Hey everyone,
I'm a 44-year-old retired game developer planning to move to rural Japan to work on my first sci-fi novel and a solo indie game project. Looking for some advice on my situation:
My Background:
- Former game industry professional, now retired
- Have substantial savings and stable monthly passive income from previous ventures
- Want to live in Japanese countryside for inspiration/peaceful environment (spent some time before in Gujo and loved it, spent some time in Nagoya as well, liked it but would prefer more rural )
- Primary goal is learning Japanese while having time to work on my creative projects (Game and Book)
What I'm Looking For:
- A legitimate Japanese language school in a more rural setting (full week classes/real study)
- Ideally in places like Gifu Prefecture or similar countryside areas (nature is important)
- Smaller class sizes and a relaxed learning environment (I mean by that, having correct time and focus with teacher )
- A place where I wouldn't be the only student over 25 ("How do you do fellow kids?" )
- A school that can sponsor a student visa if going that route for visa –
Location Preferences:
- Rural/countryside setting (considering Gifu, Gero, or similar areas, I just was there before, loved it, and it feels really close to what I was looking for – but anything with convenient biking distance shop/restaurant/ access to train station/ lot of nature )
- Affordable housing
I've been searching for information on this subreddit but haven't found much that matches my specific situation. On Google, what I could find mostly focuses on schools in major cities rather than rural options. I've checked websites like https://www.aikgroup-siki.com/j-school/japanese/area/section/chubu_tokai.htm, but most of the schools listed either have no websites or the information is several years old.
I'm currently unsure whether to pursue the student visa route or business manager visa (I have the capital requirements – talked to attorney and it is a route I can pursue if necessary). Really, I'm just looking to spend a few years in Japan learning the language, absorbing the culture, and finishing my book and maybe game. (But priority the first year is learning the language )
Has anyone here taken a similar path or know of language schools in rural areas that might be a good fit? Do such schools even exist outside of major cities?
Any insights from people who've made similar moves would be really appreciated!
Thanks in advance!
by Slomb2020
12 comments
I think there may be no visa category that perfectly matches your plan.
The most important fact you should consider is that Japan does NOT offer a retirement visa. So, a plan like “I have plenty of money and want to live quietly in the countryside relying on it” does NOT entitle you to residency. Even if you buy a cheap ruin/house/akiya in a rural area, it doesn’t change anything; you may own property, but you won’t have the right to become a permanent resident.
You could enroll in a language school and enjoy something like a temporary gap year in Japan (though I’m not sure that expression quite fits at your age), but that type of visa is only valid for a maximum of two years. Once that period ends, you would no longer have the legal right to stay in Japan.
EDIT:
As for the Business Manager visa, consult with an immigration lawyer quite in detail. Many people coming this thread misunderstand how it works; simply exceeding the minimum capital requirement does not mean anybody will automatically be granted this visa. Japan is not Dubai.
You must be able to explain clearly why your business needs to be based in Japan. (e.g. your product or service is closely tied to the Japanese market, most of your clients are Japanese and operating the business from abroad would significantly bother the business plan, need to hire Japanese employees, etc)
You’ll need several well-grounded reasons like these. If your application is deemed to lack such justification, in other words, if it ONLY seems like “I’m just going to set up a paper company here and use it as a loophole to retire in Japan”, the visa application will not be approved.
Frankly, from an outsider’s point of view, your plan sounds very much like you’re just trying to set up this kind of paper company ,by the way
I doubt there will be a language school in a truly rural area, but there are bound to be some within easy reach of nature. I am attending Yamasa in July, and while it’s in a suburban area, from videos I’ve seen it looks like there is plenty of nature and greenspace nearby.
If you do plan on doing the student visa route, figure out when you want to begin school and plan accordingly. The COE takes a long time to obtain. The application cutoff for the July intake was at the end of Feb. Another thing to note is that many schools will have a maximum time you can be a student depending on which semester you intake. For example, ISI in Tokyo told me that I could do a full two years if I started in April, but if I started in July the max I could do is 1 yr 9 mos.
Go Go Nihon! has a list of schools you might want to check out, if you haven’t already. But you don’t have to go through them, you can always just talk to the school directly.
>A legitimate Japanese language school in a more rural setting
That’s not really a thing that exists. Language schools are located in cities, not the countryside. They need support structures like housing for their students, which you’re not going to find in some rural village.
>On Google, what I could find mostly focuses on schools in major cities rather than rural options.
There’s a reason for this. See above.
>I’m currently unsure whether to pursue the student visa route or business manager visa
In order to get a business manager visa you would need to be running an actual business. It’s not like other country’s “investor” visas where you just bring a bunch of cash and get a visa.
They’re not going to give you a business manager visa for sitting at home and writing a book.
I think this is as close to a Japanese language school in the countryside as you’re likely to find https://www.yamasa.org/en/index.html. You might be able to rent a house a few train stops away in a more rural area.
The other issue I’m seeing with the rural area is lack of people or constant language input to accelerate language learning. Not enough signs, advertising, media, etc that you would get bombarded with in a more populous area.
Akita Inaka school comes to mind, but I can’t vouch for it either way. I’m considering looking into it more for myself. It’s obviously quite far from Gifu, but looks quite rural. There’s also the possibility of a local/online tutor which may suit you more if you prefer something more tailored.
Kofu, Yamanashi has a language school, Unitas. It’s in a city but surrounded by rural landscapes if that’s what you’re after.
Maybe look up UNITAS Kofu. The actual school is a 10 min walk away from Kofu station. Aside from the couple streets in front of the station it gets pretty rural once you drive 10-15 mins in any direction.
I went there for a year and it’s not a bad school but I personally can’t recommend it just because of how slow of a pace it was, but the school has a lot of days off and I was able to travel a lot
If you have cash and you only want to learn the culture and take a gap year, there is also cultural visa (learning how to be a shrine priest for example or japanese artisan) but you can’t work and the internship is unpaid so there that.
I’ve heard of the Akita inaka language school, but I don’t know much about it. I would assume that’s one of the few countryside options available. The other option would be to maybe look at university programs. I have a friend who is in a university Japanese program in a somewhat rural area, but still has access to a city/bullet train if needed.
I immediately thought of Lucas Pope. He has experience making games at Naughty Dog, and since moving to Japan, he has been making indie games. Paper’s please is his most famous work.
However, when I looked into it, it seems that he is married to a Japanese person. So, he probably didn’t have the same worries as you.
A lot of people are shitting on you for the rural location school thing, but like… a lot of Japan is super accessible by public transportation. So, providing you don’t mind a little commute, you could definitely go to school and still live somewhere more rural. (Though I suppose that depends on how rural.)
What I’d do is pick the place you want to live in Gifu or wherever and just start looking for language schools in the area. Find the nearest ones and see how far from “rural” you can be. A lot of places in Japan once you’re on the train and 20 mins outside of the city, you’re pretty rural. You pop off 20 mins outside of the city and bike another 20 mins and you could be in the middle of almost nowhere. Obviously this isn’t true in Tokyo, but it will be in Gifu or even Kyoto prefecture, etc.
So, I’d just pick the place you wanna live and work backward for a school from there. Also, it sounds like you want to actually attend the school, but in the event you’re trying to go just to get the Visa, be aware that schools require a certain percentage of attendance to keep the visa valid.