The mass media says Japan’s economy is in unprecedented good times. In fact, many big companies are gaining the highest profit in their history. On the other hand, people – even office workers of big companies – say they do not feel those profits in their everyday life. According to the T.V. and newspaper, it is because they have not gotten a raise.
Recently I decided to close my pharmacy on Nyuzen’s main street. Nyuzen is a small town in Toyama Prefecture, Japan. Someone said it’s a car street not a shopping street, and another person said it’s a “ghost town.” People go shopping at big stores far from our main street. They are selling things cheaper than our prime costs. As a result, many small stores are closing. There are so many empty stores and parking spaces on our street now. There used to be four supermarkets about twenty years ago, but now there’s none! There used to be a fairly big clothing store next to my pharmacy, but it’s a parking area now. In addition, there is only one child under 18 in our district. Most children of shopkeepers don’t want to take over their parents businesses. And parents don’t want them to either.
There are so many customers in big stores, but even for them it’s not easy to carry through, because there are bigger stores which have bigger capital. Someone said “Money flows from the lower place to the higher place.” People know that this was caused the deregulation policy. I know the deregulation is necessary to compete against foreign countries, but I also know that there are many people who are being left behind.
Back to my problem; when I look around the situation of our shopping street and myself, I think it’s time to change my life–style. I think it’s the best decision for me, but I was very sorry for my neighbors because I left another empty store on our already quiet street.
The economy is always moving. A big turning point is coming to the commercial businesses. People, who can not drive, won’t be able to go shopping on the outskirts in our aging society. People will need stores close to their houses. But I think those stores are quite different from today’s personal stores. In fact, some big companies are going to start new businesses. There will be many small stores opened by them in the city centers in the near future.
Recently I decided to close my pharmacy on Nyuzen’s main street. Nyuzen is a small town in Toyama Prefecture, Japan. Someone said it’s a car street not a shopping street, and another person said it’s a “ghost town.” People go shopping at big stores far from our main street. They are selling things cheaper than our prime costs. As a result, many small stores are closing. There are so many empty stores and parking spaces on our street now. There used to be four supermarkets about twenty years ago, but now there’s none! There used to be a fairly big clothing store next to my pharmacy, but it’s a parking area now. In addition, there is only one child under 18 in our district. Most children of shopkeepers don’t want to take over their parents businesses. And parents don’t want them to either.
There are so many customers in big stores, but even for them it’s not easy to carry through, because there are bigger stores which have bigger capital. Someone said “Money flows from the lower place to the higher place.” People know that this was caused the deregulation policy. I know the deregulation is necessary to compete against foreign countries, but I also know that there are many people who are being left behind.
Back to my problem; when I look around the situation of our shopping street and myself, I think it’s time to change my life–style. I think it’s the best decision for me, but I was very sorry for my neighbors because I left another empty store on our already quiet street.
The economy is always moving. A big turning point is coming to the commercial businesses. People, who can not drive, won’t be able to go shopping on the outskirts in our aging society. People will need stores close to their houses. But I think those stores are quite different from today’s personal stores. In fact, some big companies are going to start new businesses. There will be many small stores opened by them in the city centers in the near future.
5 comments:
Very nice!!!
Very well written and clear, I could imagine how it was 20 years ago.
From Takauti
Hello! This is very interesting! I often wondered about the small shopping streets in towns like Nyuzen and Kurobe. It's a shame so many shops are closed. It's such a difficult situation. I'm sorry to hear your pharmacy closed. Good luck in your future.
I think this is an interesting problem and it's also happening in my hometown in Canada.
I have lived in Nyuzen for 3 and a half years and I have never strolled down the streets (although I've thought about doing it many times). I would like to be able to go downtown and shop but also to stop and have a cup of coffee or something too.
A nice cafe -something warm and inviting, might help draw people to the downtown. Maybe there is one and I just don't know about it...
I agree with Linea & Kittenfat...it's really sad that small shops in small towns are closing. I prefer shopping at small shops and contributing to the local economy. The same thing is happening in many small towns in North America too. Small shops can't compete with big businesses.
I often think it would be nice to walk around downtown...go shopping, have coffee, eat lunch, meet friends...but there is no place to go and nothing is open at night or on the weekends!!
What will happen to the future of small towns??
A well written article! This is a very evident problem in growing areas. Unfortunately, many people don't think about the imapact their shopping tendencies have in general. My uncle once owned the only hardware store in his tiny town many years ago. When a larger corporate hardware store moved in, he was put out of business. Situations like this can be very hurtful to the culture and beauty of a town I think.
Post a Comment