A huge percentage of the population is urban. Rural Japan has been steadily depopulation for some time now. Couple that with an aging population and many rural villages and towns are essentially abandoned.
That’s true and housing is dirt cheap even near ski slopes
My son was just there
He and his buddies are considering buying for that reason
Plus the Japanese are very open to Americans per him
I’m surprised that with remote work, that people wouldn’t choose to live in a cheaper area than in Tokyo.