Japan's snow country battles aging, depopulation - Feature

Tokyo - A winter storm dumped 75 centimeters of snow Thursday night in Tsunan, the area known as Japan's snow country. Tons of snow are piled up on the roof of an old farmhouse. Two old men tirelessly shovel the snow off, clearing the roof bit by bit. It's back-breaking work, but the old folks do not have much choice. There are not too many young people left to give them a hand.

The fresh snowfall pushed the snow accumulation to 230 centimeters in some parts of the town in Japan's northern province of Yamagata, which is also famous for quality rice and hot springs.

The snows have blanketed the region for the past week.

Such heavy snowfalls, however, are no big surprise for residents. Instead, the town is trying to draw more tourists with its beautiful wintry landscape and winter sports such as skiing and snowboarding. Tsunan, 180 kilometers north of Tokyo, is located in the middle of snow country, one of the regions with the heaviest snowfall worldwide.

Life in the region, however, does not come to a standstill, even if there is heavy snow, residents said.

"We are used to this kind of snow. This happens every year," Katsunori Ishibashi, a town official, said.

Almost every winter morning, armies of citizens clear the snow around their houses with plough-like shovels. Some 1.5 to 2 meters of snow are normal at this time of the year.

However, Tsunan is more troubled by turning grey than by the white blanket covering it every winter.

Like most rural areas in Japan, Tsunan faces serious threats from depopulation and aging as people aged 65 or older account for 35.4 per cent of its population of 11,400. In 1955, the town's population was 21,909, and that age group made up only 6.6 per cent of the total.

Although some residents in their 70s or even in their 80s brave climbing the ladders on to the roofs of their houses to clear them of snow, many others need help.

"In that case, people in each community try to help older people," Ishibashi said. "Some neighbors visit their houses to clear the snow. Social workers and doctors regularly stop by elderly people's houses."

The town also helps elderly people pay for snow removal when necessary, Ishibashi said.

All over Tsunan, snowploughs run 24/7 to keep the roads clear, supported by employees of construction companies and forestry cooperatives who have little work during winter.

The town spends about 100 million yen (1 million dollars) on snow removal from its annual budget of 5 billion yen.

Unlike in big cities such as Tokyo, where 20 centimeters of snow can bring life to a halt and cause traffic chaos, people in the snow country have learnt to cope with 2 meters of snow.

"There have been three reported injuries in this winter season," Tsuyoshi Ishida, another town official, said. "People in this town are well prepared for such heavy snowfall."

Despite the depopulation and aging, the snow country is hard at work to showcase inventive approaches to keep their lives going.

The town in some areas redirects the relatively warm groundwater to melt the snow on roads and roofs.

Town officials said about 50 per cent of the town's houses can keep their roofs warm with hot water or electrical heat to prevent the snow from piling up. Such installations are subsidized by local government.

"The snow does not make our life hard," Ishibashi said.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/302677,japans-snow-country-battles-ageing-depopulation--feature.html.