As i work from home I consider moving to the countryside. Still I want to be close to a decently big city and im looking for recommendations for what cities that are nice, and that have nice countryside around them. Good for family and nature life.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chūbu\_region](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chūbu_region)
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My criterias
* in 中部, but not Nagoya
* Close to mountains, close to sea as well is a plus
* of decent size, more than 250k in population
* A city that is suited well for walking, rather than driving. Nagoya for instance feels too much like a car city.
* decent access to shinkansen since i travel to Kanto and Kansai region for work every now and then
* bit cooler climate is a plus. but not too much snow in the winter. (Niigata starts to be a bit much)
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Places i consider is
* Gifu city – just travelled through and walked around for an hour. Seemed ok size wise and have good transport access
* Toyama city – have never been there so no impression but believe it could fulfill my criterias
* Kanazawa – travelled here many years ago and liked the city
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Whats your opinion on these and what other places do you recommend and why? Which is your favourite city in chuubu?
11 comments
Live just outside Nagoya maybe?
I would vote Kanazawa. If you live in the center, I guess it’s pretty walkable. Close to sea (likely require driving although walking from the last train station to Uchinada beach is possible, I done it before), 20 min drive away from center to nearest ski ground in winter at IOX area.
Currently staying in Ishikawa for the 6th year, 35 minutes drive from Kanazawa station, 45 min drive to Kanazawa port fish market (great place to get seafood), 20 minutes from Komatsu airport, about 4 ski grounds within 35 minutes drive.
Even though my office is in Tokyo, one condition that I hold dear to is to be able to continue living my current place.
Nagano city is connected to the Hokiriku Shinkansen. You’re an hour away from the Japan sea, and the best ski resorts in Honshu – hakuba and iiyama.
The city itself is quite unremarkable, though. But the location makes it up in dividends.
I’m in Toyama. I’d say it is walkable. We live in the downtown core, so certainly a bit more in this area, but anywhere by the tram line or local train lines are great. Nearly every neighborhood we frequent has quiet, walkable side streets, and less bustling arterial roads that are fine to walk or bike along. The main roads outside of the core are not massive by any means (two to three lanes each direction), just less pleasant to walk along, IMO (less trees/more chain shops and traffic, etc). Having a car is nice, though, so I wouldn’t say living without one entirely is easy here.Given your family and nature needs, I’d probably opt for somewhere like Kurobe (more ocean) or Tateyama (more mountains…and snow), or in Toyama-shi, an area like Iwasehama or the many neighborhoods near the rivers (Jinzu to stay in the city, or Joganji to be a bit more rural).
We sure as shit do get snow, though. Each year is a little different, some worse than others. Not at Niigata-level, though. Another downside for you is the [foehn winds](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foehn_wind) which come off the alps from time to time and make this place feel like someone is blasting a hair dryer on you. Not often, but…[often enough](https://toyama-life.com/foehngensho-toyama/). We’re often the hottest place in Japan outside of Kumagaya.
Toyama! It’s the most foreign friendly city! And the vibes are something else!
Niigata prefecture is dope
Shizuoka City!
Close to the ocean, close to mountains, easy access to Nagoya and Tokyo and Osaka by Shinkansen.
I lived my first 4 years in Shizuoka City without a car.
No snow in winter.
I lived in Gifu city before, some mountains near by and once you get out of the city it gets pretty rural. It snows a few times a year though. It is extremely hot during the summer because it is surrounded by mountains so it traps the heat. You will need a car to get to the rural/mountain areas. You have to go to Nagoya to see the sea.
I think Shizuoka has a lot of places that might fulfill a lot of your requirements. It doesn’t snow at all here and it is a bit cooler in the summer. There are small mountains north of Numazu, Shizuoka City, Kakegawa, etc. Fujinomiya you are on the base of Mt. Fuji, but you are also close to Minami Alps in Yamanashi. All the major cities in Shizuoka have a Shinkansen staiton, takes less than an hour to Tokyo and two hours to Osaka. All the cities have the sea close by.
Matsumoto was nice when I visited! I don’t drive and the city was pretty walkable with trains, but very close to mountains.
I live in Nagoya and find it extremely walkable and very convenient in terms of trains (I can walk to 3 stations in 10 min, have a very large park, rivers nearby, and live under 5 min from a supermarket), plus close to nature – HOWEVER, I think it’s where I live specifically.
I’m too biased, because I love Gifu
Unseen Japan posted a rankings of best cities to live in Japan for foreign residents and Matsumoto, Kanazawa, and Toyama were all near the top. Those would meet your criteria as well.