A declining population

In Japan, as in many affluent countries, the population is declining. This was visibly evident on Yagishiri Island. The population of Yagishiri and Teuri Islands had been around 5,000 in the mid-20th century. Today, the population of Yagishiri is only 315 and that of Teuri about 375. The main reason for this huge decline is the loss of the fisheries (due to overfishing, I guess), but other reasons also prevail. Lack of "interesting" jobs for young people, the long, hard winters when no fishing is possible, the slow pace of life are other causes. On Yagishiri, I rarely saw young people, although I was told that an elementary school and a junior high school were still open.




Again and again, I saw boarded-up, abandoned houses on Yagishiri. Some were in good condition, others were not, with the owners unlikely to ever return. The house in the photo below had a substantial garden and reminded me of the mansions in the American South that went to ruin after the Civil War.





A rustic house on Yagishiri, probably abandoned (indicated by the weeds growing on the steps). In prosperous Japan, humble homes like these could be seen everywhere in Hokkaido

A van abandoned on the roadside, symbolic of Yagishiri's decline

With fishing in the decline and also unable to attract the island's young, the only hope for Yagishiri would be to attract more tourists, preferably for longer stays. (All the other visitors to our inn stayed only one night.) As I have noted in a previous entry, the ferry fares from Harboro could be quite high. If these fares could be reduced with a subsidy from the government, perhaps more visitors would arrive.