Japan

Japan’s rural population has been in decline for decades. That’s caused many towns to close schools for lack of students. But residents in the village of Takigahara transformed a former nursery school into a different kind of community gathering place.

As it gets harder to make a living growing tea, some Japanese farmers are leaving the industry, while others are exploring new options.

Interest in Japanese art has grown internationally, giving hope to those who have been waiting for the industry to pick up.

Nearly one-third of Japan’s population is over 65, making it the oldest country in the world. Small rural towns nationwide are seeing these demographic changes most acutely as younger residents leave for larger cities. Nowhere is this more evident than in the village of Nanmoku, where officials are using the allure of cheap property to bring a newer, younger generation of residents to town.

Japan is entering what some sociologists call a “marriage ice age.”
So, the government is trying its hand at matchmaking.