by Tobias Gentsch

During my university exchange to Japan from April 2022 to March 2023, I lived in Okayama City, which is located in Okayama Prefecture in western Japan. Although many of my fellow Japanese students described the city with its 700,000 inhabitants as a rural area (inaka), I wanted to experience “real rural Japan.” Therefore, I made many trips to different areas of Okayama Prefecture where I could see how farming is done in Japan, and once I even had the opportunity to talk to some farmers during their break at a small farm store (michi no eki). When we talked about urban-rural migrants in Japan during a seminar by Cornelia Reiher, my experiences in rural Okayama were the reason why I decided to find out more about urban-rural migration in Okayama Prefecture.

Rice field in front of the student-shared house in Okayama
Copyright © Tobias Gentsch 2022

Like most other prefectures, Okayama runs a website for people thinking of moving to rural Okayama. There you can find many interviews of migrants who tell their story and give some tips for other people who want to relocate. I selected two families who moved to rural Okayama and while they are very different, they also have some things in common. The first family is a mixed couple. She is from Japan and he is from the United States. They have three young children and used to live in New York before deciding to move to the small town of Wake in eastern Okayama Prefecture. They telecommute as VFX designers and web designers. The reason they moved to Wake is that they like the education system in Japan, which is also cheaper than in the United States. They explain that tuition in the United States is too expensive to raise three children. At the same time, they wanted their children to grow up in a quiet, green, and healthy environment. In New York, they describe, it is often too noisy and they cannot concentrate or relax. So they decide to move to a rural area of Japan, where they also like the scenery and nature. They really like living in Wake because of nature and because they can relax there. [1]

Typical scene of the landscape of rural Okayama
Copyright © Tobias Gentsch 2022

The second family moved from Osaka to Kibichuo, which is about 50 km northwest of Okayama City. They are introduced via video on the YouTube channel of Okayama Prefecture. While sitting in front of horses, they explain why they moved to rural Okayama. The man used to work as a systems engineer at a company in Osaka. In his spare time, he often attended horse races. While spending time there, he decided to change his life and do something related to horses. He found out that there are old or debilitated racehorses that are killed because they can no longer be used as racehorses. So he decided to start a horse farm that would give these horses a place to live and looked for land big enough for this purpose and finally found some suitable places. The family visited these places and finally decided to move to Kibichuo. Today, they not only run a horse farm, but also a riding school, where especially children can learn to ride. [2]

Horses need a lot of space, which is usually not available in urban areas.
Copyright © Cornelia Reiher 2021

The motivations of the two families to move to rural Okayama are quite different. The first family moved to rural Okayama for their children’s education and because they prefer to live in nature, while the second family moved because the father decided to change his profession. The lifestyles of the two families are also very different. While the first family is still working in their old profession, the second family changed their profession completely. However, the reasons why both families chose to live where they do now are the same: the local community welcomed them. Both families report that they talked to nice administrative staff in their new places of residence. They helped them with problems and made initial contacts within the local community. As a result, both families are now integrated into the local community, which they both describe as necessary for successful migration. This shows that not only physical things like good infrastructure or financial support are important for rural migrants, but also friendliness of the administrative staff and the local community. This is probably not only true for Okayama, but could also apply to other rural areas in Japan. This is a topic I would like to do more research on in the future.

References
[1] Office of Migration Promotion, Wake Town Hall; ijūsha intabyū; https://www.town.wake.lg.jp/wakesum/wsWakechoumin/11415/ last view 05.05.2023.
[2] Okayama Migration Support Channel; Okayama-ken, senpai ijūsha intabyū: kibichuo-machi de no kurashi, bokujō kēēhen; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNmgwiXcnJ4&list=PLT3NosWvKCmwZgiC_NnIgsDj0SnSeU0bp&index=8 last view: 14.6.2023.

Tobias Gentsch is a student in the BA program in Japanese Studies at Freie Universität Berlin.

by Cecilia Luzi

One Sunday morning in mid-April, during my fieldwork in Hasami, I took my family to the “Takeo Ureshino Märchen Village” Amusement Park. It is an amusement park with a German name and Central European village atmosphere built in 1992. I had stumbled upon it on Google Maps and the bright pictures of a giant squirrel and a pink Ferris wheel had caught my attention. According to the website, the park has 1,000 free parking spaces and was designed for elementary school-aged children on a fairytale theme. It has a variety of attractions, including merry-go-rounds, an electric train, play areas with slides and swings, a large tent where kids could play with tricycles and bicycles and an area with small animals like squirrels, rabbits and two goats. We had a lot of fun running around the attractions, playing with a tricycle, taking the small train twice in a row, and feeding the rabbits with some lettuce. The sensory experience was also overwhelming. The constant jingles from the rides mixed with the joyful cries of children and the voices of parents, while the scent of animals seamlessly transitioned to that of fried food wafting from the various food stalls and the fast-food restaurant on the hill. Most of the visitors were young families with parents in their twenties and two or three kids. They were often accompanied by grandparents who patiently waited for their grandchildren to tire out while sitting under the shade of some large trees.

The giant squirrel at the entrance of the park.
Copyright © Cecilia Luzi 2023

Nevertheless, it was impossible for us to overlook the signs of decay: weathered characters and fading buildings, rusty attractions, a fenced-off swimming pool with greenish water overrun by weeds, abandoned buildings, and half-empty animal cages. When we arrived, we found a vast, deserted parking lot along the main road leading to the park entrance with faded white lines that once had marked parking spaces. The parking area near the main gate was half empty with cracked pavement, overgrown plants, and barely discernible ropes outlining parking spaces.

A view of the park’s rusty attractions and dirty roofs.
Copyright © Cecilia Luzi 2023

As I traveled back and forth by car between Hasami and Buzen, my two research field sites, I crossed northern Kyūshū from coast to coast. Along the way, I passed through numerous towns and villages nestled among mountains, far away from major cities, highways, and railways. My eyes had grown accustomed to the persistent signs of decay that is now a familiar sight in rural Japan. Many of the buildings that were once schools, factories, warehouses, pachinko slots, restaurants, and tourist destinations now lay empty or in a state of disrepair. Akiya are not the only markers of depopulation in rural Japan. Today, abandoned infrastructures, entertainment venues, and public spaces also serve as a monumental reminder of a once-thriving and prosperous past. In those days, even the most remote areas were bustling with construction projects aimed at meeting the needs of a rural population that was still vibrant.

A renovated old post office next to an abandoned building in Nakatsu, Oita prefecture.
Copyright © Cecilia Luzi 2023

In my travels through rural areas in various parts of Japan, I have witnessed this scenario of decay throughout the country. It’s hard not to feel a sense of nostalgia and melancholy when confronted with abandoned rice paddies, fallow fields, deserted villages, and the slow decay of once magnificent wooden houses. I often wonder how hard it must be for those who call these places home to watch their hometowns slowly disappear. But I found the most serene perspective among the older residents who had spent their entire lives in these villages. They have witnessed significant changes throughout their lives and seem to view the current decline as if it were just another natural event accompanying them. An 80-year-old man in Buzen told me, “Life here is hard. There are no services, and the nearest supermarket is 25 minutes away by car. Why would a young person who has a life in the city want to live here? In ten years, this village will disappear, there’s nothing we can do about it, and that’s fine.” In the eyes of some residents, the depopulation we are seeing today is just another development of rural Japan. It is not necessarily something they can or want to reverse. Their view goes beyond resignation; they accept how things are evolving and acknowledge the flow of life in these remote areas.

by Joane Opfer

Due to Japan’s shrinking and aging society, there is an immense shortage of technically qualified workers in Japan. This problem is particularly evident in rural Japan. To create a modern society, a digital transformation is necessary and the Japanese government has made digital transformation, or DX, a central point of its policy and is promoting the further development of computer and communications technologies. Against the backdrop of the Corona pandemic, DX was promoted more vehemently, while at the same time, bureaucratic procedures and even communication between various government agencies were hampered by the lack of digital technology. For example, many documents still require the hanko, an individual stamp, and communication between different departments was not possible due to the lack of a unified video conferencing system. [1]

The Japanese government hopes that labor shortages and other problems can be solved through digital transformation
Copyright © Cornelia Reiher 2023

The Japanese government has issued a digitalization strategy, the Digital National Garden City Concept (Dejitaru denen toshi kokka kōsō), which aims to develop a more advanced technical infrastructure at multiple levels. It sets out how the Japanese government will implement digital transformation over the next five years and is intended to guide local governments in building a better digital infrastructure. Developing digital human resources, i.e., a skilled, knowledgeable digital workforce, is central to the strategy. The policy promises to support the development of digital human resources. Therefore, the dissemination of information about career paths in the digital sector will be expanded and information about online learning platforms and financial support will be made more readily available. This will include e-learning opportunities, especially for women with children. In addition, vocational training in the digital sector is also supported with subsidies. Prefectures and their respective governments will be supported in building up their digital resources. This can take the form of training offers or support for local companies or initiatives. In addition, positive examples will serve as guidance for other prefectures. [2]

Oita Prefecture is famous for its hot springs and promotes itself as onsen prefecture
Copyright © Cornelia Reiher 2023

One example of such a successful initiative is the Oita Creative Academy, or OCA for short. It is a vocational school that focuses on teaching IT-related knowledge. The courses range from web engineering and design to photographic technology. It advertises its flexible admissions policies and customizable courses. The school says it is willing to adapt and improve to meet the needs of its students. Students vary massively in background and profession, from stay-at-home moms to newcomers, and even government employees are enrolled. The teachers are employed in the IT industry in Oita, which the school touts as a great advantage as they can act as mentors and guide the students.

Since the Corona pandemic, the school has expanded its courses to online formats, which not only allows for easier access, but also increases the total number of students enrolled. As described in the government paper, this could also be a way to allow others, such as mothers with young children, to take their courses. The OCA is not the only established initiative aimed at transforming Oita into a city with a significant IT industry. Many initiatives have emerged with Oita-based IT companies to further transform Oita. Already established IT companies have joined forces to help each other and share knowledge, especially with regard to the next generations of digital human resources. This is not only to help keep the companies alive, but also to attract new companies to Oita and make Oita a leading IT city. [3]

In cities like Oita and Beppu steam is used to warm people’s feet at free ashi mushi places
Copyright © Cornelia Reiher 2022

By supporting these companies and their efforts to develop a diverse skilled workforce willing to stay in rural areas by developing the areas themselves, the Japanese government tries to take steps to overcome their problems. Implementation of the DX strategy could help cities such as Oita to attract young, skilled people and stop rural depopulation. It can also help build educational institutions and subsequently create a workforce that will help Japan be globally compatible. The government’s strategy makes clear what is considered necessary to achieve DX and how local governments can apply for financial support. By making the development of a digitally skilled workforce a key point of the strategy, the implementation of DX can be further advanced. However, it remains to be seen to what extent the Japanese government can achieve the goals it has set for itself and how problems such as the lack of technical hardware and the shortage of workers, can be overcome.

References
[1] Schaede, U. & Shimizu, K. (2022), “The Digital Transformation and Japan’s Political Economy.” Cambridge University Press.
[2] Cabinet Office of Japan (2022), “Dejitaru denen toshi kokka kōsō [Digital National Garden City Concept].”https://www.cas.go.jp/jp/seisaku/digital_denen/pdf/20221223_honbun.pdf, last viewed on July 09^th, 2023.
[3] Furuya, Fuuka (2021), “Onsen no machi kara IT no machi e: Kagi wa kigyō renkei to jinzai ikusei” [Von einer Onsenstadt zu einer IT-Stadt: Der Schlüssel liegt in der Zusammenarbeit von Unternehmen und der Ausbildung von Fachkräften], in Turns 54, pp. 54-59.

* Joane Opfer is a student in the BA program in Japanese Studies at Freie Universität Berlin.

by Cornelia Reiher

Susanne Klien is a professor at Hokkaido University and the author of the book Urban Migrants in Rural Japan: Between Agency and Anomie in a Post-growth Society (2020). She has supported our project from the beginning and participated in several of our events. In August 2023, Susanne came to Berlin again to participate in our PhD workshop “Urban-Rural Migration in Japan” at Freie Universität Berlin. I took the opportunity to interview her for our blog and talked to her about rural Japan research, urban-rural migration and the future of rural areas.

Susanne Klien at FU Berlin’s campus in 2023
Copyright © Cornelia Reiher 2023

Cornelia Reiher: When did you start researching rural Japan and why?

Susanne Klien: That was quite a long time ago. I think it was in the early 2000s when I had the opportunity to do research on the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale and that was my introduction to rural Japan. I was very fascinated by older farmers and people living in the countryside. I never had the opportunity to talk to these people before, and it gave me a completely different view of Japan. Japan is often associated with the gaming industry, with cosplay, with everything that is somehow urban or thought to be urban, but I think it’s very important to explore Japan from a rural point of view as well. I would say that the rural is often associated with agriculture and with older people, but recently there are also many other aspects of rural life that could be urban as well, so I would be very careful about defining rural Japan as related to the past. I would even argue that rural Japan can in some ways be seen as the future of Japan because we have severe depopulation in Japan and this is a problem that will be a problem for all developed countries in the future. So we could even consider rural Japan as the vanguard of contemporary Japan.

”[R]ural Japan can in some ways be seen as the future of Japan.”
Copyright © Cornelia Reiher 2022

Cornelia Reiher: You have been doing research in rural Japan for many years. Have you noticed any changes or new developments during this time?

Susanne Klien: Yes, big changes. I think there are a lot of funding opportunities, and that has led to more and more people going to rural Japan. They try to live in rural Japan, even if they are not so interested in rural areas at first. But eventually, they like it there very much and they stay there. So there is a larger number of people who move to rural Japan, including people who like city life very much. But they find, especially during and after the pandemic, that living in rural areas with fewer people, more space and easier access to food has many advantages. Especially in urban areas, food can be scarce, for example, during a disaster. I think living in rural Japan can also give people a sense of security.

Cornelia Reiher: You mentioned that many people move from the cities to the countryside. What role do these urbanites moving to the countryside play in the future of rural Japan?

Susanne Klien: I think they can help local people see their villages, their places, from a new perspective. They can help them understand what makes their places attractive to newcomers. I think they can also help to reinterpret local food. By using local ingredients, newcomers can contribute a lot beyond the economic sphere, for example in terms of intergenerational exchange. Newcomers can cook and eat with the elderly and offer new perspectives to older people who normally don’t meet so many young people. I think urban-rural migration has many advantages.

Cornelia Reiher: Many young scholars are now interested in rural Japan. Do you have any advice to them? Is there anything they should look out for when studying rural Japan?

“[Newcomers] can help local people see their villages, their places from a new perspective.”
Copyright © Cornelia Reiher 2022

Susanne Klien: I think there are many issues to think about. More research needs to be done on many aspects of rural Japan, but I think one topic that is particularly pressing is human and non-human entanglements. For example, research on rural Japan from a non-human perspective or on the nature of exchanges between humans and non-humans in rural Japan is very interesting. But also dealing with exhaustion, a sense of fatigue and tiredness during fieldwork in rural Japan is important because these are problems many researchers have experienced, I think.

Cornelia Reiher: Thank you so much.

by Christian Ditzler

As one of the leading countries struggling with a shrinking and aging population, Japan is facing serious challenges such as rural depopulation and the decline of local industries. Many businesses face an uncertain future when it comes to finding a potential successor, and this issue is particularly evident in the agricultural sector, where the average age of farmers in Japan has reached the age of 68 (Schaede & Shimizu, 2022, p. 18). This sector, traditionally characterized by long hours and strenuous labor, is desperately in need of young and educated workers—an increasingly scarce resource. However, Digital Transformation (DX) – a prevalent term in the vocabulary of any modern Japanese politician – is in the process of revolutionizing countless sectors in Japan offering new solutions to these pressing issues. Introduced by the Japanese government in 2022, the “Digital Rural City State Concept” (dejitaru denen toshi kokka kōsō) underscores the significance assigned to DX, as it is a broad strategy designed to invigorate rural regions through the promotion of innovative technologies. At the same time, DX has given rise to what the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) calls “smart agriculture” (sumāto nōgyō), which is said to hold the potential to revolutionize labor-intensive sectors and breathe new life (and labor) into them (MAFF, n.d.).

Smart Agriculture
Copyright © Istockphoto

MAFF has defined smart agriculture as an innovative form of agriculture that incorporates cutting-edge technologies, such as robotics and information and communication technology (ICT), with the purpose of enhancing labor efficiency and improving the quality of production (MAFF, n.d.). The digital transformation facilitates the integration of large data sets (Big Data) into agricultural practices (Smartagri, 2019). This data, procured through devices like sensors, simplifies the interpretation of growth conditions and aids in the identification of diseases among other environmental variables (Smartagri, 2019). Moreover, automation through drones or other robotic technologies can be employed to perform labor-intensive tasks, such as pesticide application or harvesting specific crops (Smartagri, 2019). Although such robots have traditionally been limited to large-scale farms due to their associated high initial costs, gradual efforts are being undertaken to increase their affordability for future use at the level of the individual farmer (Smartagri, 2019). Vertical Farming, defined by its indoor, layered, fully regulated and automated environments using artificial lightning, serves as another example of smart agriculture (Schaede & Shimizu, 2022, p. 34). This approach maximizes output by controlling numerous crucial factors, freeing agriculture from geographical constraints, weather conditions and seasonal restrictions, thereby providing significantly higher yields compared to conventional farming methods throughout the year (Schaede & Shimizu, 2022, p. 18).

Analogue farming in Japan I
Copyright © Cornelia Reiher 2023

Concurrently, the digital transformation, often referred to as the fourth industrial revolution, has also resulted in the emergence of what MAFF has termed the new “sixth sector” (Schaede & Shimizu, 2022, p. 35). This sector synergizes all three sectors of an economy – extraction of raw materials, manufacturing, and services (or sales) – symbolized mathematically by the product of 1x2x3, hence the name, the sixth sector (Schaede & Shimizu, 2022, p. 18). Through the incorporation of new advances in production and the internet in the distribution of products, farmers can not only produce but also process and sell products directly to consumers. Furthermore, the Internet of Things (IoT) makes it possible to understand market trends and consumer needs, paving the way for cost-effective production, distribution, and sales (Smartagri, 2019).

Analogue farming in Japan II
Copyright © Cornelia Reiher 2023 

The potential of DX, and through it, the sixth sector, to revolutionize agriculture and spawn new business models has been exemplified by a farmer featured in the magazine “Turns”. Despite his lack of experience, he relocated to Yamamoto in Miyagi Prefecture to start his own business as a farmer (Inui, 2021). Drawing on the IT skills he had acquired from his previous job in Tokyo, he learned from local farmers and soon launched his own venture using a wide range of technologies (Inui, 2021). Sharing his data gathered through IoT systems, he facilitated a novel approach to integrating data into farming, which had been historically reliant on experience and intuition (Inui, 2021). By setting up a training program for prospective farmers alongside the establishment of a brand for direct sales of his own strawberry products such as wine, jam and sweets through online platforms and his own store in Tokyo, he managed not only to raise his personal standard of living but also to contribute to his community by attracting both tourists and potential farmers (Inui, 2021). This aligns with the ideal scenario as envisaged by MAFF that aims to expand the sixth industrialization efforts and actively connect agriculture with secondary industries like food manufacturing and tertiary industries such as tourism, thereby creating new value-added products, leveraging local resources, attracting young IT-educated workers and reviving local communities (MAFF, n.d.).

Smart Agriculture: Robots harvesting tomatoes
Copyright © Istockphoto

However, despite the demonstrated potential of DX, it still encounters substantial challenges in terms of large-scale application. Issues such as the high costs and technological complexities of new technologies (Smartagri, 2019), as well as intellectual property protection concerns still require solutions (Schaede & Shimizu, 2022, p. 37). Moreover, in the Digital National Garden City Concept, the Japanese government recognized the need to develop suitable agricultural areas, such as large plots of farmland to utilize automated agricultural machinery (CAO, 2022, p. 76). This plan also acknowledges the necessity of making adjustments in Japan’s numerous mountainous regions that complicate the use of such machinery (CAO, 2022, p. 76). Thus, it remains to be seen to what degree these issues can be resolved to facilitate digitalization’s potential contribution towards rejuvenating the agricultural sector and consequently, rural areas in Japan.

References
Cabinet Office of Japan. (2022). Dejitaru denen toshi kokka kōsō [Digital National Garden City Concept]. 
https://www.cas.go.jp/jp/seisaku/digital_denen/pdf/20221223_honbun.pdf.
Inui, H. (2021). DX ga kaeru nōgyō to chiiki no mirai [Agriculture Transformed by DX and the Future of Regions]. Turns, 46,p. 54-59.
Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan. (n.d.). Rokuji sangyōka to wa [What is 6th industrialization?]. https://www.maff.go.jp/j/nousin/inobe/6jika/attach/pdf/index-1.pdf.
Schaede, U. & Shimizu, K. (2022). The Digital Transformation and Japan’s Political Economy. Cambridge University Press.
Smartagri. (2019). Sumāto nōgyō to wa donna mono ka? ICT o katsuyō shita nōgyō no meritto to dōnyū no kadai [What is ‘Smart Agriculture’? The Benefits and Challenges of Implementing ICT in Agriculture]. Smartagri. https://smartagri-jp.com/smartagri/20.

*Christian Ditzler is a student in the BA program in Japanese Studies at Freie Universität Berlin.

by Ngo Tu Thanh (Frank Tu)

Political scientists often argue that it is impossible to discount the weight of cultural and historical influences on governance (see for example Conrad 2006). Nagasaki Prefecture, located in the picturesque northwest corner of Kyushu Island, is a region defined by rich history and culture. To delve into the interplay of culture and governance, a crucial question arises: to what extent does culture influence the governance of regional revitalization in Nagasaki? A core feature of Nagasaki’s cultural landscape is its historical interaction with foreign countries. One example for this extensive interaction with the outside is the establishment of Dejima island in 1635 by the bakufu. Dejima transformed Nagasaki into a pivotal international trading hub, leading to a phase of prosperity (Willis 2007).

Nagasaki Prefecture – a picturesque region with rich culture and history
Copyright © Ngo Tu Thanh 2022

However, some actors involved in regional revitalization believe that this transformation in the past has consequences even today. A leader of a prominent financial institution in Nagasaki and recipient of a special award from the Rural Revitalization Minister – pointed out that the bakufu ‘s decision to designate Nagasaki as Japan’s global gateway and the economic growth it brought about, might have “influenced the mindset of Nagasaki’s people” (interview, 15/09/2022) that is also present in Nagasaki’s contemporary governance. It shows in Nagasaki’s reliance on the central government and on international networks. An academic specialized in regional development and public-private cooperation, who has been advising the prefectural government on regional development told me: “Large development projects in Nagasaki were typically initiated by the central government and contracted out to the private sector” (online interview, 04/10/2022). This tendency to rely on the central government and big projects was also affirmed by a prefectural assemblywoman who underscored that Nagasaki’s historical development strategies, which are based on construction, shipbuilding, and government funding, are still prioritized by many prefectural politicians in Nagasaki even today (interview, 03/10/2022).

Inside Dejima – where Western travelers resided in the past
Copyright © Ngo Tu Thanh 2022

The other continuity from the past is Nagasaki’s effort to revitalize through internationalization. A historical study by Ma (2023) shows Nagasaki’s efforts to revive its past development and culture through internationalization with the “Nagasaki Urban Renaissance” initiative of 2001. The initiative was more than an economic plan that solely focuses on growth. It was rather an attempt to diversify from heavy industries, turning Nagasaki into a hub that would attract resources from diverse sectors such as tourism, media, and shipping (Ma, 2023, p. 317). When asked about her vision for Nagasaki Prefecture, the assemblywoman mentioned above said she dreams of a Nagasaki Prefecture that could leverage its international history for development. She noted that instead of only relying on the national government for diplomacy, Nagasaki should promote international relations at both the prefectural and individual levels. Her vision further illustrates Nagasaki’s changing culture of governance, slowly moving away from centralization towards collaborative governance. This collaborative governance also reflects in what other interview partners told me about an increased push towards industries like traditional crafts and tourism through public-private partnerships, moving away from heavy industries and centralized governance (online interview, 04/10/2022). The cases of Goto Island and Hasami Town, where the private sector and civil society have been proactive in driving development efforts, were often discussed as success stories by the respondents, illustrating Nagasaki’s gradual move towards diverse development strategies and collaborative governance (interview, 03/10/2022). In summary, Nagasaki offers an intriguing example for the role of culture in regional revitalization and its governance. Nagasaki’s history is significant. How this pivot towards a collaborative governance model in recent times is related to culture and the past should be further explored as the evolving interplay of culture and governance is a fascinating topic.

References
Conrad, Burkhard. 2006. “Informal Politics.” Hamburg Review of Social Sciences 1 (3): 256–72.
Ma, Scott. 2023. “Global History in Two Chronotopes: Time, Identify and the Practical Past in Nagasaki, Japan, 1990 and 2006.” Rethinking History 27 (2): 312–39.
Willis, David B. 2007. “Dejima: Creolization and Enclaves of Difference in Transnational Japan.” In Transcultural Japan: At the Borderlands of Race, Gender and Identity, 239–63. New York: Routledge.

by Asina Kara

At the end of 2018, I did an international youth volunteer service in a retirement home in Hiroshima City for one year and was fascinated by the area. The city center itself is not as big as in other Japanese cities such as Kyoto, Osaka or Tokyo, but it offered everything I needed. I lived on the outskirts of the city. I come from Berlin, so it felt very much like country life. But I felt connected to nature for the first time in my life, which went hand in hand with a sense of freedom. Since I have so many fond memories of Hiroshima, I would want to live there again. As in my case, where you move can be by chance. But often, people move to places they already have a connection with. This is true for two Japanese families who decided to move to a small town in Hiroshima Prefecture away from the crowded city and towards more freedom. But how much freedom do families have when they bring their children? In this post, I will introduce the experience of two families who moved to the countryside.

Hiroshima Prefectures is famous for its beautiful landscape and heritage sites like the torii of Itsukushima Shrine
Copyright © Asina Kara 2018

Takanori and Mikasa moved from Tokyo to a small town in the northeast of Hiroshima Prefecture in 2021 because city life became too stressful for them and they wanted to take over Mikasa’s grandparents’ house. They had the house renovated and live there with their two young daughters. Digital transformation allows them to do many things digitally “thanks” to the Corona pandemic. Takanori is employed in Tokyo but now works remotely. This is very compatible with his family life, as he can now spend more time with them. Mikasa, meanwhile, works in their field.  They love having food, work and their children in one place and often eat home-grown vegetables, rice and meat from wild boar and deer that Takanori has hunted himself. The older daughter, however, feels lonely at times because she left her friends behind in Tokyo, but also enjoys spending time with her new friends, even though her class consists of only eight students. The younger daughter, on the other hand, likes to collect horsetails and chestnuts by the wayside, which makes family walks much longer. The family really enjoys spending time together in nature. Mikasa believes that her children can gain experiences in the countryside that would not be possible in Tokyo [1].

Small towns and villages in Hiroshima Prefecture attract many young urbanites.
Copyright © Asina Kara 2018

Jinsaku was born in Hiroshima City and moved from Tochigi Prefecture to a small town in the southeast of Hiroshima Prefecture. In Tochigi, he had worked for a large machine manufacturer and then quit because he began to doubt his life as an employee as he was constantly under time pressure. He became a farmer and has to work hard every day. He became interested in the small town where he now lives when he saw a 150-year-old house there. He rebuilt it and now earns a living there. His dream was to have a happy home with a family, which came true when he married and had two daughters. With his wife Chiaki, he initially grew and sold vegetables, but this was not enough to support the family, so they decided to focus on viticulture. This helped to support the family financially. Together with the children, they eat some home-grown vegetables, but now spend most of their time growing grapes [2].

Many urban-rural migrants start farming after moving to Hiroshima Prefecture
Copyright © Asina Kara 2018

These two examples show that work-life balance seems to be quite possible, but both families sacrifice a lot of time to farming, and one family struggled to maintain a stable income. Takanori had the opportunity to continue his old job remotely from Tokyo. So he has a stable income and is also financially independent from farming. This means that the family could make a living even if Mikasa did not earn so much money from farming. This gives the family security. Jinsaku, on the other hand, has become dependent on farming and therefore has to sacrifice more time. The pressure to feed his family is correspondingly higher. So in terms of livelihood and income, the experiences of these two families are very different. But whether part-time farming or full-time farming, both are physically demanding and should not be underestimated. However, rural life for a family does of course have its nice sides, because the children can move freely outdoors, they can eat the harvested vegetables together with the family and the family can spend time together in nature, which would be difficult to do in a big city.

References:
[1] Hiroshima-ken (2022), Tanbo to hata o te ni shite yume datta shizen nō o jitsugen, https://www.hiroshima-hirobiro.jp/interview/details/002055/, last accessed 27 June 2023.
[2] Hiroshima nyūsu (2020), Ijū kara 13-nen datsusara nōgyō seinen no “yume no tsuzuki“, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhBxEBk_2IM, last accessed 27 June 2023.

Asina Kara is a student in the BA program in Japanese Studies at Freie Universität Berlin.

by Cecilia Luzi

After a meeting in Fukuoka, a professor asked me: “Everyone says it’s better to raise children in the countryside, but I’m curious what activities there are for children in places like Hasami that go beyond public parks. What do people usually do with their children?” This question made me think back to the many times I spent with other young mothers and children, both migrants and locals, and reflect on everyday life in rural areas from their perspective.

Playdate at the beach in Ōsaki Peninsula
Copyright © Cecilia Luzi 2023

As described in my last blog post, there is at least one public park in every town in the region. However, when the rainy season descended upon us, outdoor play opportunities were limited due to the bad weather. These days, mothers have to find an alternative. In some towns, there are so-called childcare centers (kosodate shien sentā). These centers offer families with young children the opportunity to spend time together reading books and doing indoor play activities. The playrooms are spacious and offer children the opportunity to run, jump and play with a variety of toys. These centers also host events. In July I attended an event named “Toys Square” (omocha hiroba). Two women created a fantastic play space at the center, featuring an assortment of wooden toys and games for kids between the ages of zero to six.

A Childcare Support Center
Copyright © Cecilia Luzi 2023

During our visit, I talked to a young migrant mother who is originally from Mie Prefecture and has three children, the oldest of whom is six years old, the second five years old and the youngest only eight months old. Right at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, she moved with her husband to a neighboring town. She was dissatisfied with the educational concept of the kindergarten there and was looking for a better alternative for her children. She recounted how her daughter would come home every day and scold her family for doing something rude: “You shouldn’t do that (kore dame)!”, which she attributed to the kindergarten’s rigid and outdated teaching methods. She believed that children should be allowed to play freely and discover the world at their own pace. She found the daycare center, which was known for taking a different approach to following the child’s rhythm. She visited the facility and was impressed by their alternative methods. Although the facility is 20 minutes away by car, she enjoys making the journey every day because she has seen a positive impact on her children.

Takeo Children’s Library
Copyright © Cecilia Luzi 2023

Children’s libraries are another wonderful place for children. The children’s library in Takeo, for example, has a particularly welcoming atmosphere and a rich collection of picture books, a café and a playground. During our visits, we often met familiar faces, including friends who have moved to the area. On one occasion, a young woman who moved to Hasami ten years ago told me about her family routine: “Every time we come to the library, it’s curry night for the family! There is a delicious Indian curry restaurant just around the corner and the girls love it!”. Another time we met a family from Hasami consisting of children, parents and grandparents. The grandfather greeted us warmly and told us about their weekend ritual: “We like to come as a whole family at the weekend. We like to play with the kids in the library, borrow books and then go to the onsen for a nice bath!” Since Takeo is known for its hot springs, this is the perfect way to end a fun day at the library.

Inside the Children’s Library
Copyright © Cecilia Luzi 2023

Raising children in rural Japan is a diverse experience. The availability of child-friendly facilities and activities can vary significantly from place to place. Fortunately, Hasami benefits from its convenient location near larger cities such as Nagasaki, Sasebo and even Fukuoka, which offer many attractions for children. However, the attention paid to childcare and support services in many rural towns impressed me the most during my fieldwork, especially in terms of educational approaches and support for mothers and young families. One day I was chatting with a very friendly woman around 60 who runs a Childcare Support Center. I told her of my amazement at the abundance of beautifully illustrated books that have been published in Japan by Japanese authors. She replied, “Many years ago, neighborhoods in rural towns like ours regularly organized gatherings to read to the children. That was really wonderful! Unfortunately, we seem to have lost our passion for reading aloud. But children are the future of small towns like ours. But children are the future of small towns like ours. If we don’t support them, don’t encourage their education and don’t teach them to appreciate the beauty of their birthplace, how can we expect them to stay?”

by Erik Rimkus

One of Japan’s biggest challenges today is demographic change. This includes, first and foremost, the rapid aging of the population, with nearly one-third of the population (29%) aged 65 and older (Statistics Bureau of Japan 2022). But Japanese demographics also pose a second, rapidly growing problem: hyper-urbanization. Nowhere is this more visible than in Tokyo. To this day Japan’s capital has been continuously growing, even beyond its own prefectural borders. The greater Tokyo area or “National Capital Region“ (jap.: Shutoken), consisting of the Kanto region and the neighboring Yamanashi Prefecture, is considered to be the most populous metropolitan area in the world, with a total population of 44.37 million people as of 2021 (Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Tourism 2022: 42). Even though Tokyo’s population influx died down a little during the pandemic (The Japan Times 2022), due to a strong continuous flow of (esp. young) people moving to the capital, Tokyo is expected to grow even more. Now over one-third of Japan’s population (apx. 35%) is living in this metropolis (Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Tourism 2022: 42).

Tokyo, Ueno
Copyright © Cornelia Reiher 2023

On the other hand, this naturally leads to most other parts of Japan becoming increasingly underpopulated and over-aged, causing a variety of problems. These problems range from a shortage of skilled workers to the disappearance of entire towns and villages, with “869 municipalities – nearly half of Japan’s total population – […] at risk of disappearing [by 2040]” (Richarz 2019). However, although seemingly all of Japan is migrating to Tokyo, a counter-movement of people fleeing the megacity is slowly taking hold. Whether people frustrated by their hectic lives are being pushed away from living in this hyper-urban area or are being drawn to the countryside by the promise of affordable housing, closer contact with nature, or a more thoughtful and slower-paced lifestyle, these intra-national migrants, often referred to as ijūsha, are exactly what many rural areas are counting on.

Shirakawa, Gifu
Copyright © unsplash.com 2020

To inform and support potential newcomers, many prefectures and municipalities promote their areas in newsletters and magazines. One example is the magazine “Turns“. This magazine often reports about people who moved to the countryside and their stories of success. The magazine’s official subtitle is: “Connecting with rural areas in the Future “ [Kore kara no chiiki to no tsunagarikata]. But, despite what it sounds like, Turns is not only about successfully growing strawberries in small rural towns Miyagi. One article for example describes the relocation of two young people from the greater Tokyo area (Tokyo and Yokohama) to Nagasaki, the capital city of the prefecture of the same name (Fukami 2021: 100-101). This is not the only case of major cities being described and categorized as chiiki or “rural areas“. In fact in the discourse surrounding “rural revitalization“, many places presented as “rural areas “ are in fact large cities like Nagasaki with a population of close to 400.000 people (Nagasaki City 2023). This perception of almost every place outside of Tokyo as rural seems to have become a common view in Japan. I have also made this experience while in Japan.  A good friend of mine, who grew up in Gifu-City and moved to Tokyo to study, once told me how people react when they find out, where she is from. Questions like: „Did you even have Starbucks or MC Donalds there?“ illustrate very vividly how people from Tokyo view places outside their megacity.

Nagasaki, Japan
Copyright © unsplash.com 2022

Tokyo’s hyper urbanization has far-reaching implications for Japan. For one thing, it may change the way people see and experience “big” and “small rural areas.” There is simply no other place in Japan that compares to the “megacity” of Tokyo. I believe that demographic changes in Japan and the hyper-urbanization of the capital are leading to a new dominant view of Tokyo and non-Tokyo, as opposed to the previous distinction between “rural areas” and urban areas. However, these small and large rural areas do not necessarily share the same problems, and little or no differentiation could fuel rivalries in attracting new residents, for example. If Japan does not want to lose more and more communities in the coming years and decades, it must successfully promote rural areas and revitalize its rural areas. But to do so effectively, it may need to acknowledge the differences between towns and cities of different sizes and the changing perceptions of rural areas.

References:
Fukami, Hiroshi (2021) „Nagasaki-shi de mitsuketa watashitachi no ‘saikō no kurashi’“ [„The best way of life“ can be found in Nagasaki], in: Turns, 43 (10), p. 100-101.
Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Tourism (2022), „Reiwa sannendo shutoken Seibi ni kansuru nenji Hōkoku“ [2021 Annual Report on the Metropolitan Area Development], https://www.mlit.go.jp/toshi/daisei/toshi_daisei_fr_000063.html (Accessed on July 06, 2023).
Nagasaki-shi (2023), „Kongatsu no ugoki (Suikei jinkō nado saishin no shuyō tōkei)“ [Movement of the Month (Latest Major Statistics such as Estimated Population)], https://www.city.nagasaki.lg.jp/syokai/750000/751000/p007001.html (Accessed on July 09, 2023).
Richarz, Allan (2019), „In Japan’s vanishing rural towns newcomers are wanted“, in: Bloomberg, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-11-15/in-japan-s-vanishing-rural-towns-newcomers-wanted (Accessed on June 26. 2023).
Statistics Bureau of Japan (2022), „Current population estimation as of October 1, 2022“, https://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/jinsui/2022np/ (Accessed on June 26, 2023).
The Japan Times (2022), „Net population influx into Tokyo hits lowest point in 2021 amid pandemic“, https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/01/28/national/tokyo-population-influx-lowest/ (Accessed on July 09. 2023).

Erik Rimkus is a student in the BA program in Japanese Studies at Freie Universität Berlin

by Isabell Frank

The COVID-19 pandemic was an accelerator for digital transformation worldwide: suddenly, being present at work, school or university was no longer an option, and new digital formats filled that space. This new situation gave rise to various new forms of work that were encouraged by the government, such as telework. Although there was a decline in telework toward working at one’s own desk after the pandemic subsided, many took a liking to this new style of work. In the case of Japan, this is seen as an opportunity to bring young educated people into the depopulated countryside, which suffers from an aging population and an exodus of young people. In what follows, I would like to introduce two types of telework that have become increasingly popular in recent years and may point to a new direction for working life in Japan.

Remote work enables people to live and work in the countryside
Copyright © Cornelia Reiher 2022

The first is the so-called “workation”, a mixture of “work” and “vacation”, where people take a few days or weeks to work in a place of their choice. In most cases, these are tourist locations where people can combine work and leisure. For example, they work their regular hours during the day and then have time to sightsee and enjoy the new scenery. Because of this influx of new visitors or even potential new residents, many municipalities are competing with each other by setting up telework facilities and offering coworking spaces. One such municipality is Fujiyoshida, a city in Yamanashi Prefecture known as a tourist hotspot and a model for creating spaces for telework. The project is called “Satellite Office for the whole City of Fujiyoshida.” Its goal is to provide free workspaces. As of July 2022, there were 42 registered workspaces in Fujiyoshida that can be rented on an hourly or monthly basis and include coworking spaces, cafes, hotels and even campsites. To keep it simple and convenient, the transaction is done through a smartphone app and the total amount is billed at the end of the month. The providers of the spaces also receive some of that money, which makes the offer profitable for local companies. The possibility of converting empty or unused spaces into telework spaces allows the reuse of many unoccupied spaces, which on the one hand contributes to the repopulation of the area and on the other hand also supports the locals financially. In addition, this also provides an opportunity for interaction between telecommuters and residents, which both sides seem to appreciate (Yoshizawa 2022).

Coworking spaces look very different. Some are located in houses that offer office space and accommodation …
Copyright © Cornelia Reiher 2023

The second type of telework I would like to introduce is full remote work, where individuals permanently move (far) away from their workplace and work digitally from their new home. One such teleworker is Nozomi, a young woman who moved to Kyūshū while still working for a recruitment agency in Tōkyō. Like many lifestyle migrants, she was looking for a town that was just “enough” rural to be quiet and peaceful, yet close to a major city, and found the city she now lives in on a tourist trip. Since her previous employer did not allow full remote work, she specifically looked for a new job and had quite a bit of difficulty because many employers wanted her to be at the company at least a few days a month. After finding her desired job, she moved to Kyūshū with her husband and is enjoying her new work style. She says she most enjoys the nature that surrounds her and the new freedom to plan her work style. When Nozomi looks out the window, she no longer sees a crowded big city and can work from her room, at a nearby café or even by a river. All she needs for this style of work is her laptop and a pair of headphones. Of course, this way of working also has its downsides. Nozomi misses the communication between her colleagues and sometimes feels lonely. To compensate for the lack of social interaction in her work life, she actively seeks the company of locals, whom she describes as warmer and more welcoming than the “cold” people from Tōkyō. She also informs interested people about her new life via Twitter and her blog. In this way, she wants to help people who are thinking about moving to the countryside but can’t quite imagine rural lifestyles. She also wants to set up a team in her community to support migrants who have already moved here, because many suffer from loneliness or can’t find information about infrastructure and amenities. In this way, she would like to return the kindness she herself received from the local residents and to contribute to the community (Iwatate 2023).

… while other coworking spaces are also used as event spaces.
Copyright © Cornelia Reiher 2023

While these two types of remote work represent different ways in which telework can be integrated into people’s lives, many remote workers experience an improved work-life balance and enjoy work more as a result of choosing telework. Telework could become a new driving force in revitalizing not only rural areas but also the Japanese economy, which suffers from low productivity and labor shortages, and could make working in Japan more attractive to Japanese and foreigners alike. While telework is still a niche, it is expected to increase in the future, driven by digital transformation, positive experiences from the pandemic and the need to appeal to skilled workers.

References
Iwatate, Tadasuke (2023), “Furu remōto joshi wa, ijūsha dōshi ga “tanoshii” o kyōyū dekiru chīmu o tsukuritai” [Full remote woman wants to build a team where migrants can have “fun” together], in: Saga Smile, 17. April, https://www.sagasmile.com/interviews/archives/53 (Accessed 27.06.2023).
Yoshizawa, Shiho (2022), “Fujiyoshida-shi marugoto sateraito ofisu” [Satellite office for the whole city of Fujiyoshida], in: Turns, 54, p. 46-51.

Isabell Frank is a student in the BA program in Japanese Studies at Freie Universität Berlin