Japan is an amazing place, and with 772 cities in the country, it can be quite a hassle to find where the best place to live is. If you are looking for a list of the safest cities to live in Japan, then look no more! Here is a comprehensive list of the safest cities in Japan. Whichever place you will eventually decide suits you best, Village House has many available properties in over 1,000 locations throughout Japan, so please have a look if you are searching for an apartment! 

Japan is known for its very low crime rates, it ranks at 25 out of all the countries in the world as to how safe it is. Now, that’s pretty safe, but within Japan, there are some places to live that are safer than others. Without further adieu, here is a list of the safest cities in Japan.

Number 10: Osaka

Osaka is the capital of Osaka prefecture. It is also the largest component of the Keihanshin Metropolitan Area. The Keihanshin is the second-largest metropolitan area in Japan and within the world. This area has about 19 million inhabitants. 

The overall risk of living in Osaka is quite low. The crime rate, as with most Japanese cities, is very low, with 63,213 reported crimes in 2013 and a population of 2,683,487, which means that the crime rate per 100 is 2.36. Compared to other countries, this is very low. This means you don’t have to worry about taking a bus or taxi. One problem that Osaka has is due to the high amount of people that live there, is pickpocketing, which is a bit higher than average. Mugging and terrorism are also very low so you don`t need to worry if you are coming home late from experiencing some of the famous Osaka nightlife.

The only thing that anyone who lives in Osaka needs to worry about is the natural disaster risk. As it is a coastal town, like many other Japanese cities, it can be quite prone to earthquakes and tsunamis. With all that in mind, Osaka is still a very safe city and is an amazing place to live!

Now, onto

Number 9: Fukuoka

Fukuoka is the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture. It is on the northern shore of the Japanese island Kyushu. It’s the most populous city on the island and the largest city and metropolitan area west of Keihanshin. It has a population of 2.5 million people and only 23,399 crimes reported, which puts the crime rate per 100 at 1.55. It is the sixth-largest city in Japan and, like most Japanese cities, is very safe. Car theft is higher than average compared to other Japanese cities, and again, much like Osaka, terrorism and muggings are pretty much unheard of here.

With it being a coastal town, the same dangers of earthquakes and tsunamis apply as they did in Osaka. For affordable apartments for rent in Fukuoka, check out the Village House website. 

Number 8:  Kyoto

Kyoto is one of the most beautiful and safest places to live in. It is the capital of Kyoto prefecture in Japan. It is located in the Kansai region on the main island of Honshu. Out of 1.5 Million people, 21,000 crimes were reported, which makes the crime rate about 1.45%. Recently, Kyoto had the biggest mass killing in Japanese history since World War II. Thirty-three people were killed when an arsonist lit an animation studio called Kyoani on fire. This is a very very rare occurrence in Japan and is still a very safe place to live.

Number 7: Okayama

Okayama is the capital city of Okayama Prefecture. It has a population of 720,000 people. The city is well known for the Okayama Castle. The crime rate in Okayama city is quite low, out of 720,000 people, only 9,000 crimes were reported which puts the crime rate at 1.33%. You will not have to worry if you need to walk home at night, pickpocketing is unheard of here and the risk of car theft is one of the lowest in the country.

Number 6:  Kobe

Kobe is the sixth-largest city in Japan and is the capital of Hyogo Prefecture. It is well known for its amazing Kobe beef. It’s located on the southern side of Honshu, which is on the main island of Japan. Regarding the crime rate stats in Kobe, out of 150,000 people, only 20,000 crimes were reported which puts the crime ratio at 1.30%. As with the other cities on the list, overall crime is quite low. That being said, there is a larger than average usage and selling of drugs in this city. It is also a coastal city, which increases the chances of a tsunami causing damage.

Now, onto the top 5 safest cities in Japan .

Number 5: Sapporo

If you have been living in Japan for a while, or even just got here, you will most likely know the name Sapporo from the beer that is produced in the city. Sapporo is the fifth-largest city in Japan with a population of 2 million people. The city is found on the island of Hokkaido and is the capital of Hokkaido Prefecture. It is a very safe city in Japan with the most notorious criminal activity being lingerie theft, so if you plan on living here, make sure you lock up your unmentionables. Out of the 2 million people that live there, 20,000 crimes are reported per year, making the ratio 1.06. Village House has several options for rental apartments in the Sapporo area. 

Number 4: Hiroshima

Hiroshima is the capital of Hiroshima prefecture with a population of 1,900,000 people and is the largest city in the Chugoku region. Hiroshima is well known around the world as the location of the first atomic bomb being dropped on a city. The crime rate for Hiroshima is one of the best around the world. Out of the 1,900,000 people, there were only 11,000 crimes reported, which makes the ratio 0.97.

Now, the top 3 safest cities in Japan.

Number 3: Sendai

Sendai is the capital of Miyagi Prefecture and the biggest city in the Tohoku region, it holds the title of the second-largest city north of Tokyo. It has a population of around 1 million people. Sendai is the location of the 2011 tsunami, which was one of Japan’s most horrible natural disasters. The city itself is very safe, out of the 1 million people there were only 11,000 reported crimes. Making the ratio 0.96!

Number 2: Kawasaki

As we get closer to the safest city to live in Japan, we come across a city called Kawasaki in Kanagawa prefecture. It is the 8th most populated city in Japan and is one of the main cities in the Greater Tokyo Area. (Can you guess what city will be number 1?) The population of Kawasaki is 1.5 million people with 11,000 crimes reported yearly that makes it the second safest city, with only 0.78 crimes per 100 people. It is one of the safest cities in the world, but not as safe as our number one city. (Fun fact: despite having the same name, Kawasaki motorcycles did not originate from this city.)

Our number one safest city in Japan is……

TOKYO!

Now, when you think of a city in Japan, most people think of Tokyo. It’s the most populous metropolitan area in the world, and with 14 million people, it’s not hard to see why. Along with being the capital of Japan, it has been ranked as the safest city in the world and has been the top safest city for 3 years now. In 2017, it reported the lowest amount of crimes since World War I. That being said, it’s still a major city, so please be careful if you choose to live in Tokyo.

That is our top 10 list of the safest cities in Japan. It’s good to remember that although Japan is a very safe country, things can still happen to you, so it’s always a good idea to look out for yourself no matter where you go in the world. Thanks for reading, and make sure to check out some of our other blog articles well as Village House’s available rental apartments.