Japan is the fastest aging nation in the world. Now that we're closer to 2050 than 2000, how will that affect the generation now coming of age? https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/29/japan/society/japan-2050-predections-depopulation/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #society #depopulation #aging #demographics #teens #elderly #comingofageday #lifeexpectancy #rurallife #women039sissues
Japan’s efforts to to halt rural depopulation and revive its countryside have failed because jobs alone are insufficient, requiring a broader focus on quality of life, productivity and realistic population goals. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/editorials/2025/12/26/japans-regional-revitalization-policy/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #editorials #depopulation #japaneseeconomy #meti #robots #localgovernment #rurallife #tech
Okinawa Prefecture’s image of “islands blessed with children” might not be entirely accurate when it comes to its remote islands and isolated communities, which struggle with acute depopulation. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/22/japan/society/okinawa-remote-islands-depopulation/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #society #okinawa #population #depopulation #rurallife #localgovernment
Following her first encounter with “Christmas cake” in 1975, an American writer began to establish her own holiday traditions and menus by blending cultures and communities. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2025/12/22/voices/christmas-new-years-meals-memories/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #community #voices #expats #christmas #oshogatsu #newyear #rurallife
wet forest moon folklorist
and 1 other
boosted
Despite familiar threats of synthetic alternatives and a declining workforce, Shiga Prefecture's persimmon dyers believe the traditional craft is still worth the effort. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2025/11/01/style-design/persimmon-dyeing-textiles-shiga-crafts/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #life #styledesign #japanesecrafts #textiles #rurallife
Despite familiar threats of synthetic alternatives and a declining workforce, Shiga Prefecture's persimmon dyers believe the traditional craft is still worth the effort. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2025/11/01/style-design/persimmon-dyeing-textiles-shiga-crafts/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #life #styledesign #japanesecrafts #textiles #rurallife
The Liberal Democratic Party, which has dominated Japanese politics for most of the postwar era, is in danger of crumbling. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/10/02/japan/politics/japan-ruling-party-ldp-in-danger/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #ldp #farmers #agriculture #rurallife #rice #shinjirokoizumi #sanaetakaichi #sanseito
After a long career in preschool education, Australian Linda Joyce is now taking up sustainable tourism as a bilingual concierge in rural Tochigi Prefecture. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2025/09/25/our-lives/linda-joyce-tochigi-tourism/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #community #ourlives #expats #tochigiprefecture #tourism #overtourism #sustainabletourism #hotels #rurallife
As the population of Spain's rural regions continues to fall, raising fears that smaller towns and villages may eventually vanish, public and private actors are experimenting with ways to reverse the demographic decline. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/09/12/world/society/spain-rural-regions-revitalize/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #worldnews #society #spain #depopulation #tourism #rurallife #cities
Japan is considering next steps for the new "furusato jūmin" (hometown resident) registration system to encourage people to get more involved in areas where they don't live. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/09/07/japan/japan-hometown-resident-system-regional-revitalization/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #rurallife #furusatonozei #depopulation
As the population concentration in Tokyo is accelerating, the government has begun to take a different approach to help stem depopulation in regional areas and rev up local economies. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/08/18/japan/post-war-tokyo-overconcentration/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #tokyo #population #depopulation #rurallife #cities #decentralization
Fukushima Prefecture is set to launch a public-private partnership initiative to mitigate the outflow of young people that has been a major factor behind population decline and the falling birth rate. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/07/14/japan/fukushima-gender-gap-population-decline/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #fukushima #population #women039sissues #rurallife #hyogo
In Fukushima Prefecture's rural regions, more and more medical facilities have stopped handling childbirths, leaving municipalities worried about an acceleration of population decline. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/06/23/japan/society/fukushima-childbirth-facilities-decrease/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #society #pregnancy #hospitals #children #rurallife #depopulation #fukushima