Abstract
This study investigates the realities of how“commuting residents”（including dual residents）, who actively participate in rural cultural events and resource management, may play a pivotal role in depopulated and aging rural communities. Specifically, it examines the case of Nakanomata in Kijo Town, Miyazaki Prefecture, where the number of individuals commuting from outside the area to engage in community activities has surpassed that of permanent residents. The study seeks to clarify how communal practices―such as the management of farmland and vacant houses, as well as the organization of traditional events including festivals―are sustained by a diverse range of people connected through communities and associations. Considering the current state and future of mountain villages, the study contends that valuable insights can be gained into modes of collaborative governance with“commuting residents,”who choose to engage in both urban and rural living. By capturing the realities of local resource management and traditional culture as it is transmitted together with commuting residents, the study further considers the characteristics of modified extended communities and contemporary local commons that can be discerned therein.
