Many schools and other government-controlled offices in the center of big cities are closing because of the declining birthrate in Japan. More than 2,000 elementary, junior high and high schools nationwide have been forced to close over the past decade and an estimated 300 more schools a year are scheduled to shut their doors over the next several years. These old schools are being converted to geriatric centers and art enclaves.
If you refer to the chart of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Health and Sports(MEXT), school closures are increasing steadily because of the lower birthrate.
Just recently one of the largest developers in Japan, Mori Building, took a worn-down neighborhood block in the pricey Shibuya/Harajuku District of Tokyo and built a very upscale shopping mall called Omotesando Hills.
Omotosando Hills
On Kyushu Island, in the tired hot spring city of Yufuin, a surge of fashionable boutiques and artisan enclaves have arisen from the dank environs. New capital and new businesses have pumped life into the area.
Yufuin Shopping
With the re-designation of so many old schools and ramshackle buildings throughout Japanese metropolitan areas, this is an opportune time to negotiate with local districts to buy or lease such properties for quality convalescent homes, vocational schools or a host of other artistic endeavors. Japan is in the Baby Boomer retirement bubble and now is the time to strike.
Join SIJ Mastermind and Networking Seminars
Twitter
Facebook