The tranquil village of Nanmoku-mura, nestled among lush mountains to the northwest of Tokyo, is an unlikely place to witness the future of Japan.

But with a population of 3,000, of which 60 per cent are 65 years or older, Nanmoku-mura provides a glimpse of what the country is likely to look like, at least in terms of demographics, just a few decades down the line.