Living in the Middle of Nowhere
Despite the gradual decline of the rural population in Japan, the Japanese people still have a great interest in the recluse communities of the countryside. So many television programs focus on going into unknown villages and towns to explore the peaceful life of living in the mountains surrounded by farmland. Potsunto Ikenya (the Lonely House), which began being broadcast in 2017 and still continues today, starts with identifying a random house in the mountains on Google Maps and using the generosity of neighbors and locals to try and find the designated structure. Once the staff finds the residence, they interview the often wildly interesting and unique lives of the people who live there and why they live so far away from everything else. Many of these homes are the legacy of a long line of farmers and are larger properties in proportion to the sprawling countryside.
The gradual renovation that many of these homes go through is astounding, considering that the road to the mountainous houses is very narrow and hard to cross with large materials. It is inspiring to hear the homeowners recount stories about how they built their own canal by connecting piping from mountains 5km away by hand, or how they experienced climbing down the mountain for an hour for school every day as a child. Being one of the most popular shows on the network, programs like this are a testament to Japan’s intention to preserve and promote the countryside and the traditional-style homes that are found in those regions. However, many schools are rapidly shrinking and shutting down as families move to gain access to the conveniences of the metropolis, and class sizes dwindle as some high schools have only one student in their entire graduating class.
Recently, I’ve had the chance to visit the Utsunomiya countryside and its mountains, and was awestruck by the tranquil nature, and how amazing it felt to be absolutely surrounded by green, far and wide after being trapped in a very narrow horizon line in Tokyo. Although I’ve always been a fan of the city, the vibrancy of the green in Japan made me re-appreciate how serene and healing it is to be in the countryside. The crazy sights and tastes of the city are definitely a big pull for Japan, but I would argue that the rural landscape easily competes with the best the nation has to offer.
