In Japan, an unconventional framework for governance is bringing generations together to imagine life decades from now—and reshape policies today.

When Mikiko was first asked to envision herself in the year 2060, she was skeptical. The instructions were clear: Imagine you could time travel 40 years into the future of Yahaba Town and live there at your present age. Then, provide ideas for policies that should be implemented now that would represent the interests of that generation. As a 40-something-year-old woman who’d lived in the charming Japanese town for a decade, Mikiko didn’t see anything wrong with the way things were currently, and she couldn’t imagine she’d have any issue with it 40 years down the line, either.