Areas of Japan experiencing severe depopulation and ageing communities are being transformed into tourism destinations offering a glimpse of “ordinary life in rural Japan” in a bid to stimulate local economies through inbound visitor spending.
Tokyo-based regional revitalisation business Satoyume aims to transform 30 areas by 2040 by renovating rundown, abandoned or unmanned buildings in villages across the country into accommodation and related facilities managed by residents.
With a mission of “giving shape to the dreams of country towns”, Satoyume aims “to create new destinations from the myriad of attractive regions in Japan that are yet known to the world,” said Shumpei Shimada, the company’s CEO.
In Kosuge, a village in Yamanashi Prefecture with fewer than 700 residents, visitors are invited to stay at Nipponia, a hotel established with the support of Satoyume that comprises several 100-year-old buildings at locations throughout the village. These buildings have been refurbished and are staffed by local people.
Similarly, in rural west Tokyo, unmanned stations on the JR Ome Line are being turned into the reception desks of Ensen-Marugoto, a new hotel launching as a joint venture between Satoyume and JR East in 2025. Local buildings are being renovated into guestrooms, restaurants and saunas while retaining their traditional charm, and villagers are being trained to serve domestic and inbound visitors.
“We aim to offer lifestyle tourism – the idea that local people’s ordinary days can be visitors’ extraordinary experiences,” said Shimada, adding that the initiative can help counter rural depopulation.
