Short Papers
The Roles of I-turn Migrants in Revitalizing Rural Communities: A Case Study of Some Selected Rural Areas in Kansai Region
2018 Volume 54 Issue 3 Pages 125-132
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2018 Volume 54 Issue 3 Pages 125-132
本論文では京都・奈良の山村部に移り住んだIターン者を事例に，その農村活性化に果たしうる役割を検討する．ここではIターン者の貢献を（1）村落の既存の機能や活動の再活性化，（2）これまでにない新しい活動の導入，という二つの側面から分析した．まず公的な村の組織活動については，Iターン者は寄合や村の共同作業に可能な限り参加しようとする姿勢がうかがえた．Iターン者はまた，村の伝統芸能や祭りの保存に深い関心をもち，積極的に関わっている場合も多い．食料の一部自給を目指すIターン者も多く，有機農法や自然農法を実践している人が多かった．このようにIターン者は，既存の村機能を活性化させる意味でも，新しい試みをしていくという意味でも，さまざまな役割を果たす可能性をもっている．ただそうした役割を果たすためには，公的な行事や農作業などに積極的にコミットし，地元住民の信頼を得ることが重要であることも判明した．
Rural communities in Japan are currently facing serious challenges such as ageing population and general population decline, mainly due to out-migration of the youth (Kakiuchi and Hasegawa, 1979; Ishikawa, 2008; Matanle, 2007; Odagiri, 2011; Tanaka and Iwasawa, 2011; Wijaya, 2013; Feldhoff, 2013). These have also led to other problems like declining social functions. While 2,225 rural communities lost their social functions between 1980 and 1990, 4,959 communities lost such functions between 1990 and 2000. It was also feared that 1,403 communities mainly in hilly and mountainous areas would be left uninhabited in subsequent years, and such communities are currently facing difficulties in maintaining their social functions (Gao, 2013). In addition, there is a threat to the continuation of agricultural activities in Japan’s rural areas, because there is no successor generation for most farming households.
Revitalization of rural Japan has received a lot of attention among scholars. Many have emphasized the importance of green/rural tourism as well as the need to encourage more urban residents to settle permanently in rural areas (Arahi, 1998; Wijaya, 2014; Chakraborty and Asamizu, 2014). Generally speaking, drawing more migrants into rural areas may open a wide range of opportunities for the villages such as population growth and creation of diverse economic activities (Lewis et al., 1991; Dahms and McComb, 1999; Démurger and Xu, 2011).
Recently, in Japan, there is an increasing number of city-born people migrating to rural areas after spending some years working in the cities. They are referred to as I-turn migrants or I-turners. I-turners not only impact favourably on villages in terms of economy and demography, but they also play positive social roles, which may be divided into two broad categories: (1) sustaining pre-existing social functions (“sustaining roles”), and (2) introducing fresh ideas and practices into village communities (“innovative roles”). Although the innovative roles of I-turners have so far attracted attention of many scholars (Yoshikawa, 2005; Sekiya and Oishi, 2014), few studies have paid attention to their sustaining roles. According to our own observation, however, I-turners’ innovative ideas cannot easily be accepted by the villagers without his or her active participation in existing community activities. More balanced analysis will be needed to assess I-turners’ diverse roles in their host communities.
This study, therefore, explores the multiple roles of I-turners in revitalizing rural communities in some selected rural areas in Kansai Region, by employing both quantitative and qualitative methods. First, the size of contribution by I-turners in sustaining the pre-existing social functions is examined by analyzing their membership in village social groups and their contribution to official village organisation and works. As to the introduction of new ideas and practices, their involvement in diverse voluntary activities and their farming practices will be analyzed. Note that we only focused on the social roles of I-turners from the viewpoint of I-turners themselves, and did not consider the views from the original villagers, which may also be important to evaluate I-turners’ social functions from insiders’ viewpoint. To examine the complicated “interactive process” between I-turners and original villagers (Takaki, 1999, 2000) is outside the scope of this study.
The survey was conducted between August and October 2015 in Nara and Kyoto Prefectures of Japan. In Nara Prefecture, two areas were surveyed: (i) Nara City suburban areas, and (ii) remote mountainous district areas. In Kyoto Prefecture, two areas were surveyed: (i) rural part of Maizuru in the northern part of the prefecture, and (ii) rural part of Ayabe City, which is located between Kyoto and Maizuru Cities. These areas in Kyoto and Nara Prefectures were selected for this study because of a great concentration of I-turners. Some of these areas are also known for active participation of I-turners in rural revitalization activities. In the first place, we approached some key persons among I-turners’ community in each area, who in turn distributed the structured questionnaires to other I-turn migrants in their neighbourhood. 47 questionnaires were eventually returned by mail from 30 households (14 from Nara and 16 from Kyoto). We have to note that we may not escape from some sampling bias, in that those who took the trouble to fill in the questionnaires were likely to be active I-turners who were eager to contribute to rural revitalization.
The questionnaire was divided into two sections: one for the entire household and the other for individuals. Some open-ended questions were included, in order to elicit each I-turners’ personal opinion. Data were analyzed on an aggregated basis, combining data from all the research areas together without classifying them into different geographical categories, because of the imbalance in the number of samples taken from each area. To validate the result of the questionnaire survey, in-depth interviews were carried out with 9 key informants; 5 from Kyoto and 4 from Nara.
The average I-turners surveyed (23 males and 24 females) are middle aged, between 21 and 40 years. 18 (38%) are university graduates, which may imply that a leading and innovative role in rural development can be expected from these well-educated I-turners. The migrants originated from 17 prefectures across Japan, with almost 70% of them hailing from Kansai Region. Most I-turn households (80%) have lived in their villages of residence between the period of 1 and 11 years, while 20% have lived there for more than 12 years. The I-turners are engaged in a wide range of occupations. Their two major occupations are farming and private businesses including running a soba restaurant. Majority of them (34 or 72.3%) worked within the rural community where they lived, while 8 (17%) indicated that they worked outside of the community. Among the 30 I-turn households surveyed, 11 (36.7%) are one-person households, while more than half (19 households or 63.3%) have a family size between 2 and 5 members. 12 or 40% of the households have 20 children (in total) below the age of 15. From our in-depth interviews with I-turners, it is clear that the very presence of children and youth offers an encouragement to the rural residents who are mostly elderly.
There have been a variety of social functions or groups in Japanese villages, such as traditionally rooted village administrative organisations, communal village works, and groups and events based on traditional village cultures. All of these activities and cultures are on the wane, as outmigration increased and even local residents, especially of younger generation, lost their interest in such traditional village functions.
I-turners under study have contributed in some measure to the maintenance of dwindling village administrative functions. For example, 16 or 34% of the I-turners have assumed an official position either in official village administration or other local groups. At the same time, majority of the I-turn households (20 or 66.7%) indicated they attended village meeting as much as possible, while 3 (10%) indicated that they attended every time. Those households attending village meetings once in a while were 2, and only one household indicated that they have never attended.
(2) I-turners’ Involvement in Communal Village WorksParticipation in village works (known as murayou in northern Kyoto) is an integral part of mutual help in most Japanese villages. Generally, I-turners are expected to play a vital role in village works, including those activities associated with community fire brigade, in which male I-turners have to join in most cases. Although there are various village works carried out in the rural communities of Japan, some selected activities that are common to all the research areas are taken to examine I-turners’ frequency of participation, as shown in Table 1.
| Village works | Every time | As much as possible |
Once in a while |
Never | No response | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maintenance of irrigative canals | 7 (23.3%) | 10 (33.3%) | — | 12 (40%) | 1 (3.3%) | 30 (100%) |
| Maintenance of community roads | 7 (23.3%) | 15 (50%) | 1 (3.3%) | 6 (20%) | 1 (3.3%) | 30 (100%) |
| Maintenance of the community shrines and temples | 8 (26.7%) | 9 (30%) | 3 (10%) | 9 (30%) | 1 (3.3%) | 30 (100%) |
| Maintenance of local primary/ secondary schools | 2 (6.7%) | 13 (43.3%) | — | 13 (43.3%) | 1 (3.3%) | 30 (100%) |
| Maintenance of community halls | 6 (20%) | 12 (40%) | — | 11 (36.7%) | 1 (3.3%) | 30 (100%) |
Source: Questionnaire survey, 2015.
In all the categories of village works, the number of those households which responded that they attended “every time” or “as much as possible” exceeds that of those that answered “once in a while” or “never.” If we label those in the former category as “active participants,” the share of active participants ranks highest in the maintenance of community roads (73.3%), followed by maintenance of community halls (60%), maintenance of the community shrines and temples (56.7%), maintenance of irrigative canals (53.7%) and maintenance of local primary/ secondary schools at the lowest (50%).
A closer observation of the data reveals that 8 particular households were especially active in such activities, participating every time in most of the works. On the other hand, 6 households have never attended for all of these works. The unwillingness of some of the I-turn households to be involved in village works can be attributed to a variety of reasons: tedious and laborious nature of these physical works; I-turner’s lack of understanding about social importance of such communal works; I-turner’s lack of time to participate in these works.
(3) I-turners’ Interest and Involvement in Village Cultural Groups and EventsMost I-turners indicated a great interest in the village festivals and other cultural activities, including both traditional and newly introduced ones. These include; Yagura/Taisai festival, Satoyama (village mountain) festival, Yamano Kami Sama (God on the mountain) ceremony, Dondoyaki ceremony (burning of old amulets), Shishimai (lion dance), fire fly festival, fireworks festival, spring festival, etc. I-turners contributed to these social events in a variety of ways: setting up stalls, cleaning up of the site after the event, and sometimes working as active organisers, as seen in the case of Yagura/Taisai festival in Saihoji village in northern Kyoto, which was revitalized by I-turners in the area.
Some of the I-turners joined local groups based on traditional village culture. Among these groups are groups to preserve traditional dance (e.g. shishimai dance) and groups to learn Japanese drumming art (taiko). There are also other kinds of associations based on non-traditional hobbies or recreations such as sports, choir, and craft. It is interesting to note, in passing, that most of those I-turners joining such local groups are female.
Before moving to I-turners’ innovative activities in the villages, it will be useful to look at I-turners’ ideas about what should be the important goals of rural development programs. Informants were provided with a list of development goals and were asked to select the ones they expect from rural development programs. As shown in Table 2, majority of the I-turners (72.3%) expected a rural development program to be aimed towards the promotion of agricultural and forestry industries. Meanwhile, 48.9% of them indicated that they expect such programs that will lead to development of local specialty products in the region, and 40.4% expected a rural development program to be aimed towards developing the sightseeing places to attract more tourists.
| Goals of rural development programs | Frequency | (%) |
|---|---|---|
| To promote agricultural and forestry industries | 34 | 72.3 |
| Development of local specialties of the region | 23 | 48.9 |
| To develop the sightseeing places to attract more tourists | 19 | 40.4 |
| To create a market for local specialty products | 18 | 38.3 |
| To improve living standard of the rural residents | 9 | 19.2 |
| To improve infrastructures for daily living | 6 | 12.8 |
| To promote manufacturing industries | 3 | 6.4 |
| To invite companies/ factories into rural areas | 3 | 6.4 |
| No development plan is needed | 3 | 6.4 |
| No idea | 1 | 2.1 |
Source: Questionnaire survey, 2015.
I-turners also listed the following as goals of rural development programs in their own words;
• Self-sufficiency on energy, food and local technology
• Self-sufficiency on entertainment and recreation
• Forest conservation
• Programs aimed at attracting migrants to the rural areas in terms of intensive publicity
• Management of bamboo forest
• Revival of abandoned farmlands
• Support for child’s upbringing
• Social support for single elderly
• To increase I-turners especially young people and children
• To increase occasion of communication among villagers
• Maintenance/utilization of abandoned houses in the village
From the above data, it is clear that most I-turners attach a great importance on revitalizing the existing economic activities, notably agriculture and forestry, thereby utilizing existing (and mostly abandoned) local resources including farmlands and forests. Creating local specialties and markets, along with promotion of tourism based on existing natural environment and landscape, may also reflect I-turners perception on the ideal direction of sustainable rural development. For many of them, the conventional measures of rural development such as building infrastructures and inviting manufacturing companies are considered to be neither a priority nor sustainable.
I-turners not only had a clear perception on sustainable rural development, but also demonstrated their commitment to development programmes. A considerable number of them displayed their willingness towards active participation in community development activities. Informants were asked if they were willing to contribute to a community development project even if it does not benefit them directly. 26 (55.3%) indicated that they were willing to do so. 3 (6.4%) responded that they would never contribute to such projects. On the other hand, 15 or 31.1% of them were indecisive about this.
(2) Voluntary Activities by I-turners: New Social Groups and Other Revitalizing ActivitiesThe I-turners under study contributed greatly to reinvigorate rural communities through a number of voluntary activities. One of the notable examples of such activities is those of “Tsukigase Mirai” in Tsukigase village in Nara Prefecture. Tsukigase Mirai (literary interpreted as Tsukigase future) was founded in 2013 by I-turners and local U-turners, with the main purpose of revitalizing rural communities by utilizing existing local resources. Activities of the group include charcoal burning, firewood making, joint farming, and participating in both existing local events and new functions created by the group such as musical events, movie show, and lectures. One of the most unique activities of the group is to run a shared residence by utilizing an empty old farmhouse. The group also provides information about jobs and empty houses to would-be I-turners.
According to the members including one of the founders, Tsukigase mirai has served as an avenue for I-turners to establish a friendly relation with the local youth as well as the U-turners, which contribute greatly to building trust between them. Furthermore, through their interactions with the local residents in this group, I-turners have been able to acquire more information about the locality. At the same time, the activities of the group have widened the I-turners’ horizon on how to attract more people into the area.
There is a similar group in Shigasato village in northern Kyoto, namely Kodakara Net, a local network to promote I-turn migration of young generation into the village. Although Kodakara Net (literally “children as treasure”) was originally established in 2005 by local residents including a U-turner to increase children in the village, I-turners are very active nowadays, taking leading roles in the activities of the group. The main activity of the group has been coordination of I-turn migration to Shigasato, acting as an intermediary between would-be I-turners and local residents who own empty houses to rent. Alongside this, the group has been organising various events on urban-rural exchange including farmers market.
24 or 51.1% of the informants indicated that they were also actively involved in other kinds of community revitalizing activities. Some of them belonged to semi-official village committee on revitalization, and other activities were done on a basis of informal groups and networks. Some of these activities include; working as an instructor to young I-turners on farming, working as a paid volunteer to support depopulated and ageing community, organising farmers market, coordinating ‘Farm Experience Events’ for urban residents.
One of the unique examples of I-turners’ initiatives is the Share Seed Network established by two I-turners in Tsuge and Tsukigase villages in Nara, one of whom is a full-time farmer. The network was established to preserve seeds of local varieties of crops (sorghum, millet, beans, and leafy vegetables) which were on the verge of extinction. Another I-turner in Shigasato village, Kyoto, organised a small group for playing badminton and table tennis. At the time of the study, he proposed the idea of ‘Mini Culture Centre’, a forum to learn various cultures including taiko drumming and flower arrangement. A female I-turner from Monobe village was engaged in promotion of the use of woods including firewood for stove and materials to make wooden utensils including spoons.
At the same time, it should be noted that such initiatives from I-turners also encounter a number of obstacles, most notably conservative village elders who control village politics. According to informants, in some cases, the old residents of the rural communities are resistant to accept new and innovative ideas from these I-turners. The I-turners can only overcome the opposition from original residents by first gaining approval and trust of the village members. They may earn the trust of the host community only through their active participation in social functions and communal works, as well as on farming activities, as we shall see below.
(3) I-turners’ Involvement in AgricultureThe study revealed that, although most of the I-turners surveyed (44 or 93.6%) are not from a farm household, a good number of them (32 or 68.1%) are currently involved in farming, particularly natural and organic farming for self-sustenance. However, only a handful of the I-turn farmers (8 or 25%) identified themselves as full-time farmers. Others indicated that they were working in other people’s farms on a part-time basis, or simply growing crops for self-consumption. Their main produces are; vegetables, rice, soybean and other beans, tubers, tea and wheat. The farm size of I-turn households (18 out of the 30 household) ranges between 0–30 tan1 for paddy field and 0.1–30 tan for upland field. The sum total of farmland belonging to these households is 75.8 tan for paddy field and 71.1 tan for upland field, on the average 4.2 tan and 4.0 tan, respectively.
The growing interest of I-turners in agriculture is associated with their desire to produce and consume safe foods, to be self-sufficient and to contribute to their rural community. In fact, one of the main reasons why I-turners moved to the rural area in the first place is to be involved in agriculture (Obikwelu et al., 2017).
The natural and organic farming practices of the I-turners, with which the local residents have not been familiar, is a reflection of their perception on the sustainable rural development. Agriculture can be regarded as an interesting arena, in which original villagers and outsiders (such as I-turners) can cooperate with each other to revitalize former community functions, linking the old and the new. Although agriculture is an age-old practice in which old villagers’ knowledge and skills can be utilized, it also provides a new opportunity for I-turners to pursue their ideals on sustainable rural livelihood.
To be active in farming may also be important to gain trust and approval from the local villagers as can be seen in the following quotation from an interview with an I-turner in Shigasato.
“Even before I migrated to Shigasato, I had a strong passion to contribute to rural community through running a soba restaurant... I realized that, to gain support from the local residents, I had to impress them with my active performance in farming activities. I am still able to sustain my soba restaurant in the village, because of the encouragement I receive from the local residents”.
Although some I-turners in research areas were not cooperative in maintaining village functions, the above analysis showed that the I-turners have a potential for making a considerable contribution in revitalizing rural communities both in terms of new initiatives and pre-existing functions. The active participation of I-turners in the community functions is likely to lead to the revival of these functions, hence preserving the rich culture and tradition of Japan’s rural communities, although in modified forms. In particular, I-turners’ involvement in agriculture is an important step towards rural revitalization since it ensures continuity of agricultural activities in the rural area especially when farmers are getting old and their second generation have no interest in farming. At the same time, it is important to note that I-turner’s practice and their involvement in village community activities and agriculture is likely to be influenced by their perception of sustainable rural development.
From the in-depth interviews with the key informants, it was revealed that those I-turners, who aspire to contribute to the revitalization of the rural communities, are conscious about their active participation in the social functions in the community. When these I-turners actively participate in the pre-existing social functions, with which the local residents are familiar, it helps greatly to earn them trust of the local residents, thereby making it easier for I-turners to introduce their new ideas and practices. Note that some successful initiatives such as Tsukigase Mirai and Kodakara Net were based on a close collaboration between I-turners and local residents including U-turners.
This paper limited its scope to analyze the role of I-turners in rural revitalization only from the viewpoint of I-turners themselves. Further study will be needed for the better understanding of the possible roles in their host communities, by including the views from the original residents. In particular, the interactive process of building trust between outsiders and original villagers should be the main subject of further inquiry.
