Why Indians from Rajasthan Are Coming to Hokkaido Horse Farms
Why Indians from Rajasthan Are Coming to Hokkaido Horse Farms
Published: April 2026 | Reading time: 10 min
In the small town of Urakawa, tucked between the Hidaka Mountain Range and the Pacific Ocean in southern Hokkaido, something remarkable is happening. A community of Indian workers — most of them from the desert state of Rajasthan — has quietly taken root, and their numbers are growing fast.
Ten years ago, there was not a single Indian resident in Urakawa. Today, approximately 350 Indian nationals call this remote Japanese town home, making up the largest foreign community in a town of just 11,000 people. This is the story of why they came, what their lives look like, and what it means for Indian workers who are considering making the same journey.
The Town Nobody Had Heard Of
Urakawa is not Tokyo. It is not Osaka. It is not even a city most Japanese people think about on a daily basis.
Located about one hour west of Cape Erimo — the dramatic headland that juts into the Pacific — Urakawa sits at the heart of the Hidaka region, one of Japan's most important thoroughbred horse-producing areas. Neighboring towns like Shinhidaka and Niikappu are well known in horse racing circles, but to the outside world, this corner of Hokkaido has remained largely invisible.
That invisibility is exactly what makes it interesting.
A Perfect Match: Rajasthan Meets Hokkaido
The connection between Rajasthan and Hokkaido horse farms is not random. It is the result of a surprisingly logical match between supply and demand.
On the Indian side: Jodhpur, the second-largest city in Rajasthan, has a long history with horses. Polo — the sport played on horseback — is deeply embedded in the culture of the region. Many men from Jodhpur and surrounding areas grow up working with horses, developing hands-on skills in riding, training, and animal care from a young age. These skills are not theoretical. They are practical, physical, and passed down through generations.
For many of these men, however, the economic reality back home is harsh. Skilled horse workers in India earn very little. After years of working with horses in Jodhpur, some moved to the Middle East — Qatar, the UAE — where horse racing is popular and wages are higher. Others went to Europe, working at stables in France or the United Kingdom. The pattern is one of constant movement in search of better pay.
On the Japanese side: Japan's horse racing industry is booming. Thanks to the spread of online betting, smartphone apps, and a surge in fan engagement — partly driven by popular media — annual sales at regional tracks have more than doubled in recent years. Hokkaido's regional racing circuit, for example, has seen revenues climb from around ¥10 billion in the early 2000s to over ¥40–50 billion today.
More horses are being bred, more horses need to be trained, and more skilled riders are needed to do the work. The problem: young Japanese people are increasingly uninterested in agricultural and equestrian labor. The industry is facing a chronic labor shortage.
The solution came through word of mouth. Someone knew someone in Jodhpur who was looking for better-paying horse work. A farm owner in Urakawa was willing to hire. The first few workers arrived, reported back to their communities, and the flow began.
What the Numbers Look Like Now
As of early 2025, Urakawa's foreign resident population has grown to over 530 people, with Indian nationals accounting for roughly 350 of them. This represents more than 4.8% of the total town population — well above Japan's national average of around 3% for foreign residents.
The workers come primarily from two Indian states: - Rajasthan (particularly Jodhpur) — Hindu, Rajasthani/Merwari language speakers - Bihar — Muslim, Hindi speakers
This distinction matters more than it might seem. Rajasthani workers and Bihari workers often speak different languages, follow different dietary customs, and have different community networks. For anyone considering coming to Urakawa, understanding which community you will be joining — and which farms are hiring from which regions — is practical, useful information.
The Work: What You Actually Do
Workers in Urakawa are employed byhorse training farms (育成牧場, ikusei bokujou) that take young thoroughbreds from breeders and prepare them for racing.
Let's be direct about what the job involves:
A typical day looks like this:
- 4:30 AM — Wake up
- 5:30 AM — Begin work at the farm (feeding, grooming, mucking out stables)
- 7:30 AM — Return home for breakfast
- 8:30 AM — Back to work
- 1:30 PM — Lunch break
- 5:00 PM — End of work
- 9:00 PM — Sleep
Days off: approximately 3 to 4 per month. During foaling season, it can be even less.
This is not a 9-to-5 job. The horses dictate the schedule, and the schedule is relentless. Workers who come expecting a comfortable routine will be surprised. Workers who come prepared for hard physical labor, with genuine experience around horses, tend to do well.
The Money: Is It Worth It?
This is the question that matters most.
Based on available data from farm job listings in the Hidaka region, base monthly salaries for horse farm workers typically range from ¥180,000 to ¥200,000 during the probationary period, rising to ¥200,000 and above for experienced workers.
Most farms also provide: - Company housing (typically ¥20,000–¥30,000/month deducted from salary) - Meals or meal support in some cases - Work clothing - Social insurance
Annual bonuses of 1–2 months' salary are common at established farms.
After housing costs, a worker clearing ¥170,000–¥180,000 per month take-home can save significantly — especially given that Urakawa's cost of living is low compared to Japanese cities. Many workers share large houses with 6–8 colleagues, splitting costs further.
The 45-day return rule: Many farms offer workers 45 days of home leave per year — typically taken in one block — along with a one-way ticket back to India. This is a significant benefit, and one that workers consistently mention when describing why they chose Japan over other destinations.
The yen factor: It is important to be honest here. Japan's yen has weakened significantly in recent years, which affects how much money converts to Indian rupees when workers send money home. Some Rajasthani workers who came to Urakawa a few years ago are now considering moves to New Zealand, Australia, or the UK, where wages are higher in stronger currencies. This is a real consideration for anyone planning long-term.
Daily Life in Urakawa
Life in Urakawa as an Indian worker is unlike life in Tokyo or any other Japanese city. The town is small, rural, and quiet. The nearest large city (Obihiro) is over an hour away by car.
But the Indian community has built its own infrastructure:
Food: A local resident has operated a small Indian grocery store — stocking basmati rice, atta flour, spices, and halal products — for over seven years. Workers describe doing large group grocery runs to the local supermarket, buying in bulk for communal cooking. Bulgarian-style yogurt, popular among Indian workers, has become one of the store's best-selling products.
Community: Saturday nights often mean large communal gatherings — 20 or more Indian workers cooking together and socializing. The tight-knit community provides support that partially compensates for the isolation of rural life.
Language support: Urakawa Town Hall has taken proactive steps to support its Indian residents, hiring a Hindi-speaking community coordinator and an Indian-born international exchange officer who speaks both Hindi and Rajasthani. The town provides translated documents, home visits, and support for medical appointments.
Family: Most workers come alone, leaving wives and children in India. A small but growing number have brought families to Urakawa. Children born in Urakawa attend local schools, where they receive homework support from the town's Indian-language staff.
How to Get There: The Visa Question
Indian workers in Urakawa's horse farms come primarily on the Specified Skilled Worker (SSW / Tokutei Ginou) visa, which allows legal employment in designated industries including agriculture and livestock care.
Key points about the SSW visa for horse farm work: - Requires passing a skills assessment test and a basic Japanese language test (JLPT N4 level or equivalent) - Valid for up to 5 years - Tied to a specific employer and job category - Does not automatically lead to permanent residency (unlike SSW Type 2 in some sectors)
The hiring process for most Urakawa farms is handled directly by the farm owners, often through existing networks within the Indian community. If you have experience with horses and connections to someone already working in Urakawa, that is still the most common path in.
Is This Right for You?
Urakawa is not for everyone. Before considering this path, be honest with yourself:
✅ Good fit if: - You have real, hands-on experience with horses (riding, grooming, training) - You are physically fit and comfortable with early mornings and outdoor work in cold weather - You can handle rural isolation — the nearest city is far - You are prepared to work 25–28 days per month, at least initially - You are looking for stable employment with housing provided
❌ Not a good fit if: - You have no experience with horses - You are expecting city life or urban convenience - You need frequent days off or a flexible schedule - You are primarily motivated by the yen amount without factoring in currency conversion
The Bigger Picture
What is happening in Urakawa is a small but vivid example of how global labor markets actually work — not through official programs or government recruitment drives, but through word of mouth, community networks, and the simple logic of matching skills with demand.
Men from Jodhpur who grew up with horses found their way to a town in Hokkaido that desperately needed people who could work with horses. The match was almost accidental. Now it is a established community, with grocery stores, town hall support, and children growing up in the cold Hokkaido air.
For Indian workers with the right background, Urakawa and the broader Hidaka region represent a genuine opportunity. The work is hard, the winters are cold, and the yen is not what it once was. But the community is real, the jobs are stable, and for those coming from horse-working backgrounds in Rajasthan or Bihar, the fit can be surprisingly natural.
Useful Resources
- Sending money home from Japan: Wise and Remitly are widely used by Indian workers in Japan for sending rupees to family. Compare rates before each transfer.
- SIM cards in Japan: English-friendly options include IIJmio and Rakuten Mobile.
- Japanese language study: Learning basic Japanese significantly improves working conditions and relationships with Japanese colleagues. Apps like Duolingo offer a free starting point.
This article was written based on publicly available information about the Urakawa Indian worker community. If you have first-hand experience working at a Hokkaido horse farm and would like to share your story, contact us.
Tags: Indian workers Japan, Hokkaido horse farm jobs, Rajasthan Japan, Urakawa Indian community, Japan farm work visa, SSW visa agriculture, horse training jobs Japan
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