Revitalizing an Island Community: Education for Sustainable Living in Nakanoshima, Oki Islands, Japan

Abstract

Japan is facing a problem of depopulation of rural and island communities. This research focuses on the island of Nakanoshima (Ama-cho), which has dramatically declined in population in the past 70 years. In 2007, the High School faced the threat of closure due to declining numbers, and were it to close would have further hastened the decline of the island. At that time, radical reforms were made by the local government and subsequently the Miryokuka project was created to save the school and make it into a centre of education to promote sustainable living in Ama-cho. During a visit to the island, observations and semi-structured interviews were carried out with different stakeholders. This focussed on the ways educational interventions have contributed to reversing population decline and rejuvenating the island. The research demonstrated the power of the school’s transformative place-based pedagogy to foster sustainable living in Ama-cho.