How to thrive and survive:
Thai villagers learn from Japanese villagers
By Jon Fernquest[Introduction|Vocabulary|Article]
[Reading Questions|Answers]
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How a small village in Japan provided inspiration to a small village in Thailand is the subject of today's article.
The Japan Foundation, Bangkok funded the project.
Japanese villagers shared their experience in rural business promotion with Thai villagers.
In Thailand these small rural enterprises are (or were) called OTOP businesses. In Japan they are called OVOP businesses.
Teachers may be wondering how the sufficiency economy philosophy (Setthakit Paw Phiang) can be given to students to think about and creatively expand with their own imaginations.
Todays article provides a good case study of how villagers have used ideas from Japan that are similar to the sufficiency economy philosophy to earn a livelihood (liang chee-wid) for their families and ensure that their family and village survives and thrives in the future.
The photos that accompany this article show the creative and innovative advertisements that have made the Japanese village of Umaji synonymous with "countryside" and "rural".
The article is quite long with a lot of vocabulary to study. There are only a few reading questions.
Today's reading questions require the reader to extract information from several places in the article and integrate them into an answer.
Read more about Umaji village at the Thai language blog of Muthita: http://muthita.exteen.com/
Reading Questions
Here are some questions to guide your reading (See answers at end):1. Where are the villages of Keereewong and Umaji?
2. How are these two villages similar?
3. What are the main agricultural products of Keereewong and Umaji?
(Describe them.)
4. What meaning has the brand name Umaji become associated with?
5. After the brand name of Umaji became widely recognized, what other businesses
was the village able to expand into? Why?
6. Have people moved from the city to Umaji? Why?
How many people moved? What percentage increase was this?
7. What problems did Keereewong and Umaji face in surviving as small communities?
8. Once small villagers succeed in their businesses, do they have to keep expanding relentlessly, move to the big city, and become business people?
9. How has the world outside Umaji created pressures on villagers to earn more money?
Bangkok Post Article April 19, 2007
Something in common
Residents of a Japanese village that re-invented itself pay a visit to one of Thailand's leading OTOP communities VASANA CHINVARAKORN
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Their behaviour unintentionally mimicks some of the posters used in Japan to advertise the place they come from: The small village of Umaji. If they were gulping down bottles of Gokkun, the famous citrus juice from their hometown, the picture would be complete.
To grow so naturally In a village so tiny, Gokkun Umajimura - The Gokkun of Umaji ...
The three Japanese men, Mochifumi Totani, Masahiko Otoshi and Shoji Kinoshita, seem to have retained the spirit of their childhoods just like Gokkun Bouya (Gokkun Boy), the promotional character who has helped catapult Umaji to unprecedented fame. They are, in fact, on an important mission, having been invited by the Japan Foundation and some Thai organisations to come to Thailand and share their experience of reviving a rural community. Their gambolling in the stream was out of character for men their age, yet at the same time perfectly fitting. After all, such spontaneous reactions to and appreciation of new environs illustrate what it means to be "rural". That quality, of spontaneity, adjustability, love of nature and people and a simple admiration of everything that comprises the Earth, cannot be emulated or faked. It can, however, be dangerously infectious.
... Let's give the freshness of the mountains to him,
Let's give the strength of the mountains to her,
Let's give the smile of Umaji to everyone ...
The three youthful men were to stay the night at the hamlet of Keereewong in Nakhon Si Thammarat, their final stop on a five day jaunt through Thailand. Despite their distance, Keereewong and Umaji have much in common, both topographically and historically. During his brief stay, Totani even raised with Aree Khunthon, his host at Keereewong, the possibility of the two villages becoming "brother and sister" communities. Both places - backwater settlements tucked away in remote valleys on Shikoku island and the south of Thailand - have seen hard times, and each in their own way has managed to survive and thrive. What they lack in resources and population they have made up for in the standards and dedication of their people - people who stubbornly and fiercely love their land and their rural way of life.
Totani's Umaji has turned crises into opportunities. The main cash crop from his village, a citrus fruit called yuzu, were once considered undesirable due to their unattractive and non-uniform shape and size (caused largely by being organically farmed, a method necessitated by the shortage of labour that is a common phenomenon in Japanese villages). After years of hard work, Totani, who was originally an "ordinary section head" of the Umaji Agricultural Cooperatives, finally succeeded in securing a large consumer base for Gokkun juice and other yuzu products. At present, his cooperatives make about three billion yen (820 million baht) every year from their line of yuzu products, which include juice, shoyu sauce, seasoning, bath products and organic compost.
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The residents of Umaji, currently numbering 1,170, continue to withstand the attempts of the central government to consolidate small villages into bigger administrative units. In recent years, their number has even been increased by some educated city dwellers who have become disillusioned with urban living. According to a report in the newspaper Nikkei Business in January, 72 people moved to Umaji between 2000 and 2004.
While Umaji was once burdened by hostile markets, Keereewong had to endure a number of natural disasters including flash floods and droughts. When a severe flood killed a number of villagers in 1998 and tore down one-third of the community's houses, the state authority suggested the locals resettle elsewhere. Fortunately, the natives of Keereewong did not heed this advice. The village has since become renowned for its delicious fruit (especially its mangosteens, most of which are exported), pristine locale, cottage industries, homestay tourism and, last but not least, one of the country's first community-run banks. During the Thaksin Shinawatra administration, Keereewong was named one of the top four Otop (One Tambon One Product) villages in the country.
Coincidentally, Aree met with a colleague of Totani's, Umaji village headman Takashi Kamichi, a couple of years ago at a workshop on the philosophy of Otop that had been organised by some Japanese institutes in Thailand. After all, Thaksin is known to have taken the concept from Japan, where it is associated with the former governor of Oita prefecture, Morihiko Hiramatsu. The much-touted examples of rural entrepreneurship at Oita occurred around the same time as those at Umaji.
Despite their success, both Aree and Toutani's approaches to business have been rather unbusiness-like. In his best-selling book that has now been translated into Thai as Prasopkarn Yingyai Nai Mooban Lek Lek (Great Experiences in a Small Village), Otoshi, who is a writer, stresses the importance of the "sincere, personal relationships" between the villagers of Umaji and their urban customers. On several occasions, Otoshi writes, Totani has been willing to lose out on a deal or spend on something that appears superfluous or unnecessary in order to maintain the trust of those who consume his goods. Prasopkarn Yingyai tells numerous anecdotes about the "blunders" committed by Totani and his team - he did not hesitate, for example, to dump 18,000 bottles of Gokkun juice after discovering they did not have the "right" taste. What else could he do with drinks that have been "guaranteed by the village"?
The fact that Umaji's products have continued to sell well for the past 25 years is the best evidence available that Totani is doing something right.
Otoshi is clearly proud of Totani, the central figure, perhaps even hero, of his book (which is now in its eleventh print run in Japan). When asked to share his opinion of the 55-year-old Totani, Otoshi quickly responds "this guy has done sooo many mistakes!" which he follows with a wholehearted laugh while the target of his remark flashes a sheepish grin.
In Keereewong, Aree started one of Thailand's first manufacturing centres for naturally dyed fabric over 10 years ago, but she says she has no plans to expand. Aside from the occasional NGO-organised trade fair, the only place you can buy Keereewong products in person is in the village itself. The small fabric workshop receives hundreds of visitors every year who come to learn about how natural dyes are extracted from plants like sataw and the peel of mangosteens.
Despite the handsome income she gets from selling the beautiful pieces of cloth, Aree still considers herself first and foremost a chao suan (gardener). Occasionally she has to turn down large orders as too much work leads to pressure that she says limits creativity. The philosophy she applies to herself and the group of housewives who work for her is that "every morning you must be able to smile when you show up for work."
At any rate, the achievements of Umaji and Keereewong came about largely through the support of outsiders. Aree notes with gratitude how some NGOs, notably the Komol Kheemthong Foundation, stepped in to help her explore new ways of making an income during droughts. She still remembers the hardship of carrying plastic bags of water uphill to water the plants in her orchard.
The people of Umaji have similarly benefited from a crew of "cheerleaders" - among them media people like Otoshi, designers and of course the thousands of consumers in cities around Japan.
... Let's give the clear sky from the mountains to him,
Let's give the stars from the mountains to her,
Let's give the nature of Umaji to
everyone ...
But the years ahead are not likely to become any easier for either Umaji or Keereewong. The Japanese national policy of administrative consolidation, in the drive for maximum efficiency, is unlikely to be abandoned or lessened. In Keereewong, Aree admits that the forces of modernity have now surrounded her village. She says TV has, for example, spurred its watchers to "desire things endlessly". She adds that the average household expenses in Keereewong have risen dramatically since mobile phone towers were erected in the area.
The only thing the locals can do is to invest, and trust, in the abilities of future generations. Aree says some youth groups have started researching the history of Keereewong, something she hopes will stimulate love and attachment amongst young people for their home village.
During a talk he gave at Chulalongkorn University, Shoji Kinoshita, as a representative of the "younger" people of Umaji, discussed various projects he has initiated to increase the village's population. One such programme invited city people to become "special residents" of Umaji by receiving regular news on the community and being entitled to a free session at the hot-spring resort should they visit.
"A village without people will be nothing," Shoji said, "but if we can do something, and have fun at the same time, perhaps we can make our home famous and more people will return."
...Let's give the winds from the mountains to him, Let's give the stream from the mountains to her, Let's give everything from Umaji to everyone. To grow so naturally In a village so tiny, Gokkun Umajimura - The Gokkun of Umaji.
- The extracts above are taken from a song used to promote the village of Umaji.
- 'Prasopkarn Yingyai Nai Mooban Lek Lek' (Great Experiences in a Small Village) is translated by Muthita Panich from Masahiko Otoshi's 'Gokkun Umajimura' No Mura Okoshi and published by Suan Ngern Mee Ma. Read more about Umaji village at Muthita's blog: http://muthita.exteen.com/
Vocabulary (in discussion above)
Japan Foundation - organisation founded in 1947 to promote cultural exchange between Japan and Thailand (See Japan Foundation, Bangkok's website)
re-invent yourself - make a big change in the way you live your life or do your work (usually to solve a problem or achieve success)
enterprises - companies, firms
OTOP (One Tambon One Product) - a program to promote rural Thai businesses both domestically and internationally, started by former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin, the program modelled itself after Japan's successful One Village One Product (OVOP) program, strove for improvements in local product quality and marketing, the kinds of products promoted included local food products, handicrafts, clothes, accessories, and household items (See Wikipedia)
One Village One Product (OVOP) - a program in Japan to promote Japanese products produced by small businesses at the local level, Japanese cuisine products produced include shiitake, kabosu sour green citrus fruit, the tangerine-like mikan fruit, beef, aji used in sushi and sashimi, and the barley shochu drink (See the website, Wikipedia and a presentation on the program, and an OVOP program in the African nation of Malawi)
sufficiency economy philosophy (Setha-kit Paw Phiang) - the philosophy of economic development inspired by the words and actions of His Majesty the King
earn a livelihood - have a job and make enough to support your family
x is synonymous with y - x has the same meaning as y -
mischievous - doing things you're not supposed to do, playing harmless tricks
unintentionally - accidentally, you did not plan or want it to happen
mimick - immitate, copy actions of another person (often in a funny way, to make fun of these actions)
Umaji (Japanese village) - small Japanese village with 1,144 people on the northern island of Shikoku (See Wikipedia)
gulping - drinking quickly, swallowing large amounts
retain - keep
catapult...to fame - make very famous
unprecedented - never before, this much
gambol - run and jump around in a happy and playful way
out of character - not the way they usually behave
fitting - appropriate, right for the situation, suitable
environs - area surrounding a place
spontaneity - acting without planning a lot beforehand, acting naturally without rigid rules
emulate x - immitate x because you greatly admire x
a hamlet - a very small hamlet
a jaunt - short journey for pleasure or excitement
"brother and sister" communities - when communities in two different countries establish a cutural exchange relationship
a backwater - a remote and isolated place, far away from big towns, usually in the country (a rural backwater, a backwater settlement)
tucked away - hidden
thrive - do well, be successful, be healthy, be strong (See glossary)
non-uniform - not the same everywhere, each is different
Agricultural Cooperatives - when farmers join together to purchase supplies or to distribute and market their products (See Wikipedia on cooperative farming)
organic compost - decayed plant (and sometimes animal) waste added to soil to help plants grow (See Wikipedia on compost)
myriad - a large number and great variety
hot-spring - hot water rising from the ground out of a spring (See Wikipedia)
marathon - a long-distance running race of 42 kilometers or 26 miles (See Wikipedia)
x withstands y - x survives a force or action y which could have destroyed x
consolidate - join many small weak things into one larger strong thing
disillusioned with - sad and disappointed because something was not as good as expected
mangosteens - a common and very sweet Thai fruit that is small, black, round, and white inside (See Wikipedia)
pristine - extremely clean, new, and untouched (for example, we hiked through pristine wilderness, before we sold our house we made sure it was in pristine condition)
homestay tourism - when tourists stay with families in homes instead of hotels and guesthouses. Here is an example of homestay tourism and the problems that can arise from it:
Baan Mae Kam Pong, a successful homestay tourism village in Chiang Mai, is now in the middle of a conflict between the villagers and business investors about a generally accepted public fee payment in the town. Baan Mae Kam Pong is a small village in the Mae On district of Chiang Mai. There are only 130 families (comprising 416 members) in the village and it has been a popular homestay tourism destination since 1996, where tourists can closely explore the local people's way of living in the atmospheric mountain village.A homestay tourist in Baan Mae Kam Pong pays about B550 for a night with three meals and B900 for two nights with six meals. Due to an agreement among the village members, a homestay house owner pays B100 to the village fund of which 60 percent goes to the village's cooperative, while 20 percent is for village expenses and the rest is saved for other needs.
Since the homestay program has been successful in attracting more tourists, foreign investors have been motivated to start their own accommodation business, competing with the villagers. However, the conflict started when no payment from non-villager private investors was made to the village. Somsak, the chief of the village and his predecessor, Prommin, claimed that the investors ought to follow the agreement of the village, namely they should pay the B100 fee as locals do.(Source)
x is much-touted - many people are saying that x is good
superfluous - not necessary
anecdotes - short amusing stories (often used to demonstrate a point)
a sheepish grin - smiling in an embarassed way (feeling silly or foolish)
NGO - a non-profit Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) that provides social services that the government usually provides (See Wikipedia)
Komol Kheemthong Foundation -
x spurred y - x helped cause y to happen
Answer Key:
1. Where are the villages of Keereewong and Umaji?
Keereewong is Nakhon Si Thammarat in southern Thailand.
Umaji is on the island of Shikoku in northern Japan.
2. How are these two villages similar?
Both are small villages "tucked away in remote valleys."
Both lack resources and population.
Both have faced hard times but in the end "managed to thrive and survive."
Both have people with high standards and dedication.
3. What are the main agricultural products of Keereewong and Umaji?
(Describe them.)
Umaji grows a citrus fruit named Yuzu that is used to make juices, sauces,
seasonings, bath products, and organic compost.
Keereewong exports fruit like Mangosteen.
Keereewong produces naturally dyed fabrics.
The dyes are extracted from the sataw plant and the peel of the mangosteen.
4. What meaning has the brand name Umaji become associated with?
The name Umaji has become associated with a meaning of "ruralness".
5. After the brand name of Umaji became widely recognized, what other businesses
was the village able to expand into? Why?
The "rural" association of Umaji allowed it to branch into tourism related businesses such
as a hot-spring resort, forest activities, an annual marathon race, a museum, and a train ride.
6. Have people moved from the city to Umaji? Why?
How many people moved? What percentage increase was this?
Yes, some people who were "disillusioned with urban living" have moved to Umaji.
During the four years 2000 to 2004 72 people have moved to Umaji increasing the village size by roughly 6 to 7%. (72 / (1144 - 72) = 72 / 1072)
7. What problems did Keereewong and Umaji face in surviving as small communities?
The central government tried to consolidate the small Umaji into a larger community
(administrative unit"). It had to contend with "hostile markets."
Keereewong has been struck by several natural disasters including flash floods and droughts.
8. Once small villagers succeed in their businesses, do they have to keep expanding relentlessly, move to the big city, and become business people?
No, villagers can retain their identity as farmers (chao suan or chao baan) and even turn down business opportunities. Relentless expansion is not necessary.
9. How has the world outside Umaji created pressures on villagers to earn more money?
Watching advertisements on TV creates a desire in villagers to want to buy more things.
Household expenses went up when mobile phones became common.
