The Japan Times Satoyama Consortium has been engaged in various activities to promote municipalities and local companies representing the beauty and excellence of deep Japan.
The forerunner of the consortium held such activities, hosting a two-day study tour from Oct. 22 at Suo Oshima Island, also known as Kingyoshima Island for its resemblance to a kingyo (goldfish).
Usually a description for the nature and woodlots adjacent to rural communities, satoyama now encompasses a movement where local residents cultivate these areas for the sake of business and environmentalism.