Research & Article

The study illustrates culture of Japanese upland villages expressing ways of life and human interaction with surrounding environment, which shapes cultural landscape, called “Satoyama Landscape.” The case study, Mukugawa Village, one of watershed villages of Biwako Lake, identifi es the situation of ‘Abandoned Village’ in Japan. Since the post Second World War up till now, the situation of depopulation and a number of neglect farmlands in upland villages has caused the loss of local knowledge in accessing and utilising natural resources in a balance way. Cultural landscape of such villages thus has been gradually disappeared. However, in the hazardous situation, Mukugawa Village shows the re-birth signs of cultural landscape. The notable sign is the re-creation of the traditional mutual help and labour exchange, known as the new Yui System. The new system helps for restoring a process of agricultural production, enhancing local ways of life, building good relations among villagers, and preserving village identity.

The essence of the new system, which can be a good way for other rural villages, is to transfer local knowledge from aging farmers to young people, and to adapt traditional practices to fi t with recent circumstances. Moreover, the other key notion is to open the close-knitted village to welcome new comers who convey new ideas and serve for underprovided labour works, as well as to accept the supports from outside organisations. Regarding to foregoing practices, the villagers, community organisations, and government authorities should build networks of villages as well as the connection between villages and cities, to maintain persisting village practices. Furthermore, the current governmental projects and plans—both the nomination of Important Cultural Landscape, and the Satoyama Initiative Project, which preserves and raises awareness of Satoyama Landscape in Japanese common upland villages—should be practiced over a long-term period.