Old homes, new tricks: How Japan’s historic buildings are reviving rural areas

euronews (in English)

Could the key to reviving Japan’s rural area lie in ancient building traditions? Euronews explores Miyama and Ōzu to find out how historic homes can help fuel sustainable tourism.

Transcript

00:00 (music)

00:03 Traveling offers so many opportunities

00:05 to learn about different customs and traditions.

00:07 That's why I'm here in the Japanese town of Miyama,

00:10 which is known for its thatched roof homes.

00:12 It's my starting point to learn about

00:14 traditional Japanese architecture

00:15 and meet the people who are working

00:17 to keep those traditions alive.

00:19 (music)

00:23 With more thatched homes than anywhere else in Japan,

00:25 Kayabuki no Sato is the jewel of Miyama.

00:29 (speaking in Japanese)

00:38 (speaking in Japanese)

00:55 (music)

00:58 Japan's thatching technique, called Kayabuki,

01:01 was recently recognized as a UNESCO

01:03 Intangible Cultural Heritage.

01:06 Today, only around 50 craftspeople

01:08 still know how to build like this.

01:10 (speaking in Japanese)

01:21 Haruo's son, Tora, organizes workshops

01:24 to educate visitors on Kayabuki.

01:27 (speaking in Japanese)

01:39 Thatched roofs must be replaced every 20 years.

01:44 They take the old straw and they use it as fertilizer

01:47 in the fields to grow new straw,

01:48 so it's all completely circular and completely recycled.

01:51 Thank you very much.

01:53 After getting my official Kayabuki certificate,

01:56 I settled in for the evening at the family's bed

01:58 and breakfast.

02:00 This house was built 150 years ago.

02:03 Tora was actually born in one of these rooms.

02:07 I'm joining the family for dinner around the irori,

02:10 a traditional sunken hearth.

02:12 (speaking in Japanese)

02:25 This is where I'm sleeping tonight,

02:28 a traditional Japanese futon

02:30 underneath this vaulted thatched roof.

02:32 It feels like a different era.

02:34 (music)

02:40 My next stop is Ozu.

02:42 Often called Little Kyoto,

02:43 the picturesque village on the Hiji River

02:45 is surrounded by mountains.

02:48 Ozu was once an attractive place to visit,

02:50 but its population has halved since the 1950s.

02:54 Locals began noticing its historic homes

02:57 were disappearing, too.

02:59 Here we have a very old house,

03:01 maybe 100 years old.

03:02 It's still standing there.

03:04 And next to it, we have a void.

03:08 There used to be a very beautiful house as well,

03:11 but it disappeared.

03:12 And not only here, over there as well,

03:14 and over there.

03:15 Spanish researcher Diego Cosa Fernandez

03:17 is part of an initiative to breathe new life into Ozu.

03:21 Some vacant buildings have been transformed

03:23 into trendy shops,

03:24 highlighting work by local artists and artisans.

03:27 Others are now luxury hotel rooms

03:30 scattered around the village.

03:32 The project has won Ozu international acclaim

03:34 for sustainable tourism.

03:36 One of our goals is just blending

03:38 the local community with the newcomers

03:41 and making this local community

03:43 part of the project as well.

03:46 (music)

03:48 I'm ending my trip with a contemplative moment

03:51 at one of Ozu's most visited institutions.

03:55 Garu Yusanso's open-air tea house

03:57 is where I'm taking part

03:58 in my first Japanese tea ceremony.

04:01 (music)

04:05 Balance and harmony are at the center.

04:08 (music)

04:10 Before drinking tea,

04:12 you say, "Otemae choudai itashimasu."

04:16 Easy. "Otemae choudai itashimasu."

04:18 "Choudai itashimasu."

04:19 Yes.

04:21 (speaking Japanese)

04:35 (music)

04:43 Sometimes ancient traditions

04:45 can feel surprisingly modern.

04:49 My stay in Miyama and Ozu

04:51 has been a reminder that there is no future

04:54 without the past.

04:55 (music)

04:58 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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