What Is The Japanese Semi-natural Area Called 'SATOYAMA'?

Recently, the use of Japanese word, “Satoyama”, which means “Traditional Smi-natural Area Formed Around Human Habitation”, is becoming more frequent in magazines, newspapers, TV programs, and in event advertisements. The word itself is not a new word, but it is receiving a lot of attention.

Since Japan is a small country where mountains account for two third of the land, most habitable areas are very close to the mountains or on the  mountains since ancient times. Therefore, traditionally, people have made good use of everything that mountains provide, built houses near the mountains using wood and bamboo for their houses, fences, and many kinds of daily necessaries, collected edible fruits, nuts, and wild plants from the mountains, started rice paddies and vegetable fields utilizing natural springs or creeks. For this reason, people have been maintaining the boundary between the wildness and their habitation zone, by thinning the forest and bamboos, cleaning around the water source, and controlling weeds and the bush.

As a result, this way of traditional living style created semi-natural areas surrounding local communities with seasonal wild flowers and small creatures. This type of surrounding area is called “Satoyama”. “Sato” means villages and “Yama” means mountains, so it is like “villagers’ mountain area”. Satoyama often includes rice paddies and narrow irrigation canals, and frogs, insects, small freshwater fish and shells are typical creatures in Satoyama in addition to birds and small mammals.

However, during the course of the high-rate economic growth after 1960’s, people developed many large-scale residential areas for houses, shops and facilities for daily life, and “Satoyama” areas are disappearing quickly especially around Tokyo. Recently, though, some people living in the city wanted to have nature close to their lives and found a few remaining of Satoyama areas, then they started to appreciate “Satoyama” concept. As more people are becoming aware of the importance of nature conservation, they realized that Satoyama is a good example to show how people and nature can exist together. Now Satoyama is becoming a symbol of coexistence with nature. 

Hope you will enjoy seeing typical views of Satoyama in the photos!