2019 Volume 38 Issue Special_Issue Pages 170-177
This case study explores rural culture preserved within the backyard villages among metropolitan suburb. It also examines the movement of local community formation, that is, evolving rurbanization over the traditional village system. A survey had been carried out in Kani City located in Nagoya Urban Area during 2 and a half years since August 2016.
Rural culture has been preserved under rurbanization as enjoyable opportunities for social contacts among the residents. However, it also tends to dissolve due to the disappearance of communal management of local resources, which is the nucleus of rural culture.
Residents have a different social relationship with the village, according to the age and familial status (local or non-local) as follows. 1) Elderly locals make the social base, bringing up village leaders. They seem to be ridden by the traditional norm of family succession. 2) Elderly non-locals could be partners with the elderly village leaders for the most part. Agricultural life is worth maintaining for the majority of them. 3) Young and middle-aged locals are prone to lack social positiveness. They seem to be affected by the bonds of family life. 4) Young and middle-aged non-locals tend to consider the neighborhood companionship to be a burden.
Among elderly residents, fellow making is likely to progress along with rural cultural preservation. However, as the communality in local resource management is deteriorating, they are not so active as to develop an agriculturally connected community. Regarding young and middle-aged residents, it is conceivable that few networks extend between them in the village. Although there exist talented younger persons who have potential as village leader, they have not yet been mobilized for local community formation. To create a favorable situation, this study proposes an environmental event that reflects the essential structure of rural culture.
