Kuni

A Japanese Vision and Practice for Urban-Rural Reconnection

By: Tsuyoshi Sekihara, Richard McCarthy, Kathleen Finlay - foreword

Narrated by: Kym Miller

“Reading Kuni makes me want to dive into rural Japan...this book reminds me that leaders emerge when and where you least expect it.”—ALICE WATERS, founder of Chez Panisse restaurant, activist, and author

A guide to reviving and revitalizing forgotten places and communities through the Japanese principles of kuni

Kuni offers a unique model for the revitalization of rural and deindustrialized lands and communities—and shares lessons in citizen-led regeneration for all of us, regardless of where we live.

“Kuni” is both a reimagining of the Japanese word for nation and an approach to reviving communities. It shows what happens when dedicated people band together and invest their hearts, minds, and souls back into a community, modeling a new way of living that actually works. A kuni can be created anywhere—even a hamlet on the verge of extinction—and embodies 7 key principles:

• Everyone is equal in a kuni
• Kuni is equipped with a Regional Management Organization—a democratic organization that takes care of small public services
• Kuni is a link between residents and repeat visitors
• Life in a kuni is circular—consumption and production are in balance
• Kuni embraces the whole person
• Kuni can be a place for young people who seek interconnectedness
• The time for kuni is now

Kuni offers a compelling vision of regenerative relationships that can take root in the United States—and anywhere. With spare and beautiful prose and useful principles for reviving rural places, this book addresses our longing for a hopeful revolution of everyday life.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2022 Tsuyoshi Sekihara and Richard McCarthy (P)2024 North Atlantic Books

Critic reviews

“Mr. Tsuyoshi Sekihara is not a scholar. But in a different era, he would have been.... If society understands the value of his work, it will be a sign that it has become a little better.”—KUMI SEIKE, professor at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University

“We need more kuni—healing and bridging between people divided by geography. From Japan to the Americas, forgotten rural communities desperately need new paths to forge a future.”—RICARDO SALVADOR, senior scientist and director of the Food and Environment Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists

“What are the universal values common to all humanity? In a kuni—a place full of vitality and where humans have pride and free will—individuals continually engage in courageous practice and never cease to question their work. In Tsuyoshi Sekihara’s new theory of kuni, we find signs of light that will help us survive in this difficult time.”—TAKAO AOKI, board chair of KODO Group/Kitamaesen Co., Ltd.