“Rural Decline and Revitalization” by Kasper Koh

The first day of our 10-day field trip in Kyushu brought me to the village of Tsuetate. During a two-hour walk around the area I found the streets empty, nearly all shops closed, and dilapidated or abandoned buildings everywhere – all on a Sunday when visitor numbers should be high. This proved a stark contrast to the pictures of Tsuetate’s past glories, hanging on the walls near our ryokan (inn). They show Tsuetate in the Showa period, bustling with life with well-maintained buildings that are slowly being ‘reclaimed’ by nature today.

A few locals I met expressed that Tsuetate is currently in a sad state, like many villages in Japan’s rural hinterlands. They have lived in Tsuetate most of their lives and witnessed the continuing population decline, as people move to the cities, schools close due to a lack of students, and the economy generally suffers. Locals seem resigned to the fate that this trend can only worsen as time passes. Most hope that chiiki saisei, or regional revitalization, will help Tsuetate regain its past glory, but most have little clue how to go about it. Yet having been to Kurokawa Onsen, which is doing much better due to the combined efforts of all residents, I believe that Tsuetate is capable of revitalizing if locals forge cooperation with one another. Some movements are in progress, like a collaboration between ryokan to sell puddings of different flavors. It seems only time will tell if Tsuetate will revitalize.

However, towards the end of my stay at the place, I learned about a woman who actually moved to Tsuetate because it was becoming a quieter and thus nicer place to live in. All the while I was getting evidence that the current situation was bad and returning to the past state is something desired, yet someone appears to like the place in spite of this. Looking at the photos outside my ryokan, I wondered whether returning to the past, lively state would truly be a good thing if there is good to be enjoyed from the current situation. I guess revitalization is truly in the eyes of the beholder.