Buying farm land in Japan

I was just courious suppose I wanted to use the farm land for something else would that be allowed or would it have to be used strictly for farming?

There are zoning regulations in Japan too. Regulations vary from area to area though so you would have to check with the prefectural/town/village government of the area you were setting up in.

I'm interested in buying a farm in japan mostly as a hedge against serious economic tough times. My thoughts are for several investors and myself to buy out a couple who currently work the land, and then keep them on to manage it. my partners and i would ramp-up our knowledge on farming business practices and provide management support and financing. We'd focus on making a small profit on some base crop, but we'd also build a green house or something to provide some staples of survival if we ever had to get away from the city. Was thinking of even building a comfortable guest house on or near the property to accommodate. That might be used as a pension if there were any nearby attractions. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the cost and feasability of this. Ping me at awb10@yahoo.com if you'd like to talk offline.

Hokkaido is a great choice.
My previous three months have just been spent wwoofing in hokkaido.
You cannot stay longer than three months, simply put.
Bottom line is ignore all advise, go to hokkaido, wwoof and learn from them. Because up there life is based on how far you can push yourself, how trustworthy you are and who you know.
When you are with them show great respect, work your hardest and never take them for granted.

Unless you are already the owner of farm land of over 5000‡u, it is not easy to buy farm land.

Land classified as agricultural should not be used for other purpose. If a farmer want to build a house in his/her own farm land, he/she must get a permission from the local agricultural board to change the land classification from farm to residential.

Sorry to drag up an old thread but what restrictions are there on buying farm land in Japan ?

I've been told that unless you're already a farmer you can't buy agricultural land. I've also been told that to register as a farmer you have to have worked for three years within the agricultural field.

Can anyone tell me if this is the case and if there are any quicker ways to buy agricultural land ?

Thanks.

I know a friend whose father is a kengyô nôka, or "part-time farmer". By profession he is a taxi driver, but he spends part of his time farming. The family lives out in the countryside next to a road, with large fields behind the residences.

I do not know if foreigners in Japan can be eligible for kengyô nôka status, but it is worth looking into.

Thank you ippatsu,

Will have to look into that as it would be a good way to start farming. Have got a couple of work placements organised through wwoof Japan now which should be a great help getting to know local farmers and how they do things differently.

Still trying to find information on prefectures looking to attract folk with offers of land.

ive had a bit of a long term plan to get into farming in Japan as well. while i know very little about the process of acquiring land and equipment in japan I do have extensive experience in organic farming in texas.i know the demand for freshly grown HIGH QUALITY produce is in japan is growing at an astonishing rate compared to the rest of the civilized world. Right now, the highest quality produce in Japan is mostly coming from china where labor is cheap, and the west coast US for some specialty items. This is a shame to me knowing that soil conditions in most of rural japan are very stable (much easier to work than the bedrock limestone ridden land here in texas). All in all I think its a great idea to take advantage of the growing conditions in japan. Using modern hydroponic techniques in japan has not been extensively explored, but due to recent and future inflation and the cost of import, I see a possibility for somewhat of a farming revolution or resurgence in rural japan. Growing not only HIGH QUALITY local produce, but exotic produce locally could produce a niche market within japan that would drive farming wages up, local produce prices down, and, with the help of modern high technology farming, help bring japan back to a more self sufficient and subsistant culture. Just a bit of encouragementfor anyone wanting to farm anywhere, especially away from your homeland. The farming class has not died anywhere, it just needs to be rethought, reworked, and given love and attention to live up to full potential. Everyone loves good food, and the more good food able to be purchased directly from local farmers, the more we will see farming resume worldwide as a middle class form of subsistance. Keep growing wherever you are , because the world is hungry.

by the way, i run a 10.5 acre 1 greenhouse organic farm with a crew of 12 including myself and my wife. with a LOT of hard work, we make a very comfortable living and are able to undercut virtually all commercial farmers in the US because of such a low overhead. Were able to provide BETTER quality produce at a cheaper price through a farmers market than commercial grocery store produce. Theres no reason it cant work in Japan too.

strax, what do you base this sentence: "the highest quality produce in Japan is mostly coming from china" on?

If you go to a supermarket in Japan you will see mostly high quality locally grown produce- in fact I don't ever recall seeing any fresh produce labelled as being from China, and I think a lot of Japanese would disagree with you quite strongly on that point, especially given the number of China-related tainted food scandals there have been in the last few years.

Yeah Ive been to a japanes supermarket, although it was about 15 yrs ago when I was last in Japan. I do know local produce markets primarily sell local produce. Just like the rest of world. I also know that the majority of food served in restaurants around the world does not come from local markets. Dont get me wrong, the Osaka markets featured some of the most beautiful produce and meats I have EVER seen in a public market, but thats a FAR cry from what I saw in Tokyo. I know, 15 years is a long time, and I may be completely wrong. Beside that point, I know also that until recently organic certifications were few and far between in Japan, simultaneous to a massive deman increase for organic items. i know they are on the shelves, so if its not being grown in Japan, where is it coming from. My point is that that farming industry has changed and Its entirely possible to make a good living growing on a small scale. Its being done all over europe, the US, and central america. YOure definitely not going to be getting rich off a few fields of rice. But specialization is a pigeon-hole these days. I grow everything from pumpkin to daikon, blackberries toleeks, depending on season and rotation. The point is that in a country where you DONT have to compete with commercial farmers around every corner there is plenty of room for individuals to be competitive. Nitpick my post all you want, I just wanted to encourage someone to get into the field that I have loved so much and has provided me with much joy over the years. peace all.

Just to let everyone here know I am still working towards my goal of getting some farmland in japan. I'll hopefully be done with college in three years, and will be starting off by teaching english in Japan. No original, I realize, but effective. I'll continue posting my progress on here to give some hope to those who are striving for the same goal. :)

New to this forum but I am also interested in investing in farmland in Japan.

I have lived in Japan for nearly 15 years, my wife is Japanese and I speak the language.

I also own property in Tokyo so it is possible for foreigners to buy. However, you will need to pay cash or get a loan from an offshore bank in order to buy. Mortgages are becoming a little easier for foreigners to get in Japan, but you have to live in the residence. No mortgages for straight farmland. That would require a business loan and those are very difficult for foreigners to get.

I think the future of farming in Japan is interesting to say the least. Huge amounts of tiny parcels are already idle and many many more will become available over the next 10 years as the rural population retires.

Also, with the economic downturn, many younger people are starting to look at farming as different career path.

I would like to start picking up parcels of land and have someone else farm it. I heard that there is a company that does contract farming if you have the land. Does anyone have know anything about this or have a contact?

Just so you guys know I am still working on this goal. I have started going to a University here in the states and will be applying (so I can transfer) to Temple University Japan in a few weeks. Hopefully I will get accepted, and will start attending that university and will finally be in Japan. from there I'll finish school and I guess I can go from there. I have actually started documenting this process on youtube and here is a link to that. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3i7sMMz6uhg :)

Just letting everyone here know my progress is going quite well! I just got accepted to a University in Japan and I will be there starting January. Well, thats all for now--I'll keep posting my progress although its a slow process.

Hi Matt,

I read through this thread and saw that you are still working on your plan. Great to see.

Let us know how it all pans out, I am also interested in farming in Japan.

Cheers,
John.

Our family has commercially grown tea in southern island of Kyushu (Chiran) for more than 50 years. I am a rice grower in the Yolo County California. And as I titled my reply, let me ask,,, have you farmed before for a commercial purpose, and how substantial was the acreage? And, where in Japan will you find substantial acreage in Japan?..

I would like also to purchase a farming land in Japan. Having no experience, I was told by the Nogyoinkai that I would need to first rent about 30a-40a to be eligible to buy a land. Although it sounds interesting, I would first like to see a property listing of those farming lands.... here is the problem, no one seem to have one but the Nogyoinkai who keeps it secret, unless you go there and stay one full day speaking about your case. But that won't happen, just too time consuming. There must be some listing in Japanese online as for mansions-apartments, does anyone know any?

If you're on a student visa that's a great start. Before I got to the end of the thread I was going to suggest that you obtain a Specialist in the Humanities visa from one of the bigger Eikaiwa chains that will sponsor you. Typically you get a 1 year visa which would give you time to learn more of the language and earn some cash and if you renew your contract, it is common to be awarded a 3 year visa. At that point you could step out of the English conversation game or reduce your hours to a manageable level that would allow you to spend time learning farming techniques and building relationships with farmers.

The guy in this documentary has what seems like the ideal setup. He has been gifted land and the means to farm simply because he is willing to keep the land from being reclaimed by the forest.

http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/rough/2005/11/japan_the_slow.html

Best of luck!