Ogawa Village
Takatsugu Someno

He was born in Ogawa-mura. The village faces serious problems such as depopulation, population aging, but a top priority issue is “to prevent decrease in the number of children” who forge the future of the village.

To prevent decrease in the number of children in the village.

Ogawa-mura whose scenery is highly reputed, such as being selected also as one of “The 100 Best Satoyama Villages in Japan” and “The 100 Best Natural Scenic Areas in Shinshu region”. Nine years have passed since joining the Union of “the Most Beautiful Villages in Japan”. “We make efforts called a beautiful village promotion project and have continued our steady efforts as a beautiful village, mainly by the village, such as planting flowers and trees, and caring like mowing.” The way of being “a beautiful village” that the village mayor thinks is “There is no need to show ourselves spectacularly or bigger than necessary. I think it's important to keep steady daily maintenance of the village also as people give care to one's appearance every day.”
Ogawa-mura is known as “Oyakino-no-Sato (Oyaki Village)”. Due to the locational conditions unsuitable for rice growing, in the village where culture of powdered food such as wheat flour, buckwheat flour developed, Oyaki was common daily food. The memories of a village mayor Someno are “ash-grilled Oyaki”. “When going to the house of the relative, put Oyaki in the ash of the hearth and bake, eat it while brushing the ash off. I remember I was surprised because I was told to eat what came out of the ash”, he speaks nostalgically.
The core industry of the village is agriculture, but most is part-time farmer. In the past, sericulture was also prosperous, and mulberry field which served as a feed for silkworms also spread. “Only 50 years ago, the fields spread all over the mountain including peak and people were busy plowing the farmland with a sickle. It was a period when people didn't have enough time to look at the Northern Japan Alps as a beautiful landscape as we do now.
And, the problem the village mayor Someno thinks as a top priority issue is “Securing the number of children in the village”. “I want to keep 20 students a year to maintain elementary school at least, increasing the number of young parenting generations is the most important issue.”

Interviewed in October, 2018
Writer : Hideko Takahashi / Photographer : Hiroyuki Tamura