In Japan, the term 者 の 哀れ (mono no aware) – which translates to “the pathos of things” – highlights the awareness of the impermanence of living things. Ironically, Japan has the highest life expectancy and the oldest average population in the world. Due to lower fertility rates and low immigration flows, Japan’s population has been shrinking at an alarming rate. In what the International Monetary Fund refers to as “shrinkanomics,” the nation’s demographic change is putting pressure on a vanishing labor force. As a result, Japanese youths are forced to adapt to a reality that is focused on supporting their elderly.