Villages in Japan are mobilizing to counter demographic decline

By doing the dishes, Yoshi and Keiko chat in the small kitchen of their coffee located on the edge of one of the two main roads in the village.
The couple chose to move to the hearts of the mountains, located an hour’s drive west of Tokyo, in the community of Higashi-Chichibu.
Yoshi moved to Tokyo there 16 years ago, having acquired an old abandoned primary school in order to practice traditional Japanese drum music with his group.
Keiko followed him five years ago after their children grew up. She moved to Higashi-Chichibu, hoping to revitalize this small community.
There are young people in this village, but there is no link that unites them. They live quite alone. It would be good if a group of young people from the village gathered in order to launch a project together
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She wishes to succeed in channeling energies in the village and developing projects to diversify the local economy.
At the moment, this community of less than 3000 inhabitants perpetuates old traditions, such as the production of paper according to ancestral methods.
A tourist center allowing visitors to make paper and visit preserved buildings dating back to the beginning of the last century is one of the economic engines of Higashi-Chichibu.
Keiko takes care of a coffee with his spouse Yoshi in the village of Higashi-Chichibu.
Photo : Radio-Canada
Yoshi and Keiko opened their little coffee three years ago in an old house renovated by Yoshi in the middle of the pandemic.
Yoshi has somehow became the village man in the village. He is involved in the community as vice-president of the Chamber of Commerce and his group of traditional drums organizes concerts.
We cannot stop the demographic decline of Japan. We cannot slow down the drop in the birth rate. My project is not that. I devote my energy to the quality of life for the rest of the villagers.
More than a simple place of restoration, coffee has become one of the rally points in Higashi-Chichibu.
A corner has been set up for the sale of local paper craft products. A language school also gives lessons there every week.
There are a good number of tourists who are cycling and passing here. It is a place where residents and tourists can meet
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Initiatives for young families
The new village mayor since last September, Sadanori Kono, whose family took root here 360 years ago, also struggles for the future of the community.
I want to make this village a more lively place. I want to save our village
SOUTIENT SADANORI KONO.
Yoshi and Keiko opened their little coffee three years ago in an old house renovated by Yoshi in the middle of the pandemic.
Photo : Radio-Canada / Philippe Leblanc
The municipality has renovated a centenary house to welcome families who would think of setting up in the village and thus offer them to try the experience of life in the community for a weekend.
In five years, only three new families have settled in Higashi-Chichibu.
Mayor Sadanori Kono still multiplies initiatives for young families.
Medical and school services are free. We are thinking of subsidizing the construction of new residences. Several families move to the surrounding villages or simply elsewhere for work. You have to demonstrate the advantages of living here.
There are more than 9 million vacant or abandoned houses in the different rural regions of Japan due to the aging of the population.
As a result, more than 2,600 communities are threatened to disappear in the longer term, including 400 in ten years.
The villages share the same obstacles, a lack of jobs for young people, a dependence on government grants, and sometimes social tensions between newcomers and traditional residents.
Preserve a village and an identity
The struggle to preserve these rural communities is a national challenge which reflects the issues of aging and demographic decline.
Yoshi moved from Tokyo to the community of Higashi-Chichibu 16 years ago.
Photo : Radio-Canada / Philippe Leblanc
In Higashi-Chichibu, hope persists despite the country’s demographic challenges. To preserve the village is to preserve part of their identity.
The key is solidarity
believes Yoshi, who goes to his coffee after preparing a community barbecue. Together, we can manage to save the village.
Keiko, she shares her enthusiasm despite a difficult adaptation to the rhythm of life in the village when she arrived from Tokyo, the largest city in the world.
I am not from here, but I feel completely village, like the people of Higashi-Chichibu. In addition, we participate in many village activities throughout the year and we have made a lot of friends
she explains.
Despite these efforts, many experts believe that only a minority of Japanese villages will manage to reverse the trend.