Nepali Immigrants Transform Japan’s Culinary and Real Estate

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With Japan’s ageing population driving demand for migrant labor, the Nepali community—now nearly 300,000 strong—is reshaping the nation’s food culture and suburban housing markets.

By TRH Foreign Affairs Desk

New Delhi, November 12, 2025 — Japan’s quiet demographic revolution is increasingly visible in its kitchens and neighbourhoods. As the nation grapples with an ageing population and labour shortages, immigrants—especially from Nepal—are filling crucial economic and cultural spaces.

According to Kaan Karayılmaz, a freelance economist and independent researcher, the Nepali population in Japan has grown fivefold in less than a decade—from around 60,000 in 2017 to nearly 300,000 today, including students. “There are thousands of Indian restaurants in Japan, many of which are run by Nepalis,” Karayılmaz wrote on LinkedIn. “The similarity between Nepalese and Indian food cultures facilitates the operation of these establishments. The number of restaurants labelled as Indian-Nepalese is steadily increasing.”

Beyond the restaurant business, Nepali immigrants are also entering Japan’s real estate market. Karayılmaz cited a Japanese real estate agency owner who said that “Chinese and Indians are in the majority,” but noted that “recently, Nepalese have also been acquiring property.” Families, he explained, prefer to take mortgages rather than pay rent, showing a long-term commitment to Japan.

“From the immigrants’ perspective, starting their own business by opening a fast-food restaurant or grocery store is a profitable investment,” Karayılmaz observed. “After accumulating capital, immigrants plan to buy a house. The immigrant psychology is the same in Japan as it is in Germany.”

Other social media users echoed the trend. Timothy Conno commented that “the Nepali diaspora is growing quickly here,” adding humorously that “it is a universal truth that people like to complain about their chosen home.” Another user, Azarel, praised the culinary fusion emerging from this migration wave: “The Indo-Japanese food in Nepalese restaurants is one of the most underrated cuisines in the world.”

With Japan’s elderly population rising and its working-age population shrinking, policymakers are increasingly opening the door to foreign workers. The growing Nepali diaspora stands as a vivid example of how immigration is not only reshaping Japan’s economy but also transforming its tastes, towns, and long-held notions of cultural identity.

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