As we discussed last week, robotics companies are all the rage.

And it makes sense. New eras, new technologies, new memes. Just watch anything from the 2026 World Humanoid Robot games and you’ll see both how far things have come and how much work remains. Japan even held its own robotics summit in Tokyo back in May.¹

This August in Japan, however, it was not robotics IPOs that were meaningfully oversubscribed. Nope, tradition was having its moment in the Land of the Rising Sun.

Japan’s labor shortages are real, driven in no small part by its aging population and well–documented demographics challenges. And yes, robots will continue to be built for all sorts of jobs folks don’t want to do—on factory floors, in warehouses, on farms, in hospitals, and maintaining infrastructure.

But apparently, few things get people more fired up than a proper hikiya—gathering together to put a building on wheels and pull it, rather than dismantling it. 

As The Guardian notes, more than 8,000 people applied for one of the 1,800 available slots to help move Hirosaki Castle, the first time a castle has been pulled in Japan in about 100 years.² Clearly, no shortage of people here, especially as these were all volunteers, no payments required.

Japan’s labor shortage is real, and automation will remain one of the country’s most important investment themes. But the case for robotics is more nuanced than a simple equation of fewer workers and more machines.

Hirosaki Castle offers a useful reminder: labor shortages don’t necessarily mean fewer people are available or willing to participate.

Sometimes the work is the experience. Asking people to show up, pull together, and unleash a whole lot of elbow grease is more compelling than watching an expensive machine do it.

And perhaps there is another dynamic at work. As more of life gets automated, things that feel distinctly human, such as heritage, craftsmanship, community, and a proper hikiya, may become a little more valuable too.

Until next time.

END NOTES

¹Beattie, Elizabeth. “Labor Shortage Fuels Ramp-Up of Humanoid Robot Development.” Japan Times. 29 May 2026.

²Blair, Gavin. “Japan Enlists 1,800 People to Drag a 360-Tonne Castle Keep Using Ropes and Rollers.” The Guardian. 24 August 2026.

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