Various localities in our area of the country try to entice families with children by offering various incentives and enticements. One aging mountain village in our area offers a one time cash incentive of Yen 30,000 per child inserted into the public school system, along with subsidized housing and a travel expense allowance of Yen 40,000 per month for the time resided in the village. There are conditions however. You must agree to stay in the village for at least 5 years and if you leave, all money received must be returned. This sounds good, but they only offer it to families where the main breadwinner is under age 40.
School children receive a small allowance for school expenses and free bus pass.
We lived here for a year until we found something better. They also offer a dormitory facility for Elementary school or Junior High school age children complete with all meals and a couple of mothers to supervise. This might be ok for some people, however the housing is quite run down and would be very cramped for most westerners. It also seems to appeal to families with troubled children who don t fit in other places. There is no such thing as farmland here as the whole village is situated on very steep, carved out, rock face.