Mastodawn

Once a week, 85-year-old Makiko Kimura mans the register at a sweets shop in western Tokyo. Rather than a chore, the senior citizen says continuing to work ‘makes me happy just to leave the house.’ https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2026/03/07/lifestyle/elderly-workforce-silver-jinzai-aging-population/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #life #lifestyle #depopulation #aging #elderly #lifeexpectancy

Working overtime: ‘Silver Jinzai’ centers keep Japan’s seniors employed

With about 3 in 10 adults currently over the retirement age, community agencies keeping seniors in part-time work bring both personal and economic benefits.

The Japan Times

The Japan Times Mar 7

The former head of Japan's $2 trillion Government Pension Investment Fund is now working as an adviser for agricultural investments as the sector faces a rapidly aging and shrinking workforce. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/03/06/ex-chief-gpif-tomato-developer/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #gpif #hulic #vegetables #fruit #agriculture #pensionfunds #aging #depopulation

Former chief of $2 trillion pension fund joins developer growing tomatoes

Masataka Miyazono aims to help make Japan's agricultural sector more productive in order to boost sustainability in the country.

The Japan Times

Dining and Cooking Mar 4

Wine, Apples, and Air: Yamagata’s Asahi Town Comes to Tokyo

Asahi Town, near the centre of Yamagata Prefecture, is about 70% forest and is known for its apples and wine. In February, the town held an exchange event in Tokyo titled “An Evening to Connect with Asahi Town, Yamagata,”…
#dining #cooking #diet #food #Wine #airshrine #asahitown #culture #depopulation #j2e #japan2earth #ruraljapan #shrines
https://www.diningandcooking.com/2539232/wine-apples-and-air-yamagatas-asahi-town-comes-to-tokyo/

Wine Mar 4

Wine, Apples, and Air: Yamagata’s Asahi Town Comes to Tokyo

Asahi Town, near the centre of Yamagata Prefecture, is about 70% forest and is known for its apples and wine. In February, the town held an exchange event in Tokyo titled “An Evening to Connect with Asahi Town, Yamagata,” marking the start of a…
#wine #Wine #airshrine #asahitown #culture #depopulation #j2e #japan2earth #ruraljapan #shrines
https://www.diningandcooking.com/2539232/wine-apples-and-air-yamagatas-asahi-town-comes-to-tokyo/

Climate crisis | The Guardian Mar 3

Historic harvests and sky-high prices – so why can’t Colombia’s coffee-growers hire pickers? https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2026/mar/03/historic-harvests-and-sky-high-prices-so-why-cant-colombias-coffee-growers-hire-pickers #ClimateCrisis #Depopulation #Colombia #Brazil #Americas #WorldNews #Environment #Coffee

Historic harvests and sky-high prices – so why can’t Colombia’s coffee-growers hire pickers?

Though coffee is one of the world’s most important commodities, little of the profit trickles down to the farmers, while workers are abandoning the countryside in search of more lucrative jobs in the city

The Guardian

Japan Pop News Feb 7

https://www.wacoca.com/news/2762587/ 住民の主な姓は3つ、コンビニは村外「日本一人口密度が低い村」福島・檜枝岐 | JAPAN Forward #aging #AgingPopulation #depopulation #fukushima #FukushimaPrefecture #HiddenWonders #HiddenWondersOfJapan #VILLAGE #福島 #福島県

The Japan Times Jan 28

Some local governments are turning to resident-led nonprofit organizations known as "workers' cooperatives" to provide essential services, amid the withdrawal of supermarkets and other businesses. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/28/japan/society/worker-cooperatives-rural-japan/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #society #depopulation #hiroshima #kyotango #tsukuba #rurallife

Local governments tap worker cooperatives for services in depopulated areas

The cooperatives are supported by local government subsidies for startup and operating costs, with central government also working to ease access to financial assistance.

The Japan Times