Japan is a country built on skill.
This was an eternal, indestructible truth for those of us who grew up during the high-growth period. However, recently, even within government circles, the fear has risen that the very skills that underpinned the high growth of Japan have started to decline. I have been instructed to do so from the highest level. Machikoba are located alongside shopping areas and residential areas. They are managed as very small businesses of which many are owned and run by families.