“Lacking Lifeblood in Rural Japan” by Craig Tan

This photograph shows a hair salon in Tsuetate Onsen (杖立温泉), Kumamoto Prefecture. Tsuetate used to be a bustling onsen (hot spring) town during the Showa period, but in recent decades it has seen a steep decline in visitors. When I stopped by, the salon was closed, despite it being in the middle of the day when most businesses should be open and at their busiest. The salon was shuttered and will remain closed for at least another week before it opens for business.

It is common practice for businesses to mention the days when they will be closed. For example, it is common to find a notice informing customers that they are ‘closed on Tuesdays.’ So, the salon was strange in the sense that it only informed customers of when it would open. And when it did open, it was only for four specific days a month. This was the general atmosphere of the entire town, where numerous shops and restaurants remained closed throughout the day. In fact, only two restaurants in the whole town were open during lunchtime when we visited. Even the convenience store, which people expect to be open 24 hours a day, was open specific hours during the day and closed at night. To deal with the shortage of customers, ryokan owners inform shops and restaurants how many customers they will host each night, information the shops and restaurants use to decide when to open their business.

Tsuetate Onsen is trying to revitalise. Many efforts have been made to try to attract visitors, including a marathon, specialty pudding that differs in each ryokan, and perhaps their most successful event, the koinobori (鯉幟) festival. Still, Tsuetate does not see the number of visitors of its neighbour Kurokawa (黒川温泉), and the town remains rather quiet. Like many other small towns in Japan, Tsuetate is facing an ageing and declining population. Local residents are the lifeblood of any city or town, and perhaps that is the reason why Tsuetate is in its current position. It seems that only by retaining or inviting the younger generation to Tsuetate can it achieve its aim of revitalisation.

“Aging and Revitalization” by Germaine Tan

Tsuetate Onsen, a hot springs town located in Oguni Town, Kumamoto Prefecture, was our first destination and the one I liked most. Tsuetate was prosperous in the Showa period, but like many other rural areas in Japan, it is now in the midst of decline.

A dull and silent street made worse by a drizzle greeted us after our two-hour bus ride from the airport. However, the quiet streets and old buildings surrounded by billowing steam evoked nostalgia and gave us a sense of “old Japan”. We found a place for lunch that could fit all of us, but the owner was overwhelmed by the thought of preparing food for such a big group. It seemed clear that she rarely has so many customers, which further reflects the lack of visitors to the onsen.

After lunch, we were assigned different areas of town and tasked to observe the surroundings and talk to locals we encountered. My partner and I hardly saw anyone in our assigned area, and we found nearly all houses and shops at the edge town were closed or abandoned. It is sad that this once prosperous area is now like a ghost town. We were lucky to find an elderly woman at a gasoline stand able to chat. She mentioned that a serious case of ageing population and many young people leaving for better opportunities in the cities has resulted in the loss of vitality within the town. Furthermore, rising competition from nearby onsen like Beppu, Yufuin, and Kurokawa, coupled with the stagnant economy, has caused fewer people to visit. However, the people of Tsuetate are still trying. There are activities such as the famous koinobori display, whereby carp streamers are hung above and across the river, the Tsuetate puddings, and several festivals. But the effects of these activities remain limited, since they are seasonal.

I was astonished to find that when asked if she hopes the onsen can return to its glory days she replied, “Isn’t it fine to just remain like this? We brought up our kids, instilling them with the idea that it is okay (to work in big cities in future) to not return. Tsuetate can return to the days before it became prosperous and famous, running small business in peace and tranquility.” Her reply struck me hard into thinking about the true purpose of revitalization. What does it mean to revitalize? To what extent should we revitalize? How should towns like Tsuetate, with a majority of old people, best survive in future?