A story from Japan

Rekindling multi-generational relations

Over the last two years, I have been researching new stories for a potential City Quitters documentary. As it stands, I won't be making a film, but this seems like an excellent platform to share some of those stories that have inspired me with you.

Meet Yuichiro, a young entrepreneur / tangerine farmer / skater who has taken over his family business on the island of Shikoku. With his wife Akusa, he has made it his mission to preserve his grandparents' knowledge, who have been working on the farm for over 60 years. They still do hard manual labour on the farm, something Yuichiro says his generation is not used to anymore. But he sees the potential a young, motivated workforce could bring to this beautiful corner of the world. 

Image courtesy of Yuichiro Wakamatsu

After studying tourism and working in the hospitality industry in Tokyo and Melbourne, Yuichiro decided to return to his birthplace, a small village in Ehime prefecture, in 2019. A move that would seem absolutely bonkers to most people of his generation. The simple life that Yuichiro and Akusa are pursuing is not aspirational for the mainstream. Today, roughly a third of Japan's population lives in the Tokyo metropolitan area (on less than five per cent of Japan's total land area). Rural areas are struggling with severe depopulation, and villages, often with beautiful intact old houses, are left to the elderly and will sooner or later disappear completely. As the population ages and shrinks, the countryside is becoming home to more and more ghost villages.

The tide might be turning, though. 2021 saw more people leave Tokyo than move into the city for the first time in over 25 years. There are now several schemes by the government that offer financial incentives to young people moving out of Tokyo and to rural areas. Yuichiro also received financial support from the local municipality, which is desperately trying to attract young people. Still, I don't believe money will be the decisive factor here.

There has to be a shift in priorities, a shift in values. It takes people to see the beauty in this way of life. 

Yuichiro is doing his bid to attract more people to the area. He is currently building a guest house (with a bar!) so he can host friends who come to visit or help with the harvest. Hands-on help is much appreciated by his grandparents, but so is their wisdom and youthful spirit by the unversed helpers. Many older people in the village believe there is no acknowledgement of their lives, knowledge, or craftsmanship. But many of Yuichiro's friends in Tokyo long for a slower life away from the city. They are looking for balance in their digitally-saturated lives. 

Image courtesy of Yuichiro Wakamatsu

Yuichiro is really trying to build a bridge between generations. What he's doing is not easy. Having his life so closely entangled with his immediate family brings challenges for sure. Yuichiro literally lives next door to them. This seems significant to me. Who today is willing to have this sort of tight relationship with their parents and grandparents?

But it is here, in rekindling those connections, where foundations for alternative, more community-minded futures are laid. The day-to-day exchanges, the shared meals, and the transfer of knowledge on the farm, are what create a rich life for Yuichiro and Akusa and the community around them.

At the same time, their business wouldn't be thriving if it weren't for their aesthetic sensibilities formed during their time in Tokyo. Akusa is an illustrator and designs many of their labels and merchandise (gotta have merch!), and their connections in the urban gastronomic scene help them sell their products directly. Unlike the other local farmers, they don't have to rely on an agent to shift their goods. The skills honed in the city allow them to tap into the high-end market of Japan's major cities. And the demand is high. Seeing the fun the two have combining new skills with traditional ways of life, I hope they'll pave the way for many others to follow in their footsteps.

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