Japanese youths make ‘mago-turn’ to live near grandparents
If mago-turn results in more young people moving to rural areas, the areas will be rejuvenated and the wave could attract other young people without family ties to the region. Mago-turn could become a major pillar of future migration policy. – Tokumi Odagiri, Meiji University Prof.
AN increasing number of young people from cities are migrating to provincial areas to live in the same town as their grandparents.
The “mago-turn” trend - mago means grandchild in Japanese - is similar to the “U-turn” trend when people return from cities to live in their home towns, and the “I-turn”, when people migrate to rural areas different from where they grew up.
For young people who want to be closer to nature but feel uneasy about living in an unfamiliar place, moving to areas where their grandparents live can be an attractive option because it will be easier for them to assimilate into the community.
Taro Nakazawa, 24, was born and raised in Chigasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, and moved to Hokuto, Yamanashi Prefecture, in April. He works as a “local community revitalization corps” member promoting tourism in the city in the northwestern part of the Kofu basin.
Nakazawa’s parents hail from Hokuto and he often visited his grandparents when he was growing up. He has been drawn to the area’s magnificent mountains and highlands since childhood.
Although Nakazawa had hoped to live in the area someday, he joined a construction firm in Kanagawa Prefecture after graduating from university.
But the death of his maternal grandfather in August last year prompted him to make the move sooner rather than later. “I thought it would be better to move while my (paternal) grandparents are still healthy,” Nakazawa said.
His income is lower than what he earned in Kanagawa, but Nakazawa said: “I don’t have to ride a packed train. I work less overtime. I feel like my life has become richer.”
Nakazawa’s paternal grandfather, Kenichi Nakazawa, 89, lives with his grandson and said, “I’m enjoying (living with him) because he makes our home lively.” Nakazawa’s grandmother Kesae, 84, said her grandson “helps me with heavy work. I really appreciate it.”
Naoko Sakaguchi, 36, a coffee shop owner in Asahi, Toyama Prefecture, moved from Tokyo’s Edogawa Ward in 2007 to take care of her grandparents. Her coffee shop, Hygge, is housed in an old renovated residential building.
“At first, I was worried about whether I could be comfortable living here. But people in the neighbourhood were very kind - they welcomed me as the granddaughter of ‘Mr. and Mrs. Sakaguchi,’ “she recalled.
With the support of her relatives living nearby and newfound friends, Sakaguchi opened a coffee shop in 2015, fulfilling a long-held dream.
During the period of high economic growth in Japan, young people moved to urban areas to seek jobs. In contrast, their children are doing the opposite. Tokyo-based nonprofit organisation Furusato Kaiki Shien Center (Hometown relocation support centre) advises people who are considering relocating to rural areas by offering consultations and sharing relevant information. The NPO’s Deputy Executive Director Kazuo Kasami refers to the phenomenon as mago-turn.
After the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, the organisation began receiving an increasing number of consultations from the younger generations. Kasami realised there were a number of people choosing to live in the same town as their grandparents.
“I thought this was a new style of migration, different from Uturn or I-turn,” Kasami said.
There is no nationwide data on mago-turn. Even so, a survey conducted by the town among people who moved to Suo-Oshima in Yamaguchi Prefecture in fiscal 2015 found that nine people, or 8 per cent of the 116 respondents, said they moved to the town because their grandparents lived there. The local government is known for encouraging people to move there.
According to Kasami, young people from urban areas don’t consider the rural areas where their grandparents live to be inconvenient. The towns often hold a lot of memories for them, such as family visits and nature excursions.
Some people are hesitant to give up city life, despite their ambitions to live in rural areas, because of job, housing or relationship concerns.
Meiji University Prof. Tokumi Odagiri, an expert in rural policy and familiar with issues relating to provincial flight, said: “With mago-turn, people are likely to have fewer concerns about such issues.” Taking advantage of family connections makes it easier for people to find work or a place to live and assimilate into a community. If grandparents own agricultural land that has been passed down for generations, farming could be an option for their grandchildren.
“If mago-turn results in more young people moving to rural areas, the areas will be rejuvenated and the wave could attract other young people without family ties to the region,” said Odagiri. “Mago-turn could become a major pillar of future migration policy.”
Facing declining populations, some local governments have recently introduced measures to support people who migrate to the areas where their grandparents live to attract more young people.
In April 2016, the local government of Bungotakada in Oita Prefecture began offering a financial incentive of ¥100,000 to people who move there if their grandparents live in the city. Other criteria must also be met to receive the reward. The city hopes to promote more migration by young people.
Other local governments have adopted different measures to encourage mago turn, including offering academic scholarships to households with children, as well as subsidizing events that will help people to settle down in their hometowns.
However, migrating to provincial areas is never easy, in spite of the various incentives available. “Migration, including mago turn, requires meticulous preparation,” stressed Koichi Hayashi, general manager of Iju Koryu Joho Garden (Migration, exchange, information garden), which offers consultations near JR Tokyo Station for those who are considering a move.
In consultations, Hayashi tells people who are thinking about leaving the city to write down the reasons why they would like to live in the countryside and what kind of lifestyle they hope to have. It is also important to visit prospective areas several times and speak with local residents before deciding to move, according to Hayashi.
“Living in a place you have visited before can be very different from what you imagine,” said Hayashi.
“It’s a good idea to visit when the local weather conditions are at their worst, such as when it’s extremely cold or hot.” — The Japan News/ Yomiuri