Gunma growing in appeal as relocation destination among Japanese

Gunma Prefecture climbed to second in an annual ranking of desired relocation destinations among Japanese, jumping from ninth the previous year but not enough to top perennial favorite Shizuoka Prefecture. 

The central Japan prefecture of Gunma was one of the biggest climbers in the 2023 desired relocation destination ranking published by the Hometown Return Support Center (ふるさと回帰支援センター) in March.    

The Tokyo-based non-profit organization, which offers consultation and support for people looking to relocate to rural areas of the country or return to hometown regions, compiled two rankings based on questionnaires carried out with people seeking relocation consultations and those attending relocation seminars last year, both for the first time.  

Shizuoka, Gunma, Tochigi, Nagano and Miyazaki prefectures were found to be the top five most desired relocation destinations in 2023, according to the latest edition of the ranking.

Consultations regarding relocation to Gunma Prefecture increased rapidly in 2023, according to the center. The prefecture was the most popular potential relocation destination among those seeking consultation in their 20s and 40s and was the top-ranked destination among those who attended seminars organized by the center.

(Image shows the popular hot spring town of Ikaho Onsen in Gunma Prefecture. Photo taken in 2020.)

Young families in particular identified Gunma as a potentially favorable region in which to settle citing a low risk of earthquakes as well as a lower cost of living and education, among other factors. Relative proximity to Tokyo, potentially within 100km, also made Gunma popular among remote workers. The increase in seminar attendance may have also contributed to the increased number of consultations for the region.

Hokkaido and Yamaguchi prefectures have also increased significantly as potential relocation destinations, according to the ranking.

Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost main island, moved from seventh to 12th in the ranking among people who sought relocation consultations, with the region becoming increasingly popular among travelers and hometown returnees after the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the center.

Hokkaido is now being seen as a potential base from which to work remotely - the practice having been largely concentrated in the Kanto region and surrounding prefectures - a factor which may also have been behind the increased number of consultations with the center.

Effective digital marketing and information distribution, including through social media, were behind an increase in seminar attendance and so consultations regarding relocation to Yamaguchi Prefecture, according to the center. The western Japan prefecture placed ninth in consultation ranking in 2023, up from 15th the previous year.

Fukushima Prefecture, which missed out on the top 20 of the ranking in 2022, is back, placing 12th in the latest edition.  

Fukushima’s Nakadori region was of particular interest among remote workers seeking consultation with the center. Home to the cities of Koriyama and Fukushima, the central region of the prefecture offers good access to Tokyo. 

Consultations also increased among 20-year-olds with ties to Fukushima on the back of enhanced efforts to promote relocation in cooperation with local municipalities in the prefecture. Efforts to promote relocation to the 12 municipalities from which residents were temporarily evacuated due to the 2011 nuclear disaster were also increased, according to the center.

It’s Shizuoka Prefecture, however, which remains the most sought-after relocation destination in Japan, according to the latest edition of the ranking. 

2023 marked the fourth consecutive year for Shizuoka to have topped the center’s desired relocation destination ranking. The prefecture remained popular among all age groups for its ease of access and convenience. The number of people seeking consultations was also boosted by special on-site “consultation desks” through which municipal relocation officials from the region and the center’s counselors were available for joint consultation.

Prior to Shizuoka’s four-year run as the most prized relocation destination Nagano Prefecture topped the ranking (which combined consultations and seminar attendance) in 2019, ahead of Hiroshima and Shizuoka in second and third respectively. 

“It has become clear since the pandemic that the popularity of those prefectures surrounding the Tokyo area remains strong,” commented Hiroshi Takahashi, chairman of Hometown Return Support Center. 

“Gunma Prefecture ranked second for the first time. All 35 municipalities in the prefecture have become members at the center and are ready to receive people looking to relocate,” he said.

The Hometown Return Support Center provides relocation information in cooperation with approximately 580 municipalities across Japan. Consultants from 44 prefectures and one ordinance-designated city are based at the center's facility in the Tokyo Kotsu Kaikan building in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward. 

The center received a record number of relocation consultations in 2023, totaling 59,276 (including seminar participation, email and telephone consultations, among others).

The latest desired relocation destination ranking was compiled between January 4 - December 27, 2023, gathering over 17,000 responses from consultations and seminars.

Where would you like to relocate to within Japan? Let us know in the comments.