An increase in people moving from the Tokyo metropolitan area to Kansai
Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2025 10:47 am
"My wife, who is a technical writer, found a company in Tokyo where she could work from home, and now she is taking on jobs from there," says Tokikawa, so they are able to maintain a double income. Tokikawa can be said to be a successful example of someone who has moved to a rural area.
According to Mutsuko Kuga, a rural living coordinator who is knowledgeable about relocation to rural areas, the three areas that have been attracting particular attention recently are Okinawa remove background image and Hokkaido, where there is little concern about radiation, and Nagano, which is easy to get to from the Tokyo metropolitan area. "People who had vaguely thought about living in the countryside have tended to bring their plans forward in the wake of the disaster. This tendency is particularly strong among households with children," she says.
However, it would be premature to think that moving to a regional area will make things easier financially. "Rent is cheaper than within Tokyo's wards. But in some cases the security deposit is six to ten months' rent, and the key money is about half that. Utilities and social insurance fees are also expensive," says Kuga. If you need to travel between the capital and regional areas after relocating, you will also have to pay for transportation. It is necessary to calculate the total cost before moving, including these factors.
"Each city or town has various preferential and support systems in place to help you live your life after relocating, such as low-interest loan systems for purchasing homes and land, so be sure to look into them," says Kuga.
Meanwhile, there are also emerging movements to escape from the metropolitan area to overseas destinations.
"We've had an increase in inquiries about changing jobs overseas since the earthquake," said Chisato Yamamoto of Tempstaff's Public Relations Office. Of the areas where the company has overseas bases, Asian countries have received the most inquiries and have job openings.
In Indonesia, there are many job openings, mainly in factory-related positions such as engineering, factory manager, and production management positions at manufacturers, making it a seller's market. The majority of jobs are locally hired by Japanese companies, and it is easy to obtain a visa if you have a recommendation and guarantee from your employer. Job openings for people in their 30s and 40s are concentrated in technical positions, manufacturing management managers, and sales positions. The average salary for locally hired workers is 150,000 to 280,000 yen.
Next up is China. "There are many job openings, but it's difficult to get a sales position unless you have experience working in China and can speak Chinese. However, if you are hired locally by a Japanese company as a sales position targeting Japanese companies, you can get by with only Japanese. There is a high demand for engineers, especially those with special skills such as mold engineers," says Yamamoto. The average salary for local hires is 90,000 to 200,000 yen. In some cases, engineers can earn as much as 1 million yen.
According to Mutsuko Kuga, a rural living coordinator who is knowledgeable about relocation to rural areas, the three areas that have been attracting particular attention recently are Okinawa remove background image and Hokkaido, where there is little concern about radiation, and Nagano, which is easy to get to from the Tokyo metropolitan area. "People who had vaguely thought about living in the countryside have tended to bring their plans forward in the wake of the disaster. This tendency is particularly strong among households with children," she says.
However, it would be premature to think that moving to a regional area will make things easier financially. "Rent is cheaper than within Tokyo's wards. But in some cases the security deposit is six to ten months' rent, and the key money is about half that. Utilities and social insurance fees are also expensive," says Kuga. If you need to travel between the capital and regional areas after relocating, you will also have to pay for transportation. It is necessary to calculate the total cost before moving, including these factors.
"Each city or town has various preferential and support systems in place to help you live your life after relocating, such as low-interest loan systems for purchasing homes and land, so be sure to look into them," says Kuga.
Meanwhile, there are also emerging movements to escape from the metropolitan area to overseas destinations.
"We've had an increase in inquiries about changing jobs overseas since the earthquake," said Chisato Yamamoto of Tempstaff's Public Relations Office. Of the areas where the company has overseas bases, Asian countries have received the most inquiries and have job openings.
In Indonesia, there are many job openings, mainly in factory-related positions such as engineering, factory manager, and production management positions at manufacturers, making it a seller's market. The majority of jobs are locally hired by Japanese companies, and it is easy to obtain a visa if you have a recommendation and guarantee from your employer. Job openings for people in their 30s and 40s are concentrated in technical positions, manufacturing management managers, and sales positions. The average salary for locally hired workers is 150,000 to 280,000 yen.
Next up is China. "There are many job openings, but it's difficult to get a sales position unless you have experience working in China and can speak Chinese. However, if you are hired locally by a Japanese company as a sales position targeting Japanese companies, you can get by with only Japanese. There is a high demand for engineers, especially those with special skills such as mold engineers," says Yamamoto. The average salary for local hires is 90,000 to 200,000 yen. In some cases, engineers can earn as much as 1 million yen.