16. Rural Reboot: Kamiyama's Renaissance

Kamiyama, Tokushima Prefecture, is a mountain village with a population of 5,000. But despite its tranquil setting, it's home to satellite offices of firms headquartered in Tokyo or Osaka Prefecture. An inflow of people from big cities is bringing changes to Kamiyama. We meet a group of new residents who are working to turn Fusuma Karakuri, which uses background panels for Japanese traditional performing art, puppet theater, into a new form of entertainment. We also visit an outdoor museum with modern artworks. In this episode of Journeys in Japan, Martin Holman, an American who heads a puppet troupe in Tokushima, explores old and new aspects of Kamiyama and zooms in on its charms.