Tokushima Prefecture, where I was born and
brought up, is one of the prefectures with highly aged population. Nearly 30% of the population in Tokushima is
above 65. This means that three out of
ten people you meet in my hometown are likely to be older than 65. Such demographic composition poses big
challenges. As the ratio of the retiree
to workers becomes larger, increased social security costs need to be born by
diminished working population.
But there is a ray of hope to this gloomy
situation. During my 3-day homecoming
trip, I visited Kamikatsu town in Tokushima and saw an encouraging business
model that fully utilizes elderlies’ capabilities. Kamikatsu is a mountainous, remote area with
its 88.5% of land covered with forest. Among
the 24 cities and towns of Tokushima prefecture, Kamikatsu town has the highest
average age of citizens: 59. The share
of people who are 65 and above is 49% compared to the Prefecture’s average,
30%. Kamikatsu became a household name in
Japan thanks to its successful leaf business by senior citizens. Believe it or not, Kamikatsu’s elderlies have
made a fortune from local leaves. Some
grandmothers earn ten million yen (approximately $125,000) per year by selling
leaves. The number of Kamikatsu farmers
who take part in this leaf business grew to 200 from four in the 1980s, and the
business has become a good model of utilizing elderlies’ potential and local
nature. Even a movie was made this year
based on the true stories of Kamikatsu town.
How can elderlies make such an amount of
money from leaves? The hint lies in
Japanese food culture. When you travel
to Japan, you will be served Japanese dish with some colorful leaves and
flowers. They are called Tsumamono. A good Japanese dish appeals to your eyes, smells
nice, tastes good, and it is filled with a sense of the season. In this respect, Tsumamono, which adds colors and seasonality to the dish, plays a
vital role in authentic Japanese cuisine.
Moreover, it is used for not only aesthetic but also hygienic reasons; Tsumamono kills and repels bacteria. Thus, Tsumamono
represents a wisdom of our ancestors to make food look more appetizing as well
as safer, and beautiful leaves and flowers can be sold at a good price in
Japan.
Although the high economic benefit from the
business is well known, it is just a small part of what the leaf business has brought
to Kamikatsu. The leaf business matched
well with the mentality of Japanese senior citizens, most of whom are quite
healthy and active and usually prefer to be independent than to be taken care
of by others. “It is quite painful to be
told to just sit and watch TV. I want to
continue working,“ said one of the farmers who take part in the leaf
business. Senior citizens became livelier and healthier as they found themselves
playing a vital role in their society.
Indeed, Kamikatsu bears the lowest medical cost for senior citizens in
Tokushima Prefecture.
Another positive effect of the leaf
business was the return of young people to the aged, depopulated town. Every year, around 25 people move into
Kamikatsu, mainly to support their families engaged in the leaf business. As families started
living together in the town again, the number of three-generation households
has increased.
Senior citizens became even more cheerful with
the return of their children and grand children to the town. Moreover, 556 students visited the
town as interns in the last two years. Although the lack of successors remains
a headache, the small town has succeeded in improving the welfare of the local
citizens by utilizing its rich nature and healthy
senior citizens.
