Nagisa MizunoJapan has been facing two opposite phenomena – a population decrease in rural areas and overpopulation in large cities. While many regions in Japan have struggled with severe population decline, a small town has successfully attracted international people and couples of child-bearing age. It is Higashikawa in Hokkaido. Unlike the other rural areas, the population in Higashikawa, now 8000 people, has been rising in a quarter-century by 20%.
Higashikawa is located in the middle of Hokkaido, ten-minute drive from Asahikawa Airport. Conifer forests on the vast land cover the area, which makes the similar scenery of Canada and Scandinavian countries. Higashikawa is proud of its key industries, including forestry, furniture production and producing its very own branded rice. Residents can also enjoy rich natural water from Mount Asahi, part of the Daisetsuzan Volcanic Group. Enjoying the beauty of nature, Higashikawa people live their own lives. How does the countryside draw people from overseas and other prefectures? And how do they increase the population and protect the natural lifestyle at the same time?
We will pick up three key points to answer the questions: photography, foreign people and family with kids.
How photography is revitalizing the town
While many rural areas have struggled with regional revitalization policies in Japan, Higashikawa declared itself “the town of photography” and then established the related ordinance in 1986. After photography became the focus of the town’s policies, it aims to become a “Nice Shot” town,” promotes multi-cultural exchange through photography, and holds photography-related events such as Higashikawa International Photo Festival and National High School Photography Championships (Shashin Koshien).
Photo, a form of art, has the power to attract old and young men and women. Photography itself does not produce new things, but it shows you the beauty of nature and lively human faces that already exist there and leave them to the future generations. So photography helps reveal the town’s best.
Since the Higashikawa local government initiated the town of photography policy, it has changed the minds of public officers and residents, who noticed and appreciate the surrounding lovely environment.
Foreigners take pivotal role in Higashikawa community
Quiet, warm and welcoming atmosphere in Higashikawa is attractive to overseas nationals.
The population of foreigners is concentrated in large cities such as Tokyo, Osaka, Aichi and these surrounding areas in Japan. On the other hand, the flow of international people into Higashikawa is increasing every year. There are now around 300 foreigners, accounting for 4% of the population. This is more than double the national average of 2%.
This increase in the foreign population is due to Higashikawa’s active Japanese educational programs. Higashikawa became the first town to open a public Japanese language school in Japan. The students are from all over the world, many of them coming from China, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar and South Korean.
The school offers courses that are six months or a year long. One of the benefits for coming here is to gain a scholarship to go to school at a very cheap price. It is also appealing for them to learn both Japanese traditional and Higashikawa-specific art such as tea ceremony, photography and crafts as well as the Japanese language.
Higashikawa is a place not only to study but to work in. As of 2019, around 20 international talents actively work in Higashikawa as a part of the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme, and now that they are an essential part of the Higashikawa community. They teach school children English, culture or sports as an assistant language teacher, a coordinator for international relations or a sports exchange advisor. Both the elderly and children living in Higashikawa can enjoy multicultural communication with them. The elderly can teach foreigners Japanese too. It has become natural for Higashikawa residents to live with people from other countries.
After their contract period ends as a student or a teacher, Higashikawa’s official partnership scheme with companies might help expats stay longer in Japan. For example, Seven Bank promotes recruiting foreign talents by using the system.
Many international students love Higashikawa’s calm atmosphere, beautiful nature and friendly people. It would be a good place to study as much as they want in a quiet and relaxing environment.
Environment and special chair nurture sustainable mind
To live a natural lifestyle, it is important not to be too busy or stressed. This applies to both working people and children.
Higashikawa is also friendly to children. One of four elementary schools in the town is next to Higashikawa Community Center, which functions as an after-school facility. The library and sports hall there are open to town residents, and the classrooms have no walls. It might be surprising for people living in Tokyo where some schools are equipped with a concrete fence to prevent strangers from coming inside. In the school garden, they grow rice and vegetables for lunch.
Another unique project for kids is “Your Chair” started in 2006. Higashikawa town presents a hand-made chair with his or her name and birthday on it to a newborn baby to celebrate their birth. Chairs are designed in one of Higashikawa’s workshops each year. This contains a wish for making them feel “this is where they belong.” This project also contributes to the local economy and helps hand over the tradition. Moreover, when they grow up and enter Higashikawa junior high school, students are assigned their own hand-made chairs. The chairs will also be gifted to them upon their graduation.
Imagine growing up in nature, with something that has accompanied you as you studied and played. That environment and chair will be special to the children, nurturing the mind of taking good care of nature and things.
Natural lifestyle is the best attraction
I cannot describe Higashikawa in one word. It has many different charms: Higashikawa rice, clean natural water, woodcraft, photography, a good environment to study… Above all, I think people’s natural lifestyle looks the most appealing.
There are many people who migrate to Higashikawa and then start their own businesses. One of the pioneers is the furniture manufacturer Kitanosumai Sekkeisha. It makes simple and durable furniture, suggesting lifestyle with nature. Like Kitanosumai Sekkeisha, other migrants have started a coffee shop, a cafeteria, or a freelancing job such as a designer and a writer by using Higashikawa’s entrepreneur support scheme. Their lifestyle in nature pulls more people from other places.
To establish such a lifestyle, a point is to take advantage of what they already have without producing new things. Higashikawa already has great nature and culture built on woodcraft and photography. Making the most use of these resources, the town wants to keep everything within reach to make people feel comfortable, rather than aiming for a big town. Instead of depending on one specialty, like Kamikatsu as a zero-waste town for example, Higashikawa has something interesting to each person. This might be a key to attract a variety of people who wish to live a natural life and to keep it.
[Website] Higashikawa Town
