By KEIICHIRO INOUE/ Staff Writer
March 19, 2022 at 08:00 JST
A sign for Furusato Kaiki Shien Center posted at the entrance to the Tokyo Kotsu Kaikan in the capital’s Yurakucho district (Keiichiro Inoue)
A Tokyo-based nonprofit organization that provides support and information to help people relocate to rural areas of Japan said it received a record high 49,514 inquiries in 2021.
Furusato Kaiki Shien Center (Hometown return support center) said the total covers interviews, phone calls, emails, visits to the center and attendance at its seminars.
Although the figure had been increasing annually, it plummeted by at least 20 percent year on year in 2020, falling below 40,000, because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The center said the number bounced back in 2021 because the organization improved its online services to cater to growing demand.
In particular, online sessions accounted for 80 percent (or 464) of the consultation fairs and seminars about relocating to the countryside.
The center also said women and young people are increasingly interested in moving out of urban centers.
Women accounted for a record high 45.4 percent of those seeking advice in 2021. People in their 20s or younger accounted for 21.9 percent, also a record high.
The center conducted a survey on new advice seekers and seminar participants, receiving 10,931 responses in 2021. A little more than 40 percent of the respondents lived in Tokyo.
According to the survey, Shizuoka Prefecture was the most popular relocation destination for the second straight year among clients who sought advice at the counters.
Fukuoka Prefecture ranked second (fourth in 2020), followed by Yamanashi Prefecture (second), Nagano Prefecture (third), Gunma Prefecture (10th), Hiroshima Prefecture (sixth), Miyagi Prefecture (fifth), Gifu Prefecture (11th), Tochigi Prefecture (13th) and Kanagawa Prefecture (ninth).
Yamaguchi Prefecture rose five places to 13th, while Kagoshima Prefecture moved up six places to 14th.
Kyoto Prefecture (17th), Kumamoto Prefecture (18th) and Niigata Prefecture (20th) made the top 20 for the first time.
“Areas in the suburbs of Tokyo were conspicuously popular in 2020, but other destinations around the country gained popularity in 2021,” a representative said.
Particularly popular were prefectures whose governments worked with municipalities to help arrivals through fairs and other consultation events.
Opinions from people who have actually settled in those communities also work in their favor, the representative added.
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