Abstract
Most of rural areas in Japan are suffering from depopulation. This study shows changes in the relationships between out-migrants and their origin village by focusing on traditional festivals, and discusses the capability of out-migrants to support their depopulated village. The analysis is based on the results from field work in Mogura village, Hayakawa town, Yamanashi prefecture, Japan.
In the Mogura village, there are festivals that are initiated by young men called “Wakeisyu”. Since 1960s, the out-migration of young men to town to attend their high school became common. However, although the families and the jobs of these young men are located in town, they have continued to visit their village and keep on contributions for their village in some way. Especially they participate in initiating festivals so that the festivals can survive even after there are no young men living in the village.
The factors that contributed for out-migrants to continuously participate were found to be: （1）they acquired the local knowledge and techniques in their childhood;（2）they keep their past neighborhood network;（3）they keep the rules of participation in the festivals flexible.
