The "Ideal" Lifestyle

In present-day Japan, about 10 percent of the total population resides in Tokyo, and the disparities between large cities and rural areas are seen as a problem. In other words, quite a few rural areas are suffering from depopulation and losing their vitality.

The government is seriously aware of the necessity for strategies to address such disparities. In November and December 2005, the Cabinet Office conducted an opinion poll on the relationship between and coexistence of cities and rural areas, addressed to 3,000 people aged 20 and above across the country. Effective returns totaled 1,746. The results of the poll, published in February 2006, are full of indicative, interesting data which allow us to envisage how the modern Japanese manage to work and live.

The poll asks, among its many questions, particularly detailed questions about the fact that urban residents spend time in rural areas in various ways, for example, short stays, "double lives" (i.e. regularly spending weekends in rural areas), and permanent settlement in rural areas.

Where short stays are concerned, one question asks what respondents would like to do during their stay in a rural area (multiple answers); the highest proportion, 58.1 percent, cited "enjoying hot spas," followed by "visiting tourist sites" (41.9%), "hiking and spotting wild plants" (40.9%), and "trying local cuisines" (30.5%), which provides a picture of the tastes of urban residents. Asked about problems arising when an urban family wishes to stay in a rural area for three days or longer, the largest proportion - in particular, respondents in their 30s - replied that it is difficult for them (parents) to take such a long holiday; and that travel and accommodation are costly - suggesting a current situation in which their lives are largely regulated by the companies for which they work.

On the other hand, a mere 18.3 percent of the respondents gave affirmative answers when asked if they would let their children be absent from school for the sake of a family trip, revealing the value of school among the Japanese.

As for double lives, 64.7 percent of the respondents replied that it is a good thing, conspicuously exceeding the proportion of those who replied that it is not, 15.0 percent. Asked about their own feelings towards this practice, however, 37.6 percent showed an interest in double lives, and 58.2 percent did not. Again, 65.7 percent had favorable impressions of permanent settlement in rural areas, and 13.3 percent did not; however, a mere 20.6 percent actually would like to do so, whereas 76.0 percent do not.
Although nearly two-thirds of the respondents dream of a country life, many seem to believe that it is just a pipe dream.

Regarding problems likely to arise if an urban resident settles in a rural area, the majority said that there would be "no jobs" permitting permanent residence (54.0%), followed by "no backup schemes available for taking in people from cities " (30.9%), "no shopping / leisure facilities" (26.5%), and "few medical institutions" (22.8%). Interestingly, however, quite a few housewives cited "no jobs."

Traditionally, it is said that the Japanese like traveling. At the same time, there is the old saying describing the ideal lifestyle of the Japanese: "seikou udoku." Literally, this means a comfortable life away from crowds, going outdoors to cultivate the fields on fine days, and reading indoors on rainy days. However, few people live such a life in practice, and this may be no more than a fantasy. Even so, one wonders if all those working so hard in the heartless, clamorous, and competitive urban world would not prefer to live in a place rich in natural beauty and fresh air, if only on the weekends.

When asked about long vacations, 72.5 percent of respondents answered that companies should make it possible for employees to take a long vacation so that they can travel with their family, the reasons cited including "travel is refreshing and helps improve work efficiency." This answer seems to typify the modest desires of those living and working in cities.