There's a strange trend in our prefecture these days: building new elementary schools so that they're "barrier free," a word which I'm pretty sure originated in Japan that means free from physical challenges to disabled people such as stairs. The schools are made so that they're much more accessible to those with difficulty getting around, and they're built on one level rather than on two floors, as has been the norm in the past. The reason for this new approach to school construction is uniquely Japanese and related to its low birth rate: in twenty or thirty years when the schools are no longer needed for children, they can be easily converted into homes to provide care for the elderly. This gave me a bit of a chill when I heard it for the first time -- as a big fan of the book and film Children of Men, which tells the story of humanity that has become unable to create new children, it hit rather close to home. Still, rather than build another dam or cover a mountainside in concrete on the off chance that there might be a rockslide someday, building schools so that they can serve multiple purposes in the future seems like a good idea. Remember, according to current projections the population of Japan in the year 3000 is going to be....just 27 people.
Children of Men is the most excellent movie ever, about a world in which there are no more babies born.
4 comments:
Interesting, in Children of Men, there was also an issue with immigrants, as Japan has (though just as Japan's birth rate is not as low as the books/movies, the immigration issues are also not as bad - yet).
Yes, interesting, although the situation was a bit more unique. Japan knows it will have to open its doors eventually, although it's making noises along the lines of "50 years from now." Who knows if people will want to come live here then? Interestingly, the themes about immigrants was almost completely missing from the book. Britain actually went out of their way to allow Omegas (members of the last generation born) from other countries to come and work but it refused to let them stay. And the one who had the baby was Julian!
Japan better be careful or they are going to end their culture by trying to protect it.
I LOVED the movie Children of Men!
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