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Map showing locations of authors.
Though each location presents a particular context and perspective on regional shrinkage—some focusing on the contributing factors and others on avenues of revitalisation—this study also introduces themes that move beyond the limitations of place. What follows is a brief description of these places and themes, along with introductions to the contributors. Various parts of the book return to the places mentioned here, with the appropriate context accompanying each appearance. That said, the following introductions are important and necessary because, ultimately, it is the stories that these places provide which instruct us.
Part 1 begins with an introduction to regional shrinkage in Japan and elsewhere. Martin Dusinberre, Thomas Feldhoff, and Neil Evans provide the foundations of the first chapter with some historical and theoretical background to regional depopulation. Dusinberre’s work focuses on Kaminoseki Town in Yamaguchi Prefecture, whereas Feldhoff and