Fieldwork in Okutama (Tokyo, Japan) 2023-2024: Photos

This dataset contains images taken by the author for his project “Supplementing activities of resilience: The impact of demographic change on local activities and civic engagement” at the German Institute for Japanese Studies. The author visited Okutama-town (奥多摩町) six times between 2023 and 2024. He participated at a number of events, such as an art festival, a harvest festival, welfare-related activities, and a meeting of a local business association. The images display the region’s abundant natural landscape, but at the same time demonstrate the effects of long-lasting demographic decline despite the region being part of Tokyo metropolis. Especially the pictures of a group of wild monkeys close to the Okutama Lake illustrate, how the continuous aging of the resident population creates activity gaps that let wild animals dwell close to human settlements. It is the author’s aim to discuss places where local people gather to engage in conversations and community activities and how these places strengthen the respective community’s resilience.