The Dark Side of Living in Rural Japan

A small town in Fukui Prefecture, with a population of just 2,300, caught national attention by publishing a bizarre set of rules for living in the area. The town's rules include shocking statements, such as, "When you live here, you must give up expectations of privacy and accept that people will want to know every detail of your life and use these details to judge if you are a high-quality human being." The rules assert that you must not think such behaviors are intrusive because this is the rural way of expressing love for the community. The rules warn that newcomers must accept their lives will be closely watched by their neighbors, who are nervous about living next to new people.

This news is catching attention amidst a new trend of urban people wanting to move to the countryside, significantly spurred by the rise of remote work. In addition, many rural areas in Japan are facing severe demographic challenges due to low birth rates and desperately need new people to move in and maintain the population level. National and regional governments have implemented various policies to motivate urban people to move to the countryside, often offering financial support and affordable housing for those willing to relocate. In many cases, regional governments even help newcomers settle by finding them jobs or assisting them in starting businesses. As more urban people take a chance at starting a new life in the countryside, some unexpected dark secrets of rural Japan are becoming exposed.

The town that published these bizarre rules sent a representative to explain them to a national audience on a popular show. The town is currently experiencing a demographic aging crisis, where 45% of residents are seniors. The town’s population level is unsustainable without newcomers, so the local government has offered incentives like public housing and reimbursements for expenses related to childbirth and childcare. Currently, about 20 newcomers move in each year. 
To prevent conflicts between newcomers and existing residents, the town government published seven rules to help newcomers from urban centers adapt to rural living. 

• The first rule states that newcomers must harbor a sense of responsibility as residents. 

• The second rule states that newcomers must accept the many chores unique to rural living that urban folks have never experienced. 

• The third rule emphasizes adapting to habits of communal living, requiring collective thinking and mutual support. 

• The fourth rule warns against bringing urban habits. 

• The fifth rule states that newcomers must accept being watched and judged at all times. 

• The sixth rule stresses the importance of building intimate relationships with the townspeople.

• The seventh rule requires newcomers to be willing to help others in cases of natural disasters.

The town representative, originally from Hiroshima City, explained that although these rules seem harsh, they reflect how rural living differs greatly from urban expectations. The second rule regarding chores refers to participation in communal events such as religious rituals and seasonal festivals. To rural residents, these events have profound religious, spiritual, cultural, economic, and social significance, and everyone is expected to devote time and energy throughout the year to ensure their success. Urban people moving to the countryside are often shocked by how much time they are expected to spend helping prepare for these events. In cities, participation in such events is optional and recreational, but in rural Japan, it is mandatory. Failure to participate can result in severe consequences, including social rejection and even retaliation.

A former schoolteacher in Tokyo moved to the countryside with his wife and children. His YouTube video went viral after accusing rural authorities of bullying and harassing him for not participating in communal events. When he first moved to the area, he joined a local association focused on reviving the region’s economy by cultivating products like ginseng and maple syrup. However, the project failed, and he stopped participating in the association's events because he felt they were unproductive. Afterward, the association leaders told him that his presence did not contribute to the region and that they did not want people like him in the future.  Subsequently, he was regularly harassed to the point where his health deteriorated, leading to hospitalization due to stress. His video garnered millions of views, and many viewers shared their own experiences of being bullied in rural Japan for not conforming to rural living norms.

Another journalist, who spends considerable time in rural areas, noted that urban people often fail to understand the hierarchical nature of human relations in rural communities. This can be shocking for urban folks accustomed to a more egalitarian environment. In rural areas, people are often expected to unconditionally obey those in higher social positions, such as the head of a local association, even if it is a grassroots group with no government backing. Social hierarchies formed in childhood can persist into adulthood, with school bullies growing up to hold high social positions. He cited an example of a town association retaliating against someone by denying them access to a garbage disposal station, as these stations are often privately run and can refuse service for any reason. 

In rural Japan, local leaders hold considerable power over essential services, and their retaliations can make daily life unbearable.

In another case, a man and his wife relocated from Tokyo to a beach town and opened a restaurant, aiming to revive the region’s economy by promoting local farmers through their menu. After successfully operating for six years, they were suddenly ordered to close. The building housing the restaurant was managed by a local non-profit association focused on reviving the region, and its leader wanted to use the space to open his own restaurant. Despite the couple’s success and customer love for their restaurant, the leader claimed they were only using the restaurant to make money without helping the region. This incident severely damaged the region's reputation and ended its efforts to attract newcomers.

I hope you learned something about the darker side of rural Japan through Today's Blog. If you like my content, please like and follow. I’ll see you next time.