A sea of people are coming towards me like a tsunami. Fashionable young girls in mini skirts and platform boots wobble along the crowded crosswalk. High rises illuminated with flashing multi-story billboards blast advertisements through the air.
This is Tokyo’s famous Shibuya Crossing, which
is one of the busiest pedestrian crossings in the world. It feels like the
heartbeat of the megacity. Being here is exciting and overwhelming, but this
isn’t why I came to Japan.
Far away from the crowded streets and neon
signs is the historical town of Hagi, which provides a chance to experience a
different side of Japan that’s going through big changes in demographics.
Surrounded by mountains blanked in lush forests and dazzling green rice fields,
the air in Hagi is fresh and the streets where samurai once walked are nearly
empty – and it will remain that way since the town’s population is slowly
shrinking.
Due
to the rapidly aging population and limited income opportunities, many people
have had to leave Hagi and other rural communities in recent years, creating
socio-economic and social issues. When Takahide moved from Kawasaki City to
Hagi, the town’s population was around 50,000 people. Now it’s dropped to
around 43,000.
According
to Takahide, 22 families are currently participating in Hagi’s homestay
program, where travellers stay with local farmers or elderly hosts for a
cultural immersion. This is the reason my mother and I joined the G Adventures
Backroads of Japan tour, which includes the two-night homestay, along with
other destinations that are often overlooked by Japan’s famous cities.
“This is my rice terrace,” says the mother,
Kaori, as we walk towards the single-story home located in the countryside that’s
dotted with rice terraces.
Inside the home, she gives us some slippers, then
takes us to the guest area – two
sparsely furnished rooms lined with sliding doors that have glass on the bottom
and paper on top. The floor is covered with traditional tatami mats. It’s a
peaceful retreat from battling waves of people filtering through train stations
in the world’s biggest city.
We
talk about various topics, like farming and wildlife in Canada and Japan, and
laugh about the differences. I show them photos of a chinook salmon I caught in
a river, which causes their eyes to light up with excitement. Even the kids,
who are glued to their cell phones and video games, run over to see the photo.
Learning
about each other’s countries and culture is the kind of experience every
traveller craves, but can be difficult to find. A homestay in Hagi is an
opportunity to see another side of Japan that isn’t easily accessible without
the help of a guide.
As we leave the train station in Hagi, where
our host families gathered to say goodbye, I gaze out the window and watch the
repeated scene of villages, rice fields, and rugged hills whizzing by. Tiny
box-shaped cars that look like toys move slowly on the roads, setting the pace
of life in the far west of Honshu Island – a place that feels off the beaten
path, making it one of Japan’s best kept secrets.
IF YOU GO:
The 11-day G Adventures Backroads of Japan
tour starts in Tokyo and ends in Kyoto, and includes several places in between such
as Nagano, Matsumoto, Otsu, and Tottori. Highlights include Matsumoto Castle,
Japanese macaque in Jigokudani National Park, and the Tottori Sand Dunes along
the Sea of Japan. Transportation on the trip mainly involves trains, which
provides a chance to travel like a local.
- published in the Edmonton Journal in January 2025: https://edmontonjournal.com/travel/rural-japan-travel-hagi
