Landscapes Japan Field Studies (2023年8月). Application Deadline: November 9, 2022 by 5 pm.

Information Sessions: 9/22 at 7 pm in Riverside Conference Room, The Powerhouse. Contact Furukawa-sensei (furukawas) or Rougvie-sensei (rougviej) if you have questions.

• Application Form for Oga 2023
• Faculty Reference Form

这个项目

Rural areas in Japan face the two-pronged challenge of depopulation and aging, leaving many communities struggling to survive. Increasingly communities are looking to cultural and natural heritage 旅游 as a means of bolstering resilience. The Rural Japan in Transition project is focused on rural sustainability in 秋田犬 Prefecture. 秋田犬, in the northwest corner of the main island of Honshu and the fourth largest prefecture in Japan, is undergoing the fastest depopulation of any place in the country.

In 2023, 贝洛伊特的学生, guided by the Rural Japan co-directors Susan Furukawa (Japanese) and Jim Rougvie (Geology), will explore the intersection between geoheritage and cultural heritage in the Oga Peninsula in order to understand the role that they can play in promoting rural sustainability. Oga is home to the Oga Peninsula-Ogata Geopark, a Japanese National Geopark. It is also home to the Namahage ritual in which young men reenact New Year’s Eve visits by ogre-like deities in cultural practices that are included on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list. Students will investigate geoheritage and the roles governmental departments, 旅游 associations, and community members play in balancing education, 保护, and economic development goals. A field course will take place in August following a 春天 semester orientation class.

In 2018, students investigated the role of agricultural 旅游 in maintaining culture and landscapes in Semboku-shi. Through participant observation in farm-home stays, semi-structured interviews with green 旅游 business owners, and briefings by local government officials, ten students learned how support from various community organizations and increased participation in farm home-stays helps promote rural sustainability.

Students enrolling in Landscapes Japan courses will explore issues related to rural sustainability in the natural sciences, 艺术与人文, 以及社会科学. While emphasis will be placed on questions around sustainability in Japan’s rural north, opportunities for comparative studies, including rural sustainability in the Midwest, 将是可能的.

We are planning our next project for Spring and Summer of 2023. Contact Furukawa-sensei (furukawas@521011.net) or Rougvie-sensei (rougviej@521011.net)带着问题.