Kuni A Japanese Vision and Practice for Urban-Rural Reconnection

“Reading Kuni makes me want to dive into rural Japan...this book reminds me that leaders emerge when and where you least expect it.”
— ALICE WATERS, founder of Chez Panisse restaurant, activist, and author

A guide to reviving and revitalizing forgotten places and communities through the Japanese principles of kuni

Kuni offers a unique model for the revitalization of rural and deindustrialized lands and communities--and shares lessons in citizen-led regeneration for all of us, regardless of where we live.

“Kuni” is both a reimagining of the Japanese word for nation and an approach to reviving communities. It shows what happens when dedicated people band together and invest their hearts, minds, and souls back into a community, modeling a new way of living that actually works. A kuni can be created anywhere--even a hamlet on the verge of extinction--and embodies 7 key principles:

• Everyone is equal in a kuni

• Kuni is equipped with a Regional Management Organization--a democratic organization that takes care of small public services

• Kuni is a link between residents and repeat visitors

• Life in a kuni is circular--consumption and production are in balance

• Kuni embraces the whole person

• Kuni can be a place for young people who seek interconnectedness

• The time for kuni is now

Kuni offers a compelling vision of regenerative relationships that can take root in the United States--and anywhere. With spare and beautiful prose and useful principles for reviving rural places, this book addresses our longing for a hopeful revolution of everyday life.

TSUYOSHI SEKIHARA is founder of the Kamiechigo Yamazato Fan Club, a community development organization focused on the holistic revival of Japan’s rural areas. Under Sekihara’s leadership, Kamiechigo became a program model for Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. In 2019, he traveled to New York City to feature in three days of symposia at the Japan Society. For 25+ years, RICHARD MCCARTHY has played both hyper local and global roles in growing community through food. His innovations include: a workers’ cooperative with public housing residents; the nation’s first farmers market health incentive pilots; and an international research fellowship to measure the human, social, and financial capital in community markets. McCarthy’s work has become increasingly global through partnerships with the UN World Summit on Sustainable Development, Project for Public Spaces, and Slow Food. He is a frequent public speaker, author, and organizer of conferences, symposia, and festivals.