Abstract

The increasing number of young urbanites settling into the countryside of Japan compels urgent research on communities with newcomers and newly emerging lifestyles. This article explores the daily practices of newcomers to rural areas to understand the complexity of the transformation of rurality in contemporary post-growth Japan. This study was conducted in 2011–2015 and draws upon ethnographic data from rural communities. The article details three distinctive lifestyles practiced by rural newcomers: self-sufficiency in food, agro-entrepreneurship, and an “average” way of life. This article analyzes contemporary rural Japan through the lens of heterotopia as a specific characteristic of modern space where seemingly incompatible sites are set side by side. Highlighting the complexity of contemporary rural spaces allows for challenging the norms of conventional perceptions of rurality.

摘要

越来越多的年轻都市人在日本农村定居，迫使人们对新移民社区和新兴生活方式进行紧急研究。本文探讨新人到农村地区的日常实践，以了解当代后增长日本农村转型的复杂性。这项研究于 2011-2015 年进行，并利用了农村社区的人种学数据。文章详细介绍了农村新移民的三种独特生活方式：食物自给、农业创业和“平均”生活方式。本文通过异托邦的视角分析当代日本农村，将其视为现代空间的一个特定特征，其中看似不相容的地点并排放置。