WATCH: At this cafe in Japan, building empathy across generations is on the menu

Japan is ahead of the global curve in the percentage of its citizens over 80 — and also ahead in responding to the impact of its rapidly aging population on society. Throughout the country, local officials and others are creating spaces where older adults can mingle with their neighbors in a lively social setting to relieve loneliness.

In this episode, we meet Tomoka Sugino, who founded Anki Cafe, in Toyohashi, and see how the children she trains to serve food and drink help build empathy and connections across the generations.

It’s one story from our Brief But Spectacular collection, The New Longevity.

AARP is the nation’s largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering Americans 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. Learn more at aarp.org/pri