The region of Miyama lies 50 kilometres north of Kyoto City. Surrounded by mountains, it is a pristine wilderness where the traditional country lifestyle of Satoyama still flourishes. Located in adjacent area of the ancient capital Kyoto, the area still preserves a variety of traditional rituals and festivals of more than 300 years history, a part of them registered as Kyoto’s Important Intangible Cultural Property.

A particularity of Miyama is the traditional Japanese thatched roof houses, designated as Important Preservation District for Groups of Historic Buildings in 1993. Thatching is a grass roofing technique that has been used broadly in various structures since ancient times throughout Japan. The skills, techniques and knowledge of “kayabuki” has recently been registered as UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage together with other traditional architectural skills in Japan. When Miyama’s thatched village was designated as one of national heritages, the residents of the thatched village established the convention, or the regulation of the thatched village, to ensure preservation of thatched village’s cultural and historic properties, to protect the natural landscape and to avoid overtourism. For example, the convention restricts building new commercial facilities in the historic buildings, while local and national government offer subsidies to reroof thatched houses, supporting nearly 80% of the expense.

Miyama is actively engaging in promoting sustainable agriculture for conservation of lands and for decarbonized society. One of the projects, for example, engaged a group of residents to actively work on preservation of the Paeonia obovate, one of rare plants recognized by Kyoto Prefecture, which inhabits only in limited mountain area in Miyama.