Japan faces the challenge of a rapidly ageing and declining population. A problem most pronounced in regional areas including the yukiguni; a region that has for many years seen younger generations move away seeking opportunities in the major cities such as Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka. As such, snow country is now also synonymous with old men and women, fading villages, shuttered businesses and abandoned homes.

Beautiful but often challenging, these are landscapes that take effort to live in and ultimately, for communities to survive, the old must be replaced by the young. Recent years have seen an increasing number of people return or relocate to the snow country, seeking more balanced lives and connection to the remarkable landscapes and breathing new life into the region. Snow Country Stories Japan shares the diverse stories and voices of the young and old, women and men, foreigners and Japanese choosing life in the snow country.

I hope that this podcast encourages more people to visit or better yet, move to and be part of the revitalisation of the snow country.