In the heart of the Japanese mountains, the villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama are home to treasures of traditional Japanese architecture: thatched cottages with sloping roofs, designed to ...

The once-thriving Japanese hamlet of Nanmoku was known for its silk and timber industries. Today, it is the country's most aged village, with... How Japan is trying to solve the problem of shrinking ...

Villages across Japan’s countryside are facing extinction as the population ages and shrinks. NPR’s Anthony Kuhn visited Japan’s most aged village, where most residents are older than 65.

NANMOKU, Japan — This village sits along a river running through the mountains, surrounded by forests of cedar and bamboo. The once-thriving hamlet was known for its silk, timber and a starchy root ...

Visitors take souvenir photos next to a bear warning sign at Shirakawa-go, a popular tourist spot and one of Japan’s UNESCO World Heritage sites, in Shirakawa village, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. Bear ...

In the tiny village of Tsuchikure, the average age of the residents is 77. Akiko Fujita reports on why this and thousands of rural Japanese communities like it are literally dying out.

The plum blossoms and toads are out a month early in the warmest Japanese winter for years. Nevertheless, Japan’s farmers, like farmers anywhere, worry about the weather—and everything else. Last week ...

NPR’s Anthony Kuhn visited Japan’s most aged village, where most residents are over age 65. Why rural villages in Japan are shrinking Villages across Japan’s countryside are facing extinction as the ...

This village sits along a river running through the mountains, surrounded by forests of cedar and bamboo. The once-thriving hamlet was known for its silk, timber and a starchy root called konjac.