Hideyuki Ikuhara¡¯s main responsibility at Yamagishi is feeding the pigs. It¡¯s a full-time job, but he expects no salary for his efforts. In fact, he quit his work developing high-tech televisions and gave up all his possessions for this lifestyle ¡ª and he couldn¡¯t be happier.
Welcome to Yamagishi, Japan¡¯s most famous commune, in Toyosato, Mie Prefecture. The Yamagishi quest for happiness takes place in rural communities called ¡°jikkenchi¡± ¡ª roughly meaning ¡°places to realize (Yamagishi) principles¡± ¡ª where people live with a decidedly anti-capitalist twist: no money and minimal possessions.
¡°When I was a high school student, a teacher talked about alternative societies based on true communism,¡± explained Chinami Seto, who prepares food at Yamagishi. ¡°Years later I remembered his talk when I met a Yamagishi vendor. Impressed that people were putting their ideals into action, I gave Yamagishi a try.¡±
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.