Atera Village (Aichi Prefecture)

Atera is a tiny village perched on both sides of a mountain valley, started about 1000 years ago by the Japanese mystic Abe no Seimei (like the Japanese Merlin). Atera is right next to a famous waterfall, and the area is known for its scenery and nature, being a popular destination for people who live in the cities nearby. Atera gets very little snow (1-2 days/year), and has similar weather to Nagoya but is always 2-3 degrees cooler.

It feels deep in the mountains but it’s only about 10 minutes of (fun) mountain driving to get to the main road. The nearest “city” is 30 minutes away down the river, and Hamamatsu and Toyohashi are about an hour’s drive away, both with Shinkansen stops.

Atera is a place for people who like nature and views, and because of this a number of families have moved here or built second houses (“bessou” in Japanese) over the last 30 years, and it means the villagers are quite welcoming to outsiders. The city has quite a few foreign people living and working there so in general the citizens are used to foreigners.

Atera has always been a place where people have lived quite simple lives, not rich like some of the towns nearby. This means the houses and properties are simple and often quite rustic. Most houses have some farmland, but expect this to be on a slope, and expect the famously large animal population to test your ability to make cages around your crops.

The village only has about 24 houses, but like other inaka areas it is going to have many akiya in the years to come, as the average age of residents here is quite high (but you cannot guess their age by looking at them, everyone is so genki!). To help convince people to sell their akiya, it’s best to visit and let the locals know you’d like to move in someday.

Public School – Toyo primary school in Ono, 10 minutes drive. Junior high 15 minutes drive. High school 30 minutes drive.

Police – 10 minute drive to Ono nearby, but you won’t see them around much at all, and they never come to Atera village.

Fire Department – The village has fire-fighting equipment, and the nearest Fire Station is 20 minutes away.

High-Speed Internet Access – Fibre to nearly anywhere (we have it coming right into the middle of the house), only available through the local cable TV network (Tee’s).

Cellphone Reception – Full reception on AU/Docomo, None on Softbank.

What type of housing generally available? – Kominka/minka (simple and not so big)

Bank – JA/Post Office/Local bank within 15 minutes drive. MUFG 30 minutes drive in Shinshiro city. The ATM in the local convenience store is 10 minutes drive.

Grocery Store – Genki Supermarket: 10 minutes drive to Ono, cheap, quire good. Piago: 30 minutes drive to Shinshiro city, has more range and 100yen store. Mokkuru Michinoeki: 20 minutes drive to Shinshiro city, has less range but has lots of local produce and very tasty things.

Convenience Store – 10 minutes drive to Ono, there are quite a few in the area.

Medical Services – Shinshiro has a hospital that is open for emergencies most evenings and weekends (30 minutes drive), but many people drive to Toyokawa hospital instead (1 hour drive). Shinshiro has a rotation for night clinics, so sometimes the day hospital 10 minutes away has night emergency capacity.

Things to do - Walking/Hiking: Atera No Nanataki waterfalls (in the top 100 waterfalls of Japan) is a ~30 minute walk away, Tokai Shizen Hodo hiking track, Mt. Horaiji which has great hiking tracks (and 1,300 years of history). There’s many great tracks nearby. Hunting, fishing, fesitvals, lots of outdoor activities.

Hardware Stores - Kahma at home: 15 minutes drive, small place with the basics for repairs/farming. Kahma: 30 minutes drive in Shinshiro, bigger with more range. Cainz: 1 hour drive in Hamamatsu, has nearly everything you could need.

Plusses:

● Feels nice and isolated but is actually reasonably close to cities and shops

● Incredible scenery in every season

● Community is supportive of outsiders

● Very cheap land tax

Minuses:

● Rock wall and land management is always necessary at some point (almost no flat land)

● In very heavy rain the road into the village can be blocked by mudslides (usually cleared within a day)

● Healthcare situation in Shinshiro is not great for emergencies

● Shinshiro city is not as supportive of new residents as nearby cities

For more information, please feel free to contact Alex through Ateramonya on Instagram or aterainakalife@gmail.com in English or 日本語.