When I was in Tokyo, I did a lot of running around Shakujii Park, which is in a residential area ("Bed Town") located about 75 minutes away from central Tokyo. While on my runs, I would see elderly men and women talking to their pets as they walked them on the trails. The pets were clothed in fancy outfits--some wearing famous brands, like Burberry's and Adidas. These pets were all decked out. No doubt they are taking the place of kids in many Japanese homes.
On Children's Day in May, the newspapers in Japan announce the latest statistics on children. This year, it was announced that the number of children declined for the 25th straight year. Japan, with a population of 127 million, will start declining in population after 2007. The birth rate is at a record low of 1.28. When I was born, one out of 17 people, was over the age of 65. Today, it is one out of 5. Of all the prefectures and regions in Japan, Tokyo has the smallest percentage of kids per capita. At the current rate using moderate range projections, the population of Japan will be half of what it is by the year 2100!
Japan is changing, and the face of Japan will most likely change in the coming years. That is, if the immigration controls are loosened up for foreign workers to come in and take up the slack. In the meantime, you can travel around the country today and literally see the effects of the changing demographics of the country.
What is in the photograph? That is a pet-clothing van setting up shop at Shakujii Park. They must be raking in the dough.
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