Recreating of rurality around the totoro forest in the outer fringe of tokyo metropolitan area : the spirituality of rurality

In this paper we made a point of rural land use and its conservation as the reflection of rurality in outer fringes, and discussed about recreating of rurality with utilising its conservation activities and the spirituality. In Sayama hill region of Tokyo metropolitan area, restructuring of rural land use and recreating rurality have been practised with conservation and maintenance activities in the Totoro forest. Although rural and urban residents think about those activities and their participation from different perspective, their interests and views in terms of rurality are in perfect harmony. Actually, the relationship between rural and urban residents is developed with the joint control and maintenance of the Totoro forest, which is one of central establishments for recreating of rurality. In the framework of relationships between rurality and urbanity, mutual relationships among elements of urbanity have been connected with ones of rurality through the Totoro forest as one of rural and urban establishments. As a result of our discussion, rural residents bear the sentimentality of rurality and the religion of rural life as the spirituality of rural spaces for the Totoro forest, and urban residents bear the enjoying to rural recreation and the yearning for rurality as the spirituality of green space and their own homes (furusato) for the Totoro forest