OSAKA, Jan 19 (News On Japan) - Japan’s rural relocation boom is accelerating as more families look beyond city life in search of space, community, and a fresh start, even as concerns over jobs, convenience, and fitting into tight-knit local networks continue to hold many back.
According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, the number of consultations related to relocation has continued to rise each year, reaching a record high of around 430,000 cases in the previous fiscal year.
Even as interest grows, many people say they hesitate to move because of concerns about work, convenience, and relationships in a new community. Some say they like the idea of raising children in a more open environment, but worry about access to hospitals, daily transportation needs, and whether they could adapt to a different way of life.
To find out what rural life is really like, the program followed people who actually left the city behind.
The reporting team traveled about 90 minutes by car from Osaka to Katsuragi, Wakayama Prefecture, a town of roughly 15,000 residents and around 7,000 households. Known for its rich natural setting and nearby World Heritage sites, Katsuragi is also famous as a “fruit kingdom,” offering fruit-picking experiences throughout the year.
One family that chose to relocate there was Yukiko Ihara, who moved from Osaka’s Tenmabashi area seven years ago. She now lives with her husband Yoshihisa and their three children in a household of five.
Ihara says one of the biggest surprises after moving was how little inconvenience she felt in everyday life, including online shopping deliveries. Her home, built with a Japanese-modern design theme, includes a large 33-tatami living room designed specifically to give the family more space than their former apartment in Osaka.
With fewer concerns about noise complaints from neighbors, the children can play freely, and friends often visit in large numbers after school. Ihara says the community also shares a strong sense of raising children together, with local residents greeting and watching over kids on their daily walk to school.
Her husband, who originally liked rural areas, was the one who first suggested moving. Ihara initially resisted the idea, saying she could not imagine living in a place where she knew no one and had no clear picture of how daily life would work.
She also struggled with the decision because of her career. During her first pregnancy, she experienced severe complications and spent months on bed rest, which left her feeling isolated and watching her peers advance professionally. The experience made her determined not to lose her career again, and she found it difficult to accept leaving a company where she felt she still owed a debt of gratitude, especially to a mentor named Nomura who supported her from her earliest days as a new employee.
In the end, she says her thinking changed after the birth of her third child, when she looked out at the surrounding mountains and began to feel strongly that she wanted to preserve nature for her children’s generation. She decided her next career would focus on mothers and children, and committed to starting over.
After moving, Ihara shifted her approach by creating a handmade “presentation book” out of cardboard, using it to introduce herself and her business ideas to local mothers, farmers, and even town officials such as the mayor and superintendent of education.
One of her key ideas was developing gummy-style snacks made entirely from fruit. She noticed that bruised or misshapen fruit that could not meet commercial standards was often discarded, and she used her network to source such fruit directly from farmers.
The fruit is processed at a facility that supports employment for people with disabilities, and Ihara later partnered with a professor from Osaka Prefecture University to develop a unique drying technique that produces a gummy-like texture, a process that took two years of joint development.
Building on that project, she created an agricultural experience space behind her home where visitors can pick blueberries and other fruit. She later borrowed 37 million yen to clear abandoned farmland next to her home and open a campsite, which has become popular as a family-friendly destination.
During the reporting, young people suddenly arrived at her property, revealing another side of her relocation story. They were volunteers who had gathered from across Japan, including Tokyo and Okinawa, after being inspired by her vision when she was building the campsite. Some stayed on-site for extended periods, formed lasting friendships, and even married after meeting through the project.
Ihara says she believes the move changed her life completely, opening up a new way of living beyond the traditional path of belonging to a company and following a fixed career track. She says relocation itself is not the goal, but simply a tool, and that the real question is what kind of life and career a person truly wants.
She also says that once she decided to take control of her own life, she began hearing “thank you” more often than before, and realized that the sense of purpose she gained was what she had been missing.
At the same time, she admits rural life has its downsides, including how quickly rumors can spread in small communities, sometimes to the point where strangers seem to know personal details soon after someone arrives.
The report concludes that rural relocation should not be judged only through practical concerns such as convenience, human relationships, or employment, but through whether it allows a person to live in a way that feels true to themselves.
Source: KTV NEWS
