Hello there!
I'm second generation Japanese and have always planned to live with my kids in Japan for a few years (or possibly longer if it goes well and the U.S. continues to be a mess) so they can be fully immersed in the language and culture.
I am looking for a place in Japan where we could move and live close to nature (mountains, ocean, or rivers etc) with young kids. I know many rural areas are depopulated so we are interested in moving to one of the villages/small towns which has some traction in terms of families with young kids from the cities already moving there and making some community.
Alternatively, we are open to the idea of living in a smaller city (the smaller the better, ideally 100-500,000ppl max) and living on the edge of the city.
Our ideal criteria for a place would be:
-Close to nature (swimming in the ocean or rivers in the summer)
-A place we can buy or rent a house with a bit of land where our kids can play outside and we can be noisy without disturbing others.
-Ideally somewhere our kids can have a great early childhood- playing freely, biking to their friends houses, swimming in the local river etc.
-Preferably looking at places with forest-based/alternative/Montessori type schools and kindergartens- I have found a few in Kyushu and Shikoku but more recommendations would be appreciated!
-A friendly community which is open to outsiders moving in and becoming a part of the community. We are totally down to help with things like village festivals, volunteering in the community etc. But it's important to be in a place where people would welcome our presence (especially as we are all of mixed heritage)
-Some type of creative community/people who are interested in things like organic farming, crafts, nature education etc.
-Bonus would be if I can study any traditional Japanese crafts (I'm interested in anything really- shibori, ceramics, also healing arts like reiki, shiatsu etc.)
-I know this is an unlikely one in the countryside and feel free to laugh at me but I would prefer a place with less terrifying bugs with small children- perhaps there are any places at high altitude/in the north we could consider?
Are there any people here with kids who have done this? If so, I would love to hear about your experiences!
And please help us find our place- suggestions of villages, towns or cities would be much appreciated!
We have been looking so far at Itoshima (outside of Fukuoka) and Kamiyama in Shikoku. My family is originally from Shikoku and Kyushu (sadly, almost all passed away) so I have been mainly looking there but we are open to other regions too.
For reference we previously lived in Chiang Mai, Thailand for a long time and loved it- a small town or city with similar vibes (artsy, creative, close to nature) would be perfect if it exists in Japan.
Lastly my spouse has a remote job and we are able to move on a heritage visa, so we are set from the jobs/visa perspective. We all speak Japanese at varying levels, and would study more before making the move.
Thank you!
by Kikitheblackcat