After a period of isolation from 1639 to 1853 when Japan only traded with the Netherlands, the Japanese government opened a port in Kobe in 1868 which is one of a few ports in Japan that allowed foreign trade. In 1928, my grandfather Seiichi Aota was born in Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture, in the western part of Japan. This story shows the transformation from the past housing programmes in a rapid population growth period to the current ones with more vacant houses in a hyper aging society. Interviews with his children (Aota family 2020, personal communication, March 2020) tell his housing story and livelihood. From the perspective of my grandfather, this essay aims to highlight Japanese political context on housing. The housing policies and land use have changed confronted changing socio-economic and political situations. Throughout his 92 years (1928-2019), Japan experienced WWII, economic rise and fall, globalisation, and big earthquakes. This housing story will explore the housing history of my grandfather named Seiichi Aota.
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