Why do people hesitate to move into a senior town even when they can afford it? One of the biggest reasons is that it means living only among older adults. The concern has grown as active seniors, who still want to enjoy social activities and self-improvement after retirement, have emerged. Japan, which entered a super-aged society ahead of Korea, faced a similar problem long ago. The answer is being sought by expanding the concept from simple housing to "community-based integrated care," in which an entire village looks after seniors, within an age-mix model.
On Jan. 22, we visited Gotoen, a social welfare facility in Tokyo's Edogawa Ward that was the first in Japan to apply the age-mix model. This business model combines a nursing home, a senior welfare facility, a day care center for older adults, and a daycare center, and it began operations in 1987. In the four-story building, the daycare is on the first floor, and residential spaces for seniors are on the second and third floors. In other words, a wide range of generations—from babies just past their first birthday to seniors over 90—live together in one building.
But Gotoen is not just about seniors and children sharing the same space. They actually build relationships through various activities. They do morning exercise together every day, and after the workout, children cuddle up to the seniors and chatter about what happened at home. At lunchtime, the seniors pick fish bones for the children, and they also hold events like sports days and picnics together.
During the visit, we could not watch the morning exercise because it was during an infectious disease outbreak, but children's drawings and origami hung all over the pink walls. Seniors gathered in small groups to chat in front of them or watched television. Each room had a nameplate to give it a homelike feel, and all the spaces were open so children could come and go freely.
Gotoen director Hirayama Tetsuya emphasized, "The biggest advantage for seniors is that they gain a role in their lives." He said, "Here, the very process of spending time together—helping children get dressed or teaching them various things in daily life—becomes a source of vitality."
Of course, it was not easy for Japan to introduce the age-mix model at first. When it was established in 1987, the government was reluctant to grant approval, citing reasons such as the risk of children colliding with wheelchairs and vulnerability to epidemics. Even after Gotoen launched following persistent persuasion by the ward office, it faced opposition from some parents. Initially, movable walls were installed to divide living spaces for seniors and children, but contrary to concerns, not a single incident occurred.
More than 30 years later, Gotoen has become the most popular welfare facility in the neighborhood. Seniors can find joy in interacting with children, and dual-income couples can leave their children in care at relatively low expense. In the case of the care facility, costs vary by level, but monthly living expenses are about 1.5 million to 1.9 million won per person. Thanks to support from the central government, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, and the ward office, users pay only 10% to 30% of that amount. The same applies to the daycare.
Yamaguchi Mei, 24, a Gotoen childcare teacher we met that day, is living proof of the value of generational coexistence that Gotoen has upheld for nearly 40 years. About 20 years ago, when attending the daycare here, Yamaguchi visited seniors' rooms to help clean or chat and spend time together. The special bond formed then drew Yamaguchi back as an adult. Yamaguchi is now employed as a childcare teacher at Gotoen and has been teaching children for four years.
"We were not related by blood, but I felt the seniors were like real grandmothers and grandfathers and stayed very close, and that experience remains a warm memory even now," Yamaguchi said. "Now that I am a teacher, I see the children I teach naturally learning kindness and consideration through their exchanges with seniors and feeling fulfilled by helping someone, which makes me realize the importance of intergenerational exchange."
Age-mix senior towns like Gotoen are not just a distant prospect. This is one of the models being attempted in Korea as well. Earlier, the Seoul city government pushed to establish a generational-coexistence housing facility called Golden Village. It even drew up a concrete blueprint to build senior welfare housing (240 households), residential facilities for adult children, and childcare facilities such as a daycare center on the grounds of the Eunpyeong Innovation Theme Park. But the project was scrapped in 2024 because it lacked commercial viability.
The private sector is also reviewing options from various angles. Under current law, senior welfare facilities and child facilities such as daycare centers are grouped into one category called "facilities for the vulnerable," so there is no legal obstacle to building them on the same site. For example, in the Wirye Symphonia senior town in Seoul's Songpa District, supplied by HanmiGlobal D&I, a subsidiary of the construction project management (PM) firm HanmiGlobal, a daycare center has been installed in a separate building within the complex. It is used not only by residents' grandchildren but also by children living nearby.
Gotoen managing director Sugi Yuichi said, "Because an environment with children looks brighter and more vibrant than other senior facilities, quite a few seniors choose Gotoen on purpose," adding, "As we continue local activities, nearby residents sometimes say they want to come to this facility when they get older." He added, "It may not be a value that translates into numbers, but I believe we are clearly creating value in terms of community happiness and trust."
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