The mobile grocery store such a cool way to help the elderly. He’s been doing it for 15 years! I hope someone’s there to help him, that seems like a lot of work.
What a wonderful man, that segment made me tear up! He’s such an important and valuable member of his community. I also hope he’s got someone he’s training to help take over for him one day. Such an incredible service he provides.
We have the same kind of business here. The usually bring fresh fishes, chickens, vegetables right to the housing areas. It's a godsend for elderly to shop since they do have to walk far to the shop to get their groceries, also most of them couldn't drive as well.
He truly is. He's up there in age as well, so I wonder what will become of Kofu's elderly once he can't fulfill these duties. It's true, what he said. They need people, younger people, in order to survive.
I lived in Kofu from 2010-2012 working as an assistant language teacher at the middle school. It is such a beautiful and peaceful little town with the kindest people. I'm so glad to see it getting some love!
Man, this brings back memories I haven’t thought about in years. Back in high school, I lived in this small Japanese town called Shirakawa because of my dad’s work. It was like something straight out of a Ghibli movie-quiet streets, snow-covered rooftops, and those ridiculously beautiful cherry blossoms everywhere. There was this girl, Aya. She wasn’t just pretty-she had this way of making everything around her seem brighter. She helped me with my Japanese, showed me around town, and we ended up spending so much time together. We’d hang out by the river, watch the sunset, and talk about everything. She wanted to leave Shirakawa and see the world, but honestly, I just wanted to stay there forever with her. But life doesn’t care about stuff like that, does it? Turns out her family had already arranged her marriage with some rich guy from Kyoto. She told me one night, and man, it felt like my heart just stopped. What made it worse? My family was moving back to the Philippines at the same time. I didn’t even tell her I was leaving-I couldn’t. On my last day, I left her a letter at our favorite spot by the river. I poured everything into that letter, but I didn’t stick around to see if she found it. I didn’t have the guts to say goodbye to her face. Now, years later, I’m back here in the Philippines, living a completely different life. Sometimes I still think about her, though-about Shirakawa, the fireflies, and those stupid cherry blossoms that felt like they were mocking me back then. I wonder if she remembers me. I wonder if she’s happy. Funny how videos, like this one, can bring back memories you thought you’d buried for good.
Go back to Japan and find her. Malay mo you guys were really fated to meet again, unless there are circumstances that interdict you from going back to that place.
There are still some pages left in the book though.... Hoping it all ends where it started.... Shirakawa.... We only live once.... One of the what if's is that maybe the marriage did not continue and somewhere in Shirakawa waiting at every sunset beside the river is a woman named Aya. Those what if's better have their answers.
These types of videos are what I need more on my home page. I like your camera angles, visuals, and also the explanation style. It's good to see the lives of people in other countries, especially in rural areas. It warmed my eyes and my heart. Keep going. Best wishes.
The principal is such a dad😂 showing off the nice bathroom, cool desks, shop class that Canada doesn't have.. he's so proud of their facilities, love it!
If you are thinking about raising a large family in Japan? This just seems to be a no brainer! When you have a small town like this like I grew up in where there is so much pride in what you can provide to teach the children, they become the best adults.
@@ian.swift.31614 You know, Russia is also a great place to raise a family. Have a marine buddy doing the same. I already had my kids, but a place like this seems like a great place to mentor kids about car culture. Wonder if they have the drag strips on this side of Japan?
It's reminds me of when I was young and UK used to be proud of itself. Today it's racist to be proud of anything in your own country. Even the flag. I'd love to learn Japanese, integrate and respect their country. Wish I could say the same for the scum illegals we get here..... Destroying UK. I mean LITERALLY as I'm watching this video, an Ibis hotel across the street from me is setting up huge groups of young illegal migrants coming here for a free ride / life of crime. Many of them are known by the law previously as convicted criminals. No women or children with them ... Our government is corrupt as hell and preparing for bigger things whilst these illegals are setup across many different locations in the country. Destroyed from within.
In a world filled with short-form, low-effort and clickbaity content, please, PLEASE never change your amazing documentary-style videos and insights on places in Japan, that many viewers can be educated on from all around the world. I felt like I was with you and Akko documenting Kofu, it was immersive and I learned so much. What you do is amazing, and you should be crazy proud of it, from a silent viewer of many years-- thank you so much for this amazing experience! (´･ᴗ･ ` )
10/05/24: Perfectly written! This is one of the 3-4% of the YT videos that aren't catering to morons and hoodlums. And aside from that, it stands alone in its quest for high quality and artistic sensitivity.
2500 inhabitants. And still a train station with trains actually stopping at the station. Here in France, it’s been a looooooong time since such small cities don’t have train stations anymore 😢
@@asylnbola1445 I personally have lived and worked in Greenland for a while now in a total of 5 different islands. The biggest one so far has had a population of 2500 (Maniitsoq) and that is regarded as a city on local standards. In two weeks I am going to a city named Qaanaaq, which has 650 people, but also considered a city.
26:00 As a middle school teacher from Ghana, I almost want to cry. That school is reason enough for any young couple to move to Kofu. If working from home was more common in Japan, I'm pretty confident that a lot of young people would move to such small towns.
My thinking exactly. Japan has a pretty infamous lack of work-life balance that I think could be curbed by remote working. In the states so many of my colleagues feel that remote work has reduced stress and increased time for leisure.
I'm also from Ghana, and over here, I've never seen a school as well equipped as that school in the video. Even our top schools don't come close. It's sad where we put our priorities... tens of millions of dollars just to build the foundation for the new national cathedral, which will cost a projected 200 million dollars on completion... We could probably build 100 state of the art primary schools for that same money.
@MrDragos360 This fairly new phenomenon is mostly down to the cost of having a family. Remote work in a cheaper Kofu which has many subsidies for young families would eliminate this problem.
That a persons home is left unlocked and people share food with each other speaks highly of the culture of this precious town. May it grow and prosper.
This is one of the best insights of the reality of the life in a small town in Japan. I love your videos, they represent a perspective of the life in Japan that most of us western people don't fully understand. Great work from you and your sister in law.
We just returned from Japan and I just found your channel. Great, in-depth work with a nice smart, yet light approach to life in Japan. Glad to have found you!
I have enjoyed countless of your videos over the years, but this one brings together all of your talent. A video that's not as fast-paced as many are in today's short-form content world, but nevertheless doesn't go boring at any point. I appreciate all of the background information, from the terminology of returnees, to the trees visible in the background. I also love using maps and seeing them being used as a tool to help better understand a place, and I love how you pointed out different places in the area, as it really does give me a better grasp of the town. This is exactly the type of video I enjoy most, and it couldn't make me happier to see you put in so much effort to deliver such phenomenal videos. Thank you for everything you do, Greg! And if you ever do an aviation-related video, please feel free to reach out. I am more than happy to assist in any way I can, whether it's by providing B-roll footage, or help fact-check or write a script!
dude can we step back and appreciate the audio editing, the subtle soundtracks and music kicks in at the perfect moments. i used to freelance in video editing back in college. and i pick up these small details often and it makes me appreciate the video even more. and it shows how much work got into making it.
Yes, you're quite right! My mother (may she rest in peace) used to make documentaries (some made it on to Iowa Public TV) and I know so well how much time and effort goes into making a documentary of this length and quality!
I currently freelance here on youtube (10yrs) and im in FULL agreement. Seriously fantastic. I was just adding this to my creative inspiration playlist and came across this comment haha!
What a beautiful town, and lovely people. Reminds me of rural Kumamoto in places, though it must be a totally different look in winter.Thank you for this fantastic film. Top quality.
If it is my way, I prefer to live in a town like this. A small population keeps it quiet and also the chance to interact with almost all of the people living there. But it may just be my introverted self talking 😂.
man Im pretty touched by the grocery delivery man's job. Brought a tear to my eye how much he does for the elderly. Thanks for this video @lifewhereimfrom
@LifeWhereImFrom I'm from the US, do you know how much harder it would be to immigrate to Kofu? I'm a retired Vet, and I have been looking for a small place just like this.
This was an awesome video. Could someone who only speaks English and no Japanese get by as one of those people who rents for one year in a place like this?
The mayor is an incredible leader, especially with this optimistic and realistic mindset for his town’s future. I would love to visit Kofu in the future, especially as someone who really loves nature. It would be awesome if you can create a series about gems like these: top 10 Japanese towns you didn’t know you could visit, etc. I was pleasantly surprised about everything I learned in this video, and I know I would enjoy your honest and straightforward videos on other similar videos. More power to the town! ❤
he also just has a very nice voice to listen to. I don't understand anything what he tells but just that deep but calm voice. he would be wonderful to be telling ether children stories or a radio talk show. just so relaxing.
MY HEART. I lived in a small town like this for four years in Hokkaido and this made me miss it very much. It's good to know that they have the housing services you described, maybe I can come back one day.
A stunningly beautiful place, with lots of seemingly wonderful people, captured in a beautiful way! Just all around a very high quality video, which is what I've come to expect from this channel. I especially liked the "orientation" with the map in the early part of the video, I really enjoy getting a geographic sense of everything, so I really appreciated that.
I'm glad you liked that map! It wasn't originally in my edit, but after watching I thought something like that would help a lot, so I spent a few hours to get that in!
It's wild how something like Uber Eats or whatever feels so impersonal and exploitative, but a grocer driving his car out to individual homes to let seniors shop for what they need feels so personal and community driven.
It’s all about the end purpose. For uber eats, it’s making money for a large corporation. For the grocer, he’s ultimately keeping watch over his community. When everyone does things for the greater good, our society is better as a whole.
People providing a service and getting paid less than market value goes against the idea of capitalism. I'd rather invest in Uber than the delivery driver to be honest :) @@GrabASpriteB
I'm not sure about were you're from or what age you are but in the small Australian city I grew up in we had not just daily milk and bread deliveries we had a weekly grocery truck and a butcher's van that would park up and sell stuff (or give you/drop off your order if you gave them one the week before or phoned it thorough) we only ever needed to go to the super market once or twice a month if even that, and for us kids that was a big adventure (even though it was in walking distance and right next to our school) all the drivers knew everyone and would always have the best gossip about everyone else in the suburbs, honestly my mum knew more about "strangers" people living 2 suburbs over than she did about her own family in another state.
because 1 is a guy who found a market niche that also is able to help people - may not be the entire goal but certainly cannot be dismissed. The other is a giant corporation that exploits workers and the economic conditions that people need to work several jobs - guess which is which lol
Its almost like being selfless makes the world better. I'm all for capitalism....unfortunately it's most being ran by the most selfish and greedy among us. Uber eats is a perfect example of this. Then you got companies like Arizona Tea that does capitalism the right way
I teared up a little about the grocery truck story... I love it. I hope that man lives long, and this service continue far into the future. This is probably one of the things some places can copy, that make tangible connections to people.
Amazing video! I live in a small town (2000 people) in the middle of the Abruzzo region in Italy. It takes about a 30 minute drive to go to Pescara, the biggest town of the region (120k people) so it is a similar situation to that show in the video. There also is a big water factory in the nearest town, 7km away😂😂. The difference is that my town has 2 supermarkets, restaurants, pubs, and my house has a 2.5gbps fiber internet connection, so it is far from "rural", but it lacks some public services, we don't have a train station and busses are not that efficient so you really depend on owning a car. Japan is so far away but sometimes it feels so close, thank you again for this video!
Wow I live in a village of similar size in Spain and we have nothing, like absolutely nothing, no shops or anything! We did use to have a pub but it closed. Many old people depend on us young people to bring them their groceries. And we have no bus or train whatsoever.
@@fueyo2229 i too live in a 1700 population village in spain (navarre) but we have multiple pubs and supermarkets however high school is 15 mins away by car, and also the only public transport service is a bus that passes the village 3 times a day
Abruzzo is absolutely amazing, where the southern italian vibes meet with the northern italian quality and the nature setting is just top. I am dreaming to move there in the future.
Ciao Jacopo! Fa stranissimo leggere il commento di un altro abruzzese sotto ad un video così "random", mi chiedo se siamo gli unici due in Abruzzo ad averlo guardato!😂 Vivi a Bussi per caso? In ogni caso, ti capisco tantissimo quando dici che il Giappone è così lontano, eppure la realtà rurale di Kofu a noi sembra così familiare!
Truly one of the finest descriptions of a japanese location I’ve seen on TH-cam! The cinematography was simply breathtaking, capturing the essence of this rural gem so beautifully. It was an absolute pleasure to explore and learn more about these hidden treasures tucked away in Japan’s countryside. What a wonderful adventure it was, entertaining, enlightening, and utterly captivating. Thank you so much for this incredible journey! Please continue creating more of these magical experiences. I would love to discover more charming villages and off-the-beaten-path wonders through your lens in the future.
I love these countryside focused videos. My wife is from Shimane and we currently live in Osaka (I'm from Los Angeles and she has been living in Osaka for 20 years), and while we absolutely LOVE Osaka, we do plan to return to Shimane someday. We visit once or twice per year and I fall in love with it more with each visit. It's so peaceful and the locals are so friendly. Great video as always!
The amount of details in your videos are just incredible. I was very impressed with the garden of the first lady. The driver who delivers grocery and watch over the elderly touched my heart. The school principal's excitement while showing off the (actually) cool features of his school is contagious. It seems everyone tries to do their part and is proud while doing it. Hope I'll soon have a chance to visit and support the locals!
I live in New York and it's a dog eat dog world over here. It's really heart warming to see such caring communities and wish more people could be like that.
Yes it only works in racially homogeneous society geared towards collectivism which is quite unique to Japan. USA is the antithesis, focuses on hustle culture and people bond thru the common experience of the American dream. But once the American dream is dead as it is literally dying now due to the woke globalist agenda, America will be full of disparate foreign groups trying to survive it will be a hellscape nightmare. Uk we’re seeing now on steroids.
I grew up in a small town in Corinth NY, and our small towns got run down with drugs and crime, and a simple house is now $300,000.00 USD even for something small, even though it's all crime ridden.
@@noyo1444 yes but the liberal left Marxist WEF globalist government is ending it was we speak. Without that America will be a combo of ukistan and ccp China
As someone born and raised in New York I completely agree, I hate it here so I'm going to college to get a degree and then I'm moving to Japan as soon as I possibly can. I'm learning Japanese currently and I'm also studying Japanese cuisine. My hopes are to open up a ramen place somewhere in Japan where I can just help give a good meal and bring people from all over the world together.
I loved this video! You have a knack for making people feel comfortable in front of a camera. The post-production (translations, music, etc.) is wonderful. I have been involved in regional development for over 40 years (in Newfoundland and Labrador) and the issues faced by your Japanese subjects are exactly the same here. Five stars!
I like the way Japan does things. I think Kofu is very creative and I’m so impressed with its middle school, the man who delivers food for the elderly and checks in with them, and how you can rent a furnished home as a trial place for considering living there. I hope more people of all ages move out to the countryside. This is one of your most interesting episodes. Great work!
I like that everything is like "well done", like the school is complete with all equipment, the train station is all open. My town is this size and everything is half done, the school (which anyway, it's closed now, but back when it was open) it only had two classrooms, no equipment whatsoever, we don't even have road signs or our own town hall, or any sort of community center, other than the church council, and that is a very old and cold building. There are no shops whatsoever anymore neither since there are no buses or anything. I really appreciate that Japan cares for everyone even the small villages get the basics and are not abandoned like most countries.
I lived in Tottori-ken (倉吉) for awhile, many years ago. It is still one of my favorite places in Japan. You can't really know "Japan" without experiencing the rural areas.
Absolutely. I live in a semi-rural area of the Kanto plain. It's not as rural as this town, but at least my part is far from being a city. I love rural Japan, especially the mountainous areas. And you meet so many interesting people. I rent two plots in a local community garden, and spend time talking to the people around me regularly. You meet so many interesting people with so many interesting stories. I've always loved listening to the stories old people have to tell, and so many older people here are eager to share their life stories.
I totally agree! My mom is from the mountains in Fukushima and we would spend the summers there. My grandpa had cows, 2 Akita dogs, and lots of rice patties/grew vegetables so we would spend our days catching insects and picking vegetables. There was a well outside with fresh water from the mountain. It’s such a different lifestyle and I’m grateful I got to experience it ❤
This video format is honestly beautiful. I’ve never been more excited to move to an area. It all felt so personal. I really want the people in this village to prosper and have the town be revitalised.
I absolutely love peaceful videos like this! There are many clickbait videos that distort the image of the country, but Japan's beauty will never fade away.
You are absolutely right. I am definitely wanting to visit now. It's always seem so crowded but this is great. I feel like I can come here, rent for a few weeks or maybe even over a month and just explore everything around and really get a feel for the place. The countryside shown in this video is so beautiful and as a person who camps often and randomly enjoy getting lost on country roads, this is such an enticing place to live. Thank you for the awesome docu-intro!
We - eventually - retired in Japan last year. Your video portrays not only a special area of the country, but also the challenges, stoicism and generosity of the Japanese people in a way that I could never convey. Thankyou. Every day, I consider myself fortunate.
I hadn't thought of it before, but i find your using the word 'stoic' to describe Japanese, likely in these areas, very appropriate and said in a positive manner.
I absolutely adored this video. Your intentional style and pace of documenting rural day to day life in Japan is fantastic. I would love to see other small towns across the country!
Incredible video. Beautifully filmed and edited. And an earnest look into a small town that most of us have never heard of. Very nicely done, keep up the good work!
this video could be twice as long and i'd still want to see more, i am in love with kofu now and i want to see more of the area around the town too! i've been planning to try and move to japan seriously for a little while and had mostly been set on tokyo, but this video has made me seriously consider looking at kofu as an option. the fact that the town has such fantastic infrastructure, whether it's supporting the elderly locals or helping attract younger people, is really inspiring and a beautiful example of the way i think communities and societies should strive to be! and on top of all that, i've watched a few of your videos over the last few weeks and i think they're all really great, well produced, good sense of humor, thoughtful and informative. so thanks to everyone putting in the work to help make this excellent channel possible!
It's always interesting to see how others live their lives in their unique communities then be inspired by what's new, and smile when I see there's something in common in my part of the world. This is why I enjoy your content. Thank you for another great episode!
The Japanese government should hire you to do a promotional video for the whole country. This documentary promotes not only that town but the Japanese people as well. Plus, I love how you focus on everything about Kofu, some would deviate from the town and sometimes would focus on themselves. Being able to interview from the mayor, the grocer, taxi driver, students is really great. The woman who leaves her door unlocked shows how safe Japan is. I've been to Japan a few times, I left my phone and wallet on the table in a fast food and go to the washroom, got back it's still there. I forgot my backpack on the train, travelled to the last station to pick it up, no issues, just signed a piece of paper and I got my backpack back. I'm from a country where crime is everywhere, being able to walk through alleys in Japan while texting late at night is great. Japan is a phenomenal country, the Japanese people are so disciplined. Oh and the egg sandwiches in conbinis are delicious.
I disagree, I think he should do a real documentary and journalism and show what real living in Japan is like (include the negatives such as local discrimination against outsiders in countryside in this case which he did not show sadly) and not take sponsored videos/posts (ok if they are irrelevant to the nature of his channel). This will bring true value to his channel, and not like some ad channel.
Very nice documentary! I enjoyed every second of it! Seeing people of this lovely town in their daily life was so nice. The sceneries are so beautiful too.
Truly peaceful... And the fact it's more well-equipped for public transport than nearly any North American large city is exactly what I would expect from Japan
Did you watch the entire video? The lady said there is no easy and affordable way to get around if you can't drive. That's literally worse than most large North American cities that have bus service through most of the city. I love Japan, but the people that worship it over their own country is some next level 'the grass is always greener' syndrome.
That mobile grocery store is a great idea, better then grocery delivery services you find here. It doubling as a social check in given the residents ages is endearing. As for a middle school having a small woodshop being weird... I guess I'm lucky my jr high (middle) school had one of the same level as a home ec room. Oof vs how early you have to wake up to get to school for them.
I've been using TH-cam for so long and of all the channels I'm subscribed to, Life Where I'm From never failed to remind me over and over again why I love it. There are so many beautiful places in Japan and the small town of Kofu represents it so well.
This is a wonderful documentary on this town. For all the challenges faced by rural towns in Japan today, it's wonderful to see the community dynamic and problem-solving, from the man operating both a mobile grocery/general supply store and doing wellness checks to the clustered houses. That school looks like a wonderful community space, in addition to being a well equipped school for such a small town.
I need to start consuming less slop and more content like this, thanks for the break in misery that is the modern world needed this. Your vid about that coffee shop owner was so wholesome. Subscribed because of it.
Lovely documentary! I especially liked the map part in the beginning so the viewer gets an overview. And I also enjoyed the pace, nothing feels rushed.
Great video as always. As interest increases in moving to rural Japan, I think it's pertinent that the realities of living in rural Japan - the obligations and expectations - be communicated. You should consider making a video or series of videos about it. I myself recently learned of all these expectations. From what I've heard, because of Japan's long history of the necessity of working together, it continues to this day in smaller areas like this and you WILL be required to participate in all kinds of community events ranging from community center type things to other stuff like clearing brush or landscaping. If a person is thinking of just moving to a rural home to relax and do your own thing, it's not like that. All of this is well and good and not necessarily a bad thing, but if you have plans for the weekend but something in the community is scheduled and you don't show up, you will start to be treated very poorly and it can become quite a situation for you. You'll start to experience first-hand the strictness of the culture that makes Japan the way it is.
This is a very understanding comment about Japanese society. Japanese society is based on an agricultural society, so Japanese have achieved great results by cooperating with others and sharing the benefits. Also, since Japan is a country that is extremely prone to disasters, the Japanese people have been able to survive to this day by cooperating within local communities. So naturally, people who are uncooperative with such people's efforts will be shunned. These are the fundamental ideas of the Japanese people and Japanese society as a whole. Of course, these have advantages and disadvantages in modern times.This is why some people say that Japanese society is disciplined and civilized, on the other hand say that Japanese are xenophobic. However, it is deeply rooted in rural areas and still functions today to maintain local societies.
Maybe it has to do with the population number ? The one you experienced, how big was the population? But in a town of 2k people (let's say half can do work and then half again is avail, total of 500) I'd wonder if they would frown upon you if you miss one or two summons ? I totally agree that this culture is collective though😅
@@neal9812 I've never lived there, just learned of all this from another youtuber BSP Japan who made a video about Akiya's recently. He has a long video about all of this. In larger populated areas there is less to worry about, but I'm not sure how big you have to go. Where he lives, the population is over 100,000 but they're all divided up as 25 households..there's less responsibility there though.
I lived in Japan when I was very young, but haven't been back since. I'm visiting this year and am so excited to relive those years. Your videos are giving me a lovely taste of daily life in Japan, thank you.
All the videos on This channel are Incredibly well produced. With Greg's Pleasant and Friendly sounding voice it puts everything on Another Level👍. In many small picturesque villages throughout the countryside. There are many houses that are Locked and Abandoned but Fully furnished with even Food in the Cupboards! It would seem that the occupants went a trip and NEVER Returned. That sad fact is.😢 Many elderly people pass away with NO descendants. In Japan, vandalism and crime is Low. The house Remain just as the owners left them. In most places in the world, this is unheard of. Only In Japan!🙏
Hi Greg, Excellent video in all regards. I was in the Kofu area about a year ago, as my home town in Germany is twinned with Tottori. The region was the highlight of my trip and I can strongly recommend spending a few days there, even if you’re not going to move there. Really enjoy your content. Gregor
I wonder if rural towns like this would be interested in programs where they basically pay for younger, more able-bodied people to live there in exchange for basically being town workers, such as general handymen, grocery delivery, basic landscaping, etc. I know they offer subsidies for people to move out there, but they would still have to get regular jobs. This way, taking care of the town and its residents would actually be their job. Just a thought.
I‘m sure in the coming decades many Japanese communities won’t have many other choices than basically „hire“ people to live there - or completely close small towns and villages. Also, the property tax will have to come down, it’s a big reason people who inherit property sell it cheaply or basically give it away for free - or just let it rot. 1.4% per year in property tax is A LOT, it’s about 10 times more than here in Germany.
First, I want to say that this channel is incredibly well done. Filming, editing, etc are really good. And yep, now I want to pack and go live in Kofu so, a job well done ! 😆
These types of videos are my favorite. So relaxing! I feel a strong sense of nostalgia for how the town must have been in its heyday and imagining how each room in the houses must have been used decades ago. Makes me really miss my time living in Japan! I was in rural Japan, but not this rural. My town had about 200,000 people.
After watching this video I am thinking of moving back to Japan. Lived and worked in Nagoya from 2014-2022 before coming back home to London. I really really loved my time there and miss the whole ’Nippon’ vibe of every day living. I could easily see myself pottering around this geriatric town getting to know the locals. Everything about Japan suits me; but it’s not everyone’s cup of oolong. Great video!
I live in Matsumoto (Nagano-ken). 20 years ago, when I first moved here everything was cheap, not as cheap as Kofu, but now it is getting harder to find a place to live or some land at a reasonable price. The up side is, that this is because there are a lot of young families filling the void. The down side is that almost everyone opts for an "instant house" 建売住宅 instead of finding an old place and renovating it, or knocking the old place down and building anew, like I did. So all the fields are being replaced by houses and all the old houses are being left to rot. Today was the first time to view your channel. I must see more. Good job.
I am from India & in fact I do live nearby in a town named Kotoura-Cho and I didn't even realize there was such a lovely small town on the other side of the mountain with such breath taking scenery, thanks for making this amazing video I will definitely visit as soon as I have free time.
@@shinchansensei1310 all I would advise you to do is keep learning Japanese and get to a conversational level at least before coming here and do your UG degree in India because the living expenses here are exponential compared to India and you would have to do part time jobs to support yourself. Then apply for jobs here and do web interviews, there is good chance they will hire you if you are able to understand and answer all their questions in Japanese. I do not know what career path you want to follow but I am a Civil Engineer and this is what I did.
Excellent video Greg & Ako... One of your best IMHO. BTW... I'm in California and cannot wait to get back for a Japan visit one day soon. My favorite destination.
I made a follow-up video trying to answer a lot of questions from the comments here th-cam.com/video/w4nvaYjxnaU/w-d-xo.html
The mobile grocery store such a cool way to help the elderly. He’s been doing it for 15 years! I hope someone’s there to help him, that seems like a lot of work.
He's a real mensch. May we all be this good.
It’s also pretty common here in Thailand, their slogans are ingrained into my mind
What a wonderful man, that segment made me tear up! He’s such an important and valuable member of his community. I also hope he’s got someone he’s training to help take over for him one day. Such an incredible service he provides.
Would love to work that job here in America if it existed
@@yeralmuzika is it not possible to make yourself?
Grocery Man is a Hero.
Kofu wouldn't survive without him. He's the town keeper.
He seems like such a caring and loving man. I pray that he'll be able to keep up with the demands of his job.
We have the same kind of business here. The usually bring fresh fishes, chickens, vegetables right to the housing areas. It's a godsend for elderly to shop since they do have to walk far to the shop to get their groceries, also most of them couldn't drive as well.
He truly is. He's up there in age as well, so I wonder what will become of Kofu's elderly once he can't fulfill these duties. It's true, what he said. They need people, younger people, in order to survive.
This is what life is all about, taking care of one another.
I lived in Kofu from 2010-2012 working as an assistant language teacher at the middle school. It is such a beautiful and peaceful little town with the kindest people. I'm so glad to see it getting some love!
Hi Is it easy to move there?
I love to do any type of job in that Beautiful Town
I also taught English in Tokyo back in 2001. Now I want to retire or teach something in this little town. Can you please give me some information?
@@Nexxarian Thanks for your reply
How could you ever leave that enchanted place!
@yasminbarry7941 One of the sad things about modern Japan is that many people had to leave Kofu and places like it when young.
Man, this brings back memories I haven’t thought about in years. Back in high school, I lived in this small Japanese town called Shirakawa because of my dad’s work. It was like something straight out of a Ghibli movie-quiet streets, snow-covered rooftops, and those ridiculously beautiful cherry blossoms everywhere.
There was this girl, Aya. She wasn’t just pretty-she had this way of making everything around her seem brighter. She helped me with my Japanese, showed me around town, and we ended up spending so much time together. We’d hang out by the river, watch the sunset, and talk about everything. She wanted to leave Shirakawa and see the world, but honestly, I just wanted to stay there forever with her.
But life doesn’t care about stuff like that, does it? Turns out her family had already arranged her marriage with some rich guy from Kyoto. She told me one night, and man, it felt like my heart just stopped. What made it worse? My family was moving back to the Philippines at the same time. I didn’t even tell her I was leaving-I couldn’t.
On my last day, I left her a letter at our favorite spot by the river. I poured everything into that letter, but I didn’t stick around to see if she found it. I didn’t have the guts to say goodbye to her face.
Now, years later, I’m back here in the Philippines, living a completely different life. Sometimes I still think about her, though-about Shirakawa, the fireflies, and those stupid cherry blossoms that felt like they were mocking me back then. I wonder if she remembers me. I wonder if she’s happy.
Funny how videos, like this one, can bring back memories you thought you’d buried for good.
Damn, this is a whole anime plot right here. Hope you feel better tho.
@HellParadise-e9i
You have an unfinished business with Aya. You need closure. I'd find her to say "goodbye" for closure sake. Good luck.
Your words created the most beautiful images in my mind. Thank you for sharing your story.
Go back to Japan and find her. Malay mo you guys were really fated to meet again, unless there are circumstances that interdict you from going back to that place.
There are still some pages left in the book though....
Hoping it all ends where it started.... Shirakawa....
We only live once.... One of the what if's is that maybe the marriage did not continue and somewhere in Shirakawa waiting at every sunset beside the river is a woman named Aya.
Those what if's better have their answers.
These types of videos are what I need more on my home page. I like your camera angles, visuals, and also the explanation style. It's good to see the lives of people in other countries, especially in rural areas. It warmed my eyes and my heart. Keep going. Best wishes.
couldn't agree more!!
The principal is such a dad😂 showing off the nice bathroom, cool desks, shop class that Canada doesn't have.. he's so proud of their facilities, love it!
If you are thinking about raising a large family in Japan?
This just seems to be a no brainer! When you have a small town like this like I grew up in where there is so much pride in what you can provide to teach the children, they become the best adults.
yeah lol he's like a salesman "you see this? you can never see this anywhere! it's unique!" lol he's so cool
@@MickeyMishra Unfortunately it's not for people who look like me. They need to invigorate their birth rate as do my own people.
@@ian.swift.31614 You know, Russia is also a great place to raise a family. Have a marine buddy doing the same. I already had my kids, but a place like this seems like a great place to mentor kids about car culture.
Wonder if they have the drag strips on this side of Japan?
It's reminds me of when I was young and UK used to be proud of itself. Today it's racist to be proud of anything in your own country. Even the flag. I'd love to learn Japanese, integrate and respect their country. Wish I could say the same for the scum illegals we get here..... Destroying UK. I mean LITERALLY as I'm watching this video, an Ibis hotel across the street from me is setting up huge groups of young illegal migrants coming here for a free ride / life of crime. Many of them are known by the law previously as convicted criminals. No women or children with them ... Our government is corrupt as hell and preparing for bigger things whilst these illegals are setup across many different locations in the country. Destroyed from within.
In a world filled with short-form, low-effort and clickbaity content, please, PLEASE never change your amazing documentary-style videos and insights on places in Japan, that many viewers can be educated on from all around the world. I felt like I was with you and Akko documenting Kofu, it was immersive and I learned so much. What you do is amazing, and you should be crazy proud of it, from a silent viewer of many years-- thank you so much for this amazing experience! (´･ᴗ･ ` )
True
I love his content for this reason. It’s just honest filmmaking.
You put it in the most beautiful way possible ❤️ I couldn’t agree anymore. ✨
Low-effort? Who has low-effort content these days? I think TH-camrs work really hard, especially those with millions of views, on their content.
10/05/24: Perfectly written! This is one of the 3-4% of the YT videos that aren't catering to morons and hoodlums. And aside from that, it stands alone in its quest for high quality and artistic sensitivity.
2500 inhabitants.
And still a train station with trains actually stopping at the station.
Here in France, it’s been a looooooong time since such small cities don’t have train stations anymore 😢
Its not even a city lol , that's village because of population only 2500 😂
I moved from FR to the US, after living 2 years in FR... ...now, what were trains actually? I faintly remember something about it... 😢
@@asylnbola1445 I personally have lived and worked in Greenland for a while now in a total of 5 different islands. The biggest one so far has had a population of 2500 (Maniitsoq) and that is regarded as a city on local standards. In two weeks I am going to a city named Qaanaaq, which has 650 people, but also considered a city.
@dennislehtonen6915
I believe that, though you know that Greenland is special. Even more special than Iceland, right?
@@dannydetonator of course. In many ways ”its own world”.
The drone shots are beautiful! ❤
Your videos actually fell like we're there with you, great vid ! Thanx!
26:00 As a middle school teacher from Ghana, I almost want to cry. That school is reason enough for any young couple to move to Kofu. If working from home was more common in Japan, I'm pretty confident that a lot of young people would move to such small towns.
My thinking exactly. Japan has a pretty infamous lack of work-life balance that I think could be curbed by remote working. In the states so many of my colleagues feel that remote work has reduced stress and increased time for leisure.
I'm also from Ghana, and over here, I've never seen a school as well equipped as that school in the video. Even our top schools don't come close. It's sad where we put our priorities... tens of millions of dollars just to build the foundation for the new national cathedral, which will cost a projected 200 million dollars on completion... We could probably build 100 state of the art primary schools for that same money.
Young couple that WANTS kids. A coule might not want to have kids.
@MrDragos360 This fairly new phenomenon is mostly down to the cost of having a family. Remote work in a cheaper Kofu which has many subsidies for young families would eliminate this problem.
you ain't Japanese
That a persons home is left unlocked and people share food with each other speaks highly of the culture of this precious town. May it grow and prosper.
Its doing the opposite.
This town will literally dissappear in 20 years.
@@johnsmith1953x well the town population is apparantly growing but at a slow rate
@@Rabolisk True, but in 20 years, all those 70-90 years old will be gone dropping the population to mere dozens.
I really hope they manage to stop it and young people go back to these towns. They are so wonderful.
Yep couldn't do that in california sadly, a crckhead would come take a dump on your floor! XD
This is one of the best insights of the reality of the life in a small town in Japan. I love your videos, they represent a perspective of the life in Japan that most of us western people don't fully understand. Great work from you and your sister in law.
Danke! That's an amazing documentary.
We just returned from Japan and I just found your channel. Great, in-depth work with a nice smart, yet light approach to life in Japan. Glad to have found you!
I have enjoyed countless of your videos over the years, but this one brings together all of your talent. A video that's not as fast-paced as many are in today's short-form content world, but nevertheless doesn't go boring at any point. I appreciate all of the background information, from the terminology of returnees, to the trees visible in the background. I also love using maps and seeing them being used as a tool to help better understand a place, and I love how you pointed out different places in the area, as it really does give me a better grasp of the town. This is exactly the type of video I enjoy most, and it couldn't make me happier to see you put in so much effort to deliver such phenomenal videos. Thank you for everything you do, Greg! And if you ever do an aviation-related video, please feel free to reach out. I am more than happy to assist in any way I can, whether it's by providing B-roll footage, or help fact-check or write a script!
I can't agree more. This video really brings together so many things and in it's sum I'm really enjoying to watch it.
This is a very high quality production. Is refreshing to see people at the other side of the world living their daily lives.
dude can we step back and appreciate the audio editing, the subtle soundtracks and music kicks in at the perfect moments. i used to freelance in video editing back in college. and i pick up these small details often and it makes me appreciate the video even more. and it shows how much work got into making it.
Yes, I think the full-time sister-in-law is definitely bringing her A-game.
@@le_th_let’s hope the sister in-law is full-time 😂
Yes, you're quite right! My mother (may she rest in peace) used to make documentaries (some made it on to Iowa Public TV) and I know so well how much time and effort goes into making a documentary of this length and quality!
I currently freelance here on youtube (10yrs) and im in FULL agreement. Seriously fantastic. I was just adding this to my creative inspiration playlist and came across this comment haha!
I LOVE THE STRUCTURE AND VISUALS OF THIS SERIES. damn im so happy i came across this channel this morning. Fantastic morning coffee channel
What a beautiful town, and lovely people. Reminds me of rural Kumamoto in places, though it must be a totally different look in winter.Thank you for this fantastic film. Top quality.
Such a peaceful town. That delivery driver is so unbelievably kind in his support to Kofu.
Yes, I called the town hall “city hall” a couple times. But otherwise, how did you enjoy this quick look at Kofu?
If it is my way, I prefer to live in a town like this. A small population keeps it quiet and also the chance to interact with almost all of the people living there. But it may just be my introverted self talking 😂.
man Im pretty touched by the grocery delivery man's job. Brought a tear to my eye how much he does for the elderly. Thanks for this video @lifewhereimfrom
Absolutely loved this video thank you! Kofu is beautiful as are the people. 🇯🇵🏴
@LifeWhereImFrom I'm from the US, do you know how much harder it would be to immigrate to Kofu? I'm a retired Vet, and I have been looking for a small place just like this.
This was an awesome video. Could someone who only speaks English and no Japanese get by as one of those people who rents for one year in a place like this?
The mayor is an incredible leader, especially with this optimistic and realistic mindset for his town’s future. I would love to visit Kofu in the future, especially as someone who really loves nature. It would be awesome if you can create a series about gems like these: top 10 Japanese towns you didn’t know you could visit, etc. I was pleasantly surprised about everything I learned in this video, and I know I would enjoy your honest and straightforward videos on other similar videos.
More power to the town! ❤
he also just has a very nice voice to listen to. I don't understand anything what he tells but just that deep but calm voice. he would be wonderful to be telling ether children stories or a radio talk show. just so relaxing.
And what a quality video you produced here! I didn’t even look away once during 45 min. Great job!
Very happy to find this channel, hard to believe it hasn't been suggested before. What a treasure trove for a Japan enthusiast ☺️
MY HEART. I lived in a small town like this for four years in Hokkaido and this made me miss it very much. It's good to know that they have the housing services you described, maybe I can come back one day.
ありがとうございます！
A stunningly beautiful place, with lots of seemingly wonderful people, captured in a beautiful way! Just all around a very high quality video, which is what I've come to expect from this channel. I especially liked the "orientation" with the map in the early part of the video, I really enjoy getting a geographic sense of everything, so I really appreciated that.
I'm glad you liked that map! It wasn't originally in my edit, but after watching I thought something like that would help a lot, so I spent a few hours to get that in!
It's wild how something like Uber Eats or whatever feels so impersonal and exploitative, but a grocer driving his car out to individual homes to let seniors shop for what they need feels so personal and community driven.
It’s all about the end purpose. For uber eats, it’s making money for a large corporation. For the grocer, he’s ultimately keeping watch over his community. When everyone does things for the greater good, our society is better as a whole.
People providing a service and getting paid less than market value goes against the idea of capitalism. I'd rather invest in Uber than the delivery driver to be honest :) @@GrabASpriteB
I'm not sure about were you're from or what age you are but in the small Australian city I grew up in we had not just daily milk and bread deliveries we had a weekly grocery truck and a butcher's van that would park up and sell stuff (or give you/drop off your order if you gave them one the week before or phoned it thorough) we only ever needed to go to the super market once or twice a month if even that, and for us kids that was a big adventure (even though it was in walking distance and right next to our school) all the drivers knew everyone and would always have the best gossip about everyone else in the suburbs, honestly my mum knew more about "strangers" people living 2 suburbs over than she did about her own family in another state.
because 1 is a guy who found a market niche that also is able to help people - may not be the entire goal but certainly cannot be dismissed. The other is a giant corporation that exploits workers and the economic conditions that people need to work several jobs - guess which is which lol
Its almost like being selfless makes the world better. I'm all for capitalism....unfortunately it's most being ran by the most selfish and greedy among us. Uber eats is a perfect example of this. Then you got companies like Arizona Tea that does capitalism the right way
This was a lovely little video to watch Monday morning getting ready for work. Really nice.
I teared up a little about the grocery truck story... I love it. I hope that man lives long, and this service continue far into the future. This is probably one of the things some places can copy, that make tangible connections to people.
Amazing video! I live in a small town (2000 people) in the middle of the Abruzzo region in Italy. It takes about a 30 minute drive to go to Pescara, the biggest town of the region (120k people) so it is a similar situation to that show in the video. There also is a big water factory in the nearest town, 7km away😂😂. The difference is that my town has 2 supermarkets, restaurants, pubs, and my house has a 2.5gbps fiber internet connection, so it is far from "rural", but it lacks some public services, we don't have a train station and busses are not that efficient so you really depend on owning a car. Japan is so far away but sometimes it feels so close, thank you again for this video!
Wow I live in a village of similar size in Spain and we have nothing, like absolutely nothing, no shops or anything! We did use to have a pub but it closed. Many old people depend on us young people to bring them their groceries. And we have no bus or train whatsoever.
@@fueyo2229 i too live in a 1700 population village in spain (navarre) but we have multiple pubs and supermarkets however high school is 15 mins away by car, and also the only public transport service is a bus that passes the village 3 times a day
@@setoburu Lucky! But I guess Navarre might be better than here in Asturias, it's richer.
We did have a school, but it closed years ago.
Abruzzo is absolutely amazing, where the southern italian vibes meet with the northern italian quality and the nature setting is just top. I am dreaming to move there in the future.
Ciao Jacopo! Fa stranissimo leggere il commento di un altro abruzzese sotto ad un video così "random", mi chiedo se siamo gli unici due in Abruzzo ad averlo guardato!😂 Vivi a Bussi per caso? In ogni caso, ti capisco tantissimo quando dici che il Giappone è così lontano, eppure la realtà rurale di Kofu a noi sembra così familiare!
Truly one of the finest descriptions of a japanese location I’ve seen on TH-cam! The cinematography was simply breathtaking, capturing the essence of this rural gem so beautifully. It was an absolute pleasure to explore and learn more about these hidden treasures tucked away in Japan’s countryside. What a wonderful adventure it was, entertaining, enlightening, and utterly captivating. Thank you so much for this incredible journey! Please continue creating more of these magical experiences. I would love to discover more charming villages and off-the-beaten-path wonders through your lens in the future.
I love these countryside focused videos. My wife is from Shimane and we currently live in Osaka (I'm from Los Angeles and she has been living in Osaka for 20 years), and while we absolutely LOVE Osaka, we do plan to return to Shimane someday. We visit once or twice per year and I fall in love with it more with each visit. It's so peaceful and the locals are so friendly. Great video as always!
The quality of this documentary is astounding. Good job!
The amount of details in your videos are just incredible. I was very impressed with the garden of the first lady. The driver who delivers grocery and watch over the elderly touched my heart. The school principal's excitement while showing off the (actually) cool features of his school is contagious. It seems everyone tries to do their part and is proud while doing it. Hope I'll soon have a chance to visit and support the locals!
The bit with the grocery man and the advanced age of his customers... Crying while saluting this guy.
I live in New York and it's a dog eat dog world over here. It's really heart warming to see such caring communities and wish more people could be like that.
Yes it only works in racially homogeneous society geared towards collectivism which is quite unique to Japan.
USA is the antithesis, focuses on hustle culture and people bond thru the common experience of the American dream.
But once the American dream is dead as it is literally dying now due to the woke globalist agenda, America will be full of disparate foreign groups trying to survive it will be a hellscape nightmare. Uk we’re seeing now on steroids.
I grew up in a small town in Corinth NY, and our small towns got run down with drugs and crime, and a simple house is now $300,000.00 USD even for something small, even though it's all crime ridden.
@@Youdontwantnonebyatchthe American dream has been the best marketing campaign in US history
@@noyo1444 yes but the liberal left Marxist WEF globalist government is ending it was we speak. Without that America will be a combo of ukistan and ccp China
As someone born and raised in New York I completely agree, I hate it here so I'm going to college to get a degree and then I'm moving to Japan as soon as I possibly can. I'm learning Japanese currently and I'm also studying Japanese cuisine. My hopes are to open up a ramen place somewhere in Japan where I can just help give a good meal and bring people from all over the world together.
I loved this video! You have a knack for making people feel comfortable in front of a camera. The post-production (translations, music, etc.) is wonderful. I have been involved in regional development for over 40 years (in Newfoundland and Labrador) and the issues faced by your Japanese subjects are exactly the same here. Five stars!
Another masterpiece from my favourite youtuber. Thank you for making this video❤
I like the way Japan does things. I think Kofu is very creative and I’m so impressed with its middle school, the man who delivers food for the elderly and checks in with them, and how you can rent a furnished home as a trial place for considering living there. I hope more people of all ages move out to the countryside. This is one of your most interesting episodes. Great work!
I think 20 somethings are hypnotized, get the money from your city job but save and move back out to the countryside.
I like that everything is like "well done", like the school is complete with all equipment, the train station is all open. My town is this size and everything is half done, the school (which anyway, it's closed now, but back when it was open) it only had two classrooms, no equipment whatsoever, we don't even have road signs or our own town hall, or any sort of community center, other than the church council, and that is a very old and cold building. There are no shops whatsoever anymore neither since there are no buses or anything.
I really appreciate that Japan cares for everyone even the small villages get the basics and are not abandoned like most countries.
@@fueyo2229 I agree. So does Iceland. I suggest you watch Just Icelandic produced by Gilfy.
I lived in Tottori-ken (倉吉) for awhile, many years ago. It is still one of my favorite places in Japan. You can't really know "Japan" without experiencing the rural areas.
It really is lovely.imagine similar is peaceful simple.
I love rural Tohoku. Would love to make it up to Tottori someday.
The mangaka of Detective Conan was born in this prefecture. A manga factory in Hokuei near Yura Station was built there and I've been there once.
Absolutely. I live in a semi-rural area of the Kanto plain. It's not as rural as this town, but at least my part is far from being a city. I love rural Japan, especially the mountainous areas. And you meet so many interesting people. I rent two plots in a local community garden, and spend time talking to the people around me regularly. You meet so many interesting people with so many interesting stories. I've always loved listening to the stories old people have to tell, and so many older people here are eager to share their life stories.
I totally agree! My mom is from the mountains in Fukushima and we would spend the summers there. My grandpa had cows, 2 Akita dogs, and lots of rice patties/grew vegetables so we would spend our days catching insects and picking vegetables. There was a well outside with fresh water from the mountain. It’s such a different lifestyle and I’m grateful I got to experience it ❤
Love the video. Love the concept of the delivery man watching older people. Love how proud the major is.
Fantastic video! Makes me want to move and start from scratch
This video format is honestly beautiful. I’ve never been more excited to move to an area. It all felt so personal. I really want the people in this village to prosper and have the town be revitalised.
I absolutely love peaceful videos like this! There are many clickbait videos that distort the image of the country, but Japan's beauty will never fade away.
I'm living in Kofu, Yamanashi and was so confused for the first few seconds 😭
いきなり違ったから自分も笑っちまいましたわw
@@うめゾーン 自分もサムネ見て、甲府の過疎化がそこまで進んだのか？！と一瞬思って「甲府市 人口」でググったわ
Yes, my whole family is from Kofu Yamanashi and I showed them this and they thought I was crazy....
俺も最初は甲府かと思ったわ。鳥取の江府町か。
しかし凄いな。こんな地域があることもこんな人々がこんな苦労をしていることも知らなかった。このチャンネル凄いわ
I added a small Tottori to the thumbnail!
こんな町があったことも知らなかった。
日本に住んでても全然知らないことだらけで、逆に海外の人達による取材によって国内のことを知れるという。素晴らしい時代。
グレッグさんは日本と海外の人たちをつなぐ、素晴らしい国際親善大使です！！！ 👍👍👍
外国人の視点や編集のほうが、センスが良いから素晴らしく見えますよね
日本の番組だと、大袈裟なアクションと飯だけなんだもの
グレッグはカナダ人なので良い大使だ 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🙋
空き巣被害が増えそう
You are absolutely right. I am definitely wanting to visit now. It's always seem so crowded but this is great. I feel like I can come here, rent for a few weeks or maybe even over a month and just explore everything around and really get a feel for the place. The countryside shown in this video is so beautiful and as a person who camps often and randomly enjoy getting lost on country roads, this is such an enticing place to live. Thank you for the awesome docu-intro!
We - eventually - retired in Japan last year. Your video portrays not only a special area of the country, but also the challenges, stoicism and generosity of the Japanese people in a way that I could never convey. Thankyou.
Every day, I consider myself fortunate.
How do you get along with the language? I guess english only is not an option,right?
I hadn't thought of it before, but i find your using the word 'stoic' to describe Japanese, likely in these areas, very appropriate and said in a positive manner.
what do you do now (money-wise and day to day living) and what are the pros and cons of living there
@spdaltid Where did you retire from?
I absolutely adored this video. Your intentional style and pace of documenting rural day to day life in Japan is fantastic. I would love to see other small towns across the country!
Incredible video. Beautifully filmed and edited. And an earnest look into a small town that most of us have never heard of. Very nicely done, keep up the good work!
This is nicely put together. Love getting a raw look at everyday routines outside the busy Tokyo city-fold!
Subscribed, Its hard to find soothing content like this these days, Thank you🙏
this video could be twice as long and i'd still want to see more, i am in love with kofu now and i want to see more of the area around the town too! i've been planning to try and move to japan seriously for a little while and had mostly been set on tokyo, but this video has made me seriously consider looking at kofu as an option. the fact that the town has such fantastic infrastructure, whether it's supporting the elderly locals or helping attract younger people, is really inspiring and a beautiful example of the way i think communities and societies should strive to be!
and on top of all that, i've watched a few of your videos over the last few weeks and i think they're all really great, well produced, good sense of humor, thoughtful and informative. so thanks to everyone putting in the work to help make this excellent channel possible!
It's always interesting to see how others live their lives in their unique communities then be inspired by what's new, and smile when I see there's something in common in my part of the world. This is why I enjoy your content. Thank you for another great episode!
The Japanese government should hire you to do a promotional video for the whole country. This documentary promotes not only that town but the Japanese people as well. Plus, I love how you focus on everything about Kofu, some would deviate from the town and sometimes would focus on themselves. Being able to interview from the mayor, the grocer, taxi driver, students is really great. The woman who leaves her door unlocked shows how safe Japan is. I've been to Japan a few times, I left my phone and wallet on the table in a fast food and go to the washroom, got back it's still there. I forgot my backpack on the train, travelled to the last station to pick it up, no issues, just signed a piece of paper and I got my backpack back. I'm from a country where crime is everywhere, being able to walk through alleys in Japan while texting late at night is great. Japan is a phenomenal country, the Japanese people are so disciplined. Oh and the egg sandwiches in conbinis are delicious.
I wish he would have interviewed someone diligently working part-time on the weekends to tend to the rice paddy farms.
I disagree, I think he should do a real documentary and journalism and show what real living in Japan is like (include the negatives such as local discrimination against outsiders in countryside in this case which he did not show sadly) and not take sponsored videos/posts (ok if they are irrelevant to the nature of his channel). This will bring true value to his channel, and not like some ad channel.
This was refreshing to watch. Your narration style and soothing voice makes it worthwhile.
Very nice documentary! I enjoyed every second of it! Seeing people of this lovely town in their daily life was so nice. The sceneries are so beautiful too.
Truly peaceful... And the fact it's more well-equipped for public transport than nearly any North American large city is exactly what I would expect from Japan
Yup. But it's becoming more car depdent according to the vide with many shops on motorways
@@Raboliskyes sadly only high school students use that wonderful train. Which is like a tourist glass train
Peaceful > Happiness. Or maybe happiness is a result of peaceful
Chicago has amazing public trans
Did you watch the entire video? The lady said there is no easy and affordable way to get around if you can't drive. That's literally worse than most large North American cities that have bus service through most of the city. I love Japan, but the people that worship it over their own country is some next level 'the grass is always greener' syndrome.
That mobile grocery store is a great idea, better then grocery delivery services you find here. It doubling as a social check in given the residents ages is endearing. As for a middle school having a small woodshop being weird... I guess I'm lucky my jr high (middle) school had one of the same level as a home ec room. Oof vs how early you have to wake up to get to school for them.
I've been using TH-cam for so long and of all the channels I'm subscribed to, Life Where I'm From never failed to remind me over and over again why I love it. There are so many beautiful places in Japan and the small town of Kofu represents it so well.
Loved the shots, very beautiful views.
The grocery delivery was wholesome, i'd like to do that myself.
One of the best yt videos i've ever seen, the town just feels so peaceful
This is a wonderful documentary on this town. For all the challenges faced by rural towns in Japan today, it's wonderful to see the community dynamic and problem-solving, from the man operating both a mobile grocery/general supply store and doing wellness checks to the clustered houses. That school looks like a wonderful community space, in addition to being a well equipped school for such a small town.
Greg, I've been watching your videos since moving to Japan seven years ago. This is definitely one of your top five. Thanks for the great info!
Holy cow wow. I never knew there was ANOTHER Kofu in Japan?! I only knew about Kofu, Yamanashi (lived there for 2 years!!). Grabbing popcorn 🍿!
Same! I currently live in Yamanashi Kofu right now and I was surprised at the start of this video haha
Wow! I am impressed by how professionally this documentary has been crafted. Very well structured. Great job!
I need to start consuming less slop and more content like this, thanks for the break in misery that is the modern world needed this. Your vid about that coffee shop owner was so wholesome. Subscribed because of it.
The mobile grocery store warmed my heart , beautiful human connection with community ❤
Lovely documentary! I especially liked the map part in the beginning so the viewer gets an overview.
And I also enjoyed the pace, nothing feels rushed.
Great video as always. As interest increases in moving to rural Japan, I think it's pertinent that the realities of living in rural Japan - the obligations and expectations - be communicated. You should consider making a video or series of videos about it. I myself recently learned of all these expectations.
From what I've heard, because of Japan's long history of the necessity of working together, it continues to this day in smaller areas like this and you WILL be required to participate in all kinds of community events ranging from community center type things to other stuff like clearing brush or landscaping. If a person is thinking of just moving to a rural home to relax and do your own thing, it's not like that. All of this is well and good and not necessarily a bad thing, but if you have plans for the weekend but something in the community is scheduled and you don't show up, you will start to be treated very poorly and it can become quite a situation for you. You'll start to experience first-hand the strictness of the culture that makes Japan the way it is.
This is a very understanding comment about Japanese society.
Japanese society is based on an agricultural society, so Japanese have achieved great results by cooperating with others and sharing the benefits.
Also, since Japan is a country that is extremely prone to disasters, the Japanese people have been able to survive to this day by cooperating within local communities. So naturally, people who are uncooperative with such people's efforts will be shunned.
These are the fundamental ideas of the Japanese people and Japanese society as a whole. Of course, these have advantages and disadvantages in modern times.This is why some people say that Japanese society is disciplined and civilized, on the other hand say that Japanese are xenophobic.
However, it is deeply rooted in rural areas and still functions today to maintain local societies.
@@jsynsmsrx-j5s Yes..more and more videos are being put up about akiya's so this is important to understand.
Maybe it has to do with the population number ? The one you experienced, how big was the population?
But in a town of 2k people (let's say half can do work and then half again is avail, total of 500) I'd wonder if they would frown upon you if you miss one or two summons ? I totally agree that this culture is collective though😅
@@neal9812 I've never lived there, just learned of all this from another youtuber BSP Japan who made a video about Akiya's recently. He has a long video about all of this. In larger populated areas there is less to worry about, but I'm not sure how big you have to go. Where he lives, the population is over 100,000 but they're all divided up as 25 households..there's less responsibility there though.
That's what I'm concerned, looking by the cluster town design one can already know privacy is going to be an issue.
Thanks!
I lived in Japan when I was very young, but haven't been back since. I'm visiting this year and am so excited to relive those years. Your videos are giving me a lovely taste of daily life in Japan, thank you.
amazing production value and so well told, well done!
All the videos on This channel are Incredibly well produced. With Greg's Pleasant and Friendly sounding voice it
puts everything on Another Level👍. In many small picturesque villages throughout the countryside. There are many houses
that are Locked and Abandoned but Fully furnished with even Food in the Cupboards! It would seem that the occupants went a trip and NEVER Returned.
That sad fact is.😢 Many elderly people pass away with NO descendants. In Japan, vandalism and crime is Low. The house Remain just as
the owners left them. In most places in the world, this is unheard of. Only In Japan!🙏
Why no descendants ?
I really really like this, I appreciate that you give the locals voice and showing the real Japan.
Hi Greg,
Excellent video in all regards. I was in the Kofu area about a year ago, as my home town in Germany is twinned with Tottori. The region was the highlight of my trip and I can strongly recommend spending a few days there, even if you’re not going to move there.
Really enjoy your content.
Gregor
What an awesome video in every way! Audio and video are superb, the interviews were great. Kofu looks like a great place to live.
I wonder if rural towns like this would be interested in programs where they basically pay for younger, more able-bodied people to live there in exchange for basically being town workers, such as general handymen, grocery delivery, basic landscaping, etc. I know they offer subsidies for people to move out there, but they would still have to get regular jobs. This way, taking care of the town and its residents would actually be their job. Just a thought.
I‘m sure in the coming decades many Japanese communities won’t have many other choices than basically „hire“ people to live there - or completely close small towns and villages. Also, the property tax will have to come down, it’s a big reason people who inherit property sell it cheaply or basically give it away for free - or just let it rot. 1.4% per year in property tax is A LOT, it’s about 10 times more than here in Germany.
I would defiantly do this. I already have a Kei truck and tools.
This would be a great idea!! I’d definitely consider moving there for a while if this were the case.
First, I want to say that this channel is incredibly well done. Filming, editing, etc are really good. And yep, now I want to pack and go live in Kofu so, a job well done ! 😆
Thank you for this experience, amazing piece of work
This video stumbled on my timeline and out of curiosity I watched it. I like your narrative and cinematography, what a beautiful video!
Never seen a documentary with better quality than this one. Everyhting that is mentioned is so well explained, im shook.
Such a soothing video, music, and narrating voice too. Lovely content, please keep it up!
It felt like I am visiting that town, so beautiful to watch. Please don't change your documentary style video.
These types of videos are my favorite. So relaxing! I feel a strong sense of nostalgia for how the town must have been in its heyday and imagining how each room in the houses must have been used decades ago. Makes me really miss my time living in Japan! I was in rural Japan, but not this rural. My town had about 200,000 people.
absolutely loved this video!! more of these please!
After watching this video I am thinking of moving back to Japan. Lived and worked in Nagoya from 2014-2022 before coming back home to London. I really really loved my time there and miss the whole ’Nippon’ vibe of every day living. I could easily see myself pottering around this geriatric town getting to know the locals. Everything about Japan suits me; but it’s not everyone’s cup of oolong. Great video!
Amazing documentary, it was a real pleasure to watch it. Thank you a lot for bringing the real life from Japan!
This is an amazing video! I loved it, seriously!!
fantastic video. pls do more on small towns/rural towns like this across Japan especially in Chūbu region, Chūgoku region & Kansai region
The narration, photography and audio were so good I was lured to complete the whole video. Very rare to happen to me....Thanks and keep it up
I live in Matsumoto (Nagano-ken). 20 years ago, when I first moved here everything was cheap, not as cheap as Kofu, but now it is getting harder to find a place to live or some land at a reasonable price. The up side is, that this is because there are a lot of young families filling the void. The down side is that almost everyone opts for an "instant house" 建売住宅 instead of finding an old place and renovating it, or knocking the old place down and building anew, like I did. So all the fields are being replaced by houses and all the old houses are being left to rot.
Today was the first time to view your channel. I must see more. Good job.
0:15 Omg this is my mother’s hometown, seriously!!! Her parents’ house is a few minutes away from this thatched-roof house!
I have a friend - her last name is Fukuma whose mother is also from that cute little town.
Wonderful! I find Japanese culture very interesting
@@michaelquigley9619 small world huh
I am from India & in fact I do live nearby in a town named Kotoura-Cho and I didn't even realize there was such a lovely small town on the other side of the mountain with such breath taking scenery, thanks for making this amazing video I will definitely visit as soon as I have free time.
@@shinchansensei1310 all I would advise you to do is keep learning Japanese and get to a conversational level at least before coming here and do your UG degree in India because the living expenses here are exponential compared to India and you would have to do part time jobs to support yourself. Then apply for jobs here and do web interviews, there is good chance they will hire you if you are able to understand and answer all their questions in Japanese.
I do not know what career path you want to follow but I am a Civil Engineer and this is what I did.
@@actualghost6565 did you study in Japan too?
go back
@@actualghost6565 We don't want you here.
@@TopDrekyou’re not even a Japanese. 😂
Excellent video Greg & Ako... One of your best IMHO.
BTW... I'm in California and cannot wait to get back for a Japan visit one day soon. My favorite destination.
Great video of a great town in Japan. These types of videos are what dreams are made of.
Facentating, well done, and it looks spectacular in 4K. Your understanding of lighting really makes it work, subscribed