This Vibrant Japanese City Near Tokyo Is The Perfect Digital Nomad Destination For 2025

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With its buzzing atmosphere, wide range of cultural activities, and entrepreneurial scene, Tokyo is the darling of digital nomads headed to Japan, one of the Asian countries that have been most receptive to them in recent years.

As fascinating as Tokyo may be, it can be a tad overwhelming at times: it’s the largest city in the world, with a population of over 9 million, and no amount of city parks and aesthetic coffee shops will save you from the concrete jungle woes.

Lucky for nomads looking for the happy medium between a megalopolis and a sleepy town, this lesser-known city an hour away is much smaller but not one bit less exciting:

Why Yokohama May Be Japan’s Next Digital Nomad Haven

A historic port city lying just south of the Tokyo urban sprawl, Yokohama is a vibrant conurbation 3.7 million people call home, best known for its audacious skyscrapers that seem to defy gravity, lush green areas, and modern waterfront.

It may not be as international or host as big an expat community as Tokyo or Osaka, but it has a lot going for it on the nomad front, particularly if you’re coming to Japan with both cultural immersion and a higher quality of life in mind.

For starters, it has one of the most sizable Chinatowns in Japan, with hundreds of Chinese restaurants where you can eat chicken noodle soup for under a thousand yen––we all know how important eating affordably is for nomads on a budget.

In fact, Yokohama is one of the least expensive Japanese cities to live in: a regular cappuccino in a downtown cafe is under $3, a meal in an inexpensive restaurant is under $7, and if you’re ordering a 3-course menu in a mid-range eatery, you’ll pay roughly $33.

A Plethora Of Kawaii Nomad-Friendly Cafes

Speaking of cafes, laptop-friendly venues are numerous, with Enokitei Honten being a well-loved brunch spot dishing up creamy cheesecakes and matcha in a European-style mansion overlooking a scenic Motomachi Park.

Then there’s an adorable Pompompurin Cafe: for those of you who don’t know, Pompompurin is the less-famous companion to Hello Kitty, and a chubby golden retriever with a trademark beret hat: expect Pompompurin-shaped buns, coasters, pillows, and even chairs!

For brunch, our top recommendation is JS Pancake Cafe, where they serve high-quality fluffy pancakes with the option of various toppings, from sweet to savory, as well as the best salmon and avocado toast and eggs Benedict in town.

A Lively Marina And Lush Japanese Gardens

Whether you’re an introvert or a sociable kind, Yokohama has a vast choice of activities, from quirky exhibits like the Cup Noodles Museum, where you can explore the history of instant noodles and learn more about their inventor, to peaceful green oases like Sankeien Garden.

The most famous public park in Yokohama, it is a peaceful stroll through beautiful landscaping, with avenues flanked by colorful flowers and well-preserved Japanese buildings from different historic periods, up to the modern era––and there’s even a tea house!

Meanwhile, Kisamichi Promenade is where all the action is centered, with its landmark ferries wheel and marina bars catering to a diverse crowd, and to our fellow hopheads, you don’t want to miss the Kirin Yokohama Beer Village, where a pint will set you back by $2.

The Pros And Cons Of Living In Yokohama

As seen on Nomads, the largest platform for tracking digital nomad trends globally, Yokohama is the 15th most sought-after city in the country currently, with remote workers favoring it for its ‘good’ quality of life, ‘great’ safety and ‘okay’ walkability.

According to visitors, some of the pros include:

• Very safe
• Fast internet
• Lots of fun stuff to do
• Good air quality
• Spacious and not crowded
• Safe for women

Some of the cons include:

• It’s not as cheap as other Asian destinations (not to say it’s expensive by local standards)
• It gets cold in the winter
• It’s difficult to make friends (there are not that many nomads around, remember?)
• People don’t speak English well

Americans Can Stay 3 Months In Yokohama Visa-Free

Recently, Japan launched its own Digital Nomad Visa, aiming to attract highly-qualified, higher-income entrepreneurs to its shores.

It’s not exactly the easiest visa to get, with a minimum yearly income requirement set at a whopping $66,662, and the authorized stay being only six months.

That’s hardly appealing to budget nomads, and we doubt Japan would have become as popular a nomad hub were it not for the fact U.S. citizens, and a majority Europeans, can still come to the country visa-free, with no requirement other than nationality, for up to 90 days.

That’s more than enough time to discover all that Yokohama has to offer, and get a taste of life as a foreigner in Japan.

Vinicius Costa

Vini, our senior lead writer at Travel Off Path, has over 60+ countries under his belt (and currently weaving tales from Paris!), and a knack for turning off-the-beaten-path experiences into informative stories that will have you packing your bags.

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This article originally appeared on TravelOffPath.com

Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.