Fachgruppe Stadt- und Regionalforschung auf der VSJF-Tagung 2023
Organizer:Cornelia Reiher (FU Berlin)

Abstracts“Living here is like studying abroad”: the image of Miyakojima as a foreign country amongst
Japanese urbanite migrants
Sarah Clay
Graduate School of East Asian Studies (GEAS), Freie Universität Berlins.bijlsma@fu-berlin.de
The Miyako Islands are best known amongst the Japanese for their bright blue sea and sugarcane fields.
Moreover, over the past decade the remote islands have increasingly become a destination forurbanite migrants who hope to find alternative ways of living and working at the very edge of Japan.
The majority of these migrants are relatively young, well educated, and leave their previous jobs
behind for a life that is fundamentally different from what they had before. As such, migration toMiyakojima is an example of how current generations of Japanese use physical mobility as a strategy
to mitigate social pressures, health threats, and uncertain career paths characteristic of life in Japanese
metropoles. This paper explores one dominant narrative articulated by urbanite migrants whodescribe Miyakojima as “some sort of foreign country” (kaigai mitai na basho) within the borders ofJapan. Based upon archival material, on- and offline interviews and blogs, I trace this particular image
historically and explore its role in the trajectories of Japanese migrants on Miyako in the present-day.
My main argument is that while Okinawa’s foreign image was institutionalized in the 1970s as part ofthe prefecture’s tourist campaigns, it is now a shaping factor in the lives of individuals who do not feelin place in present-day Japan.
I take Miyakojima as a case to contribute to debates on the shifting discourses about the countrysideand their far-reaching consequences in Japanese Studies and beyond. Moreover, I aim to provide analternative to popular views that understand present-day voluntary migration trends as a set ofprivileged lifestyle choices and rather point to the complex processes that shape the trajectories ofJapanese urbanites on Miyako.
Intersectionality in Japanese schools: The experiences and struggles of LGBTQ+ JET teachers inrural Japan
Kazuyoshi Kawasaka and Ami Kobayashi
Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf and Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf and University of
Kaiserslautern-Landaukawasaka@hhu.de
Ami.Kobayashi@hhu.de, a.kobayashi@rptu.de
In Japan, sexual minorities have been underrepresented in topics in classrooms, and LGBTQ+ teachersand students face various difficulties in heteronormative school settings. The same can be said for
LGBTQ+ teachers from overseas who work as assistant language teachers (ALTs) as part of the Japan
Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program in rural Japan. Previous studies on JET teachers (e.g., McConnell
2000) have rarely discussed the issues that LGBTQ+ JET teachers face in rural communities. Somepublications discuss the conflict between “locals” and “foreigners” from a dichotomous perspective,
but they do not pay attention to the heterogeneity of the experiences, especially those caused byintersections of regionality, nationality, race, sexuality, and gender identities. In our presentation, wewill adapt the concept of intersectionality, which was proposed and has been developed by African
American feminist scholars, and investigate the experience of LGBTQ+ JET teachers in Japan. By doing
so, we aim to shed the light on minority groups that have hitherto been invisible in previous research.
First, we will overview the situation of Japanese schools and teachers, including the visibility ofJapanese LGBTQ+ teachers. Second, we will discuss our key concept of intersectionality and ourresearch method. Third, we will present data from interviews with former JET teachers from anintersectional perspective. In exploring the narratives of LGBTQ+ JET teachers, we analyze
intersectional experiences caused by a) regional differences (urban/rural), b) nationality (or“insider”/“outsider” and c) race, gender, and sexuality.
Embracing diversity in rural Japan: Exploring mobility patterns and contributions of urban migrants
to rural communities in northern Kyūshū
Cecilia LuziDFG Project “Urban-rural migration and rural revitalization in Japan” and Graduate School of East
Asian Studies (GEAS), Freie Universität Berlinc.luzi@fu-berlin.deContemporary migration patterns from urban to rural areas in Japan exhibit remarkable diversity.
Some migrants have lived overseas, while others have relocated multiple times within Japan. As aresult, the term "urban-rural migration" and traditional categorizations such as U-turn, I-turn, or J-turn,based solely on migrants' origin, cannot fully capture this multifaceted phenomenon. In addition, theclassification of ijū and teijū, distinguishing permanent settlement from migratory movements, faces
criticism from migrants themselves who perceive this distinction as arbitrary and inaccurate. Drawing
on ethnographic research conducted in two municipalities in northern Kyūshū, my presentation
focuses on the mobility experiences of urban-rural migrants. I examine how individual life trajectories
give rise to diverse settlement patterns, interactions with local communities, and contributions to ruralareas. I argue that migrants' choices, closely intertwined with their personal journeys, significantly
influence the rural landscape and foster diversity. This paper underscores the transformative potential
of internal migration while illustrating its practical implications for rural revitalization. By focusing on
migrants' self-perceptions and life trajectories, I deconstruct the existing terminology of internalmigration in Japan and offer a novel approach to studying these mobility patterns.