What is Satoumi?

Satoumi are similar to satoyama. Where satoyama lives in harmony with the forests and mountains, satoumi is a village which lives in harmony with the sea. It is also similar that the people living in satoumi understand a dependency on one another (for example, the importance protecting the ocean to benefit from its gifts).

Geographically, it is possible for a place to be both satoyama and satoumi, as long as there is a sustainable relationship between the civilization, mountains and seas.

Japan’s Ministry of the Environment identifies five features of a satoumi, which ensures a satoumi’s diversity and sustainability:

• Ecosystem: Ensuring diversity and production that protects resources
• Interaction: How the local coexists with nature
• Material circularity: Circulating nutrition to keep ecosystem healthy
• Location: Making sure the locations where conducted activities are sustainable
• Independence: Ensuring all stakeholders live sustainably.

The well-known satoumi areas in Japan include Noto in Ishikawa Prefecture and Kumano in Wakayama Prefecture.