As population concentrates in the cities, depopulation in rural areas is growing ever more severe.
For many years young people have left their hometowns for school or work and never returned, and as residents dwindle, facilities essential to daily life such as shops, hospitals, and schools are disappearing one after another.
Bus and rail lines are being discontinued one after another as ridership falls, leaving elderly people who cannot drive struggling even to shop or see a doctor.
In such areas, sustaining the community itself is becoming difficult, and local governments have no choice but to devise measures within limited budgets.
That is not to say the countryside is without hope.
In recent years, drawn by rich natural surroundings and a lower cost of living, more people have gradually been moving from cities to the countryside.
The spread of remote work, which is making it possible to keep one’s job no matter where one lives, is also giving this trend a push.
Indeed, cases have been reported across the country of young newcomers opening cafes and lodgings in renovated old houses, bringing fresh energy to their communities.
However, getting newcomers to settle is by no means easy, and many run into barriers of work or human relationships and return to the city, so continuous support from the receiving side, such as setting up desks that introduce housing and offer job consultations, is essential.
What matters in revitalizing rural areas is not imitating the cities but making the most of resources unique to each place.
Assets such as abundant local produce, traditional crafts, and beautiful scenery hold great potential when viewed from a different angle.
Beyond government support, residents themselves must rediscover the value of their region and flexibly welcome those who come from outside.
It is surely the accumulation of such efforts that will be the key to opening up the future of rural Japan.
Tap a word in the text to see its meaning. Tip: characters are not marked wrong while the IME conversion is still pending. To fix an earlier line: clear the current one, then press Backspace again to step back.