Hoshio, a secluded mountain village roughly two hours by car from Tokyo, presents a fine example of the depopulation of rural areas in modern Japan. The town is full of Akiya (abandoned homes). At the time of filming only 11 people, mostly very elderly, continued living in the village. The other, unoccupied houses are far from empty: agricultural tools, old washing machines, broken furniture, shredded curtains etc. And because no-one knows what to do with this, the houses remain unused, uninhabited and are being left to fight the elements.