Abstract
Many local and mountainous areas in Japan are facing a severe crisis of existence as a result of a population outflow. This study is aimed at understanding the reality of residents’ existential anxiety about the future survival of their area on the basis of a theoretical concept of anxiety developed by the Danish philosopher Kierkegaard. An interview survey targeting the residents (n = 60) of a mountainous area in Ehime Prefecture was conducted to understand how they felt anxiety about their locality’s survival and what they experienced while they were anxious. The survey result indicates that residents might not always confront with their own anxiety due to their spiritual as well as physical burden, even though they knew that the number of local areas are declining. Focusing on the experience of one person who returned back to this area and started a new agricultural business while knowing the crisis of existence of the area, this study discusses the possibilities that anxiety about the survival of local areas in future will increase dialectically to the spirit of anticipatory preparedness for the crisis. Then, it highlights that such a dialectical progress can be realized through a realistic recognition with regard to “extinction of local areas” based on previous experience and continuous “decisions of life” toward the survival of the localities. Finally, based on the findings, the way to promote practices of regions and communities and their revitalization are discussed.
