[Verse 1]
It was a small seaside town, once somewhat prosperous thanks to the deep-sea skipjack tuna fishery.
As the local population dwindled, the number of young women from Southeast a
Asia increased.
They got around on bicycles.
[Pre-Chorus 1]
With the rise in thefts, police began patrolling in squad cars.
These women often bought relatively expensive fruits like papayas, mangoes, and watermelons.
[Chorus 1]
Young women from Southeast Asia sought work, and local companies sought cheap labor; supply met demand.
Foreigners sought affordable housing, and the local government struggled with a surplus of vacant homes; supply met demand.
[Verse 2]
A Korean couple-using Japanese names,-moved into the house diagonally across from mine.
They had come from the city.
They said their income had dropped significantly after a job change.
[Pre-Chorus 2]
The Korean husband spoke with a mannerism that felt like an oddly cheerful Japanese person.
The Korean wife spoke only broken Japanese.
[Chorus 2]
Young women from Southeast Asia sought work, and local companies sought cheap labor; supply met demand.
Foreigners sought affordable housing, and the local government struggled with a surplus of vacant homes; supply met demand.
[Verse 3]
A couple, a French husband and a Japanese wife, moved in two doors down.
They had wanted to live near the sea.
The French husband couldn’t speak Japanese, so his Japanese wife had to act as his interpreter.
[Pre-Chorus 3]
When winter turned cold, they headed to tropical Bali; when summer grew hot, they returned to France.
They owned a home in Bali.
[Chorus 3]
Young women from Southeast Asia sought work, and local companies sought cheap labor; supply met demand.
Foreigners sought affordable housing, and the local government struggled with a surplus of vacant homes; supply met demand.
[Bridge]
Seeing them every day, I began to feel as though I were no longer in Japan.
Japan’s declining birthrate and the influx of foreign immigrants make this place a microcosm of Japan’s future.
[Final Chorus]
Young women from Southeast Asia sought work, and local companies sought cheap labor; supply met demand.
Foreigners sought affordable housing, and the local government struggled with a surplus of vacant homes; supply met demand.
[Outro]
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