
Kanako Takahashi, left, and her husband Yuki carry an oil stove to their new home in Fuefuki, Yamanashi Prefecture.
The Yomiuri Shimbun
10:16 JST, January 12, 2021
The coronavirus pandemic is spurring some residents and companies to leave Tokyo in hopes of finding greener pastures in regional areas.
If this is not just a transitory phenomenon but a real driver in changing people’s values, the trend could morph into a “dispersive force” that rectifies the decadeslong flow of people into the capital that has resulted in overconcentration in Greater Tokyo.
On a recent day, Yuki Takahashi, 40, and his wife Kanako, 30, were carrying some belongings into an old house in a mountainous area of Fuefuki, Yamanashi Prefecture, which overlooks Kofu Basin. They both work for companies in Tokyo, but are scheduled to complete their move soon.
The couple’s new house is 120 years old and about a 20-minute drive from JR Kofu Station. Fixing up the structure will take some time, but the pair like the trade-off in size, swapping their tiny apartment in Tokyo for an eight-bedroom house with a garden. The surrounding environment is also superb.
The couple used to have vague thoughts about living in the countryside, but the coronavirus pandemic provided the final push to take the leap.
Both have been working mostly from home since March. Because they go to the office only about once a week, there is little need to stay in Tokyo. Their two-bedroom apartment is so small it actually interferes with their work.
The Takahashis have big dreams for their new life in Fuefuki — growing enough vegetables to be self-sufficient on that front, having drinks by the hearth and going to nearby hot springs for relaxing soaks.
According to the Furusato Kaiki Shien Center, a nonprofit organization that works with local governments to support people interested in moving to regional areas, the center fielded 17,256 consultations from June 2020 to November 2020, up 14% from the same period the previous year. Most cases were residents interested in moving from Tokyo to nearby prefectures, the center added.
Yasuyuki Nambu, the chief executive officer of major staffing agency Pasona Group Inc., announced during a management meeting in May 2020 his intention to move the company out of Tokyo. Seeing fewer people in the capital amid the pandemic prompted Nambu to make the decision.
“We’re moving our head office functions to Awaji Island in Hyogo Prefecture,” he said. Pasona already has some ties with the isle as it runs a hotel and other facilities there.
The 69-year-old executive said the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, among other experiences, had opened his eyes to the risks of the overconcentration of people in Tokyo. Nambu believes that dispersing the company’s functions is one solution to ensuring its business continuity plan.
While Pasona’s registered head office and employees engaged in face-to-face sales promotion duties will remain in the Otemachi district of Tokyo, 1,200 employees of the group’s 1,800 workforce, including those in charge of planning business strategies and managerial duties, will relocate by the spring of 2024.
So far, 120 employees have moved to Awaji Island, which is located about 500 kilometers away from Tokyo.
Masafumi Ikeda volunteered to leave Pasona’s sales department to work as a manager at a restaurant the company runs on the island. Ikeda, 37, moved with his wife and two children.
His wife was initially against the move, but is now happy as she can raise her children near the sea. The family welcomed their third child at the end of last year.
Many companies view “concentration” to be a keyword in their management strategies in the pursuit of efficiency, but that stance no longer appears to be the only solution.
Popular Articles
Popular articles in the past 24 hours
-
Princess Aiko Visits Reopened Businesses in Quake-Stricken Ishika...
-
3 of Japan's Nuclear Fusion Institutes to Receive ¥10 Billion in ...
-
Results of Tokyo Assembly Elections May Have Effect on Upper Hous...
-
Man Falls to Death from Osaka Building, Killing Cyclist Below; Ma...
-
Seven-Eleven Tests Robot Delivery Service on Public Roads; Compan...
-
Agricultural Minister: I Have Never Bought Rice; Remarks Criticiz...
-
Japan, U.S. to Hold Trade Talks This Week
-
Active Cyber Defense: Urgently Prepare System, Including Developm...
Popular articles in the past week
-
Consumption Tax Exemption to Be Nixed for Low-Cost Imported Items...
-
Aeon to Sell 100% California Rice from June 6, Offering Consumers...
-
2025 Expo Osaka: Expo Fails to Achieve Pledge of Line-Free Event;...
-
Nissan to Close 2 Kanagawa Prefecture Plants; Production Cuts Eye...
-
Yokohama, Companies Look to Help Elderly Live Healthier Longer wi...
-
Former North Korean Agent Says Still Many Spies in South Korea Lo...
-
Can Nissan Recover Through New, Long-Overdue Restructuring Plan?;...
-
Kento Nakajima Throws First Pitch at Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters...
Popular articles in the past month
-
Core Inflation in Japan's Capital Sharply Accelerates in April
-
U.S. Holds Fire Over Yen Exchange Rate Targets; Bessent Said to U...
-
Japanese Govt Mulls Raising Number of Cars to be Imported Under S...
-
Rice Prices Rise for 15th Straight Week, with Releases of Stockpi...
-
Rents Mark 30-Year-High Rate of Rise; Decrease in Disposable Inco...
-
Japan Must Take Lead in Maintaining Free Trade System, Says Chair...
-
Groundbreaking Ceremony Held for Japan’s 1st Casino Resort; Site ...
-
Japan Presses U.S. to Scrap 25% Auto Tariffs as Ishiba Refuses Pa...
"Society" POPULAR ARTICLE
-
Earthquake Hits with Epicenter in Central Tokyo; No Tsunami Warning
-
Princess Aiko Delivers First Address During Official Duty; Daughter of Emperor and Empress Speaks at Opening of International Medical Conference
-
Suspicious Plastic Bottle Containing Black Liquid Found on Tokaido Shinkansen Train; Police Working to Identify Contents
-
Man Arrested on Suspicion of Drunk Driving after Rear-ending Bus in Yokosuka
-
2025 Expo Osaka: Visitor Surge Expected in Latter Half as Increased Ticket Sales Not Leading to More Attendance Yet
JN ACCESS RANKING
-
Core Inflation in Japan’s Capital Sharply Accelerates in April
-
U.S. Holds Fire Over Yen Exchange Rate Targets; Bessent Said to Understand Negative Impact on Markets
-
Japanese Govt Mulls Raising Number of Cars to be Imported Under Simplified Screen System in U.S. Tariff Negotiations
-
Rents Mark 30-Year-High Rate of Rise; Decrease in Disposable Income May Dampen Personal Consumption
-
Japan Must Take Lead in Maintaining Free Trade System, Says Chairman of Japan Trade Group