Hello Japan lovers!
My girlfriend and I would love to settle in the countryside in Japan, she is Japanese and I am Panamanian and we have explored some ideas so far, but we wanted to know if you have heard or read anything about government incentives or villages that are welcome couples like us to sustain the local economy or simple populate the town/city/village.
Cheers from Panama!
2 comments
This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.
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**Living in rural Japan**
Hello Japan lovers!
My girlfriend and I would love to settle in the countryside in Japan, she is Japanese and I am Panamanian and we have explored some ideas so far, but we wanted to know if you have heard or read anything about government incentives or villages that are welcome couples like us to sustain the local economy or simple populate the town/city/village.
Cheers from Panama!
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First off: There’s no Boyfriend visa, so you’re out of luck for living in Japan long term unless you get married.
Second: While there are *some* rural development programs like you mentioned they are not nearly as common as the internet would have you believe.
Third: Even if you did find such a program you almost certainly wouldn’t qualify. These sorts of programs come with a long list of requirements. Some of the ones I’ve seen before:
1. Must be married.
2. Must have children under 18.
3. Must commit to living in the area for 10 years.
4. Must commit to working in the town/area. (And these towns have effectively *zero* jobs for foreigners)
Contrary to internet lore the Japanese government isn’t just giving away houses willy-nilly. They are trying to convince their *citizens* to move out of the city. They could care less about supporting some random foreigner who wants a free ride to Japan.