Eco-museum in Japan (reginal study) 2001.01.78

 "The Role of an Eco-Museum."

The purpose of an eco-museum is to protect and revitalize an area. It is important to reaffirm the resources that are truly valuable to the area and to conserve, nurture, and utilize them. However, these efforts are time-consuming and labor-intensive, and therefore have aspects that lack immediate effectiveness. For this reason, there are many cases where short-sighted thinking leads to starting with only a boxy facility built to attract visitors.

"Diversity of eco-museums."

The role of eco-museums is not limited to the mere development of tourism resources. It also has the function of maximizing local attractions (culture, industry, and nature), promoting economic independence, and at the same time training human resources to contribute to the development of the region. The entire region is a school or research institute and a place to present its achievements. If the core museum functions as a base for information exchange and dissemination, there is no need to build new facilities.

"Regional Vision."

When we look at successful local examples, there is always a key person behind them. A mayor, a town official, a group of citizens, or an individual establishes a partnership system between the government and the residents. Then, each local resident shares a clear vision for the future of his or her community, creating new values and bringing the entire community together as one, which is the true nature of an eco-museum.

"Advocacy for Eco-museums."

The concept of eco-museums, proposed in the 1960s by Georges Henri Rivière of France (the first president of the International Council of Museums), is an effort to bridge the economic gap with the center while at the same time maintaining and preserving the natural environment. This concept is defined as "a museum that aims to contribute to the development of the local community by historically exploring the lives of local residents and the process of development of the natural and social environment, and by providing a place for the existence, nurturing, and communication of the natural environment as a natural facility, and by exhibiting it.

"Eco-museum practice."

Unlike traditional government-led community development, eco-museums are based on strong local partnerships. Specifically, the unique natural, cultural, and industrial heritage scattered throughout the area in question may be used as satellite facilities, and locally owned residential and private industrial facilities may be established as museums. Sometimes the residents themselves act as curators of the culture.

The "Ihatov Eco-museum Concept"

In Towa Town, Iwate Prefecture, an eco-museum concept is underway to transform the entire broad local cultural area into a "school, research institute, and space for practice" with the aim of realizing "Ihatove," the ideal world advocated by Kenji Miyazawa. Under this concept, all local resources are to be utilized to the fullest, and residents and visitors to the region are to learn, think, and practice together.

"Asahi-machi, Yamagata Prefecture - Asahi-machi Museum Concept" (Asahi-machi, Yamagata Prefecture)

Asahi Town in Yamagata Prefecture is known as a pioneer of eco-museums in Japan, and in 1989 the town's "Third Comprehensive Development and Basic Plan for Asahi Town" incorporated the concept of an eco-museum, and the first "International Symposium on Eco-museums" was held in Japan, with the plan being implemented through public-private cooperation. The town's basic philosophy is to create a place where people can live in harmony with nature. The town's basic philosophy emphasizes the establishment of a new lifestyle in harmony with nature, and facilities such as the "Agricultural Research Institute" and the "Air Shrine" have been established.

"Ichitsuyama and Josai Marugoto Museum" in Tsuyama City, Okayama Prefecture.

The town developed as a castle town, has a historical townscape, and is alive with traditional handicrafts such as lanterns, tatami mats, Buddhist altarware, and other traditional lifestyles. In 1996, the Josai Town Council and the local neighborhood association jointly held the "Tsuyama/Josai Marugoto Museum Fair," a stamp rally to introduce the townscape and handmade crafts in the area as part of the town development concept for the Josai area. Subsequently, a citizens' group, the Tsuyama Machizukuri Shimin Kaigi (Tsuyama Town Development Citizens' Conference), was formed to promote efforts toward the realization of a permanent eco-museum. The group has surveyed handicrafts in the district, registered and introduced these stores as mini-museums, and promoted networking by opening museum shops on-site and on their website, and disseminating and exchanging information in conjunction with the Marugoto Museum initiative.

"Uchiko Town, Ehime Prefecture: From 'Townscape Preservation' to 'Village Preservation'"

From the Edo period (1603-1868) to the Taisho period (1912-1926), Uchiko Town flourished as a production center of wooden wax made from the fruit of the goby tree. In 1975, the town was featured prominently in a magazine article, which made people realize the value of their own town, and in 1981, the "Ordinance for Preservation of Groups of Traditional Buildings" was enacted, and momentum for the preservation of the townscape grew. In 1981, the "Ordinance for the Preservation of Groups of Traditional Buildings" was enacted. At the same time, however, the surrounding mountainous areas were depopulating, and countermeasures were a major issue.

"Tokushima Prefecture, Tsuchinari Town, Kamiita Town, and Itano Town Ichiasan Ripe Museum."

To this end, they decided to make the town a place where people could experience true affluence by spreading the philosophy and know-how developed through the townscape preservation movement to the rural areas, focusing on the preservation of the rural landscape and the transmission of lifestyle and culture. In FY94, the "Asan Ripe Museum Management Council" was formed by representatives of the three towns' governments and local residents, with the aim of promoting the "Sai = Color" (coloring nature and history to enrich people's lives), and the "Asan Ripe Museum" was established in FY95 with the aim of promoting the "Sai = Color" (coloring nature and history to enrich people's lives), and the "Asan Ripe Museum" was established in FY96 with the aim of promoting the "Asan Ripe Museum". The three towns have been designated as "wide-area open-air museums" with no roofs over their heads, The three towns are being revitalized through regional exchange as "wide-area open-air museums" without roofs.

Aya Town, Miyazaki Prefecture: "Creating a Village of Evergreen Forests and Organic Agriculture" (Aya Town, Miyazaki Prefecture)

In 1988, Aya Town became the first town in Japan to enact an "Ordinance on the Promotion of Natural Ecosystem Agriculture" to promote organic agriculture. 76 years later, the town and an agricultural cooperative cooperated to open an open-air market for organic agricultural products, which was the start of a town-wide effort to promote organic farming. The town later established the Aya Agricultural Guidance Center to promote farmers' self-reliance and organic farming, and in 1978 launched the Aya Town Self-Sustaining Agriculture Promotion Association, which has established facilities for supplying self-sufficient fertilizers, processing livestock manure, and composting household raw garbage. The town has established a system for the circulation of organic waste within the region. The town has always been active in handmade handicrafts, and has about 40 handmade craft studios, including ceramics, woodcraft, bamboo craft, glass craft, and dyeing and weaving. The town promotes green tourism utilizing these local resources and the shiny-leaved forests, which are also designated as a national park, to promote exchanges with urban areas, promote comprehensive industry, and promote education and culture.

"Oguni Town, Kumamoto Prefecture, Ichi Yugi no Sato Zukuri."

As part of the redevelopment of the 2-hectare site of Higo Oguni Station, which was left over from the privatization of Japan Railways in 1984 when the railroad line was wired in the red, a transportation center was constructed using thinned Oguni cedar wood and a wooden truss construction method that is different from conventional wooden construction. This was followed by the opening of the Forestry Center, the Oguni Dome gymnasium, and the Mokuzumikan research and lodging facility. In 1986, the town launched the "Yugi no Sato Zukuri" (Village of the Wood) movement to revitalize the community by taking advantage of Oguni's nature, resources, and accumulated characteristics. In 1990, he developed a new vision for Oguni as "Oguni New Scenario," which shifted the focus from manufacturing to people development. In particular, the town's land-use plan was developed by the residents themselves to prevent overdevelopment and to improve their sense of participation in the local community and the quality of their lives. The following year, in 1991, "community plan promotion teams" were set up in each of the town's six major subdivisions, and each district formulated its own community development concept. Furthermore, in 1997, the "Kyushu Tourism University" was opened with the aim of promoting the self-reliance of farming and mountain villages, and is training human resources to become tourism practitioners.

"Nishikawa Town, Yamagata Prefecture: A Community Development that Values People and Nature"

In 1981, the town formulated its "Third Comprehensive Plan" and in 1981, the town was given the "Refresh Hometown" designation by the National Land Agency. As part of the National Land Agency's "Refresh Hometown Promotion Model Project," the town opened the "Ooisawa Nature Museum" and the "Nature and Artisan Traditions Museum" in 1989, and is also working on exchange projects between urban and rural areas based there.

"Ichi Azuma Eco-museum Concept, Higashi-machi, Inashiki-gun, Ibaraki Prefecture."

Higashimachi is located near rivers such as Kasumigaura and Tone, and has developed through agriculture centering on paddy rice. The Master Plan was formulated from FY96 to FY98. The Master Plan reflected the opinions of residents through questionnaires distributed to all households and hearings with representatives from various fields. Based on this master plan, the "Mirai Project" was created, an initiative to utilize and develop the town's natural, historical, and other advantages, and to create a town where all town residents can have a sense of unity. The "Azuma Eco Museum Concept" is a project that takes advantage of agriculture, the core industry of Higashimachi. The plan is to use the History and Folklore Museum as the core facility in a complex zone that integrates educational, cultural, and welfare facilities as well as exhibits of the town's agricultural history, and to network satellites such as Yokotone Mamon and Mizujingu, and to develop a new experience farm, direct sales center, and open-air market using idle agricultural land.

"Ichi Kodaira no Sato, Omamamachi, Gunma Prefecture."

After discovering the entrance to a limestone cave in Kodaira based on records of its existence, local residents volunteered to shovel out the earth and sand from inside the cave to create a limestone cave performance. This led to the development of a resident-led town, which included the creation of a water park, a pottery studio, and a wetland botanical garden. Today, Kodaira no Sato has become a tourist attraction that attracts approximately 200,000 visitors annually, and has also created employment for 50 residents, a significant achievement in the fight against depopulation.

"Ichi Tomiura Eco-museum Initiative, Tomiura Town, Chiba Prefecture."

With the full opening of the Higashi-Kanto Expressway, the town initially planned to develop an agri-resort that would combine comfort facilities for farmers and cultural facilities, out of a sense of crisis that the town would become a mere transit point without some kind of selling point. However, the town faced difficulties in securing land due to opposition from local residents. In the midst of this situation, the town visited an eco-museum in France in 1990. The "Tomiura Eco Museum Study Group" was established to create an agri-resort that incorporated the idea of an eco-museum, which is to revitalize a region by preserving its existing facilities. The group has been developing its business since 1991, positioning the loquat processing business (a specialty product) and hands-on agriculture (flower picking, strawberry picking, etc.) as its satellites. Later, based on the idea of integrating tourism and industry, they established the base facility "Biwaiki Club" at the roadside station in 1993. Ltd. is a third-sector company 100% owned by the town, and all of its executives, including the town mayor, are members of the town government. Its business philosophy is to "first become economically independent and then, as the next step, consider fostering cultural projects and their spread to the region," which is very different from the approach of other places, which assume resident participation from the initial stage.

"Takayanagi Town, Niigata Prefecture, a town development that makes the best use of the town's one jyonburi."

According to the 1985 census, Takayanagi Town ranked first in the prefecture in terms of population decline. Under these difficult circumstances, the young people who remained in the town began holding product fairs and events in urban areas with the idea that the local community should take care of its own affairs. In 1988, they established the "Hometown Development Council," which met more than 200 times over the next two years. During these meetings, a community development philosophy, "Good to Live, Good to Visit," was created with the goal of revitalizing the town economically while making the most of its resources and bringing back charm and pride to the community. The key word is "jyon-nobi," meaning a relaxed and spontaneous state of mind. In 1992, the "Jyonnobi Village Association" was established to revitalize the economy, and construction of the "Jyonnobi Village," which will include hot spring accommodations and dining facilities, began. At the same time, the "Kayabuki-no-Sato" guest house was built to preserve the landscape and revitalize the town's villages. By providing only the minimum facilities required by tourists, the village fully emphasizes the rich nature and interaction with the townspeople.