Waiting For The End In Japan's Terminal Villages

Japan has the oldest population of any developed country today. One in four people are aged 65 or over. This aging crisis has affected almost all aspects of life, but perhaps no consequence is more symbolic of this difficult era than that of the terminal village. There are thousands of these villages—or rather technically, hamlets—dotting the Japanese countryside. They are known as genkai shūraku, or literally, “limited villages". There are now between 250-300 hamlets in Japan where 100% of the population is aged 75 or over.