Deep in Yubai City !

by Kazu

It may be a mediocre scenery of rural area of Hokkaido but for the bankrupted municipality, it is so tough to get over the cold winter and heavy snow. There is no money to take off the snow on the road and roof.

As I introduced some times before on this site, Yubari City had been in full flourish in 1880's to 1960's with many coalmine companies and related industries.
After those industries closed their office and coalmine, a hectic amount of money was poured into the coalmine area including Yubari      

City. But almost no tangible result was left and only aging population was there in the aftermath of collapse of coalmine industry in spite of the citizen's effort exerted for revitalization of the area with tourism. Apparently the citizens got lost in the direction shown by the mayor of that time. The grant from the central government poured in the city was in vein.
Some people said that the city was built because of the coalmine industry and the city should be gone with the industry.
Actually the city should plan to make itself more compact by collecting the population in the center part of the city.      

As it flourished with the number of shaft towers of coalmine, the living area was expanded too much. The municipality has to rebuild its financial plan to make ends meet.
Many staff and citizens of the municipality have gone after it went bankrupt.  They have to help each other providing with their pro bono work as shown on the left and obtain the real autonomy. But the aging population and decreasing kids make it difficult for the citizens to hand down the hometown sound and kicking to their children..
Please wait and see the city rise again!