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.
