Suguru Takahashi: A Perspective on the Region

July 16, 2021

Since my student days, I have conducted field surveys of various manors (shoen). Working primarily in Japan's hilly and mountainous areas, I map out irrigation channels for rice paddies, investigate the locations of stone monuments, and visit homes one by one to conduct interviews. When these results form a coherent picture, the walks along the paths between rice fields in the sweltering heat feel rewarded, and the faces of those who helped me come to mind.

This happened while I was conducting interviews in a village in the Chugoku Mountains. The road leading there was a grand two-lane road, so well-built that it was hard to believe it was in the middle of the mountains. However, about two kilometers before the village, it became a road so narrow that cars could barely pass each other. This final two-kilometer stretch hindered the movement of various people. It was said to be an obstacle not only for commuting to work and school but also for the passage of ambulances and fire trucks.

An elderly couple in their mid-80s said, "If only this road were connected, our children would surely come back; we want it to open as soon as possible." However, during the eight kilometers we drove to reach this village, we did not pass a single car.

Whether extending the road was truly necessary for this region was a question I, having grown up in the city, could not answer. At this rate, this village will likely return to the mountains within the next 10 to 20 years.

I co-teach the elective class "Digital Humanities" at Keio Futsubu School with a Japanese language teacher majoring in folklore. Keio Futsubu School students convert early modern gazetteers into text data, assign location information on GIS (Geographic Information Systems), create their own databases, and then conduct analysis based on their individual interests. Some reach new discoveries by actually walking the ground, while others gain unique perspectives through literature research alone; their presentations are all intriguing to listen to. They have truly become discoverers of one aspect of the region.

In recent years, I feel that the word "region" is being used as a magic word to solve the problems facing modern society. It is certainly true that regions have functioned to protect the lives and property of those who live there.

However, history is full of examples where individuals have been sacrificed to maintain the region as a whole. This is true whether the region was organized from above or formed spontaneously. Young people will likely face the same questions I once could not answer. I sincerely hope they will sense the diverse ways of being—whether as a group or an individual—through their perspective on the region.