My Hometown in the Future

Towns have histories. They may be older or newer, but they were built where they are for a reason, and those reasons will probably influence what happens to them in the future. The towns may change, but they will probably remain.

For example, my hometown was built near a big river, because fuel and materials for manufacturing were carried on the river. Glass factories grew up along the river.

My hometown has changed a lot since I was born there. The glass factories disappeared during my lifetime, and the river area has become a park area.

Yokkaichi is on the Tokaido, and the junction where the road split, left to Ise Shrine and right to Kyoto, is in Yokkaichi. That is one of the reasons the city of Yokkaichi grew where it is.

Yokkaichi was known for its beaches and hot springs on the Ise Bay. Most of those were later lost to industrialization, because the waterfront area became useful for other purposes. Yokkaichi’s population has been stable at about 300,000 for several years.

Yokkaichi’s sister city in America, Long Beach, had a similar history. Long Beach is on the Pacific Ocean. It is a port town, with industry along the waterfront, but they have also maintained the beach area for people’s enjoyment.

Long Beach, as the name suggests, has a very long beach area, with walking and cycling paths that run the length of the beach from downtown to the border of the next town. Though Long Beach’s population grew after World War 2, it has been stable at about 460,000.

As Japan’s population declines, some towns will be abandoned, or may shrink back to the space that they occupied before the growth in population that happened in the 1950s and ‘60s. Long Beach’s population will change, too, possibly declining, and allowing the city to return to its roots.

No matter how the cities may change, those areas have been attractive to people for thousands of years, and for good reason. They will continue to be population centers in the future, because there are features that make them attractive to people.