Japanese / Japan
Arayashiki no jūnitachi
(People living in the Arayashiki)
Motohashi, Seiichi
(text/photos)
Tōkyō: Nōsan gyoson bunka kyōkai, 2015. – 36 p.
ISBN 978-4-540-14258-1
Japan | Community | Disability | Self-determination | Photo book | Picture book
Reading age: 9+
White Ravens issue: 2017
In the mountains of Nagano in Japan, there is a small village which has a 100-year-old house called the Arayashiki. Kyodogakusha, a Christian welfare organization created in 1974, founded a unique community there in 1976. Since that time, people with and without disabilities live there together, leading an almost self-sufficient life through farming. They roof the building with thatch they made, and when the only trail on the mountain between their house and the town collapses, they repair it together. Vivid black-and-white photos show people’s expressions and the mutual respect they have for each other. While this book avoids mention of any problems that could occur in such a community and thus conveys quite an idealistic picture, it is still an important book needed in Japan and other countries, as it reveals the value of an inclusive life in which different people coexist. The author also made a documentary film of Arayashiki with the same title.