The commute: Step aboard Takaoka’s city tram with Mayor Yuzuru Demachi
We join the mayor of the coastal Japanese city of Takaoka, Yuzuru Demachi, on his morning tram ride to city hall, which he uses as a daily opportunity to communicate with his constituents.
In the latest stop for our regular feature The Commute, we head to coastal Japanese city Takaoka, 500km west of Tokyo, to meet its mayor Yuzuru Demachi. A former foreign correspondent, he was elected to city hall in 2025 and uses his crosstown tram ride to make a broader point about his politics and meeting the electorate.
What time will we find you on the platform?
At about 08.00, though sometimes I cut through Takaoka Castle Park and walk to the office instead.
Will you be listening to music or a podcast?
Neither really. I’d rather talk to people on the tram or, if I’m walking through the park, enjoy the sounds of nature.
What do you like to chat about? Is it small talk about the weather or straight to politics?
One resident might tell me that there’s a pothole near their house that I need to sort out or a student might say that she’s planning to vote for me. On the way home, I buy a can of beer at the convenience store and chat to the staff there – that’s part of my daily routine.
You have said that taking the tram is a statement…
The easiest changes are those that you can make yourself. I cancelled the lease on the official car and stopped travelling in [more expensive] green-car seats on the bullet train. And I cut my own salary. I want to build a city that works with public transport, where people can walk around. It’s a burden on society when parents drive their kids to school every day. And honestly, I also want more than just going back and forth between home and city hall in an official car.
Are there other ways to get around?
Buses. Right now, they’re in a vicious cycle: fewer passengers, less revenue, fewer services, then even fewer passengers. We need to break that. We’re looking at things such as routes that run jointly across operators and pilot schemes for autonomous vehicles.
That’s enough about work – where do people relax in Takaoka?
The Amaharashi Coast is where everyone is heading. The views of the Tateyama Mountain Range rising beyond the sea are something else. When friends visit Takaoka from Tokyo [about two hours by train], I take them to Shino, a counter-only obanzai restaurant, or to the restaurant inside Nousaku, a traditional casting foundry.
Well, this is our stop. What’s next for Takaoka under your leadership?
The city is already rich in history, craft and culture. So the challenge now is in adapting to a new era and creating a place that feels joyful and full of possibility. How can we make that happen? I just try to listen to as many people as possible. That’s why I take the tram.
Further commuting:
Take the Paris metro with shoe designer Alexia Aubert
Join José Miguel de Abreu biking from Porto to the central Ribiera district
