{"id":92768,"date":"2024-09-04T14:06:59","date_gmt":"2024-09-04T05:06:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/papersky.jp\/?p=92768"},"modified":"2025-05-22T16:52:55","modified_gmt":"2025-05-22T07:52:55","slug":"shiga-future-design-project-01","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/papersky.jp\/en\/shiga-future-design-project-01\/","title":{"rendered":"Maibara: Governance of the locals, by the locals, for the locals"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Nestled in the valley amid the steep mountains of Maibara City, Shiga Prefecture, is Azusakawachi, with a population of around 230. That description alone might evoke the image of a secluded village off the beaten path, but being 20 minutes by car from Maibara Station on the Tokaido Shinkansen, having the Old Nakasendo and National Route 21 run parallel at its entrance, and with the Sekigahara Interchange on the Meishin Expressway only 10 minutes away, Azusakawachi is perfectly accessible. It retains its old rustic charm despite the convenient location\u2014Azusakawachi is a miracle of an air pocket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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One stop from JR Maibara Station is the closest station to Azusakawachi: Samegai Station. It leads to the post town of Samegai-juku on the Old Nakasendo highway. A great place to stay is Guesthouse Izame-an; shop for soy sauce at Yamaki Shoyu.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Ranunculus nipponicus var. submersus<\/em>, an aquatic plant that grows only in clear waters, is a symbol of summer in Samegai-juku. The Japanese name, Baikamo, comes from the lovely flowers that resemble plum blossoms.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the spring of 2024, the residents of Azusakawachi were invited to join a workshop themed Data Art & Science. The idea was to introduce an artistic perspective into data science and explore new values and possibilities in the future of village governance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The participants, equipped with iPhones, used a dedicated app to take 3D scans of their favorite places and objects in Azusakawachi. The scans were then collected, converted into point clouds, and plotted on a map provided by Shiga Prefecture. The participants will later be interviewed for anecdotes about their selections toward creating an organic, three-dimensional map.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The view from the Hakkoji Castle ruins is obstructed by the trees today, but historically, this was a strategic site overlooking the provinces of Mino (currently Gifu Prefecture) and Omi (Shiga Prefecture).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Words like data<\/em> and science<\/em> tend to sound cold and inorganic, but the residents\u2019 stories add a human touch with which others can sympathize and strike up a conversation. The new map will be a potential tool, and if each of the residents can be motivated to think of creative ways to use it, it can light the way to the future of Azusakawachi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taichi Yamamoto, the previous district chief of Azusakawachi and a former superintendent of the Maibara City Board of Education, has this to say:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFrom my experience as a schoolteacher, each of the pupils needed to find a reason for existence first, before they could work together and build unity as a class. It wasn\u2019t enough to have their names on the roll call. They established their unique roles and contributed to the class, and that helped to boost class morale. I think the same is true for the community. It isn\u2019t enough to live here. Each of us needs to find a reason for existence and establish our roles, and that will help to revitalize the community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Shojo-san is the nickname for a mystical cross-shaped rock. Since the spring water flowing from the cracks has never run dry, the locals have long come here and performed ceremonies to pray for rain. Taichi scanned Shojo-san for the workshop.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Taichi was born and raised in Azusakawachi and knows the village like the back of his hand. At the age of 70, he is a strong walker and can climb the local mountains faster than anyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat do I like about Azusakawachi? The great nature, of course. Hiking up the different mountains, spearfishing and swimming in the river\u2014I did all of that every day as a child. Playing in the neighborhood mountains and river made me who I am today. Connecting with the nature developed my mind and taught me about patience and perseverance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Taichi Yamamoto (right), Hitoshi Yamamoto (left), and current district chief Shinichi Taniguchi were born and raised in Azusakawachi and serve as community leaders.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Hitoshi Yamamoto is also from Azusakawachi, but for a time during his youth, he lived in Osaka.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLooking back at the busy life and being pressed for time in the city, life back in Azusakawachi is so much fun. I feel relaxed here. I have time for myself. That\u2019s why I decided that, since I\u2019m getting on in age, I\u2019m going to give back to my home village.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hitoshi is an active player in community association activities. He led a project to compile \u201cReiwa ni miru Kawachi hyaku sen (Best 100 of Kawachi in the Reiwa Era),\u201d a comprehensive booklet on the nature, history, culture, and customs of Azusakawachi. He also set up flower beds along the highway outside the village\u2019s entrance and succeeded in reducing the amount of littering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shinichi Taniguchi, a childhood friend of and the same age as Taichi, serves as the current district chief and researches the Internet of Things as a special visiting professor at Shiga University. He also has a pet project of monitoring the river water levels in Azusakawachi. Being surrounded by steep mountains, the village is designated a sediment disaster hazard zone. By analyzing the observation data, Shinichi hopes to predict disasters and protect the residents\u2019 lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Shinichi tests the sensors he installed to measure the river water levels. \u201cBefore, I observed the increase in water level after heavy rain only visually. Now, by collecting and analyzing data, I can predict the precise time to flooding, and that helps to make arrangements to evacuate.\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

More than half of Azusakawachi residents, including these three, are aged from the 60s to the 80s. Young people account for only about a tenth of the village population. The three leader figures hope the Data Art & Science map project will help facilitate their efforts to hand over the village to the next generation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Caf\u00e9 Gonse is a multipurpose gathering for community building, culture salon activities, community welfare meetings, and so on. Sessions are held twice a week at the city hall, guarded by a wood sculpture of parent-and-child frogs by Takeshi Shimizu. The work is carved from a single block of wood, embracing the material\u2019s natural features such as knots and growth rings.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Azusakawachi is entered through a tunnel that leads to a straight road running to the end of the village. Strangers instantly draw attention, and in a sense, the geography had kept the village in a state of isolation. But things have changed. In the past, most of the residents worked in forestry in the village mountains. Now, many exit the tunnel each morning to go to work outside Azusakawachi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The tunnel dividing the inside and outside of Azusakawachi. Hitoshi says, \u201cOn this side of the tunnel, jobs and titles on the outside don\u2019t matter. We are all equal residents of Azusakawachi.\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Taichi says, \u201cEveryone\u2019s eyes were focused inside the tunnel before. But not anymore. Now, people are looking outside.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That doesn\u2019t mean the residents are turning their attention only<\/em> to the outside and neglecting the inside. Sometimes, it\u2019s necessary to step out and look back in, or like Hitoshi, move away and then come back to appreciate the potential and attraction of one\u2019s home village.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Samegai Woodcarving Art Museum (Taizo Mori Memorial Museum) displays the work of local woodworkers including Taizo Mori, a native of Kaminyu, in the former village of Samegai. The woodcraft of Kaminyu is a prefecture-designated traditional craft.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Caf\u00e9 Juri on the Old Nakasendo offers a variety of menu items from sandwiches to Western dishes to Japanese-style set meals. All are delicious and filling!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Efforts to revitalize local economies could be filled with promise and hope by focusing on throwing fresh light on the rich, unique climate and discovering new, unrecognized value\u2014that was the starting point of Shiga Future Design Project.<\/p>\n

The project for exploring Shiga Prefecture\u2019s tomorrow with data is a three-way collaboration between Shiga University, the first institution of its kind in Japan to establish a faculty of data science; Ars Electronica Futurelab, an Austria-based cultural organization specializing in media art; and Toyota Coniq Alpha, Inc. (*integrated into Toyota Conic Pro, Inc. in April 2025.), a company that uses data to shape the future.<\/p>\n

The local university will serve as a hub and work with the local residents and corporate partners to use the local data and create local happiness. To this end, the first step is to visit the people based in the local community who are already taking action for the future. PAPERSKY joins the journey to explore Shiga\u2019s multiple potential futures, and presents our findings in a series of five stories.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":92676,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":false,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[119,117],"tags":[9233,425,8292,2498,2820,8303,3903,8290,8460],"place":[236],"writer":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-92768","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-local-guides-en","8":"category-culture-en","9":"tag-azusakawachi","10":"tag-community","11":"tag-maibara","12":"tag-nakasendo","13":"tag-shiga","14":"tag-shiga-future-design-project","15":"tag--en","18":"place-shiga-en"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMaibara: Governance of the locals, by the locals, for the locals - PAPERSKY<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Nestled in the valley amid the steep mountains of Maibara City, Shiga Prefecture, is Azusakawachi, with a population of around 230. 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It retains its old rustic charm despite the convenient location\u2014Azusakawachi is a miracle of an air pocket.","og_url":"https:\/\/papersky.jp\/en\/shiga-future-design-project-01\/","og_site_name":"PAPERSKY","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/papersky","article_published_time":"2024-09-04T05:06:59+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-05-22T07:52:55+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1707,"url":"https:\/\/papersky.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/MG_9745-scaled.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Akira","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@paperskyonline","twitter_site":"@paperskyonline","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Akira","Est. reading time":"22 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/papersky.jp\/en\/shiga-future-design-project-01\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/papersky.jp\/en\/shiga-future-design-project-01\/"},"author":{"name":"Akira","@id":"https:\/\/papersky.jp\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/7f7d2856215ca469e9a7515ab0df97fe"},"headline":"Maibara: Governance of the locals, by the locals, for the locals","datePublished":"2024-09-04T05:06:59+00:00","dateModified":"2025-05-22T07:52:55+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/papersky.jp\/en\/shiga-future-design-project-01\/"},"wordCount":1258,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/papersky.jp\/en\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/papersky.jp\/en\/shiga-future-design-project-01\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/papersky.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/MG_9745-scaled.jpeg","keywords":["azusakawachi","community","maibara","nakasendo","shiga","Shiga Future Design Project","\u307e\u3061\u3065\u304f\u308a","\u6893\u6cb3\u5185","\u6ecb\u8cc0\u307f\u3089\u3044\u69cb\u60f3\u30d7\u30ed\u30b8\u30a7\u30af\u30c8"],"articleSection":["LOCAL GUIDES","CULTURE"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/papersky.jp\/en\/shiga-future-design-project-01\/","url":"https:\/\/papersky.jp\/en\/shiga-future-design-project-01\/","name":"Maibara: Governance of the locals, by the locals, for the locals - PAPERSKY","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/papersky.jp\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/papersky.jp\/en\/shiga-future-design-project-01\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/papersky.jp\/en\/shiga-future-design-project-01\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/papersky.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/MG_9745-scaled.jpeg","datePublished":"2024-09-04T05:06:59+00:00","dateModified":"2025-05-22T07:52:55+00:00","description":"Nestled in the valley amid the steep mountains of Maibara City, Shiga Prefecture, is Azusakawachi, with a population of around 230. That description alone might evoke the image of a secluded village off the beaten path, but being 20 minutes by car from Maibara Station on the Tokaido Shinkansen, having the Old Nakasendo and National Route 21 run parallel at its entrance, and with the Sekigahara Interchange on the Meishin Expressway only 10 minutes away, Azusakawachi is perfectly accessible. It retains its old rustic charm despite the convenient location\u2014Azusakawachi is a miracle of an air pocket.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/papersky.jp\/en\/shiga-future-design-project-01\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/papersky.jp\/en\/shiga-future-design-project-01\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/papersky.jp\/en\/shiga-future-design-project-01\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/papersky.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/MG_9745-scaled.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/papersky.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/MG_9745-scaled.jpeg","width":2560,"height":1707},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/papersky.jp\/en\/shiga-future-design-project-01\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/papersky.jp\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Maibara: Governance of the locals, by the locals, for the locals"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/papersky.jp\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/papersky.jp\/en\/","name":"PAPERSKY","description":"A DIFFERENT WAY TO TRAVEL","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/papersky.jp\/en\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/papersky.jp\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/papersky.jp\/en\/#organization","name":"PAPERSKY","url":"https:\/\/papersky.jp\/en\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/papersky.jp\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/papersky.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/JapanStories_logo_small.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/papersky.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/JapanStories_logo_small.jpg","width":2518,"height":960,"caption":"PAPERSKY"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/papersky.jp\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/papersky","https:\/\/x.com\/paperskyonline","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/papersky_store\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/KneeHighMediaJapan\/playlists"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/papersky.jp\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/7f7d2856215ca469e9a7515ab0df97fe","name":"Akira","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0aef751bbb54d5643dde10435ffa10c19ea8275f4e7d4e377f907fbeacd600cf?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0aef751bbb54d5643dde10435ffa10c19ea8275f4e7d4e377f907fbeacd600cf?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0aef751bbb54d5643dde10435ffa10c19ea8275f4e7d4e377f907fbeacd600cf?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Akira"},"url":"https:\/\/papersky.jp\/en\/author\/akira\/"}]}},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/papersky.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/MG_9745-scaled.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/papersky.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92768","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/papersky.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/papersky.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/papersky.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/papersky.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=92768"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/papersky.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92768\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":103015,"href":"https:\/\/papersky.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92768\/revisions\/103015"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/papersky.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/92676"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/papersky.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=92768"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/papersky.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=92768"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/papersky.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=92768"},{"taxonomy":"place","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/papersky.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/place?post=92768"},{"taxonomy":"writer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/papersky.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/writer?post=92768"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}