with the way those few people perceive you.
Not all small communities are so welcoming, and even when they don't see you as a threat or an intruder, they can sometimes breed resentment between eachothers.
I had a chance to live in an area in Aichi that could be called semi-rural. It was a good blend of countryside, but with fairly good access to Ichinomiya and not terribly far from Nagoya. Each morning I would take a walk and admire the Shinto shrines, pass women on bicycles on their way to get meal ingredients, and watch the farmers in their fields. It was beautiful and quiet. However, I could also access public transportation for trips to more urban areas. I didn't take the opportunity to move permanently, but I spent some time there.
Sounds like you enjoyed your stay there.
I couldn't live like that. Not only because I've read that you need to be very involved with the community (I am a total introvert), but because of the nasty critters especially huge spiders.
And snakes
@@larrikinjapan And mukade, OMG, mukade creep me out the most.
When you say rural Japan, how far are you from a bigger city? Do you at least a small grocery store close by?
20 to 30 minutes to a small city a supermarket is about 3 km away.
The actual question is why are there foreigners who want to live in rural Japan?
Why not you can have a bigger lot of land than if you are in a city. It’s quiet and peaceful you can grow your own vegetables if you want to.
It’s because their countries have been overrun and destroyed by foreigners.
Japan doesn’t really have any foreigners so it’s homogeneous, safe, and clean.
@@larrikinjapan
It’s because their homeland has been overran and destroyed by f0reigners.
Japan doesn’t have many f0reigners so it’s still homogeneous, safe, and clean.
You want a peaceful existence? I don't think it's the "real" question. Some do, and this video was helpful for anyone considering living in the Japanese countryside.
@@larrikinjapan Sure, but you can have the same in your own country, very much easily.
I am about to retire from the Navy after 26 years and was stationed in Japan for 10 years. I plan for is to move to Japan for good soon after retirement. I really want to live in a more countryside area or truly rural. But my Japanese wife does not. She is worried about the force socialization that happens in the rural villages.
Informative and interesting; personally as an oldie I would be drawn to accepting the challenge of living in rural Japan as opposed to frenetic pace of life in the city.
I have far more interest in rural Japan than the cities, interesting video!
Thanks
7:00 frankly, that is the most scary aspect; there had been many terrible story circling around related to these "obligation".
while some argue that this is the norm everywhere; personally... no? I live in rural south east asia, there is no such ridiculous "obligation to the community".
while I don't mind every other issues, this is the aspect that scare me the most.
In Japan you have to. That’s just part and parcel of living here.
Yep! I've lived in rural Africa and South East Asia and there were none of these obligations. It would put me off rural Japan as well. I have heard some scary stories about this in Japan and there can be a fair amount of bullying in these villages. My current Japanese girlfriend grew up in one and she never wants to go back. But she loved living with me in rural Thailand.
Why do you consider it scary? Seems like a small price to pay to enjoy their culture and live in a clean community. I almost wish we had that where I live, people here just dump trash anywhere and there are used needles all over the place because nobody gives a fuck about their community.
One of the big issues I would have with living in the Japanese countryside vs. the city is the food choices - even when I want to cook at home. In the countryside the range of food ingredients is strikingly smaller than in the city. And again, when you want to go out to eat the choices are going to be limited and pretty much only within the range of standard Japanese cuisine. You might have a "Family Restaurant" chain in your vicinity but quite likely there will not even be a lot of those.
If I live in an area with a high proportion of foreigners, there will always be some who behave badly. Where I am the only foreigner, the attitude of the locals towards foreigners will soon be shaped entirely by me. Since I am not looking for a job and will be fluent in Japanese in a year or two, the visa issue is the only problem.
Isolation = Perfect 😍 I love rural Japan and wish to go back there someday
I loved living in a small seaside village the community was small but kind and lovely. I like to be alone most of the time and keep a small circle of friends. It was ideal for me ☺️
Rural areas also have a lot of issues, like places with strict rules, and needing a car everywhere. I rather live in a city so I can get merch lol.
It all comes down to what you prefer someone prefer the city others the country
Are there English teaching opportunities?@@larrikinjapan
There are but it’s not as good as it was. If you lived in a city you could probably get a lot of private students which would help your income.
@@larrikinjapan yeah I taught English in China for 5 years and I made a lot on the side with wealthier students. What's the process over there?
Same mainly word of mouth
Hi I am a Chinese person but I don't have any motivation to move to Japan, I clicked this video by chance, any chance for ppl like you which is English speaker be a English language tutor on a certain language learning platform? i genuinely curious
I heard rumors say japanese ppl they would like to move to Australia Canada UK while ppl from those countries would like to move to Japan, it's interesting isn't it?
Yes I do teach English online. And your question is interesting
Long as there is decent internet. Happy to be a farmer there
Agreed. I'd be fine as long as there's decent internet.
I spent about a month and a half in a rural area in Japan and I would love so dearly to be able to live there. It was everything my soul needed. Beauty, quiet, seclusion, ample nature, kind and generous neighbors, deep-rooted tradition around every corner. Absolute bliss, truly
I can’t agree more
@@larrikinjapan watching your video on this made me homesick for Awashima, and I was only a tourist! 😂
Not to mention the bears, Snakes, Civets, Deer that eat everything. Monkeys.Fox and badgers. The bears are the scary ones. But I love it all.
Around my area we get pretty of snakes, foxes, good size centipedes and badgers
I lived in rural Japan/Kochi prefecture on Shikkoku from 2006-2010 as a JET PROGRAM ALT. Best 4 years of my life. No regrets.
I would love to live in rural Japan. BUT they have gigantic spiders and wasps, and other crazy insects and I don't need that!
Also snakes and big centipedes
I’m in perth, i see no difference
If you want to see big spiders, come to Australia! 😅
Centipedes will eat your termites
If I would move to Japan, it would be to the country. For me, big cities are nice for visits. Your village looks very idyllic!
Not all foreigner's want to mingle with other foreigner's in Japan I've lived rural for 6 year's amd enjoy the solitude i have never liked cities to many people, car's, pollution and people with attitude even in Japan where as rural it's exactly the opposite.
I never said all foreigners. I have lived in rural Japan for 28 years. I hate going to Nagoya.
@@larrikinjapan you literally said most foreigner's in the start of your video 🤣
Fair enough but most is not all. I know a few who live in rural Japan me included and you. More live in cities than rural areas. Don’t you agree?
5:16 I think this is why Persona 4 hit it off in the US so well about 10-14 years ago. It was very similar to a rural American town, cars everywhere not much to do, maybe a nearby city you could go to once in a while if you were lucky. 10:01 yes but I’d have to talk with my girlfriend about it.
Why would anyone move to Japan and not learn Japanese...?
Because of the sheer impossibility…? Certainly happy to try, but to “learn” requires those efforts achieving some degree of success.
I would so love to live in a place like this. Quiet, nature, it sounds like a dream.