INTERVIEW | Mitsuhiko Imamori, Focus on Satoyama With a Sense of Urgency

More than once, nature photographer Mitsuhiko Imamori has warned about the rapid disappearance of satoyama. He attributes this in part to the declining farming population. These farmers, who once managed the natural environments of satoyama, are crucial. They take care of tasks like cutting grass, pruning trees, sawing, harvesting, and repairing rice paddies throughout the year.

He has photographed many satoyama landscapes across the country. Asked how serious the risk is to satoyama, he elaborates. He isn't worried much about satoyama as a place for agricultural production, thanks to advancing farming technologies. However, he is concerned about the shortage of successors in farming households for example.

"I feel a strong sense of urgency about the situation in satoyama, particularly as it pertains to the ecosystem and the natural environment for living things," he stressed. The natural environment in the farmland will be damaged and lost if only the productivity of the farmland is considered, he said.

Second of two parts

Read Part 1: INTERVIEW | Satoyama Champion Mitsuhiko Imamori Takes To the Plow

Produce vs Nature

"If we increase farmland productivity to boost crop yield, it will harm the living creatures there," Imamori stated. "But if we prioritize the well-being of these living things, productivity will decrease." He acknowledged, "I realize this very well as an environmental farmer. It's a tricky problem."

"We should seriously consider and appreciate the byproducts of farmland. These include the positive effects the natural environment has on people's minds and emotions, its educational value for children, and its role in conserving biodiversity." "Unless we take drastic action," he warned, "the natural satoyama environment will be lost, and endangered species will increase."

In his book about his struggles to restore the satoyama landscape on Aurelian Hill, he says, "I hear a lot about ‘endangered species.' However, it is the natural environment that is endangered, not the species or living beings."

Imamori touched on this in his "Japan's Satoyama" photo exhibition. In a talk, he suggested that dividing agriculture into two categories might be key to preserving satoyama's "beautiful places." One category would focus on productivity, while the other would prioritize caring for nature. This approach could help sustain and protect the environments where living things coexist.

"Today, it's becoming increasingly difficult to balance productive farming with practices that are kind to the natural environment."

*A photograph of a page from the catalog of his recent photo exhibition showing the photographer in his Aurelian Hill farm.*

What We Can Do

In the interview, Imamori talked about how to prevent satoyama from disappearing to ensure it is passed on to future generations.

"It is important for people who are not farmers and work in cities to take an interest in satoyama," he replied. "They should consider moving to rural areas, mingling with local farmers," he said. Then he added, "And getting involved in farming work."

In recent years, more young people have been moving from cities to rural areas. Some are taking up farming or starting new businesses. This shift is partly due to changes in their values before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Local towns and villages have provided incentives as well.

Imamori emphasized that this trend should be encouraged in more areas. It is increasingly important as many sons and daughters of farming families are leaving their hometowns to work in cities.

Younger people tend to be more environmentally conscious than older generations who grew up during the era of rapid economic growth, he noted. These young people, Imamori believes, could positively impact farming practices and help preserve the satoyama environment.

Returning to Our Roots

Another solution, he suggests, is for more people to return to their hometowns following retirement from decades of city work. They could resume farming or at least manage the farmland that their elderly parents had to abandon. This would also help conserve the natural environment in satoyama.

Imamori often gives lectures or participates in satoyama fan meetings. Frequently he is asked what to do with the large plots of farmland that their aging parents have abandoned in their hometowns.

Understanding the unique workings of Japan's natural systems is crucial, Imamori emphasizes. "Even If you are not going to become a farmer, I want you to go to the satoyama. See it, and feel it. That is something any one of us can do to help satoyama environments continue as a ‘landscape of the future' for the next generations," he said.

Additionally, Imamori also highlighted the need for connecting the public with local people working to maintain these natural environments. "We badly need food producers who can show others the importance of small insects like bees, dragonflies, and butterflies while also developing and executing economically viable satoyama projects," he appealed.

If it sounds familiar, it is because this is what Imamori himself is doing. He is sharing the joys of insects thriving in satoyama and personally restoring these spaces.

In addition to his own project, Imamori oversees and advises the Meisui Satoyama project. Led by water purifier maker Meisui Co, this initiative aims to restore another satoyama environment near Aurelian Hill.

More About Mitsuhiko Imamori

Imamori was born in 1954 in Shiga Prefecture. He started his career as a photographer in 1980, shooting photos of insects and landscapes of the natural environment around Lake Biwa. Since then, he has received highly prestigious photography awards, including the Kimura Ihei Photography Award in 1995, and Domon Ken Award in 2009.

According to Imamori's most recent official profile, he is not only a photographer but also a "satoyama environment producer," "environmental farmer," and "gardener."