About one-and-a-half hours by car from JR Morioka Station, nestled in the mountains of Iwate Prefecture where there are no railway lines, lies Kuzumaki Town. With a human population of approximately 5,800 and a bovine population of approximately 11,000, Kuzumaki is truly a “town that has more cows than people.”

Just as is the case in so many other regions around Japan that are suffering the effects of depopulation, over the past 30 years the population of Kuzumaki has declined by more than 40%. Today, approximately half of the remaining population are elderly. A particularly striking comment made by a resident, with a smile, was “60 is young around here!”

In October 2018, with a view to further enhancing “best-in-town” activities, a total of seven Toyota Group companies, led by local dealerships (Toyota Toyopet Iwate Co., Ltd., and Netz Toyota Iwate Co., Ltd.) signed a comprehensive partnership agreement with the town. Adding Iwate Toyota in the group, the town also signed a disaster cooperation agreement with the Toyota Group companies for the lending of vehicles with power supply functions in times of disaster. These and other efforts to improve quality of life for residents and achieve regional vitalization continue to be advanced.

It was here in the Koyase district of this small town that grave news emerged in 2019. The only store in the district had closed down.

In response to this situation, the Toyota Group, led by representatives of local Toyota dealerships, engaged in multiple discussions with the town office, chamber of commerce and local residents, ultimately resulting in the opening of a new store called “Supermarket Kuzumaki.” The building that had housed the recently closed store was put to use and the new store was stocked with products from 11 stores in other districts of Kuzumaki. It really can be seen as the town’s general store, and one that represents the combined efforts of the entire community.

It opens every Saturday and is visited by approximately 30 people. In addition to in-person shopping, it also takes orders by telephone and delivers to customers with limited mobility who have difficulty shopping for themselves.

Mayor of Kuzumaki Shigeo Suzuki says about the significance of the opening of the supermarket as follows:

“This part of town has a particularly high proportion of elderly people and there are also many vulnerable people who find it difficult to shop for themselves. The local government would have probably found it difficult to come up with such an initiative on its own, but with the information and knowledge of the people from Toyota, it proved possible to start up the supermarket.

The local residents are all delighted and everyone looks forward to the once-weekly opening day. The local government will also provide our own know-how so that we can continue to ensure even more efficient services.”

On the day Toyota Times editorial team visited, the store was full of customers. It really made an impression to see the staff talking so animatedly with local people.

A woman who runs her own store a 45-minute drive away in another district admitted that she operates at a loss. Even so, she says that what keeps her going is being able to see for herself the joy of her customers. Supermarket Kuzumaki is not just a place to go shopping, it has become a community focal point for interaction and exchange.

So what did CSO Yamamoto feel when he saw this store in operation for himself?

On the day of the visit, the supermarket had received its first requests for delivery service, so Yamamoto accompanied the delivery round to two houses. Two residents who came to their doorstep to pick up the products delivered by car explained how they see the service.

The first person was an 88-year-old lady. Upon receiving the delivery, she expressed her appreciation saying that she didn’t know what she would do when the old store had closed down.

However, as she talked more, an unexpected fact came to light that she doesn’t recognize the inconvenience of her situation as being inconvenient.

She usually travels by bus, and there is only one bus every two hours. Even so, she says, “It’s convenient because we still have a bus.”

At the second delivery address was a 63-year-old man, who didn’t have a car of his own and had exactly the same reaction as the old lady.

For example, if they need to go to a hospital, they are able to time their trip with the bus timetable. However, as it isn’t always possible to predict what time a doctor’s appointment will end, this could mean waiting several hours for the next bus to arrive. To begin with, it is a challenge for a person over 80 to walk uphill to the bus stop, and doubly difficult when it snows.

Wondering whether they really didn’t find things to be inconvenient, Yamamoto asked a number of questions, aiming to hear the real opinions of those in the community.

For example, when he asked whether it would be convenient to be able to order by smartphone and have goods delivered, he was told that the elderly users were unable to operate the smartphone app.

Another question was whether the once-weekly opening was inconvenient, to which the people voiced slight concern at not being able to buy the things they want, when they want them.

No one complained about the inconvenience of travel or transport. Using smartphone to make orders isn’t a convenient option for them. But still, they feel inconvenient not to be able to buy things when they need them.

Listening to these opinions made it a little hard to understand what the challenges facing the community really are and what could be done to resolve them. At the same time, it was not necessarily appropriate to subconsciously assume that this kind of lifestyle would definitely be inconvenient.

The mayor says, “It’s because the people of Tohoku are so patient,” but on the other hand Yamamoto also noted, “My impression is that the people are fitting themselves around an inconvenient situation.” As these people have lived here for so many years, they might have become accustomed to inconvenience in some ways. It is going to take a little more thought and insight to find out what constitutes true inconvenience in a depopulated region.

There was something else important to note in what the people said. It was the old lady’s reference to being “lonely.”

In contrast to urban areas, in this region the next house is several hundred meters away. The old lady said wistfully, “There are only cows nearby and no other person to talk to.”

Hearing these stories seemed to energize Yamamoto, who said, “It really should be easier to live here. I want to do something to help.”

This is a place where the last shop had closed and without using a car or bus it would be impossible to go shopping. It was remarkable, therefore, to hear the number of delivery orders that had been received to date: precisely zero.

The two people mentioned above were the first users of the delivery service. To the question on why it has been that way, many people’s response was, “We want someone to talk to.” This answer chimes with the fact that the once-weekly opening of Supermarket Kuzumaki has become a focal point for community interaction.

The old lady who received the delivery wiped tears away from her eyes as she showed appreciation for the opportunity to chat with the delivery staff from Supermarket Kuzumaki rather than the goods themselves. The staff said, “One of the major roles of delivery is to chat directly with the elderly residents who live alone.” Even casual conversations and contact with people can be a great support.

In urban areas, you only have to step outside your house to find other people. You can stop to talk to people who live in the same apartment block, or interact with staff in the convenience store. The human contact that is commonplace in urban areas is extremely precious in depopulated areas with small populations.

The notion that as technology progresses it might one day be possible for robots to make house-to-house deliveries automatically and that such a development would enhance convenience may not be true in depopulated areas. In Kuzumaki, it seemed necessary to think about ways to retain the element of human contact in delivery services.

Realizing the reality of the situation, Yamamoto says, “We can’t simply attempt to impose ‘convenience’ on people.”

Even services that we might think are good will not be used until they first match the lifestyles of local residents. Unless it is actually used, the service won't solve anything.

People’s needs may change depending on the timing and situation, including on days of bad weather or when people with limited mobility need to do some shopping. With a “one-size-fits-all” approach, people will not use the service. Just as each person’s lifestyle is different, so too is it crucial to consider the diversity of the services that are needed in the town.

Needless to say, activities designed to support the town should not take away the jobs of the town’s people. It is necessary to make the most of local assets while filling in any gaps. To do this, the most important thing is to discuss everything carefully.

It would be meaningless if support for the town only ended up being temporary. During the visit Yamamoto referred to “sustainability” frequently.

So what can be done not on a temporary basis, but sustainably? When it comes to increasing convenience for the town, the first thought that comes to mind is digitalization.

However, President Masayuki Motomochi of Toyota Toyopet Iwate says, “It’s very difficult for dealerships alone to create something that would be easy for elderly people to use. We very much appreciate being able to engage in initiatives together with Toyota.” President Yoshiyuki Motomochi of Netz Toyota Iwate also has this to say, “There are many elderly people in Iwate, so the important thing is to think of ways to spread digital solutions to those who can’t currently access the digital world.”

This is precisely why Yamamoto considers it to be important to keep initiatives on track. Elderly people cannot be expected to suddenly become digital users overnight. The idea is rather to move in step with users and gradually enable them to feel the added convenience themselves and go on to enhance their comfort levels.

Yamamoto says that this is one of the areas in which Woven City has great potential.

The old lady who cooperated with the interview (as described earlier) kept saying, “thank you” over and over again, and kept waving to the car for a while as the Toyota Times editorial team left her house.

Thinking about the possibilities of mobility means thinking about the happiness of the people of the town. A definitive answer has yet to be found. However, it is certain that there are many more things that mobility can do to help people with their daily problems.

“Producing happiness for all” does not mean the creation of a uniform kind of happiness. In line with genchi genbutsu (going to the source to get the facts), one must see, hear, and understand the situation with their own eyes. What is more, the goal is to provide services that are truly useful to each individual and lead to their happiness.

Finally, Yamamoto spoke about the origins of the Toyota Production System (TPS) that Akio so often refers to.