My name is Connie Reimers-Hild,
I'm the Associate Executive Director in Chief Futurist
at the Rural Futures Institute
at the University of Nebraska.
You can read a little bit more about our institute
in the brochure for today's event.
But we are a university-wide institute.
That includes our medical center in Omaha,
the campus in Omaha, the campus here in Lincoln,
and our Kearney campus, as well as all the faculty
that we have in our extension offices across the state.
And our role for today and our goal for today
is really to establish a partnership
between our Japanese delegation
and the University of Nebraska,
which we're very excited to do.
It was funny, a little over a year ago,
I got an email, it was like,
dear Connie.
I'm not going to remember verbatim.
But it was an email from Fumiko over here,
who will help interpret today.
I'm wondering about the future of Rural in Japan.
And I'm like, wow, this is a really big email
and I'm not quite sure how to answer it.
But what led to that was a visit
from both Fumiko and the woman I'm going
to introduce next, Ms. Betty Borden,
who is the Director of the Innovators Network
for the Japan Society located in New York.
We're very excited to have them come and visit
and after that visit, they told us on that visit, actually,
that Japan has really established
the rural sectors of national priority.
And that they were going to bring
a delegation of leaders to the United States
and they would like for the only university
to be represented was us,
that they selected out of all the different visits
that they could have made.
They've been here for a week.
They still have some work to do,
but we're very honored to be the university selected
for this visit.
Now it's my pleasure to introduce Betty.
My name is Betty Borden and I'm the Director
of the Innovators Network at Japan Society in New York.
And I'd just like to extend my thank you
to the Rural Futures Institute,
they've been great partners for us.
And just to give my thanks to Chuck
and to Connie and to Katelyn and Theresa.
It's just been a wonderful experience
here in Nebraska so far.
My guess is you don't know much
about Japan's Society.
We're an education and cultural institution
based in Manhattan.
We have a whole range of programs
where we present Japan to a New York audience and beyond.
So we have a gallery, we have a performing arts program,
we show Japanese films, we have a Japanese language program,
we have a business and policy program
that looks at trade and economic issues,
and then we also have this project
that I work on along with my colleague, Fumiko Miyamoto.
And we call it the Innovators Network.
And what we're interested in doing with this network
is to bring Japanese and Americans together
who are doing really interesting
and creative and innovative things
in their respective communities
around social challenges.
And a couple of years ago, in discussions with
the Japan MPO Center in Tokyo,
who is our partner in this project,
we decided to join forces to do this project looking
at revitalization of rural communities
in Japan and the U.S.
This is a two year project,
it's called Resilient and Vibrant Communities
in Japan and the U.S.
And what we're doing is
providing an opportunity for these leaders
to meet with each other.
We hope that they will inspire each other.
That it will enable the leaders
to think about the challenges that they face
in new ways, share best practices.
And we hope that it will also,
when everyone goes back home,
catalyze new thinking and new ideas
and approaches to the work that they do in their homes.
Just a couple of days ago,
one of our speakers, Kenji Hayashi was saying
that he was on the phone talking
to a colleague back home, and trying to explain
all the things that he was learning
and the people he was seeing,
and he realized that his colleague
couldn't get the full picture of it
because he wasn't here.
He didn't have the opportunity
to actually meet the people,
to have site visits and see the work that they're doing
with their own eyes.
And that's kind of at the heart
of what we're trying to do.
We're trying to give people the opportunity
to not just read about it, or read about it on the web,
but to really engage with local leaders
and have a really in-depth exchange.
That's really at the heart of what we're trying to do.
And of course, with these kinds of projects
it wouldn't be possible without funders
and so, if I may, I'd like to thank
those who have supported us in this project.
The first is the Japan Foundation
Center for Global Partnership,
Mitsubishi Corporation Americas,
R and R Consulting, A and A Holdings Company,
and United Airlines.
Without their support, we just wouldn't be here today.
I wanted to make sure to acknowledge them.
I've also been asked to introduce everyone today.
I think what I'm going to do is
briefly just introduce each of the speakers.
And then what we'll do is we'll have them come up
and make their individual presentations.
And then that's going to be followed by
a Q and A where you'll have an opportunity
to ask your questions.
Our first speaker today is Tsuyoshi Sekihara.
He is the founder of the Kamiechigo Yamazato Fan Club
in Nita Prefecture in Japan.
I'm not going to talk about his project,
because he's going to do that.
But just to give you a sense of who he is,
he started out as a designer.
He returned to Niigata and headed up
a woodworking cooperative, where he designed furniture
and after that he founded his organization
with the goal of trying to revive
the mountainous community in which he lived.
And his organization has since become a model
for the Ministry of Agriculture Forestry
and Fisheries in Japan.
I think he's going to talk a little bit
about the work he does so that you can get a sense
of what they're modeling.
Our next speaker, who I just mentioned,
is Kenji Hayashi.
He is the Co-President and Co-Founder
of an organization called FoundingBase.
He's originally from Tohoku,
but he had an early interest when he was in college
on how to engage communities to solve social problems.
He wanted to design a system
where he could bring people from urban areas
to rural areas, where they could start
their own businesses and engage with the local communities.
He was recently selected as an Ashoka Fellow,
so we're really happy for him.
Our next speaker is Ryoko Sato,
she's an Assistant Professor at Ehime University.
She started out as an editor and writer
and she focused on issues around community revitalization
and the urban rural connection.
Then she moved on to be a professor
where she teaches about tourism
and community revitalization.
But today, I would say that she's really an expert
on green markets and is the author of four books.
Next is Junichi Tamura,
he's the Chief Director of an organization
called Next Commons Lab.
Originally he started out working for a company
where he was in charge of helping
newly launched companies become profitable.
And he also worked for a real estate company.
Next he joined forces with others
and helped launched Next Commons Lab,
which brings people from urban areas
to rural areas to launch new businesses.
He's going to be talking about that
and he's also an expert on craft beer.
Finally, we have Atsuhisa Emori.
He's the General Manager of
Nippon Taberu Journal League.
Atsuhisa was in publishing for many years.
He has edited more than 150 books
on travel, food, and tourism.
And he joined Taberu Journal to help expand it
both domestically and internationally.
They're in 39 communities now in Japan
and are also working in Taiwan and South Korea.
And his main goal is to deepen the connection
between producers and consumers.
So that's a brief background on all of our speakers.
If we could start with Sekihara,
that would be great.
(speaking foreign language)
Hi everyone.
My name is Tsuyoshi Sekihara.
(speaking foreign language)
So I'm going to talk about
the Regional Management Organization,
RMO, to you today.
(speaking foreign language)
This is something
that I would usually spend about three hours
if I were to expand to university.
(speaking foreign language)
I only have a total eight minutes,
including translation.
(speaking foreign language)
No translation needed.
(speaking foreign language)
So I've been running this RMO
for 20 years and I did analysis.
(speaking in foreign language)
And I was able to identify
12 important things through this work
that I did for 20 years.
Okay, take this 15 seconds
to read this list.
Four, five.
Ten.
Okay, okay.
This is not a concept.
This is something
that we actually implement.
And it's done by one organization.
So let's take a look
at this with pictures.
Just a brief overview of the organization.
So target population is about 2,000.
Please keep that in mind.
And then there is eight
full time staff member.
So in terms as a non-profit
in a rural area, I think it's a good size,
it's actually pretty big.
(speaking foreign language)
And the annual budget
is about 40 million yen,
so that's 355.
(speaking foreign language)
Okay, let's get to 12 functions.
So it's about maintaining
the well-being of residents.
So this is a daily life.
This woman is going to actually
deliver food to this elderly person
living by herself.
She got there.
So grandma's really happy.
This is about conserving
or preserving traditional folklore and folk art.
(speaking foreign language)
This ceremony at the Shinto shrine.
(speaking foreign language)
So we do maybe 50 to 60 types
of these events.
A similar thing.
(speaking foreign language)
Tsuyoshi has started this museum,
collecting small art crafts from the area.
And of course, collecting old photos.
And then we also implement activities
to keep the elderly healthy.
It's about to start, not implemented yet,
but it's a small scale public transportation
that we have in mind.
This is about educating the school children.
How great our rural area is.
This is about protecting nature,
preserving farmland and forest.
Yes, a similar thing.
Yes, it's a class
and training classes.
This is the rice field.
This is something that has lost
as for 1,000 years.
It has the same scenery 1,000 years ago.
(speaking foreign langauge)
Yes, so what I'm trying to say here is
that you have to really create the local industry
so look at the local asset you have.
So this is Japanese stuffed pickles.
Yes, this is miso preparation
to create miso soup.
Pickles.
So we actually renovated
this very traditional, old Japanese house
and turn it in to a cafe.
And of course, we preserve the nature,
surrounding nature.
And this is the inside of the cafe.
It looks good, right?
So this is what I also do too.
Foreign individual tourists.
Yes, foreign individual tourism, yes,
for people to come.
(speaking foreign language)
So yes, actually we are commissioned
by local government to a park.
(speaking foreign language)
And this is also this project
to establish relationship with urbanites
who will come back to the area periodically.
We try to become sort of like a filter,
intermediary between the urban area and the rural area
so that let's take in the good,
but let's make sure nothing bad comes into the area.
(speaking foreign language)
This is sort of
the administrative capabilities
that anyone who's going to work for RMO should have.
And then we try to nurture human resources
who will be able to work in a type of RMO
that I have just explained.
This is a point I really want to explain
in this very short period of time.
Look at this site and then
due to under population, we will encounter
these kind of problems.
With a growing organization,
these are the types of issues
that the urban area would encounter.
I think there must be a sort of entity unit
which is a good size,
which was in between these two,
which would be adequate size community.
(speaking foreign language)
I like to show this in the end,
because he actually explains what I'm trying to say.
Please just take time to read it.
It is actually something that he said
when he received his Nobel Prize.
50 people
and I can tell you that it's harder to play
with 50 people than with 50,000 people.
Did I finish in time?
(audience applauding)
He did a good job.
(laughing)
(speaking foreign language)
I'm Kenji Hayashi from FoundingBase.
(speaking foreign language)
We actually help out young urbanites
moving to local area and then they will start
their own home businesses and will get provided support
to these young people.
(speaking foreign language)
Let's say we have this really empowered young people
starting their own businesses in the community.
If we have many of them, it can make
a very vibrant community.
(speaking foreign language)
I was born in Tokyo.
So this is Tokyo.
And this is where Kyoto is located.
I live in Tsuwano.
The population is 7,800.
(speaking foreign language)
I live in Tsuwano currently,
but actually, there are a total of 56 young people
who have moved in six respective locations
in Kyoto working in local areas.
(speaking foreign language)
When it comes to Tsuwano, there are about 20 of us
living there and then working.
(speaking foreign language)
So in terms of types of engagement
to which there is a farmer's market,
start a little cafe, renovating the vacant housing,
and then actually, hunting for wild boar
and slaughtering and then selling.
(speaking foreign language)
The reason that I'm doing this project is that
in Japan there is going to be
this rapid depopulation that is going to take place.
(speaking foreign language)
This is from a year 800,
it's about the number of population in Japan
that keeps on going all the way to 2004.
And starting 2004, the numbers start to decrease.
(speaking foreign language)
And what we see is for example,
this is the robot Pepper that's actually invented
by SoftBank.
We're seeing the rise of AI right now in Japan
and then these people may just play a role.
I mean, these are not people, but the robots
are going to play the roles of concierge
or sort of working at some tellers, such and such.
So that's what we're seeing right now,
the rise of AI.
(speaking foreign language)
this is actually a famous animated character,
it's got Atomu the Rocket Boy.
Oh, Astro Boy, thank you.
The Astro Boy.
If the AI were to have a talent
as much as the Astro Boy, then I think that is going
to really take over many things.
(speaking foreign language)
The way I feel is that when we're growing up,
the parents would say this is success
and you should succeed, but I feel that the definition
of success is really changing right now.
(speaking foreign language)
No matter what you choose, I think let's hope
that you are choosing the right path.
But what I'd like to really promote
is that the idea of that, you're going to have
your ownership of your fate and really pursue
what you'd like to do.
(speaking foreign language)
In Tokyo, I have this gathering
to really get to know people, like minded people.
(speaking foreign language)
What I did back in Tokyo is that four times a year
host gathering and about 100 people would come.
And what happens there is that we actually discuss
what kind of lives we should be leading.
We discuss it.
(speaking foreign language)
In that context, we don't necessarily say that
okay, coming to the rural areas
is going to give you the answer.
(speaking foreign language)
Any young person who would say,
I would like to challenge myself, then we would say,
okay, why don't you come to the rural area?
(speaking foreign language)
And the reason that we say so is that
if you were to actually do something
to start your own project in urban area,
the cost is very high.
(speaking foreign language)
Just living there is expensive.
Renting an apartment and transportation,
and food and such and such.
(speaking foreign language)
And the other thing is,
if you were to start something on your own,
you just can't do it by yourself.
(speaking foreign language)
If you were to achieve something,
I have this sort of group of people
people come and go and then it could be
a local person, it could be sort of a person
in a team who can help you out.
(speaking foreign language)
And it's not that you come to the really do something
and then it's going to be an instant success.
(speaking foreign language)
What I'm trying to do is that
really to pursue what you'd like to do
and you may not fail or you may fail
you may succeed.
But keep on challenging yourself
and we encourage people to do that.
(speaking foreign language)
I think the type of community I like
is that it's not that I'm doing something
but no one else is helping me out.
But I like to create a community
where everyone is trying to achieve something,
challenge themselves, trying to solve an issues
and everyone help each other support each other.
(speaking foreign language)
This is a town that I live right now
and then we're looking at the population.
So 2010 is where we're at and by then,
this is how far the population is going to
projected to decline.
(speaking foreign language)
What happened is that this was supposed to be
the projected number, but then the current
number of resident is 7,684,
so it's about 100 people more than we projected.
(speaking foreign language)
What I'd like to create is that eventually
maybe that will have a good impact
so that we'll be able to sort of
not stop the depopulation per se,
but maybe have like a slower decrease.
But what I really want to do
is create a community where people
are really willing to challenge themselves
and do something new.
Okay, this is it, thank you.
(audience applauding)
Hello everybody.
My name is Ryoko Sato.
(speaking foreign language)
I teach here at the university.
(speaking foreign language)
Ehime is actually an island in Japan
and it's a regional university.
(speaking foreign language)
What's happening with the national universities these days
is with low birth rate and also
the funding cut from the central government
is encouraging universities
to really have some individualistic character.
(speaking foreign language)
The regional university is very much encouraged
to do projects and collaborating with the local community.
(speaking foreign language)
That's what I do at Ehime University.
I'd like to introduce two projects.
(speaking foreign language)
The first one is Mimaki Garden
and then Mimaki is the name of a location,
the name of a place.
(speaking foreign language)
This little village, Mimaki actually became part
of Uwajima city after this annexation
in 2005.
(speaking foreign language)
And then it's actually quite remote,
far away from urban areas.
And after annexation, I think it became further remote.
(speaking foreign language)
And population is 350, half of them is elderly people.
(speaking foreign language)
And then a lot of them are actually living on their own.
(speaking foreign language)
We actually did this project for three years
and then students went into the community
and then walk around the community
with the students and try to identify
what exists in the community.
(speaking foreign language)
And then I think the students were able
to point out some of the beautiful scenery
or this very high wall that's made of shrubs.
And then the next year, the student actually rented
a land, rice field and then made rice.
(speaking foreign language)
And then they also participate
in traditional folklore festivals
that happens some time of the the year
because it's such a deep cut pupulation,
that there's no longer
anyone who can actually take part in these festivals.
(speaking foreign language)
And then started archiving what we learned.
(speaking foreign language)
And then the third year we actually did this
pose this question, what is going to happen to Mimaki?
And then we did the workshop.
And then came up with this vision for the future.
(speaking foreign language)
And then there was actually this closed kindergarten,
which was not in good shape,
but then some came up with this idea
that they liked to use that space.
Actually it was the woman who raised a hand to do it.
(speaking foreign language)
The residents and students got together
and then started to renovate this former kindergarten.
And then it became a guest house.
(speaking foreign language)
There's a luncheon buffet on the weekends
for residents and they also create a food
that can deliver to the elderly people
in the community, so they came up
with various kind of services.
And this is when it was completed.
This is inside of --
This is actually the kitchen.
Dining room.
And then there was some kilts
that we just put on the wall.
(speaking foreign language)
And this is the lunch buffet.
So it's really home cooking because it's made
by the mothers in the area.
(speaking foreign language)
I'm just going to show you the video briefly.
(speaking foreign language)
This is near the neighboring Prefecture.
(speaking foreign language)
The food culture is very close
to the neighboring Prefecture.
(speaking foreign language)
And then while doing these kind of programs,
what happens is that this older Japanese houses
are renovated in cafe.
And then there is this dairy farm
that actually has several major events
during the year that people would come.
And the issue here is that there's four people
who are really the main members
of making things happen in this community.
And she's actually close to 80.
She's in the late 70s.
In her late 60s.
So the issue is who's going to take over
this operation.
(speaking foreign language)
And this is a farmer's market
that I do with my students.
(speaking foreign language)
From the A to Z of the farmer's market
is all managed by my students.
Sometimes we do events as well.
(speaking foreign language)
And one thing that is really characteristic
of the farmer's market we do is that the student
would go and see the producer and then talk to them,
and then find out about their story,
and then we would actually create a flyer
that would portray their story
and we do it every time for each producer.
(speaking foreign language)
The photo, the copy, and the article itself
is all written by the students.
(speaking foreign language)
And then we actually give these things back,
give those to the producers as well
so they can use it as their own outreach
and marketing material.
And then we also have this so called this communication
that Japanese word that we all get drunk together.
And then starting last year, we also started
to involve high school students.
(speaking foreign language)
On our end there are some volunteer high school students,
so there's a total of 40 of us running
the farmer's market.
When it comes to the operation,
the major issue is funding.
(speaking foreign language)
Of course, the university promotes
the collaboration with the local region,
but it doesn't come with any funding from the university.
(speaking foreign language)
I actually managed to get some money.
I used my money out of my research fee.
Or sometimes students actually pay
some of the things on their own.
But I wonder how things work
in University of Nebraska.
I'd like to find out.
Thank you so much.
(audience applauding)
(speaking foreign language)
Hi, my name is Tamura,
I'm running Next Commons Lab.
(speaking foreign language)
I'm doing two things for my work.
One, I bring urban entrepreneurs
to rural communities in Japan.
Two, I create a platform network
among these entrepreneurs.
(speaking foreign language)
First I'm going to explain why I'm doing this.
Like many other countries, Japan has many social issues.
(speaking foreign language)
The population aging, high suicide
led among youths population,
many those issues are interconnected
and interdependent with each other.
(speaking foreign language)
The complex issues is hard to solve.
(speaking foreign language)
And also we are living in a broader system
of government and capitalism.
(speaking foreign language)
Those systems have such a strong rules
so it's very difficult to change.
(speaking foreign language)
We decided not to deny or refuse existing other assistance
but to create another layer
of community of entrepreneurs.
(speaking foreign language)
We want to create this new layer of a community
that can explore and then implement new solutions
for social issues.
(speaking foreign language)
We are a community of entrepreneurs,
local governments, and a corporation
who share common values.
(speaking foreign language)
This is the first location of the next commons law,
which is based in Tono Iwate Prefecture.
(speaking foreign language)
In order to join participate in this program,
I left my company in Tokyo and then moved
to that community.
(speaking foreign language)
What we do is we brought a set of entrepreneurs
from rural areas to this rural area
to solve social issues in this community
and also create new businesses using local resources.
(speaking foreign language)
By visualizing local issues and then opportunities,
we attracted young entrepreneurs
from urban areas.
(speaking foreign language)
There are 80 applicants from the urban area
and then we selected 14 out of it
and then we have eight projects now.
(speaking foreign language)
All these 14 young entrepreneurs
that come from diverse backgrounds
like a designer, midwife, cook, chef,
engineer, farmers.
(speaking foreign language)
This is office.
(speaking foreign language)
This building was built 80 years ago,
it used to be a watch store, clock store,
and it was very vacant for long years
and we renovated in to cafe and a co-working space.
(speaking foreign language)
What we aim is not only to succeed at those entrepreneurs.
(speaking foreign language)
But we also aim at creating collaborations
between those entrepreneurs and local people
and then create entrepreneurial mindset
in local communities.
(speaking foreign language)
Like you see in the pictures on the right,
we have a lot of collaborations and engagement opportunities
with local people.
(speaking foreign language)
Although my main role is to coordinate
and manage all those things,
but I also try to launch and start a brewery
as an entrepreneur myself too.
(speaking foreign language)
And I am replicating this model into eight locations
all over Japan.
(speaking foreign language)
By 2020, I am aiming to create 100 communities.
(speaking foreign language)
Next year we'll be going to Taiwan
and then I am hoping that we can just
similar collaborating in the United States too.
(speaking foreign language)
What we are envisioning is by connecting
these different regions, we can share common issues
among across the regions.
(speaking foreign language)
Some entrepreneurs stay locally,
but others kind of move around.
(speaking foreign language)
I love so much during this program
coming to the U.S. and learning from all you guys.
(speaking foreign language)
I am hoping more and more Japanese entrepreneurs
coming to the U.S. and learn here
and opposite thing happening.
(speaking foreign language)
By doing that, I am envisioning
rather than solving issues in silo,
we can co-solve problems.
Thank you so much.
(audience applauding)
Hello everyone.
My name is Atsuhisa Emori.
(speaking foreign language)
I am from the west part of Japan,
Kyoto Prefecture and then I stay in my local town
until 20 years old, but I left my town
and then come to Tokyo.
Came to Tokyo to become a editor of a magazine.
(speaking foreign language)
I worked for a big publishing company in Tokyo
for more than 20 years, and then as I work
I kind of got tired of capitalism,
playing game in capitalism.
And also, so many declining communities in Japan.
I wanted to do something about that
so I left my company to work
for this Taberu Journal League.
(speaking foreign language)
So I really fell in love with
the agricultural producers and fishermen in Japan
and I wanted to communicate their attractiveness
to more and more people.
(speaking foreign language)
this is me digging up root vegetable in Japan.
(speaking foreign language)
What is Taberu Journal?
(speaking foreign language)
Taberu Journal is a subscription magazine
that comes with actual food, agricultural producers.
This is the first issue of Tohoku Taberu Journal.
(speaking foreign language)
So that magazine featured oyster farmers
and then that comes with the actual oysters.
(speaking foreign language)
Over the past four years,
in this Tohoku Taberu magazine,
we featured so many producers.
(speaking foreign language)
We received so many design awards
for our work of connecting
producers and consumers.
(speaking foreign language)
I have a question.
Among the meal that you ate yesterday,
can you tell where the food is coming from?
How many of you can tell what food is coming from?
Where is it coming from?
(speaking foreign language)
This is quite a surprise.
If I ask this question in Tokyo,
no one raise their hand.
(speaking foreign language)
So 98% and two percent.
98% is producers in Japan
and two percent is consumers in Japan.
(speaking foreign language)
The opposite, sorry.
98% consumers, two percent producers, sorry.
Sorry.
(speaking foreign language)
When I was born in Japan,
there are more than 10 million farmers in Japan.
We now have more or less than two million
farmers in Japan.
(speaking foreign language)
The problem is only these declining farmers
know the issue.
Others don't know about the issue.
But actually, who's in trouble is not only farmers.
(speaking foreign language)
Rural areas or producers side have
this lack of human resources and lack of income issues.
(speaking foreign language)
Consumers issue is kind of divided
from the producers and then they don't know
where the food is coming from
and then about the safety issue, food safety issue.
(speaking foreign language)
Because both sides have issues,
it shouldn't be a one way support system,
but it should be more like a mutual sharing,
co-solving system.
Taberu Journal consists of three components.
One is to read this magazine.
(speaking foreign language)
That features stories of farmers, passions.
(speaking foreign language)
He's oyster farmer, he's very cool.
(speaking foreign language)
And after reading this magazine,
you can eat his oysters, right?
And it feels delicious.
(speaking foreign language)
Why delicious?
Because you're eating not only with your mouth,
but with your mind.
(speaking foreign language)
And also we connect producers and consumers
with Facebook.
(speaking foreign language)
We actually reversed the relationship
of food and information.
(speaking foreign language)
So traditionally, food comes with
a little bit of information.
In addition to reversing this relationship
between information and food,
we (speaking foreign language).
We kind of tell behind the scene stories.
And so by doing that we create empathy and participation.
We create a closed private Facebook group page
to connect producers and consumers.
(speaking foreign language)
So there is staging, that was really delicious
and thank you so much kind of messages.
(speaking foreign language)
This is the very first time experience
for the producers to kind of get appreciation
from the consumers so they got very much motivated.
(speaking foreign language)
We do a lot of events and tours to the farmers.
There are some of the outcomes
is some of them move through the local rural communities
and some of the consumers get married to fishermen.
(speaking foreign language)
This is not only about economic impact,
but also like a rich life.
(speaking foreign language)
We were doing this in 39 communities in Japan.
(speaking foreign language)
Each of the community have this unique design
and concept for this magazine.
(speaking foreign language)
We are not doing this in a franchising system
like you see in a Seven Eleven or McDonald,
but we're doing in a sport league system.
(speaking foreign language)
These are all editors
for all these different communities journals.
Some are moms, some are CEO of TV company,
some are working in agriculture industry.
(speaking foreign language)
We are actually creating jobs in rural communities.
(speaking foreign language)
We also get interest from Taiwan and South Korea and China,
so I am traveling to those countries too.
(speaking foreign language)
For global markets, we are expanding this
in open source system.
(speaking foreign language)
If there is Nebraska Taberu magazine,
I think corn will be the first issue.
(audience laughing)
(speaking foreign language)
I am looking to some kind of collaboration
and I'm willing to come here many times.
Thank you.
Thank you.
(audience applauding)
Let's give our presenters another round of applause.
That was great, thank you.
(audience applauding)
So we can see some common themes
between what happens in Nebraska
and actually the U.S. and Japan.
Aging, obviously a challenge.
Depopulation.
Talking a lot about the disconnect
between producers and consumers
and what that might look like,
which is of course an important topic
here in Nebraska as well.
I think we're going to get some chairs moved
and we'll get our panel to the front.
And while we're doing that,
please start thinking about some questions.
We'd like to open this up for a little bit of discussion.
And really just have robust discussion
about how we can continue to partner
and work together.
Tsuyoshi, I so enjoyed
your discussion earlier today
then your presentation here
brought an even greater focus.
I believe that your notion of looking for
appropriate size communities
that would allow the
dispersion, if you will,
of population into smaller more geographically
dispersed communities.
I think it's enormously important.
How well is that concept accepted
at high levels of your government.
You present a powerful philosophy.
Is it being accepted as an important national strategy
I guess is my question.
Thank you very much.
(speaking foreign language)
Unfortunately,
the national policy doesn't really reflect
what's happening on the ground.
(speaking foreign language)
Unfortunately, what's happening on the ground
doesn't reflect.
The national policy doesn't reflect
what's happening on the ground.
(speaking foreign language)
And the other thing is,
someone like Professor Sato,
she's actually quite rare
of someone who's doing work on the ground, hands on.
Because the government actually has
some expert professor types on there
sort of counselor committees.
But they actually just only do analysis
and don't get their hands dirty.
(speaking foreign language)
I think what University of Nebraska does,
it can just be a model
in terms of (speaking foreign language).
I think Nebraska University
can be a model for rural sociologists.
Now they can imagine seeing rural areas of Japan.
Thank you.
Sorry.
Other questions?
Junichi, you mentioned the new layers
of community, could you just elaborate
a little bit more on what a new layer
of community looks like
and how you go about finding it
and determining it.
(speaking foreign language)
So that in each region,
they all run on its own.
How they would like to connect all these regions
and then there'll be others who come
from other regions that can actually utilize
these locations as well.
I think that is the network
that we're trying to create
so that it will be free for other people
to come and join.
That's the layer that we're talking about.
(speaking foreign language)
We're also wondering if it can actually create
some sort of like our own local currency
that can be used within the community.
Does that answer your question?
Thanks.
I think we have a question in the back.
I'm sorry, I don't remember
who was talking about it,
but one of you said something
about taking over abandoned farms.
And I wondered, do the people not own their land
that it gets passed down
or is it all owned by the government initially?
Why would they be abandoned?
(speaking foreign language)
Maybe me!
(speaking foreign language)
So what happens when it comes
to abandoned farmland,
it's not that Taberu Journal that deals
with these types of land,
but we do work with farmers and then talk to them.
They're actually aging, it's very hard
to continue farming and they end up abandoning
actually farming itself.
And it's very hard to find someone
who's going to take of the business
and who's going to protect the land.
Some of the things that are said about farming
is that perhaps it's kind of dirty,
might not be the coolest job,
it's hard to get someone who's going to marry me,
that actually prevents young people
to take over the business.
And then these people, the people who abandon farming
have moved to the urban area,
the land remains in the area
and then it's just not cultivated at all
and then becomes abandoned.
And I'd like to add some comments to that.
(speaking foreign language)
And then the other thing I'd like to mention
is that the geography with Japan
actually is important in this matter
because Japan is a very mountainous country.
(speaking foreign language)
For example, from just sea level all the way
to this mountain that has about 7,500 feet,
in between that, there is only about 15 to 30 miles
in between to get to that mountain.
(speaking foreign language)
If you can envision that,
it is very hard to actually bring in machinery
to cultivate the land in the area.
There's so many farmlands, which need
to be cultivated by hand.
(speaking foreign language)
Let's say a place like Nebraska,
where things are flat, then it's probably easy
to cultivate the land.
We have very steep mountains and such and such
or so the terrace rice fields,
it's very hard to cultivate the land.
(speaking foreign language)
And then I think that was Atsu,
he's actually touched on
in his presentation that the people
who engage in farming, 65% of them is over 65.
So you imagine that these actually older farmers
trying to cultivate land in such difficult conditions.
(speaking foreign language)
And then also, in addition to what's going to happen is that
the area that you're going to farm
is very, very tiny because it's a limited landscape.
(speaking foreign language)
And then there was actually this legislation at one point
that if you're not going to cultivate
a certain area of land, then you're not to be considered
regarded as a farmer.
So I think that also impacted
and that led to the abandoned farmland.
Thank you.
Thank you for sharing your stories today.
You talked about and this is for anyone on the panel here.
You talked about bringing entrepreneurs
from the urban community to the rural areas.
What are you doing for skills training
for industry so that those skills
can be brought back from the urban area
to the rural area so that you can create
some industries at the rural areas
so that you can make more money
for some of these people beyond
the agricultural base that you have?
(speaking foreign language)
I wouldn't call it training, per se,
but we actually use this framework,
so there is this framework for government subsidies,
so that up to three years
they will actually pay a stipend of living expenses
for people who move to rural areas.
(speaking foreign language)
What it is is that we actually try
to identify the challenge on the issue,
the issue on the ground.
There is this young woman who went into the region
and decided, well, looked around and happened,
you know, there's so much activities
going on in the streets
and then asked around what's going on
and then people would say,
well there's no cafe, there's not much going on.
So then she decide, okay, I'm going to start a cafe here.
(speaking foreign language)
One of the goal we have is that
we would like to have these people
one household wise,
perhaps 50 to $60,000 a year.
(speaking foreign language)
For example, if you were to start a cafe,
you have to figure out are you going to renovate the place,
what kind of produce,
what kind of food you're going to serve,
what kind of coffee you're going to serve,
you have to figure all these things out.
We would try to provide assistance as things go.
It's not that the way it's the training
in the way that we would try
to provide knowledge beforehand,
but as things goes by and then they would come up
with some issues that need to be solved
and we can provide this assistance along the way.
(speaking foreign language)
And at this stage, for example,
you're not going to suddenly be able
to make a living running a cafe,
so in her instance, she actually works
at a farm part time and then she also works
at like a saki liquor store on the side
and so she will have the sort of side gigs
so that she'll be able to have an income,
enough to make her own living.
(speaking foreign language)
In terms of providing support to the entrepreneurs
or nurturing entrepreneurs,
what I think is most important
is that let them do it first.
(speaking foreign language)
What is important is that so you give it a try
and even if you fail, what is important is
that after you that you pride the support.
So the area that I moved, there's about 10 of us
who's actually working starting as entrepreneurs.
(speaking foreign language)
What we're actually implementing right now
is an environment where there entrepreneurs
will support each other providing advice to each other
so we can all grow together.
(speaking foreign language)
When it comes to Tono, the area that I live,
I'm trying to do a brewery
and then there is this cafe on the side
so that somehow connected to agriculture.
But to the others, for example,
one is trying to come up with low cost housing,
which would cost about 15K.
Or where someone is looking at revitalizing
the old inn, which is an area there as hot spring,
so can revitalize this hot spring
and become an attraction for the area.
(speaking foreign language)
But what it is, as I've mentioned
about this framework that the government
would provide stipend after three years.
So this is an environment
that you can really challenge yourself
and then try to do something new.
At least some sort of salary that
to maintain your life is guaranteed
for three years.
So clarification on the question.
Many communities in the United States
have co-working spaces
as a local economic development strategy.
We do not have the program where the government pays
for three years of the living stipend,
which sounds good.
Is that how in the co-working spaces you mentioned,
is that how before they start making money,
before they're generating revenue,
is that how they're sustaining the cost
for renovation, the co-working spaces
and the cost of living before the businesses
start making money.
How are they funded, these co-workings
when they start before income, that's my question.
(speaking foreign language)
When it comes to the area that I work,
that I live and work,
the co-working space is actually rented out for free
to the entrepreneurs and then that cost
is undertaken by the local government.
(speaking foreign language)
However, one thing to note is that
this isn't a rural area, so the rent is extremely low.
Thank you for coming to Nebraska.
Your presentations were very good.
I thought you were talking about our state.
The issues seem similar.
(speaking foreign language)
This will probably directed to any of you,
but just being a little unfamiliar
with your country.
You know, with the issues that you have,
is there a time where it was not an issue.
With the urban rural separation or divide.
The other is again, not familiar with the country,
with faith, religion, or spirituality,
with that, is that changed in the country
or is that a part of the rural communities
or the I guess, the dynamics of the country.
Or is that even a factor.
Thank you.
(speaking foreign language)
I'd like to talk about
the division between the urban area
and the rural area.
The total population of Japan is 120 million
and Tokyo area is about 35 million living.
(speaking foreign language)
In the 1970s, Japan went through very high economic growth.
In those days, a lot of people from the rural area
moved to Tokyo.
(speaking foreign language)
And what happened was that these people
who moved to Tokyo from rural areas,
they just started their families in Tokyo area.
(speaking foreign language)
The byproduct of that is that
the children who are born from this family,
they end up not having any homeland.
Somewhere that maybe the grandmothers,
the grandfathers live.
So they're sort of in the way, we call them
the refugee without homeland.
(speaking foreign language)
I think the urban area
has this really unstoppable magnetic power.
That hasn't really seized to exist yet.
(speaking foreign language)
There was a time that I think, I'm not sure
how it was in United States, but in Japan
we had this branch economy,
so there are other sort of mid-size cities
all over Japan and then the branches exist
in these places, such as Osaka or Sapporo,
I'm not sure if your family, Japan's geography.
(speaking foreign language)
But, what we're trying to do right now
is that without really resolving the division
between the urban area and the rural area,
I think the issue that we're going to face
is only to get worse, so that's why we are here
to really try to make things better.
(speaking foreign language)
Yes, I have mentioned that Japan
is extremely centralized in Tokyo,
but we have respective regions.
For example, northern part of Japan is Tohoku
and then when you go to sort of
southwestern part there is this area
that's called Kyushu,
which is actually huge island on its own.
(speaking foreign language)
I think it doesn't mention about the division
between Tokyo and urban rural areas.
However, I think this, you can also see
the same thing in rural areas in Japan
where there's this sort of mid-size rural cities
and then the surrounding rural areas.
I was pleasantly surprised to see that
there's quite a few people who knew
who the producer was about
what you actually consumed recently.
If you were to ask the same question
in an area that I live, which is in a rural region,
you actually see something that's similar
between the division between Tokyo and the rural areas.
This division is happening not only Tokyo,
super hyper urbanized areas versus rural areas,
but sort of in small scale, smaller city,
and rural areas.
I think Atsuhisa mentioned about
the high economic growth in the 1970s in Japan,
but if we were to go back to the time
there was good balance between
the producers and the consumers,
and that's probably before the war, World War Two,
I think in those days, I think people have
a very good sense about who was actually making
vegetables, the produce and have higher awareness
about who the producers.
Because in those days, the distribution
was not as developed either.
And so that, I mean, a lot of the produce
actually stayed in the region.
I wanted...
Go ahead.
(speaking foreign language)
In Japan, there is Buddhism
and Shintoism.
There's two major religions.
(speaking foreign language)
But what is important for the revitalization
of the communities actually the Shintoism.
(speaking foreign language)
And it's a shrine and (speaking foreign language).
Shinto is an indigenous religion to Japan.
(speaking foreign language)
Shintoism is a kind of religion
where you see the trees and the rocks
and the rivers, they are all the deity
that's surrounding you.
(speaking foreign language)
If you are actually to move into new land,
I think Shintoism can place with mystic role
in that context.
(speaking foreign language)
What happens is when outsider comes
to our community,
the best way for the outsider
to really get to know the local people
is at this festivals held at the Shinto shrines.
(speaking foreign language)
And then, this festival at the Shinto shrine
would give an opportunity to really
get friendly with the local people
and then be sort of part of the community.
(speaking foreign language)
I think, in that sense the religion
can play a certain role to be a buffer.
So you may have some ideological differences,
but it can play a role sort of like buffer zone.
(speaking foreign language)
So I'd like to give you sort of a symbolic story on that.
(speaking foreign language)
The Shinto priest in my village
actually were invited to go to Czech three years ago.
(speaking foreign language)
And then so there was this town
that's quite close to border to Germany
and then it was actually in steep decline.
(speaking foreign language)
As you know, I think Czech was under socialist regime
for a long time, so not even the church exist
in this community.
(speaking foreign language)
The mayor just bluntly said,
"We have no memory here."
That's why it's very hard to revitalize the community.
(speaking foreign language)
The Shinto priest actually walked in the pathway
with the villagers and then went
to this very big tree.
Along the way, there was this very old stones.
And then made assumption that perhaps
it was a Celtic stone.
(speaking foreign language)
Without even being called, I mean,
the villagers naturally gather around
where all these rocks were.
And then we felt that the place
can behold such power
to gather people.
(speaking foreign language)
In that sense I think one rock and one tree
can actually have this power to create a community.
(speaking foreign language)
Fantastic and that's a wonderful close
to our panel discussion.
We will be around for questions.
After this we do have a reception.
Before we get to that, we'd like to again,
thank your panelists and the people
who brought them here, our partners.
I'm in this endeavor.
It's really exciting I think from our world
to see how many of you have even left your jobs
or even left college to really pursue your passion
and having rural as that passion
is really rewarding for us to see.
We know you've learned a lot in your trip to the U.S.
We are looking forward to another day
with our distinguished guests tomorrow
in southeast Nebraska.
We're very excited about that as well.
But please do give them another round of applause
as we get into some closing remarks.
Thank you.
And at this time I'd like to invite
our Executive Director, Chuck Schroeder up
to say a few words.
Thank you, Connie.
I feel a strong obligation to be very brief
and it's very difficult right now to do that.
We've been very excited about
having our guests here
for the several months that we've been planning.
And we thought we knew why.
For me, I found a different why today.
We have been in the company of
fist shakers of change agents.
Of men and women who have said,
we're not okay with where we are,
we think we know where we'd like to go.
And we're willing to take the risk
of doing the things you're doing,
coming and hanging out with us
in order to try to make change.
So we are ending this day and
there's going to be another day.
I have to go to Oklahoma tonight,
so I'm going to be departing.
As we part, I have to say
that we are going away with not
just colleagues, but genuine friends
and people with whom we feel joined
in this cause
relative to rural people
that may save mankind on the planet.
Thank you.
And thanks to all of you for coming.
As I look around the room this afternoon,
I can't tell you how pleased we are
as a Rural Futures Institute
to have created an opportunity
for the folks that have come.
Let me acknowledge Dr. Ron Yoder,
the Associate Vice Chancellor
of the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
Josh Davis, Assistant Vice Chancellor
for International Affairs?
Global Engagement.
Anyway, all kinds of distinguished folks
who came out to see you and we're honored that you're here.
Thank you and I think I should shut up.
Thank you very much.
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