/jp/ - Otaku Culture

Earlier this month, a realtor in Kumamoto Prefecture had us all day-dreaming about living the rural lifestyle by
>offering a house by the sea, absolutely free.
But while the promise of complimentary shelter is tempting, another small town in the Japanese countryside is trying to attract new residents by offering another popular survival requirement: food.

So if you’re craving some tasty Japanese beef, you might want to pack your bags and move to this tiny island community in Kyushu that’s welcoming newcomers by giving them their very own cow, and also paying for singles’ dates.

To get in on this deal, you’ll have to go all the way to Kagoshima, on the southwest corner of the island of Kyushu. Even once you’re in the prefecture, you’ll have to keep pressing southwest, eventually coming to the remote islands of Takeshima, Ioujima, and Kuroshima that form Mishima Village and give it its name (Mishima means “three islands” in Japanese).

The three islands are inhabited, but just barely, as the most recent count turned up just 412 residents split among the three landmasses. Like many towns in Japan’s hinterlands, Mishima’s population is rapidly both aging and shrinking, as the birth rate declines and young people leave the community for educational and economic opportunities elsewhere.

But while their numbers aren’t as great as those who want to relocate from the countryside to the big city, there are some people in Japan considering making the move in the opposite direction. A number of organizations and initiatives have been founded to help those attracted to the slower-paced life outside of Japan’s major metropolises, and Mishima is offering a number of incentives for recently arrived residents.

source is rocketnews24

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