by Sarah Clay

To address the growing demographic challenges in rural Japan, the Japanese government has implemented the Rural Revitalization and Relocation Support Program (chihō sōsei ijū shien jigyō). Since 2019, this initiative offers financial incentives of up to 600,000 yen per person to encourage urban residents from one of Tokyo’s 23 wards to relocate to less populated regions. Initially, the program required recipients to secure employment in their new rural community, strategically aiming to attract working professionals and families. In August of this year, however, Japanese media reported a proposed expansion of the program specifically targeting unmarried women. The new policy would provide female Tokyoites up to 600,000 yen without the previous employment requirement. The initiative would first cover travel expenses for attending local matchmaking events, with additional funding available for those who ultimately decide to relocate (Okabayashi and Matsuyama 2024).

The proposed policy emerged from the fact that annually, more women than men relocate to the Tokyo Metropolitan Area for educational and professional opportunities (Yamada and Kihara 2024).  Also, women return less often to their home prefectures after establishing their lives in the city. This migration pattern has contributed to a significant gender imbalance, with most prefectures outside Tokyo experiencing approximately 20% fewer women compared to men (Jiji 2024).  As such, there is an increasing number of single men around 50 years old—both never-married and divorced—who reside with their parents in declining rural municipalities (Tanaka and Iwasawa 2010).

The policy proposal immediately received much criticism from in and outside of the government. Some argued that the initiative attempted to “purchase” potential wives for rural men and reinforce social narratives that value women primarily through their potential roles as mothers and wives. Others questioned the policy’s effectiveness; a modest relocation incentive of 600,000 yen would be unlikely to motivate a highly educated, professionally established woman to leave their urban life behind (Yasmin 2024).  Also, critical voices pointed out that existing municipal matchmaking events targeting urban women and rural men have yielded minimal success, hence that financial incentives do not suffice to make people fall in love (Yamada and Kihara 2024). After a few days, these criticisms prompted Regional Revitalization Minister Jimi Hanako to publicly reconsider the proposed intervention.

During my research on migration into the Miyako Islands, I got the impression that women are actually often the primary actors in urban-to-rural migration in Japan. Moreover, during my online and offline fieldwork, I met a few women who were or had been in a relationship with local men. My favorite story is that of Ishikawa Reiko. Reiko is a very cheerful and talkative woman in her mid-forties who runs a small café on Miyako. Born and raised in Tokyo, she started her career successfully as a graphic designer making websites for companies. Also, she loved online gaming and played the same game every day when she got home from work. She told me how she developed a friendship with someone from that gaming community. She did not know his real name or the place where he was living, but they shared many details about their daily lives. “We did not know each other’s names but knew what we had eaten the night before. We got very close to one another” (Interview with Reiko, 9 September 2022).

The first time they met in real life, Reiko’s gaming friend visited her in Tokyo. He turned out to be a doctor from Miyako Island in Okinawa Prefecture. By that time, Reiko was working from home because she had some issues with her health and could not commute to her office every day. When her friend was about to return, he told her that he was living in a relatively large house with two stories separated from each other. If she wanted, she could take her computer and live on the second floor of his house, just for a while, so her health could recover.  Reiko did not know anything about Miyako or Okinawa in general. She told me that she always wanted to live in Hokkaido, as she liked knitting and cold environments. Yet, being inside her small Tokyo apartment all day, she figured it would be a good opportunity to do more physical exercises and finally get her driver’s license. A few days later, she boarded a plane to Miyako Island— stunned to learn about the remote location of her destination. Despite the “culture shock” that she experienced upon arrival, the two fell in love, and Reiko has been living on the island ever since.

The story of Reiko is that of a woman who came to Miyako with different incentives and fell in love with a local man along the way. From the outside, her trajectory might be seen as a successful case of marriage migration. However, Reiko’s relocation could not have been the result of match-making events or governmental policies such as the ones outlined above.  Rather, her narrative offers a nuanced perspective on the complex dynamics of urban-to-rural migration, including career prospects, aspirations of personal growth, health, technologies and a good amount of serendipity.

References

Jiji (2024), “Japan to support women moving from Tokyo to countryside for marriage,” The Japan Times, August 28, 2024, https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2024/08/28/japan/society/women-rural-areas/

Okabayashi, S., and Matsuyama, S. (2024), “Josei no ‘ijūkon’ shien: Tōkyō 23 ku→chihō de saidai 60 man en,” Asahi Shinbun Digital, August 28, 2024, https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASS8X2VWRS8XULFA00TM.html (accessed on 21 November 2024).

Tanaka, K., and Iwasawa, M. (2010), “Aging in Rural Japan—Limitations in the Current Social Care Policy,” Journal of Aging & Social Policy 22(4): 394-406.

Yamada, Y., and Kihara, I. (2024), Chihō e no „ijūkon“ naze josei dake ni 60 man en?“ Tōkyō Shinbun, August 30, 2024, https://www.tokyo-np.co.jp/article/350881 (accessed on 21 November 2024).

Yasmin, S. (2024), “Japan drops plan to offer money to Tokyo women to move to rural areas,” Independent, September 1, 2024, https://www.independent.co.uk/asia/japan/japan-cash-incentive-single-women-tokyo-b2605144.html (accessed on 21 November 2024).

by Paul Noah Agha Ebrahim

Located in Ishikawa Prefecture, Takigahara Farm stands as a tranquil retreat that tries to combine modern comfort with traditional Japanese farming practices. While the farm offers accommodations, it also serves as a place for community, sustainability and art.  The journey started with the R-project, an urban renewal initiative led by Teruo Kurosaki (TALKING Ultrasuede n. d.), and since then several other buildings have been added to the original structure of the farm (now being used as a shared house of the community), namely a café, a hostel and a workshop studio (Kahan 2023).  Anna Jensen, a prominent member, describes Takigahara as “fluid,” emphasizing its welcoming environment where people come and go, contributing to a diverse community.  Starting off with the help of government funds, Takigahara now lives off its events, workshops and on-site products (Kahan 2023).

A notable event was the “Passenger Program”, a collaboration with the New York-based multidisciplinary eco-collective Aerthship. Founded in 2021 by Tin Mai, Aerthship is a collective of creatives that promotes an earth-centric subculture through community-centered dining experiences or the exploring of urban farming in New York (Y+L Projects 2024).  The “Passenger Program” was launched in November 2023, inviting 15 QTPOC (Queer and Trans People of Color) artists from diverse backgrounds for five days to Takigahara Farm (Marcelline 2023). This program aimed at inspiring artistic exploration and at deepening participants’ connection with the natural environment. Activities included silent walks through the farm’s lush landscapes and workshops on traditional Japanese crafts like washi papermaking (Y+L Projects 2024). Central to the event was the celebration of cultural diversity and artistic freedom. While half of the artists were from Japan, there were also participants from Vietnam, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Australia and the United States to share their unique perspectives and creative insights (Marcelline 2023).  Beyond art, the “Passenger Program” aimed at building lasting connections and inspiring positive change within the community. Journaling sessions, communal meals using locally sourced ingredients, and even movie nights became opportunities for bonding and cultural exchange.

However, this event was not only an opportunity for exchange among the participants, but also created encounters with residents of the neighboring communities. Milo Lawson, program coordinator at Takigahara Farm, said it took several years to forge a relationship with the surrounding community and that they would not have been able to host an event like this during his first year in Takigahara (Y+L Projects 2024). Nowadays, the locals make food, help run the shuttle bus around the village and even perform traditional dances at the yearly music festival hosted at Takigahara farm (Y+L Projects 2024). Creating a space in rural Japan, where locals that lived there all their life and young queer artists from around the world get to interact is what makes this farm so unique. Reflecting on the “Passenger Program’s” success, Aerthship and Takigahara Farm plan to expand their collaboration globally (Marcelline 2023). Future initiatives may include more artist residencies, cultural exchanges, and educational programs promoting sustainability and cross-cultural dialogue.

References

Kahan, K. (2023), “Takigahara: Creating a Community in Rural Japan,” Tokyo Weekender, February 16, 2023, https://www.tokyoweekender.com/travel/takigahara-community-in-rural-japan/, accessed June 17, 2024.

Marcelline, S. (2023), “Aerthship X Mimi Zhu│Artists and Ecology in Symbiosis on Japan’s Takigahara Farm,” Flaunt, https://www.flaunt.com/post/aerthship-x-mimi-zhu-artists-and-ecology-in-symbiosis-on-japans-takigahara-farm, accessed June 17, 2024.

TALKING Ultrasuede (n. d.), “Takigahara Farm,” https://talking-ultrasuede.jp/en/takigahara-farm/ accessed June 17, 2024.

Y+L Projects (2024), “How NY Collective Aerthship Found A Creative Escape in Rural Japan,” Medium, https://ylprojects.medium.com/aerthships-artist-residency-in-rural-japan-03b173b41c48, accessed June 17, 2024.

Paul Noah Agha Ebrahim is a student in the BA program in Japanese Studies at the Freie Universität Berlin.

by Christoph Barann

A traditional Japanese-style house (kominka) over 100 years old in the middle of a beautiful Japanese garden provides a home for the unconventional non-Japanese Andy. The American software engineer decided to move with his wife to the new house in a rural part of Wakayama Prefecture after previously working for large technology companies in Tokyo and the United States. Andy’s move as a technology-oriented foreign migrant to a rural town in Japan is emblematic of a change in the world of work in 21 century Japan. In our course on rural Japan, we have talked about many migrants similar to Andy. They are foreign, mostly young, highly skilled people who have not settled in the traditional work centers of Japan such as Tokyo, Osaka or Fukuoka. Instead, all these migrants have taken advantage of technological developments and changing working conditions in Japanese companies to enable a move to quiet, natural landscapes without jeopardizing their jobs (Wakayama Life n.d.). What all these migrants have in common is that they make use of remote working (terewāku), where internet technology is used to work from home for companies instead of commuting to the office. Remote working has taken root in Japan during the Covid-19 pandemic from 2020 as an alternative to traditional office jobs. The Covid-19 pandemic prompted Japanese companies to look to other regions such as Southeast Asia, Western Europe and the United States, where remote working was already an established method before the pandemic. Although the number of home workers declined as the pandemic subsided, the concept has nevertheless remained an important issue in the question of employment in modern Japan.

Andy’s interview on a website promoting migration to Wakayama Prefecture mentions a trend that is still common in Japan today. (Mostly male) workers leave their rural homes during the week to commute to jobs in the big cities. Often they do not return home at all during the week and live in second homes near their workplace. Remote working can offer a solution to the emotional and financial hardships that such a routine can bring by allowing people to work for companies in the big cities or even abroad without leaving their rural homes. Remote working may also lead to a change in Japanese attitudes towards employment and, in particular, hierarchies within Japanese office culture. Japan’s culture of long hours, overtime and strict hierarchies has been blamed in the past for the country’s demographic decline, as married couples struggle to balance work commitments with raising children. A less hierarchical office culture could also encourage the influx of highly skilled workers from abroad as Japan becomes a more attractive country to work in.

As part of a broader Digital Agenda for Japan, former Prime Minister Kishida sought to increase the availability of internet in rural areas and mentioned teleworking among other aspects aimed at improving Japan’s place among advanced economies in terms of digital standards. The digital strategy promotes teleworking, especially in small and medium-sized enterprises, and particularly emphasizes equal work opportunities for people in urban and rural areas. As access to reliable high-speed internet is expected to increase in rural areas and Japanese companies are increasingly encouraged to offer remote work to their employees, regions affected by depopulation and economic hardship could be given a chance to revitalize. Local governments, which have begun to encourage rural migration by offering free housing or other benefits to immigrants from urban areas, could in future offer courses in IT-related skills or provide free internet or shared office space geared towards remote working to turn their cities into “smart cities”, a concept that has already achieved some success in Southeast Asia. Remote work also appeals more strongly to a younger, more technically adapt generation and thus offers the possibility of creating migration of skilled workers in their 20s and 30s, a group which is heavily needed in the aging and depopulating rural regions of Japan. (McKinsey and Company 2021). Digitalization and remote work could therefore be a big aspect of the future revitalization efforts of Japan’s rural areas and might play an increasing role in the coming years.

References:

Wakayama Life (n. d.), “Mainichi miru keishiki ga kirei,” https://www.wakayamagurashi.jp/totteoki_life/03/ [access July 20, 2024]

McKinsey and Company (2021), Japan Digital Agenda 2030, https:/www.digitaljapan2030.com/ [access July 12, 2024]

Christoph Barann is a student in the BA program in Japanese Studies at the Freie Universität Berlin.

by Dominik Roth

Rural revitalization is a hot topic in modern societies. With declining birth rates, many developed countries are seeing their rural areas deteriorate in both population and infrastructure. While this problem is prevalent in many places, Japan is somewhat unique: Nowhere else is the problem of rural abandonment more apparent. In Japan, rural communities try to launch projects to bring life and people back to decaying towns and villages far from urban centres like Tokyo and Osaka. Many of these projects are focused on finding that one special feature, product, or other thing that will make the place stand out and attract new people.

Many of these projects and marketing efforts seem lackluster, superficial, and often end up being nothing more than pure actionism by politicians and bureaucrats. “We are the city of ceramics” or “We are the city of ink” are just a few examples of communities trying to put their hometown back on the map by choosing a label to put on it. I find it hard to believe that the attractiveness of a place can be planned at a board meeting. Japan’s rural decline won’t be solved by simple marketing campaigns. There are bigger problems at work that need to be solved in order to actually contribute to population growth and the return of people to rural areas. The lack of gender equality, extreme working conditions, low pay and many other issues should be addressed first.

And while I personally don’t believe that public marketing campaigns will solve the problem, I do appreciate that efforts are being made, especially when they are creative and different. One of these efforts is the “Emotional Bridge Project” in Gifu, realized through the hands of a single person. This person is Ogawa Ryo, better known by his artist moniker “RoamCouch”. Born in Anpachi-cho, Ryo started drawing and painting at an early age, mainly influenced by his love for manga. After graduating from high school, he started working for an advertising company, but he was dissatisfied with the job and the outlook on his life, and eventually suffered a physical breakdown. He became seriously ill and was unable to move for weeks, and with enough time to rethink what kind of life he really wanted to live, he finally decided to pursue a career as a painter (Roamcoach 2024).

Ogawa’s “Emotional Bridge Project” has been in existence since 2014, and aims to revitalize the local community of Anpachi-chō by painting murals on local buildings and structures. Although at one point he considered moving abroad, Mr. Ogawa decided to return to his hometown in Gifu to give back. Inspired by street art revitalization projects around the world, Ogawa spoke directly with the owners of various spaces and facades to create murals for free, eventually resulting in 14 works of art in Anpachi-chō. He uses stencils for his artwork, which he cuts out by hand. However, Ogawa’s style is unique because he also incorporates elements of ukiyo-e into his works, creating a blend of the ancient and the modern. His stencil art requires the utmost concentration, as the slightest mistake in the spraying and cutting process means he has to start the project all over again. According to Ogawa, his works have no message, as he simply wants viewers to enjoy his works and feel joy, which is why he often makes them easy to understand without any subliminal meaning. The project has caught the attention of locals. In an interview, Ogawa mentions how an elderly gentleman recognized him while he was spraying, and he even collected clippings of Ogawa’s work. Students often photograph the murals, and more and more people are inquiring about future locations for his murals, indicating a growing interest in his work. Ogawa sees the Emotional Bridge Project as a catalyst for tourism and a source of inspiration for the realization of dreams. Ogawa strives to convey a calm and mysterious view of the world. His murals, characterized by their beauty and sense of mysticism, contribute to the unique atmosphere of Anpachi-chō. Ogawa hopes to expand the project and convey the message that perseverance can make many dreams come true.

Will the “Emotional Bridge Project” solve problems such as rural exodus and population decline in Anpachi-chō? Probably not. I don’t think this is something that one man’s project can do. It does, however, show how one person’s efforts can impact a rural area, if only by inviting art fans on a bike ride to see all the murals. It’s a small step, but solving any big problem has to start somewhere.

References:

Jet-Black Gallery (2019), “Emotional Bridge Project】 RoamCouch ‘Take My Heart’, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFwUb3OR4fA (June 17, 2024).

Roamcoach (2024), “About”, http://roamcouch.com/about/ (June 17, 2024).

Dominik Roth is a student in the BA program in Japanese Studies at the Freie Universität Berlin