Rural towns hope idle properties can be used to attract new residents

Owners of idle properties often worry about how their neighbors think of them if they rent out their properties to "outsiders," she said.

The whole point is to bring in more outsiders.

This provincial and insular way of thinking needs to be eradicated. This isn't the feudal Japan anymore.

It's suicide for your towns and small cities. Even my rural area isn't very unfriendly to outsiders.

But what it all comes down to for rural areas is if there are any jobs available or not.

Some transplants from big cities aren't going to save these areas. Large reverse migration of people will but that won't happen without employment opportunities.

Even my rural area isn't very friendly to outsiders. (edited)

Owners of idle properties often worry about how their neighbors think of them if they rent out their properties to "outsiders," she said.

What's there to worry about when there are literally NO neighbors!

Ah, the Buddhist family alter - that would do it. Ain't no way any respectable Japanese family would let strangers near theirs unattended, and I suppose many have moved into city mansions without the space for these things. Some issues trump whatever money might come in in rent, and that would certainly be one.

I would love to have a bungalow in the country. Sadly, I'd need a car, so I'd need to pay 20-3000 a month to park it at my own building, and then I'd have to pay big $$$ on highway tolls every trip, on top of all the other usual expenses. It ain't worth it.

More flexible and affordable transport options would stimulate the countryside.

Hey, it might make for a nice retirement. But speed is right, if there's no job within easy transport there's no economy. That's happening all over the world.

I was hoping to read how small rural towns were inticing city-dwellers to move to their towns, as the title suggests. Instead, it was more big city NGOs, gov't agencies, and new rules by Big cities to get people to move out.

Jeff Lee, I pay 3,000 yen a month for a parking space one minute from my local station. I don't have to pay to park by my home.

Many people just park all day in front of that particular station without paying. If you want to have a country house in addition to a city house, you could park your car near a country station and use the train.

Speed

But what it all comes down to for rural areas is if there are any jobs available or not.

Self-fulflling prophecy to an extent surely. If people are living there there will need to be certain goods and services provided for them, thereby creatign jobs. Just like when people moved away the town lost jobs, when people move back jobs will be created.

completely accepted and integrated in Onjuku, pop: 7000… but then, I've never encountered any difficulty 'being me' in Japan… more accepted actually, than in my native England, or Oz… and it only took an hour, literally , to find a wonderful place to buy and live… so, just depends

A microcosm of what's happening, or will, on the whole. Stop worrying about outsiders if you truly want to continue the existence of the place and culture. Things will change a bit, but not necessarily for the worse.

Sadly too often Japanese are their own worst enemies so to speak, I see so MANY old houses in north Chiba where I live a bit south of the Tone gawa that are just left to the critters to reclaim, covered in weeds etc, instead of people they end up making great homes for snakes, rats, mice & hordes of insects & quickly decay with maybe only the possibility of salvaging upper rafters perhaps, a real shame!

BUT that said if you are willing to be patient you can find places to rent or buy & deals can be had.

My office is a miniature kominka made of old recycled wood & some new, very well done, an old guy from Osaka retired there, when he passed he family in Kansai was too far away, & because the building took up almost the entire lot no buyers were interested, 2yrs later I notice the price dropped almost 60% I went to have a look & bought it! There were lots all around it sold during the bubble & I easily found owners will to sell( at a massive loss to them) so now I have a bit of land as well & can easily buy more for dirt cheap!

Jiji B, my office is north of you between Togane & Sanmu about 7km inland from the coast!

I am 62. I will retire at 65 .My wife(japanese) will retire to Japan, so we are very keen on this idea.

See you soon.

Very tempting to find a place like this article mentions. We've live in the inaka before and loved it. Love the city life too, but very expensive for rent. Many great places to live in Japan, if one speaks a good bit of Japanese.