Delineating Peasant-like and Community-based Entrepreneurial Modes of Rural Tourism: A Case Study of Takachihogo–Shiibayama, Japan

Abstract

In this paper, we aim to capture and unravel the complexity of rural tourism that has evolved in rural Japan since green tourism was introduced in the 1990s, with a close examination of the case of the Takachihogo– Shiibayama area. Small-scale farmers and rice farming communities have traditionally been important features of Japanese farming villages, as in other Asian countries. In this paper, we focus on how these small farmers and communities can demonstrate their autonomy in rural tourism. After reviewing the overall rural tourism situation in Japan from literature and policy documents, we illustrate that three forms of rural tourism coexist, namely, mass tourism, peasant-like, and community-based entrepreneurial rural tourism with a comparative study approach, selecting embedded cases of the study area, where we had a series of interviews and observations regularly and continuously since 2015. The critical difference among them lies in the different ways in which they mobilize social and material resources, the basis of autonomy, and the arrangement of tasks and operations. In contrast to mass tourism, peasant-like rural tourism is operated by family labor, using their accessible resources, and individual families are the ones who exhibit autonomy, whereas community-based entrepreneurial rural tourism is run by the village as a whole, connected to all local resources and human resources of the entire village, and each villager has different roles and responsibilities, with their capacities and skills always being polished through training opportunities. In the context of the general trend of depopulation in rural areas of Japan with weakening functions of rural communities, this research demonstrates that (1) attempts by various individual small households in peasant-like rural tourism are loosely connected with intermediary support organizations in a broad area and (2) the community-based entrepreneurial rural tourism business is managed and operated by a small village as a whole. This study indicates the value of learning how to enhance the distinctive and unique assets of the rural community. The crucial aspect lies in devising strategic initiatives that effectively embrace and deepen unique rural characteristics, establishing an environment that fosters continuous learning for each individual and strengthens the rural community as a whole.