ABSTRACT
Located on a remote island off the coast of Shimane Prefecture, the town of Ama has gained national fame and media attention in Japan as a case of successful revitalization through urban-to-rural, i.e., I-turn migration. Drawing on the example of the Ama cooking school, this article investigates the revitalization strategy employed by the local government and the role the I-turners play in it. As the analysis shows, Ama’s projects try to utilize local resources and to market the island and its products on a national and to a lesser extent on a global level. However, the town is dependent on continuously attracting new I-turners as the major workforce behind the design and implementation of projects, on media attention to popularize the town’s efforts and on government subsidies for financial support. This highlights the struggle peripheral rural regions continue to face, where they are increasingly expected to invest in local-asset-based strategies while being largely unable to sustain these independently.
