Quote:
Originally Posted by SeijiSensei
Interesting, but I wonder if the focus on couples with one Western partner makes this story unrepresentative of native Japanese families. I understand the choice given that Vice makes shows for Western audiences.
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I'm under the impression that it's mainly foreigners who are spearheading the return to the countryside. I had the privilege of interviewing
Alex Kerr on a similar subject in 2020, during the height of the first wave of coronavirus infections. My focus at the time was more on what it means to pursue sustainable tourism, in the light of the impact of pandemic on the industry.
In the course of researching his work prior to the interview, I found that once he managed to restore the first few homes in the countryside, more families started moving in.
In short, what you need are pioneers to start the ball rolling. My guess is that the average Japanese is risk-averse, and it would take a fair bit of persuasion before they would take the plunge.