Day 8: Dead towns on way to Yamagata

Sometimes the Tohoku region can feel like the rust belt of the US. Maybe these cities and towns in their heyday -- in the early 80s and 90s, when the economy was booming and the population was still on an upward trajectory -- were thriving. Maybe couples strolled the shotengai hand in hand while gazing into shops full of customers and helpful store owners. 

But those days are decades in the past. 

The local citizenry has aged and the young folk continue to flock to the big cities at the first opportunity. There's a conspicuous dearth of people in their 20s and 30s, you know, people who can choose where they live. What's left are rusted shutters on main thoroughfares, the last vestige of a time before AEON malls.

Maybe these small towns were never great to begin with, but at least they weren't depressing.

At least the pear juice was sweet and the ramen had depth. 

It was Mountain Day, a fitting time to ride the rails through Yamagata.