Tag - rural-life

 
 

RURAL LIFE

Katsuura in Chiba Prefecture — around 90 minutes by express train from Tokyo — has never seen the mercury climb above 35 degrees Celsius, a benchmark the meteorological agency uses to describe “extremely hot” weather, since records began in the city in 1906.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change / OUR PLANET
Sep 24, 2023
Japan’s endless summer pushes some toward cooler places
Amid a summerlong heat wave, more people are showing interest in moving to places like Katsuura that are known for their milder temperatures.
Kohei Saito, a philosophy professor at the University of Tokyo who appears regularly in Japanese media to discuss his ideas, at home in Tokyo on March 16.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 7, 2023
Can shrinking be good for Japan? A Marxist bestseller makes the case.
Saito has tapped into what he describes as a growing disillusionment in Japan with capitalism’s ability to solve the problems people see around them.
Native Englander Paul Christie now spends most of his time rebuilding declining communities across the rural stretches of southwest Japan.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Aug 29, 2023
One tour company’s mission to ‘revive a small corner of Japan’
Launched in 2007, the “Community Project” was devised to reinvigorate two neighboring valleys on the Kunisaki Peninsula.
The color of a red torii gate in Bushidaira, Saitama Prefecture, still stands out against a vibrant green backdrop.
JAPAN / Society / Longform
Aug 18, 2023
Exploring the eerie beauty of Japan's abandoned villages
Depopulation and an aging society have turned parts of the countryside into tourist attractions for those eager to explore a forgotten era.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jul 9, 2023
At Japan’s first winery, the country’s oldest grape lives on
Discovered in 1922 at Iwanohara Vineyard, the Muscat Bailey A grape may be one of Japan's great contributions to global wine.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jul 8, 2023
Drinking off the rails on Niigata’s sake train
The Koshino Shukura is one of Japan’s 44 “Joyful Trains” — on-rail experiences themed around a regional specialty. This particular one is about sake.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 27, 2023
Deep in the countryside, a glimpse of Airbnb's Japan strategy
The short-term lodging service is seeking to build links with communities outside of well-beaten tourist pathways and entice travelers to rural areas.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jun 27, 2023
Rare cancer drug trials to go online in Japan
The project is aimed at making it easier for patients in the countryside to join clinical trials and reduce their economic burden.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society / Longform
Jun 26, 2023
Inside Japan’s oldest village
With a median age of 68.4, Nanmoku is at the forefront of the nation’s battle against the gray wave.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jun 24, 2023
Airbnb’s newest venture is in Japan’s most hidden village
Airbnb has partnered with one rural family to offer two lucky guests a free two-night stay in their traditional thatch-roofed home.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 20, 2023
TSMC's first factory in Japan has to contend with horrible traffic
While construction on the facility in Kumamoto Prefecture proceeds at breakneck speed, little has been done to improve conditions on the area’s roads.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / Environment
Jun 17, 2023
Want to ‘live like a human’? Escape to a Seto island
Tourists might know the Seto Inland Sea as one of Japan’s unsung travel gems, but more and more people are considering it a place to start life anew.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / Destination Restaurants
Jun 11, 2023
Villa del Nido: Local produce, Italian technique, volcanic backdrop
Tucked away among the smallholdings of a rural community in Unzen City, it seems an unlikely setting for Villa del Nido’s sophisticated, Italian-accented, farm-to-table cuisine.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 4, 2023
Saunas helping revitalize rural tourism in Japan
In rural areas, outdoor saunas that take advantage of the natural environment, such as by using tents, have been set up one after another.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 29, 2023
Fukui launches Japan's first transport service using 'level 4' autonomous driving
Self-driving cars are expected to serve as a means of transportation for elderly people in areas where public transportation services have decreased due to drive shortages and depopulation.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
May 8, 2023
'In Nojiri, I have never felt like a foreigner'
Secluded and serene, the summer spot for many expat families faces challenges that aren't unique to other rural townships in Japan.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Apr 30, 2023
Japan's ume heartland sows new prospects
If you’ve ever eaten ume, chances are it came from Minabe or Tanabe in Wakayama Prefecture.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Apr 23, 2023
Will tourists thirst for trips to a Japanese green tea mecca?
Tourists in Japan can find quality tea anywhere. These rural farmers, however, are hoping some travelers are willing to go far afield for excellent sips.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Apr 17, 2023
Traditional Japanese homes are the focus of weekend-long Minka Summit
Amid a movement toward sustainable living, old Japanese farmhouses are getting a second look from the non-Japanese population.

Longform

Eme-Ima Kitchen is one of over 10,000 kodomo shokudō in Japan. A term first used in 2012 to describe makeshift eateries offering free or cheap meals to disadvantaged kids, it now refers to a diverse range of individuals, groups and organizations working to provide not only food but a sense of belonging to both children and adults.
Japan’s ‘children’s cafeterias’ are booming — but is that a good thing?