KOFU -- Municipalities in Yamanashi Prefecture are hoping to attract urban residents to move to their areas, amid the spread of telework and other work-style developments in the wake of the coronavirus epidemic.
As the prefecture boasts an abundance of nature and some areas have convenient commuter links to Tokyo, local governments have seized upon the opportunity to promote the region through online consultations, among other activities.
At a civic center in Nirasaki, Yamanashi Prefecture, four people including the city's migration consultants were talking online in early June to 14 residents, mainly from the Tokyo metropolitan-area.
"It takes about one and a half hours to get to Shinjuku from Nirasaki by express train. You would be able see Mt. Fuji from your house," one of the consultants said to the participants, who were mainly in their 20s and 30s.
The city government had planned a tour for would-be settlers to experience life in the city in March, but it was canceled due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The online consultation was organized by the prefectural government and the local municipality, as people are still being advised to avoid inter-prefectural travel in some parts of Japan. Information about the city's climate, traffic conditions and the experiences of people who have relocated from Tokyo was presented during the event.
In individual consultations, some participants asked about the possibility of using farmland and the kind of vacant properties that are available.
According to an online survey conducted by the Cabinet Secretariat in January-February, 49.8% of about 10,000 respondents aged 20-59 living in Tokyo and its neighboring three prefectures said they were interested in living in regional areas. Another nationwide survey by a private research company in Tokyo found that 53.2% of about 25,000 full-time employees said they either very much or somewhat want to continue teleworking after the spread of the coronavirus has been contained.
In the Yamanashi Prefecture city of Tsuru, which is located close to the Tokyo metropolitan area, the number of consultations on relocations doubled in April-May from a year earlier. Inquiries from couples and families included such comments as: "Now that I can work remotely, I want to rent a property and move there," and "I need to commute to Tokyo a few times a week, but I want to live in an area surrounded by nature." The municipal and the prefectural governments plan to hold a relocation seminar in Tokyo on June 21.
Hokuto, a popular destination for newcomers, has seen a rise in the number of people who had previously rented summer homes in the city relocating to the area due to the coronavirus crisis.
"Amid prolonged calls for people to avoid going out and a sense of stagnation in the Tokyo metropolitan area, I feel that more and more people are trying to change their lifestyles," an official of the city's planning section said.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
