Fertility rate is more than twice the national average and nearly half of households have three or more children – thanks in no small part to generous daycare and an all-in approach to raising families
Set against mountains and forests, Nagi basks beneath a cobalt sky, reflected in perfectly symmetrical rows of submerged rice paddies. But there is more to this town in western Japan than pretty views and agricultural output. Nagi is quietly producing what much of the rest of the country is lacking: children.
On a recent afternoon, groups of schoolchildren weighed down by their randoseru stopped off at the museum of contemporary art on their way home. In a public building nearby, adults struggled to make themselves heard above the din of excitable preschoolers.
