Mar 1, 2025
Gunma takes top spot in relocation rankings
Have you ever thought about moving to a different part of Japan? I've lived in both Tokyo and Niigata, but I'm very fond of the Chugoku region and that would be a top pick for me.
An article I saw this weekend looked at a relocation rankings survey conducted by Furusato Kaiki Center, a non-profit organization that helps people with moves to regional areas. The top place that people were considering relocating to in Japan was Gunma Prefecture, which is another area I'm quite fond of. It's a neighboring prefecture to us in Niigata, and I've visited there many times. I do think it's quite underrated!
Some of the key reasons people were considering Gunma were the prefecture's proximity to Tokyo, lower level of natural disasters (that landlocked element has something going for it), and remote work meaning that they weren't bound to a specific urban area.
For anyone interested, Shizuoka came second, and Tochigi came third -- so the top three still all have good access to Tokyo, which seemed to be a commonality.
Where would be your top pick if you had to relocate to another prefecture in Japan, and why?
2 Comments
TonetoEdo
on Mar 1
I like where I live, wedged between Saitama and Ibaraki Prefectures in the northern tip of Chiba Prefecture. It's convenient to Tokyo, has vestiges of rural life, and a lot of open spaces. If I had to move, I'd pick Shizuoka. It's got a good mix of urban places with high transportation density, proximity to mountains and coastline, and from what I hear, reasonable real estate prices in some parts.
genkidesu
on Mar 1
@TonetoEdo I like Shizuoka a lot, too. I follow some Instagram accounts like @cheaphousesjapan and I've often seen reasonably priced Shizuoka homes on there with beautiful views and decent public transport access. I'm also a big fan of the tea culture there!