Yamakita Town, Kanagawa神奈川県山北町

Living in Yamakita Town, Kanagawa

Tanzawa Lake

We have Summarized the livability of Yamakita Town, Kanagawa.

WESTERN AREA県西地域

What kind of place is Yamakita Town?
Yamakita TownPR video
How is the traffic situation in Yamakita Town?
How are the rent and land prices in Yamakita Town?
How is childcare and education in Yamakita Town?
How about shopping in Yamakita Town?
How about jobs and recruitment in Yamakita Town?
Yamakita Town’s unique subsidy/subsidy system

What kind of place is Yamakita Town, Kanagawa?

Tea plantation

Yamakita Town: A town surrounded by mountains and full of nature

Yamakita Town is located in the western part of Kanagawa Prefecture, bordering Shizuoka Prefecture and Yamanashi Prefecture.
It borders Shizuoka Prefecture’s Doshi Village and Sagamihara City to the north, Hadano City, Matsuda Town, and Kiyokawa Village to the east, Kaisei Town and Minamiashigara City to the south, and Shizuoka Prefecture’s Oyama Town and Yamanakako Village to the west.
It has a population of approximately 9,500 people and approximately 4,200 households. (As of January 2023)

Surrounded by the Tanzawa Mountains, this area is rich in nature, and nearly 90% of the town area is mountainous and filled with nature, including the Tanzawa-Oyama Quasi-National Park and the Prefectural Natural Park.
This environment makes it popular with many climbers and hikers.
Yamakita Town also has many tourist attractions, such as Lake Tanzawa, which was selected as one of the 100 best dam lakes in Japan, Nakagawa Onsen, known as Shingen’s hidden hot spring, Shasui Falls, one of the 100 best waterfalls in Japan, and Yushin Valley, known as a famous spot for autumn leaves.
It is a place where you can refresh yourself in nature at a campsite, enjoy stream fishing, or go hiking in the forest, and enjoy it alone, with your family, or as a couple.

PR video of Yamakita Town, Kanagawa

Yamakita Town Promotional Video ~Just right for convenient country living!~

Yamakita Town Promotional Video 2021 “Yamakita Town: A Town that Connects People”

How is the traffic situation in Yamakita Town?

Yamakita Station

Yamakita Town is a town with a well-developed transportation network to Kanagawa Prefecture.

Yamakita Town is on the JR Gotemba Line, with three stations: Yamakita Station, Higashiyamakita Station, and Yaga Station.
Yamakita Town is quite far from Tokyo, about 80 km away, but it is located in an area where you don’t feel that far away or inconvenienced.
Take the Odakyu Line to Ebina Station, then transfer to the Sotetsu Line and you can reach Yokohama in about 80 minutes, or take the Gotemba Line to the Tokaido Line to reach Odawara in about 25 minutes, or Shinagawa in about 100 minutes.

If you are travelling by car, take National Route 246 from Yamakita and then take the Tomei Expressway from Oimachida IC, and you will arrive in Tokyo (Yoga IC) in about an hour.
It is within easy commuting distance to downtown Tokyo and Yokohama, and the monthly parking rates around the station are exceptionally cheap compared to the average prices in the greater Tokyo area.

Yamakita Town also operates a local shuttle bus as part of its outing support for the elderly.
Nicknamed “Gururin,” this shuttle bus does not require prior registration and can be used by anyone, including non-elderly residents and residents outside Yamakita Town.
Furthermore, Yamakita Town provides a transportation service called “Odekakego,” which subsidizes taxis for the elderly, to help transport elderly residents of Yamakita Town who have difficulty going out to places such as hospitals from their homes. Even if you are no longer able to drive due to old age, you can rest assured knowing that the town is actively supporting this type of transportation support.

If you have a car, you can easily access expressways and other areas, and it is convenient to get to the city center and tourist spots. Parking and land are cheap, so you can keep the maintenance costs of your car down.

Traveling to urban areas by train requires transfers and takes time.

How are the rent and land prices in Yamakita Town?

Yamakita Town: A budget-friendly town with low average rent

The appeal of Yamakita Town is that the rent price range is affordable.
It is rare to find a 2LDK family property for around 60,000 yen in Kanagawa Prefecture.
Even in Kanagawa Prefecture, in Yokohama City, you can only rent a one-room apartment for this price.
The land market is also cheap, so a detached house that would be impossible to find in Tokyo is an option in Yamakita Town.
Yamakita Town also operates a vacant house bank, a system that introduces information registered by people looking to rent or sell vacant houses and vacant land to people who want to use vacant houses.
It may be a good idea to use this system, which aims to make effective use of vacant houses, promote settlement, and revitalize the area, to find a base for settling down.

How is childcare and education in Yamakita Town?

Yushin Valley

Yamakita Town: A town that supports long-distance commuting

Yamakita Town has 4 nursery schools, 2 kindergartens, 1 elementary school, 1 junior high school, and 1 high school. There are no junior colleges or universities.
Subsidies for Pediatric Medical Expenses cover both outpatient and inpatient care for children up to 18 years old (until March 31 of the year they turn 18), with full coverage provided.
As for child allowances, ¥15,000 is provided for children under 3 years old, ¥10,000 for the first and second children aged 3 until the start of elementary school, ¥15,000 for the third child and beyond, and ¥10,000 for junior high school students.

Looking at the results of the 2021 National Academic Ability and Learning Survey, the results are on par with the prefectural average.
In addition, the proportion of children who answered that they enjoy school is high for both elementary and junior high school students, suggesting that they are leading good school lives.
Yamakita Town has one elementary school and one junior high school. There used to be multiple schools, but they have been closed down, resulting in the current situation.
Since there is only one elementary and junior high school due to the closure of the school, there may be cases where the commuting distance becomes a burden depending on the residential area.
For this reason, Yamakita Town has designated areas that are far away and has established a system to provide commuting subsidies to reduce the burden of commuting to school.

Yamakita Town: A town that puts effort into supporting child-rearing

Yamakita Town puts a lot of effort into supporting child-rearing. The town hosts “Infant and Toddler Home Education Classes” and also has places like the “Yamakita Town Child-rearing Support Center” that you can drop in to easily. It’s an easy environment to raise children in.
The town also built a town-run housing complex called “Sunrise Yamakita” to support the child-rearing generation and encourage them to settle there.
The main eligibility requirements for occupancy are that the household must be a child-rearing household with someone under the age of 18 living with them, and that the household may become child-rearing generation, such as newlyweds.
It’s conveniently located just a one-minute walk from Yamakita Station. In this way, the town supports the child-rearing environment.

You can raise your children in the midst of nature, surrounded by mountains.

The number of elementary and junior high schools has decreased due to consolidation and closure, and commuting to school tends to be farther away.

How about shopping in Yamakita Town?

Roadside Station Yamakita

Yamakita Town: A town where many people shop at traditional small retail stores

Since this is not an area with department stores, large supermarkets, commercial facilities, or many convenience stores on every corner, shopping is primarily done by car, but it’s not particularly inconvenient.
Several stores essential for daily life, such as supermarkets, dry cleaners, and convenience stores, operate within Yamakita Town.
Along Route 721, there is a large supermarket, ‘Odawara Department Store Yamakita Branch‘.
There is also a Komeri home improvement store, where you can find daily necessities.
It takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes by train to Yokohama and about 2 hours to Tokyo, so you can arrange to purchase any necessary items that aren’t available in Yamakita Town during your trips outside.
Moreover, the popular Gotemba Premium Outlets are only about a 30-minute drive away, so it’s not an isolated place where shopping is a struggle.
Once you get used to it, the moderate inconvenience and just the right level of convenience become part of your daily routine. You may find it surprisingly convenient once you start living here.

There are enough stores to buy daily necessities.

There are no shopping malls, and without a car there are limited things you can buy.

How about jobs and recruitment in Yamakita Town?

Yamakita Town: A town with jobs ranging from forestry to manufacturing

Yamakita Town is hiring for a variety of jobs, including factory work, delivery, and forestry.
In addition, remote work has become commonplace in modern times, so there is also the option of working remotely while residing in Yamakita Town.
It is about 80 minutes to Yokohama and about 2 hours to Tokyo, so commuting from here is also an option even if your workplace is in Tokyo or Yokohama.
It is also advantageous for starting a business, as office expenses can be kept lower than in Tokyo.