Re-evaluating rural environments: rural tourism development in Japan

Abstract

The beautiful scenery of rural environments has been created by the agricultural and forestry industries but nowadays, in various rural areas, tourism has become lucrative and has developed as a leading industry. When the utilisation of rural environments is evaluated by focusing on the term ‘resources,’ several key aspects in which rural environments are recognised as tourism resources are revealed. In addition, concerning the nature of resources, rural environments utilised for tourism practices are symbolic rather than ecological resources. In Japan, there are three catalysts for transforming rural elements into tourism resources. These transformations are actualised by the expansion of the gaps between urban and rural areas, by the recognition of rural environments as satoyama, a key concept of nationwide environmental discussion, and by the nomination of a rural environment as a national property. Miyama Town, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan, is now famous for its successful tourism development, and a case study of Miyama can enhance the discussion of rural tourism development by providing rich information about local people’s involvement.