Japan has an estimated 9 million abandoned homes as rural areas grapple with rapid population decline. Nanmoku, Japan – Like all bakers, their day starts before dawn. Hours later, as the mid-afternoon light streams through the windows of their kitchen, Masayuki Kaneta, 85, and his son, Shigeuki, are still at work, rolling out long strings of barley and brown sugar dough that will be chopped, baked and bagged to produce one of their signature confections.
Keep reading Representing the third and fourth generations, the Kaneta family can trace their history in the village of Nanmoku back 140 years. Once a thriving community in the mountainous interior of Japan’s main Honshu island, about 100km (62 miles) west of Tokyo, the last few decades have seen the community go through a rapid decline. “There used to be about 40 shops within 150 metres (492 ft) of here,” Masayuki told Al Jazeera with sadness.
“Now, there are only two confectionary shops, a restaurant and a taxi service.” Sure enough, their front door onto what was once the bustling high street is one of only a few draped with the traditional “noren” curtains that indicate a business. Along the street, many buildings sit disused and boarded up.
Similarly, in the sprawling village extending up the hillsides of this verdant valley, many houses lie abandoned. In Japanese, such dwellings are called “akiya” – houses that are no longer lived in. There are an estimated 9 million “akiya” nationwide, in a co.