Inside Japan's 'miracle town,' where the birth rate is soaring amid a demographic crisis

NAGI, Japan — For decades, this lush mountain town's specialty was growing rice, black soybeans and satoimo, a taro root that features widely in Japanese cuisine and serves as the town's official mascot.

But visitors are flocking to Nagi from across Japan and even other countries these days out of reverence, and maybe a touch of envy, for its spectacular success at producing something else: babies.

In a nation struggling with record low birth rates and population decline, Nagi has become known as a "miracle town," where nearly half of the households have three or more children. Far from the bustling cacophony of cities like Tokyo, mothers here chat leisurely as their children's laughter rings through the fields, and shrug off official hand-wringing over a dearth of youngsters.

"I can't really feel the birth rate issue," said Sachie Genba, 42, who grew up in the neighboring city of Tsuyama and is raising