| 摘要: | 1955年日本的經濟進入高度成長期，以青年人口為主的招聘急遽增加，農山漁村等地方的人口開始朝都市移動，大都市因人口集中形成「過密」的現象；農山漁村則因人口減少使得防災、教育、醫療等基礎的生活機能難以維持，地方的生產機能亦隨之下滑，形成「過疏地區」。
在地方過疏化、少子高齡化等社會問題陸續地出現在日本的當下，為了改善生產力不足、生產機能低下以及基本生活機能，近年來過疏地區內部正進行著各種不同的地方活性化對策。在這樣的時代之下，位於千曲川上游，過去一直被稱做隔絕地的川上村卻躲過了這個過疏化的浪潮。
過去，川上村透過過駄馬、荷馬車、鐵路、汽車等交通方式的發展使得村莊獲得開發的機會，但交通的發展不僅顯示出川上村在地理位置上獲得解放，亦意涵著川上村村民所擁有的積極個性。從大正年間的鐵路鋪設促成運動看起，川上村對稻作、林業、畜產、養蠶等村莊各時期的經濟產業發展上所抱持的積極態度，以及掌握時代潮流的敏感度，都是使川上村成為日本屈指可數的夏季萵苣產地的因素。
換句話說，隨著交通的發展，川上村自「隔絕地」轉變為「高冷地」。以往川上村的農業型態屬於「原始、自給式主穀農業」，透過鐵路、汽車的發展，使得本來不受大自然眷顧的川上村反過來利用夏季涼爽的氣候，開始了高冷蔬菜的栽種，進而發展成具商業性的「自由式遠郊農業」。年度數十億日圓的蔬菜銷售額成為川上村的經濟支柱，因此抑制了人口的流失，令川上村得以避免過疏化的發生。
本論文最大的目的在於探討川上村的發展過程。同時，希望能夠為台灣內部過疏化正在進行當中以及有可能發生過疏化的地區在面對過疏化問題，採取活性化對策、預防對策時的參考。
The economy of Japan went into a period of soaring growth since 1995. With that, came a rapid increase in job vacancies specifically for young population. The population of agricultural mountain area and fishing village is moving toward cities. Due to this concentration of population, the population of major cities is becoming too dense. The decreasing population makes it difficult for agricultural mountain area and fishing village to maintain basic functions such as disaster precaution, education, and medication. The local production mechanism is also downgrading to form into sparsely populated area.
Dealing with occurring social problems of local depopulation, declining birthrate, and aging issues in Japan, in recent years, the depopulated areas are undergoing various policies to activate and improve productive insufficiency, low productive mechanism, and basic livelihood functions. Under these circumstances, the upper reaches of Chikuma, Kawakami Village, which is known as the isolated region of Kawakami Village, has somehow avoided this trend of depopulation.
In the past, Kawakami Village had the opportunities of development by using packhorse, draft horse, railway, and vehicles. Nonetheless, the development of transportation does not only signify liberation from its geographic location, it also denotes the vigorous characteristics of the people in Kawakami Village. Since the time of 大正, and the build of railway systems, Kawakami Village’s rigorous attitude as shown in rice growing, forestry, livestock products, and silkworm raising in any phases, its grasp and sensitivity in the trend of the time, all these are the key elements for Kawakami Village to become an index of summer lettuce production among the few areas in Japan.
In other terms, with the development of transportation, Kawakami Village is transformed from isolated area to cold upland. Formerly, the agriculture of Kawakami Village was one of pristine, self-sufficient cereal targeted farming. With the development of railway and vehicles, Kawakami Village, once a region of limited natural resources, has turned to make use of the cool summer climate, and commenced to grow cold-upland vegetables; the region has then developed into free truck farming. Billions of yen in sales of vegetables have become the economic buttress of Kawakami Village, and has therefore restrained the loss of population and avoided the occurrence of depopulation.
The purpose of this thesis is to examine the development process of Kawakami Village. In the meantime, facing the problems of depopulation in Taiwan, be it an ongoing process or a probability in any regions, this paper provides a reference for the making of activating policies and precautionary policies. |
